Vehicle upholstery member having air bag door, and method and device for producing the same

Abstract

A vehicle upholstery member having an invisible type air bag door formed with a break-scheduled line that is designed for easy measurement of depth or the like and that cannot be recognized from the front surface side; a method of producing the same; and a device for producing the same. In a vehicle upholstery member having a skin-equipped air bag door and in a method of producing the same, a portion of the back surface of the skin corresponding to the portion where the vehicle air bag is installed is formed with a break-scheduled line that is not so deep as to reach the surface of the skin and adapted to assume a substantially V-shaped groove shape when the skin is bent with its back surface convexed, and the depth of the break-scheduled line or the thickness of the remaining portion is measured, with the incision of the break-scheduled line opened. Further, a device for producing a vehicle upholstery member having such air bag door comprises a support base for substantially flatly mounting the skin thereon, a cutting blade for forming the break-scheduled line in the skin, and measuring means for measuring the depth of the break-scheduled line or the thickness of the remaining portion.

1 - 21 . (canceled) 
   
   
       22 . A method of producing a vehicle upholstery member having an air bag door equipped with a fabricated skin, comprising the following steps (a) to (c) in order:
 (a) partially or entirely bending the skin with its back surface convexed by mounting the skin on a support base having a protrusion arranged on a surface of the support base;   (b) forming a break-scheduled line that is not so deep as to reach a front surface of the skin with a cutting blade; and   (c) measuring a depth of the break-scheduled line or a thickness of a remaining portion of the skin where the break-scheduled line is formed with an incision of the break-scheduled line opened by bending the skin.   
   
   
       23 . A device for producing a vehicle upholstery member having an air bag door equipped with a fabricated skin, comprising:
 a support base for substantially flatly mounting the skin thereon having a protrusion arranged on a surface of the support base for bending a formation place of a break-scheduled line of the skin with its back surface convexed;   a cutting blade for forming the break-scheduled line in the skin; and   measuring means for measuring a depth of the break-scheduled line or a thickness of the remaining portion of the skin where the break-scheduled line is formed with an incision of the break-scheduled line opened by bending the skin.