US 12,330,578 B1
Panel assembly for a vehicle
Sebastian Rutelin, Fagerfjäll (SE); Johan Rosenberg, Lerum (SE); and William Hübinette, Gothenburg (SE)
Assigned to Volvo Car Corporation, Gothenburg (SE)
Filed by Volvo Car Corporation, Gothenburg (SE)
Filed on Dec. 19, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/544,714.
Int. Cl. B60R 21/205 (2011.01); B60R 21/215 (2011.01)
CPC B60R 21/215 (2013.01) [B60R 21/205 (2013.01); B60R 2021/21512 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A panel assembly for a vehicle, the panel assembly comprising:
an occupant-facing surface; and
a detachable portion of the occupant-facing surface, wherein the detachable portion is adapted to contact an occupant when the detachable portion is detached from the occupant-facing surface during deployment of an airbag from behind the occupant-facing surface, and wherein the detachable portion is rigid or semi-rigid such that a surface area of the detachable portion that contacts the occupant during the deployment of the airbag is greater than a surface area of the airbag that would otherwise contact the occupant during the deployment of the airbag without the detachable portion.