Abstract: An air bag door arrangement is incorporated in an instrument panel that has a substrate and an uninterrupted covering for the substrate. The substrate includes an air bag opening that is closed by a door. The door has a hinged end that is clamped to the substrate by a frame that is beneath the substrate, a reinforcement bar that is above the substrate and a plurality of fasteners that force the frame and reinforcement bar toward each other. An air bag canister is attached to the frame beneath the air bag opening of the substrate and the frame is attached to automotive body structure so that the substrate is isolated from the reaction forces of the canister when an air bag housed in the canister inflates and pushes the door through the instrument panel covering.

Abstract: An interior trim panel for a motor vehicle has an opening for deployment of an air bag and a discrete air bag door that is attached to the interior trim panel for closing the opening and for being opened by an air bag when it is deployed. The door includes a retainer that hinges the door to the trim panel and a covering that includes a frangible flap at an end of the retainer that holds down an end of the door and breaks away when the air bag is deployed. An alternate door has a bracket attached to the retainer that moves the hinge line rearward. The covers of the trim panel and the discrete air bag door retainers may be simultaneously attached to their respective retainers in two variations of a conjoined operation.

Abstract: An instrument panel has an integral door cover for concealing a supplemental inflatable restraint system in a vehicle passenger compartment. The door cover includes a flap that is an integral part of a flexible plastic skin of the instrument panel. The plastic skin is cast in a special mold with a raised apexed rib that forms grooves outlining the flap that have a thin tear seam at their bottom.

Abstract: An invisible airbag door arrangement is integrated into a decorative automotive instrument panel to create an opening for airbag deployment. The arrangement comprises two self hinging sheet metal doors that are attached to a substrate frame and a cast polyvinyl chloride thermoplastic (PVC) shell that forms part of the decorative covering of the instrument panel. The back side of the PVC shell is reinforced with a urethane adhesive coating that also the bonds PVC shell to a layer of elastomeric urethane foam that is foamed in place beneath the PVC shell.

Abstract: A cover assembly for concealing a supplemental inflatable restraint (SIR) system in a vehicle passenger compartment is formed as an integral part of an automotive instrument panel. The cover assembly has a perforated substrate of ductile metal. The perforations are diamond shaped and form a lattice of stretchable cross members. Selected cross members are weakened to define a door edge. The inflating airbag pushes against the lattice to stretch and deform the cross members so as to create an opening at the door edge for deployment of the airbag into the passenger compartment. The cover assembly includes a decorative vinyl shell and a foam layer between the shell and substrate. The vinyl shell includes weakened sections aligned with the door edge of the substrate.