Knee airbag device

• US 20080106079A1
• Filed: 11/01/2007
• Published: 05/08/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Moro, Tomoyuki, Sanada, Akiyoshi, Imamura, Kenji, Fukawatase, Osamu
• Granted Patent: US 7,571,929 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0051 Knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/203 in steering wheels or steering columns
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/206 in the lower part of dashboards, e.g. for protecting the knees
• 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

Abstract

A knee airbag device includes a knee airbag that is disposed in a folded state inside a steering column cover. When the knee airbag receives gas, the knee airbag is inflated and deployed from an inside of the steering column cover toward a knee portion of an occupant. The knee airbag includes an interference suppression member that suppresses interference between the knee airbag and a projection body inside the steering column cover, which projects downward toward at least one side in a vehicle-width direction, when the knee airbag is inflated and deployed.

Claims

1. A knee airbag device comprising

a knee airbag that is disposed in a folded state inside a steering column cover,

wherein:

when the knee airbag receives gas, the knee airbag is inflated and deployed from an inside of the steering column cover toward a knee portion of an occupant; and

the knee airbag includes an interference suppression member that suppresses interference between the knee airbag and a projection body inside the steering column cover, which projects downward toward at least one side in a vehicle-width direction, when the knee airbag is inflated and deployed.

2. The knee airbag device according to claim 1, wherein:

the knee airbag father includes an instrument panel-side foundation cloth positioned close to an instrument panel when the knee airbag is deployed, and an occupant-side foundation cloth positioned close to the occupant when the knee airbag is deployed;

the interference suppression member is a strap connected to the instrument panel-side foundation cloth at a first edge of the strap and the occupant-side foundation cloth at a second edge of the strap; and

a length of the strap in a vehicle-longitudinal direction at a portion that faces the projection body is set to be decreased according to a projection amount of the projection body.

3. The knee airbag device according to claim 2, wherein the length of the strap in the vehicle-longitudinal direction at the portion that faces the projection body is shorter than the length of the strap in the vehicle-longitudinal direction at a portion that does not face the projection body.

4. The knee airbag device according to claim 2, wherein:

the length of the strap in the vehicle-longitudinal direction at the portion that faces the projection body is shorter than the length of the strap in the vehicle-longitudinal direction at a portion that does not face the projection body, by an amount corresponding to the projection amount; and

the knee airbag is deployed such that the second edge of the strap extends in substantially parallel with the vehicle-width direction.

5. The knee airbag device according to claim 2, wherein:

the length of the strap in the vehicle-longitudinal direction is gradually decreased from a substantially center portion of the strap to a side edge of the strap, which faces the projection body.

6. The knee airbag device according to claim 2, wherein:

an airbag door is formed in the steering column cover such that the airbag door is opened toward a vehicle cabin due to deployment pressure of the knee airbag;

when the airbag door is opened, an opening portion is formed in the steering column cover; and

the projection amount of the projection body is an amount by which the projection body projects from the opening portion toward the vehicle cabin when the airbag door is opened.

7. The knee airbag device according to claim 6, wherein a hinge portion of the airbag door is provided on the side surface of the steering column cover.

8. The knee airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the projection body is attached to a column tube.

9. The knee airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the projection body is a steering lock device attached to a column tube.