Knee protecting airbag device

• US 20050230941A1
• Filed: 06/14/2005
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atsushi Nagata, Kazumasa Suzuki, Masahiro Takimoto, Toru Koyama, Yoshio Mizuno
• Original Assignee: Atsushi Nagata, Kazumasa Suzuki, Masahiro Takimoto, Toru Koyama, Yoshio Mizuno
• Inventors: Suzuki, Kazumasa, Takimoto, Masahiro, Nagata, Atsushi, Koyama, Toru, Mizuno, Yoshio
• Granted Patent: US 7,201,396 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.100
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0051 Knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/161 characterised by additional means for controlling deployment trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23169 specially adapted for knee protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23547 one piece weaving
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23595 Sealing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/206 in the lower part of dashboards, e.g. for protecting the knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2165 characterised by a tear line for defining a deployment opening
• 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 21/233 comprising a plurality of individual compartments; comprising two or more bag-like members, one within the other B60R21/232 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2342 Tear seams
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/261 with means other than bag structure to diffuse or guide inflation fluid

Abstract

In a knee protecting airbag device of the present invention, an airbag is folded and housed on the front side of the knees of a seated passenger. The airbag is protruded rearward of a vehicle from a protruding opening and expanded and inflated upward, when an inflating gas flows in. And, the airbag is arranged on the front side of the knees of the passenger between a member on the body side and the knees of the passenger thereby to protect the knees of the passenger. The protruding opening has a transverse width size set within a range of ⅛ to ⅔ of the transverse width size of the airbag having completed its expansion and inflation.

Claims

1. A knee protecting airbag device comprising:

an airbag folded and housed on the front side of the knees of a seated passenger,

wherein said airbag is protruded rearward of a vehicle from a protruding opening and expanded and inflated upward, when an inflating gas flows in, so that it can be arranged on the front side of the knees of the passenger between a member on the body side and the passenger thereby to protect the knees of said passenger, and

wherein said protruding opening has a transverse width size set within a range of ⅛

to ⅔

of the transverse width size of said airbag having completed its expansion and inflation.

2. (canceled)

3. A knee protecting airbag device comprising:

a folded airbag; and

a case that is fixed on a vehicular body in front of the knees of a seated passenger, wherein;

the case has a generally rectangular-box shape,

an opening is formed on the rear side of the case,

the airbag is folded such that an upper edge of the airbag is in proximity to a lower edge of the airbag,

said airbag is protruded rearward from said opening and is expanded and inflated upward, when an inflating gas flows in, so that the airbag can be arranged on the front side of the knees of the passenger between a member on the vehicular body and the passenger to protect the knees of said passenger,

said airbag is constructed into a flat airbag which is formed by joining the outer peripheral edges of a passenger-side wall portion and a body-side wall portion to each other,

said passenger-side wall portion is arranged to face the passenger at the time of inflation completion,

said body-side wall portion is arranged on a side of the airbag that faces the vehicular body when the airbag is inflated,

said body-side wall portion has a flat shape that is substantially identical to that of said passenger-side wall portion,

said airbag is connected to the front side of the case at the body-side wall portion such that a portion of said body-side wall portion is pulled in the forward direction of the vehicle when the airbag is fully inflated, and

in a fully inflated state of the airbag, the length of the passenger-side wall portion as measured in a vertical plane from the opening to the upper edge of the airbag is greater than the length of the body-side wall portion as measured in a vertical plane between the opening and the upper edge of the airbag, wherein;

wherein said airbag is provided on its upper side, when completely inflated, with a wide protecting area portion capable of protecting the left and right knees of said passenger,

the lower side of said protecting area portion is tapered to converge downward to the vicinity of the lower edge of said airbag, and

the transverse width size near the lower edge of said airbag having completed its inflation is substantially equalized to the transverse width size of said case.

4-7. -7. (canceled)

8. A knee protecting airbag device,

wherein there is arranged in front of the knees of a seated passenger a case which houses and holds a folded airbag and an inflator for feeding an inflating gas to said airbag,

wherein said case can protrude said airbag, when said airbag is expanded and inflated, rearward of the vehicle from an opening,

wherein said inflator is arranged in its axial direction transversely of the vehicle and includes a generally column-shaped body and a diffuser,

wherein said body has gas discharge ports on its one axial end side and capable of discharging the inflating gas,

wherein said diffuser is constructed to cover said body and to guide the inflating gas from said body,

wherein said inflator is housed and held in said case such that said gas discharge ports are arranged on one edge side of said case in the vehicular transverse direction and such that it is housed in said airbag,

wherein said diffuser includes a cover portion for covering the periphery of said gas discharge ports, and a gas outlet port for introducing the inflating gas from said gas discharge ports into said airbag, and

wherein said gas outlet port is opened such that the central portion in the vehicular transverse direction is higher but the portions on the two left and right sides of said central portion are generally equal to each other but smaller than said central portion, with respect to the velocity of the inflating gas rearward of the vehicle in said airbag in the vicinity of the opening of said case.

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

wherein said diffuser of said inflator includes a holding cylinder portion and fixing means,

wherein said holding cylinder portion has said cover portion and said gas outlet port and houses and holds said body therein,

wherein said fixing means can be protruded from said holding cylinder portion and fastened to said case, and

wherein said fixing means can attach said body together with said airbag, when fastened to said case, to said case by inserting said airbag.

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

wherein said cover portion covers the periphery of said gas discharge ports and the end face side of said body on the said gas discharge ports side.

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

wherein said fixing means is so arranged at a position on the side opposed to said gas outlet port in the circumferential direction of said holding cylinder portion to suppress (prevent) the inflating gas flowed out of the gas outlet port from flowing out to the fixing means.

12. A knee protecting airbag device,

wherein an airbag folded and housed in front of the knees of a seated passenger can protect the knees of the passenger when expanded and inflated by admitting an inflating gas, and

wherein said airbag is constructed to have an internal pressure of 50 KPa or more at 70 milliseconds after the start of inflow of the inflating gas.

13. A knee protecting airbag device according to claim 12,

wherein said airbag is formed by a hollow-weaving method and by applying a coating agent for preventing the gas leakage to the outer surface side.

14. A knee protecting airbag device according to claim 12,

wherein said airbag is formed by sewing a woven fabric, and

wherein the sewn portion of said airbag is formed by sealing it with a filler.

15. A knee protecting airbag device,

wherein an airbag folded and housed on the front side of the knees of a passenger can protect the knees of the passenger when protruded rearward of the vehicle from the housed portion and expanded and inflated upward by admitting an inflating gas,

wherein said airbag provides the lower side, when completely expanded and inflated, for an upstream portion of said inflating gas and the upper side, when completely expanded and inflated, for a downstream portion of said inflating gas,

wherein said airbag arranges a plurality of tethers for keeping a general sheet shape of said airbag by connecting a passenger side wall portion and a body side wall portion at the inflation completion time, and

wherein said tethers are constructed to enlarge the spaced distance between said passenger side wall portion and said body side wall portion at said upstream portion of the inflating gas and to reduce the spaced distance between said passenger side wall portion and said body side wall portion at said downstream portion.

16. A knee protecting airbag device according to claim 15,

wherein said individual tethers are arranged in band shapes along the transverse direction of the vehicle and at a plurality of stages in the vertical direction in the vicinity of the transverse center of said airbag having completed its expansion and inflation, and

wherein said tether over said tether at the lowermost stage is provided, at a position over said tether at the lowermost stage, with a communication port capable releasing the inflating gas upward.

17. A knee protecting airbag device according to claim 15,

wherein said airbag is provided with thickness regulating means for keeping the spaced distance between said passenger side wall portion and said body side wall portion at the initial stage of the expansion and inflation short and for enlarging the spaced distance between said passenger side wall portion and said body side wall portion to a predetermined length before the completion of the expansion and inflation.

18. A knee protecting airbag device according to claim 15,

wherein a current member is arranged at said upstream portion of the inflating gas in said airbag and has side openings for releasing the inflating gas to the left and right sides of the vehicle, and an upper opening capable of releasing the inflating gas upward.

19. A knee protecting airbag device,

wherein a folded airbag is housed in a case and arranged on the lower side of the front of the knees of a seated passenger,

wherein when an inflating gas from an inflator is fed to the inside of said airbag, said airbag is so expanded and inflated as can be protruded to rise rearward of the vehicle from an opening in said case on the vehicular rear side thereby to protect the knees of the passenger, and

wherein said airbag having completed its inflation is constructed such that the film length of the whole periphery positioned on the inner periphery of the open end of said case may be larger than the length size of the whole periphery of the inner periphery of said open end in said case.

20. A knee protecting airbag device according to claim 19,

wherein the film length of the whole periphery of said airbag positioned on the inner periphery of the open end of said case is set within 1.5 L≧

Y>

1.0 L, if said film length is designated by Y and if the length size of the whole periphery of the inner periphery of said open end in said case is designated by L.

21. A knee protecting airbag device comprising an airbag, wherein:

the airbag is folded and housed in a case to be fixed on a vehicle body in front of the knees of a seated passenger;

the airbag is folded such that an upper end of the airbag is brought into close proximity to a lower end of the airbag;

when an inflating gas flows into the airbag, the airbag protrudes toward the rear of the vehicle from the case and expands and inflates in an upward direction, so that the airbag is arranged on the front side of knees of the passenger between the passenger and the vehicle body to protect the knees of the passenger;

the airbag includes a passenger-side wall portion and a body side wall portion;

the passenger-side wall portion is arranged to face the passenger when inflation of the airbag is complete;

the body-side wall portion is arranged on the side of the airbag that faces the vehicle body when the airbag is inflated;

the airbag includes thickness regulating tethers for connecting said passenger side wall portion and said body side wall portion to each other;

the tethers are arranged in said airbag, when the airbag is fully inflated, apart from said case at positions near an upper edge of an opening in the case through which the airbag passes when being inflated, and when said airbag protrudes in a rearward direction from said case, the tethers are connected to said passenger side wall portion and said body side wall portion in a generally horizontal orientation.

22. A knee protecting airbag device comprising an airbag, wherein:

the airbag is folded and housed in a vehicle on a front side of the knees of a passenger to protect the knees of the passenger when the airbag is protruded in a rearward direction of the vehicle and expanded and inflated upward by admitting an inflating gas into the airbag;

when completely expanded and inflated, an upstream part of the inflating gas is located in a lower portion of the airbag;

when completely expanded and inflated, a downstream part of the inflating gas is located in an upper portion of the airbag;

the airbag includes a plurality of tethers for keeping the shape of the airbag generally planar by connecting a passenger side wall portion and a body side wall portion at the time that inflation of the airbag is completed;

the individual tethers are arranged in bands along the transverse direction of the vehicle and at a plurality of stages in the vertical direction in the vicinity of the transverse center of the airbag, when the airbag has completed expansion and inflation;

the tether over the tether at the lowermost stage is provided, at a position over the tether at the lowermost stage, with a communication port capable releasing the inflating gas upward.