Patent ID: 11865992
Assignee: MCLAREN AUTOMOTIVE LIMITED
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 18:
19. A vehicle comprising:
an airbag device comprising a housing and an airbag, the airbag having a packed configuration and an expanded configuration, the airbag expanding through an aperture in the housing when moving from the packed configuration to the expanded configuration;
a composite material panel positioned to cover the airbag device, the panel comprising a break line running over the panel, a detachable portion within the break line and a fixed portion outside of the break line, the detachable portion becoming at least partially detached when the airbag forces the panel to tear along the break line, the break line being proximal to the aperture so that when the airbag moves to the expanded configuration the airbag forces the panel to tear along the break line;
a first protection flap, the first protection flap having an initial configuration where the first protection flap is located adjacent the airbag in the packed configuration and a deployed configuration where the first protection flap covers at least one edge of the panel that runs along one side of the break line when the panel has torn due to the airbag moving to the expanded configuration;
a tether attached between the detachable portion and the fixed portion; and
a second protection flap, the second protection flap being attached to the detachable portion at one end of the second protection flap and the second protection flap being unattached at an opposite end of the second protection flap, the second protection flap being configured to cover at least one edge of the detachable portion that is remote from the tether once the detachable portion is at least partially detached.