Knee protecting airbag device

• US 20050140123A1
• Filed: 12/21/2004
• Published: 06/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Takimoto, Masahiro, Nagata, Atsushi, Hashimoto, Masakazu, Hotta, Naoki
• Granted Patent: US 7,370,879 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.100
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23169 specially adapted for knee protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/206 in the lower part of dashboards, e.g. for protecting the knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2171 specially adapted for elongated cylindrical or bottle-like inflators with a symmetry axis perpendicular to the main direction of bag deployment, e.g. extruded reaction canisters B60R21/2176 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/26 characterised by the inflation fluid source or means to control inflation fluid flow arrangement or mounting thereof to the vehicle B60R21/20; blasting cartridges for producing gas under pressure in general F42B3/04; initiators or igniters therefor F42B3/10
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/261 with means other than bag structure to diffuse or guide inflation fluid

Abstract

The knee protecting airbag device is assembled such that a retainer and an attachment bracket clamp the peripheral portion of a gas inlet opening of an airbag, bag holding wall parts of a case, and a gas providing inflator. This inflator is provided with a diffuser for covering the gas discharge port of a body. The retainer and the attachment bracket are connected by inserting bolts and connecting members through the airbag and the case, by retaining retaining portions on the retaining portions of the connecting members, and by inserting the bolts into through holes and fastening them with nuts. At this connecting time, guide portions of the retainer and the diffuser are fitted on each other to form a guide passage for guiding the gas into the airbag.

Claims

1. An airbag device arranged in front of a seat in a vehicle for knee protection comprising:

a case installed in the vehicle;

an airbag accommodated in the case, provided with an inlet opening from which a gas is introduced, and being extendable toward a rear side of the vehicle when the gas flows in the airbag;

an inflator for providing the gas into said airbag, including a body having a discharge port discharging the gas and a diffuser fixed on said body so as to cover said gas discharge port; and

a retainer coupled to said inflator, clamping a bag holding wall part of said case and a peripheral portion of said inlet opening of said airbag such that said peripheral portion of said inlet opening is fixed to said case,

wherein said inflator is disposed outside of said case along said bag holding wall part, and

said retainer and said diffuser have guide portions respectively that are engaged to each other constituting a guide structure to form a passage through which the gas is provided to said airbag.

2. An airbag device according to claim 1,

wherein one of the guide portions in said retainer and said diffuser is formed by a tubular portion extending to another of the guide portions, which is formed by a fitting hole fitted to said tubular portion.

3. An airbag device according to claim 2,

wherein said tubular portion is tapered toward a leading end thereof so as to be fitted with an inner circumference of said fitting hole, making make a close contact therebetween.

4. An airbag device according to claim 1, wherein

wherein a bolt and a connecting member are provided so as to extend through said airbag and the bag holding wall part and to be opposed to each other interposing said inflator perpendicularly to an longitudinal direction of said inflator,

said attachment bracket is arranged along said inflator and formed to have a generally U-shaped section covering a side face of said inflator apart from said bag holding wall part,

said attachment bracket includes a through hole on one of opposite edges of said attachment bracket along a circumferential direction of said inflator to which said bolt is inserted to fasten said bolt with a nut, and

a retaining portion on another of said opposite edges being retained by a retaining portion of said connecting member.

5. An airbag device according to claim 1,

wherein an attachment bracket formed with a sheet metal fixes said retainer and said inflator to said case, and

at least a pair of holding members are provided in said retainer so as to extend through said airbag and the bag holding wall part, and to be opposed to each other interposing said inflator perpendicularly to an longitudinal direction of said inflator, and

said attachment bracket including

a cover portion extending along said inflator so as to cover a side face of said inflator apart from said bag holding wall part;

retaining portions arranged in a vicinity of opposite edges of said cover portion for retaining end portions of said opposed holding members; and

caulking portions provided in said cover portions for pressing and caulking said inflator toward the bag holding wall side of said case.

6. An airbag device according to claim 5,

wherein said gas discharge port is located on an end portion of said body of said inflator, and

said diffuser has a bottomed cylindrical shape for covering around said gas discharge port, in which said guide portion is disposed on a circumferential wall part of said diffuser, and

wherein said attachment bracket is previously fixed on a base wall part of said diffuser closing an axial end portion of said diffuser before said retainer and said inflator are fixed to said case.

7. An airbag device arranged in front of a seat in a vehicle for knee protection comprising:

a case installed in the vehicle so as to have an opening on a vehicular rear side;

an airbag accommodated in the case, provided with an inlet opening from which a gas is introduced, and being extendable toward a rear side of the vehicle, when the gas flows in the airbag;

an inflator for providing the gas into said airbag;

an airbag cover made of a resin to cover the vehicular rear side of said case;

wherein an airbag assembly is constituted by said case, said bag and said inflator, and

said airbag assembly has a mount portion to be attached to a vehicular body with using a mount member for fastening to said body side and

said airbag cover includes;

a door arranging cover portion having a door portion capable of covering said opening on the vehicular rear side of said case and from which said airbag is protruded when said airbag is expanded; and

a general portion having an opening for housing said door arranging cover portion and arranged around said door arranging cover portion,

such that said door arranging cover portion is enabled to open and close said opening of said general portion by engaging a part of door arranging part with said general portion and warping said engaged part with said general portion;

wherein a retaining portion that is arranged in a position other than said connecting portion is capable of retaining a peripheral portion of said opening of said general portion and a peripheral portion of said door arranging cover portion,

wherein an open area formed by opening said door arranging cover portion on said general portion is such that said airbag assembly is insertable to said opening from the rear side of the vehicle and is mountable to said mount portion of said airbag assembly on a body side of said vehicle, and

said mount portion of said airbag assembly is so arranged that said mount member is fastened on said body side while visible from said opening.

8. A knee protecting airbag device according to claim 7,

wherein the door portion of said door arranging cover portion is pressed, when said airbag is expanded and inflated, by said airbag being inflated, to release the retention of said retaining protrusions.

9. A knee protecting airbag device according to claim 7,

wherein said door arranging cover portion includes portions to be broken, around said door portion, and

wherein said door portion is pressed and opened with said airbag inflated, by breaking said portions to be broken.