Patent ID: 6435542
Filing Date: 2002-08-20
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
An airbag apparatus for a front passenger seat built in an instrument panel of a vehicle, comprising:an airbag case accommodated within a core of said instrument panel and having an opening portion located in opposition to a back surface of an interior cover covering said core; an airbag accommodated within said airbag case in a folded state, said airbag being able to be inflated by means of gas from an inflater; a fracture-opening section defined in said cover to be located in opposition to the opening portion of said airbag case, said fracture-opening section having a fragile contour portion surrounding said fracture-opening section and a fragile center splitting portion for dividing said fracture-opening section into front and rear subsections, front and rear reinforcement plate members fixedly attached to back surfaces of said front and rear subsections, each of said front and rear reinforcement plate members being connected to the opening portion of said airbag case via a hinge portion; and reinforcement means provided at mutually-opposed end portions of said front and rear reinforcement plate members and adapted to reinforce the center splitting portion, wherein said reinforcement means comprises engagement projections and engagement cutaways alternately formed at each of the mutually-opposed end portions of said front and rear reinforcement plate members, wherein the mutually-opposed end portions of said front and rear reinforcement plate members are superposed and engage with each other in such a manner that said engagement projections formed at one of the mutually-opposed end portions enter said engagement cutaways formed at the other of said mutually-opposed end portions.