Patent ID: 6460875
Filing Date: 2002-10-08
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
In combination:a) an air bag having an undeployed state and a deployed state; and b) an instrument panel which overlies the air bag with the air bag in the undeployed state, the instrument panel comprising: i) a skin layer having oppositely facing front and rear surfaces; ii) a foamed resin layer on the rear surface of the skin layer, the foamed resin layer having a thickness; iii) a core layer having an opening through which the air bag extends with the air bag in the deployed state, the opening bounded by an edge; and iv) a door at the opening, the door having a substantially flat surface portion residing in a plane and a peripheral edge and being repositionable from a closed position into an open position as an incident of the air bag changing from the undeployed state into the deployed state, the skin layer having a break portion defined by a groove at which the skin layer ruptures as the air bag changes from the undeployed state into the deployed state, the groove having first and second spaced sides and a base between the first and second sides and producing a localized reduction in the thickness of the foamed resin layer and having at least a portion that is spaced outwardly from the edge bounding the opening in the core layer, at least a portion of the peripheral edge of the door extending along the plane outwardly from the edge bounding the core layer opening toward the groove but not up to the groove so that the groove is spaced along the plane outwardly from at least a portion of the peripheral edge.