Abstract:
A safety restraint system wherein the system includes an expandable skin which inflates upon activation of the restraint system thereby eliminating the need for a separate inflatable bag and a hinged door through which the inflatable bag deploys, as required in a conventional safety restraint system.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The invention relates to a safety restraint system and more particularly to an expandable skin for a safety restraint system wherein the expandable skin eliminates the need for a separate inflatable bag and a hinged door through which the inflatable bag deploys of a conventional safety restraint system.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    In the automotive industry, air bag safety restraint systems are standard equipment in many passenger vehicles. Typically, the safety restraint system is mounted in a dashboard and/or a steering wheel assembly of a motor vehicle. While the particular location of such safety restraint systems may vary, each is typically designed for installation as a modular assembly. A conventional air bag module contains an inflator, a folded air bag, and a deployment housing within which the air bag and the inflator are mounted. The air bag is deployed through a hinged door. The deployment housing is typically secured to a rigid support structure within vehicle components such as the steering wheel assembly, the dashboard, the door panel, or other location as desired, for example.  
           [0003]    Air bag safety restraint devices are typically mounted in a position to protect a passenger&#39;s upper torso, head, and legs when deployed during an accident. The use of air bag safety restraint systems, particularly in conjunction with the use of seat belts, has proven to reduce the severity of injuries and increase the survival rate of passengers involved in an accident.  
           [0004]    It is also known in the art to deploy an air bag through a hinged door. Upon deployment during an accident, a seam in a trim panel is caused to open allowing the hinged doors to swing outwardly and release the air bag. Injury may result during the accident if the passenger is brought into contact with the exposed door.  
           [0005]    It would be desirable to produce a safety restraint system for a vehicle which eliminates the need for hinged doors and militates against injury of a passenger from operation of the air bag.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0006]    Consistent and consonant with the present invention, a safety restraint system for an automobile which eliminates the need for hinged doors and militates against injury of a passenger from operation of the air bag has surprisingly been discovered.  
           [0007]    The safety restraint system for a vehicle comprises:  
           [0008]    a housing adapted to be attachable to a structural member;  
           [0009]    an expandable skin covering at least a portion of an outer surface of the housing; and  
           [0010]    an inflator for injecting a fluid between facing surfaces of the housing and the skin. 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0011]    The above, as well as other advantages of the present invention, will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment when considered in the light of the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 1 is partial sectional view of a safety restraint system in accordance with the present invention; and  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of the safety restraint system illustrated in FIG. 1 showing the restraint system in a deployed position. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0014]    Referring now to the drawings, and particularly FIG. 1, there is shown generally at  10  an air bag safety restraint system incorporating the features of the present invention. The safety restraint system  10  includes a restraint housing  12 . The housing  12  is attached to a structural member or component  14  of a vehicle (not shown). In the embodiment shown, the structural component  14  is a dashboard. It is understood, however, that other structural components could be used without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention such as a steering wheel, a door frame, a seat back, or a roof of a passenger compartment, for example. The housing  12  is located as desired in the vehicle to protect a passenger  16  seated in a seat  18  of a passenger compartment of the vehicle.  
         [0015]    An inflator  20  is disposed in the housing  12 . An actuator  22  which is activated by a sensor  24  operates the inflator  20 . The inflator  20  is in communication with an air gap  26 . In the embodiment shown, the inflator  20  is disposed in the housing  12 . However, other configurations can be used without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. An expandable skin  28  cooperates with the housing  12  to form the air gap  26  and sealingly close the air gap  26  from the atmosphere. It is understood that the expandable skin  28  could be disposed in direct contact with an outer surface of the housing  12 . Additionally, the expandable skin  28  could be disposed directly on the structural component  14  of the vehicle, thus eliminating the need for the housing  12 .  
         [0016]    In the embodiment shown, the expandable skin  28  is formed by a urethane resin or urethane elastomer. The liquid urethane gel is blended with dye and injected into a mold to form into a sheet of desired dimensions. Although materials having other properties and dimensions may be acceptable for use in forming the expandable skin  28 , a urethane elastomer having the following properties and dimensions has been found to perform satisfactorily for forming the expandable skin  28  during testing of the expandable skin  28  of the safety restraint system  10 :  
                                                       Hardness (Shore A):     70-90           Tensile strength:     40-50 Kg/cm           Elongation:    400-500%           Sheet thickness:    1.5-20 mm (3-5 mm desirable)           Width:    900 mm           Length:   1800 mm                      
 
         [0017]    It is understood that other conventional materials could be used to form the expandable skin  28  without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Additionally, although shown as an integral part of the housing  12 , the expandable skin  28  can be made as a replaceable portion of the housing  12  to facilitate removal and replacement of the expandable skin  28  without having to remove the housing  12  from the structural component  14 .  
         [0018]    In operation, the restraint system  10  serves as one of a number of safety components in a vehicle. During an accident, the actuator  22  connected to the inflator  20  receives a signal from the sensor  24 , thereby causing the inflator  20  to operate. During operation, the inflator  20  rapidly causes a fluid, typically a gas, to flow into the air gap  26  causing the air gap  26  to become pressurized and exert a force on the expandable skin  28 . During pressurization of the air gap  26 , the expandable skin  28  begins to move outwardly from the housing  12 , thereby expanding the volume of the air gap  26 . The expandable skin  28  continues to move outwardly and expand to come into contact with the passenger  16  to function as an air bag, as illustrated in FIG. 2. The contact between the passenger  16  and the expandable skin  28  militates against the passenger  16  being caused to lurch forward and into contact with interior components of the vehicle such as the steering wheel, the dash, and the like. By preventing contact between the passenger  16  and the interior components of the vehicle, the expandable skin  28  militates against injury of the passenger  16 .  
         [0019]    The expandable skin  28  can be formed into most shapes structures, and contours. Additionally, different colors, including transparent materials, can be used to form the expandable skin  28 . Based on the flexibility in selecting the shape, color, etc. of expandable skin  28  material, the expandable skin  28  can be used to form various vehicle passenger cabin components such as seats (insert pads, bolsters, armrests), an instrument panel (face material, air bag cover), head impact and knee bolsters, and other interior components.  
         [0020]    Use of the restraint system  10  of the invention results in a reduction in required components from a typical air bag system. Generally, a folded or otherwise concealed bag is disposed behind at least one hinged door. Upon activation of an inflator, the air bag is inflated, causing the at least one door to open. Typically, the at least one door is in the form of a trim component in the interior of the vehicle. Using the embodiment of the invention described, the at least one door is eliminated since the trim component itself is the air bag. Thus, the number of parts and the cost thereof are minimized, while possible contact by the passenger with the parts eliminated is militated against. Contact between the passenger and the parts which were eliminated could result in an undesirable injury to the passenger.  
         [0021]    From the foregoing description, one ordinarily skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention and, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, can make various changes and modifications to the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions.