Patent Publication Number: US-2003222436-A1

Title: Dashboard for vehicles

Description:
[0001] The present invention relates to a dashboard for vehicles according to the preamble of the main claim.  
       [0002] The dashboard of a vehicle is a complex unit, which comprises multiple devices and controls, such as, for example, the instrument panel, the assembly for air distribution inside the vehicle passenger compartment, the control panel for the air-distribution assembly, the airbag module, etc.  
       [0003] Dashboards for vehicles are already known which comprise an external shell that includes a wall permeable to air associated to an air distribution duct for distributing an air flow inside the vehicle passenger compartment in a diffused way and at a low rate. The air-permeable wall may consist of a mesh or grill or a perforated wall covered with a porous coating. In a dashboard with diffused distribution of the air flow through a porous wall, there is the need for distributing the air flow over a surface that is as wide as possible in order to make the distribution of the air in the passenger compartment as uniform as possible and to reduce the rate of the air flow delivered from the porous wall. A further requirement is that of providing the air-bag assembly on the passenger side with the corresponding cover or lid in the top part of the dashboard, without the overall dimensions of the air-bag assembly and corresponding lid interfering with the area in which it would be desirable to set the diffused-air distribution channel and the porous wall.  
       [0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a dashboard for vehicles of the above-mentioned type which is simpler and less expensive than the known solutions and which will enable the aforesaid requirements to be met in the best possible way.  
       [0005] According to the present invention, the above purpose is achieved thanks to a dashboard having the characteristics forming the subject of the ensuing claims. 
     
    
    
     [0006] The present invention will now be described in detail, purely by way of non-limiting example, with reference to the attached drawings, in which:  
     [0007]FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a dashboard according to the present invention;  
     [0008]FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view along the line II-II of FIG. 1;  
     [0009]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of FIG. 2 schematically illustrating the phase of explosion of the air-bag on the passenger side; and  
     [0010]FIGS. 4 and 5 are details at a larger scale of the parts indicated by the arrows IV and V in FIG. 2. 
    
    
     [0011] With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the reference number  10  designates a dashboard for vehicles according to the present invention. The dashboard  10  comprises a supporting structure  12  which can be made as described in a simultaneous patent application filed by the present applicant, entitled “Hybrid supporting structure for a vehicle dashboard, and process for manufacturing the same”. As described in detail in the simultaneous patent application filed by the present applicant, the supporting structure  16  comprises a metal cross member  14 , on which an air-distribution assembly is co-moulded, which includes a duct  18 , which extends for a substantial part of the width of the dashboard  10 . The duct  16  comprises a channel  18  for the demisting/defrosting air flow and a channel  20  for diffused-air distribution. Provided on the cross member  14  is, moreover, a support  22  which is co-moulded on the cross member and on which an air-bag  24  is installed.  
     [0012] The dashboard  10  comprises an external shell  26  fixed to the supporting structure  12 . The external shell  26  has a top part  26   a , which, in use, faces the windscreen of the vehicle, and a front part  26   b , which, in use, faces the driver&#39;s seat and the passenger seat.  
     [0013] Once again with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the top part  26   a  of the external shell  26  comprises an air-permeable wall  28  that includes a support made of plastic material  30 , which is perforated or has the form of a grill covered with a coating  32  made of air-permeable material. The channel  20  for diffused-air distribution is closed at the top by the permeable wall  28 , which, as illustrated in FIG. 1, extends over a substantial part of the width of the dashboard  10 . The channel  18  for distribution of the demisting/defrosting air flow communicates with slits  34  arranged in such a way as to direct the demisting/defrosting air flow towards the windscreen (not illustrated).  
     [0014] With reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, the air-bag assembly  24  is mounted on a substantially L-shaped seat  36  of the support  22 , which is co-moulded on the cross member  14 . The air-bag assembly  24  is associated to an outlet opening  38  defined between a side wall  40  of the distribution duct  16  and a wall  42  that forms part of the shell  26  and is substantially parallel to the wall  40 . The outlet opening  38  opens out onto the top part  26   a  of the outer shell  26 . The outlet opening  38  of the air-bag assembly  24  is closed at the top by a part  28   a  of the permeable wall  28 . The part  28   a  of the wall  28  may not be permeable to air. The entire permeable wall  28  is connected to the outer shell  26  so as to be able to open in order to enable exit of the inflatable cushion of the air-bag  44 , as represented schematically in FIG. 3.  
     [0015] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the wall  28  has a front side  46 , two lateral sides  48 , and a rear side  50 . Along the front side  46  there is provided a set of hinge-like connecting elements  52  and, along the sides  48 ,  50  there is provided a plurality of calibrated-failure connecting elements  54 . A possible embodiment of the connecting elements  52  and  54  is illustrated in the details of FIGS. 4 and 5. With reference to FIG. 4, each hinge-like connecting element  52  has a flexible portion made of plastic material  56 , which forms a bendable elbow  58  that is fixed, at one end, to a wall  60  of the outer shell  26 , for example by means of a rivet  62 . With reference to FIG. 5, each calibrated-failure connecting element  54  comprises a snap-action engagement tooth or catch  64 , which engages, by snap action, a corresponding hole  66  formed in a lowered portion  68  integral with the portion  26   a  of the outer shell  26 . The snap-action engagement tooth  64  is formed integrally with the wall  28   a  and has a restricted failure section  70 .  
     [0016] As illustrated in FIG. 3, when the air-bag module  24  goes into action, the cushion  44  inflates instantaneously and comes out of the dashboard  10  through the opening  38 . The force applied by the cushion  44  on the wall  28  produces breaking of the failure sections  70 , and the permeable wall  28  rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow  72  about the hinge-like connecting elements  52 .  
     [0017] The arrangement according to the present invention makes it possible to avoid using a separate component for forming the lid of the air-bag. The permeable wall  28  performs the dual function of top covering element of the duct for distribution of diffused air and lid of the air-bag module. The embodiment of the dashboard according to the present invention is therefore simpler and less expensive than dashboards of a traditional type, which entail the use of two separate components for providing the lid of the air-bag and the closing wall of the diffused-air distribution duct.