Instrument Panel Decorative Sheet Fastener for Airbag Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing instrument panels with decorative leather or cloth sheets face challenges in maintaining appearance while allowing smooth airbag inflation, as slits in the decorative sheets can degrade their appearance and interfere with airbag inflation.
Innovation Solution
An instrument panel design featuring a panel body with a first slit for airbag inflation, a decorative sheet with second slits, and a fastener with a cover plate and anchors that pass through both slits, ensuring the decorative sheet splits without interfering with airbag inflation and maintaining appearance by covering the second slits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a slit is included in the decorative sheet to allow airbag inflation, then the airbag can inflate smoothly, but the appearance of the decorative sheet is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The cover plate serves as an intermediary element that covers the second slit in the decorative sheet, preventing the slit from being visible and thus maintaining the appearance. At the same time, the cover plate allows the anchor to pass through and secure the decorative sheet, enabling both aesthetic and functional requirements to be satisfied simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The second slit is nested within the cover plate structure, where the cover plate covers the slit from the front side while the anchor passes through the slit from the back side. This nesting arrangement allows the functional opening to be hidden while still serving its purpose
2Stability of the object's composition
If the decorative sheet is fastened tightly on the panel body, then loosening and wrinkling are prevented, but the airbag inflation is interfered with
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening system is segmented into multiple components: the anchor for securing, the cover plate for covering the slit, and the decorative sheet with its own slit. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function - the anchor provides stable fastening while the slits and cover plate ensure airbag inflation is not interfered with
Solution Approach 2:
The fastener system is designed to be dynamic rather than rigid - the cover plate can move and deform along with the decorative sheet during airbag inflation, allowing the system to adapt to the inflation process while maintaining fastening stability during normal conditions
3Shape
If a fastener is used to cover the second slit, then the appearance is maintained, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cover plate performs multiple functions: it covers the second slit to maintain appearance, allows the anchor to pass through for fastening, and can deform during airbag inflation. By making the cover plate multi-functional, the design avoids adding separate components for each function, thus reducing overall device complexity while achieving multiple goals
Data Source
AI summary
An instrument panel mounted on a vehicle and covering an airbag may include: a panel body including a first slit at a position opposing the airbag; a decorative sheet constituted of at least one of cloth and leather, the decorative sheet covering an area of the panel body including the first slit, and the decorative sheet including at least one second slit arranged along the first slit; and a fastener fastening the decorative sheet on the panel body. The fastener may include: a cover plate covering the at least one second slit; and at least one anchor extending from a back surface of the cover plate and passing through the first slit and the at least one second slit, the at least one anchor being fixed to the panel body.