Knee protecting airbag device
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Accused Products
Abstract
In a knee protecting airbag device (M1), an airbag (26) folded and housed below a steering column (3) is expanded and inflated while rising from the lower side of the steering column (3) along a column cover lower surface (9a) during an inflation process. The shape of the airbag having completed the inflation is in a generally plate shape capable of covering at least the lower surface of the column cover. Even if the knee of the driver comes close to the column cover when the driver depressing a brake pedal, therefore, the airbag being expanded and inflated goes smoothly into the clearance between the knee of the driver and the column cover lower surface. The airbag having completed the expansion and inflation protects the knee of the driver properly so that the knee may not interfere with the column cover.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1-27. -27. (canceled)
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28. A knee-protecting airbag device located below a steering column for protecting knees of a driver, the airbag device comprising:
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an airbag inflatable and deployable upward and rearward with inflation gas, the airbag including an upstream portion of inflation gas disposed at a lower part of the airbag at full inflation, a downstream portion of inflation gas disposed at an upper part of the airbag at full inflation, a tether disposed along the transverse direction inside the airbag for partitioning the upstream portion and downstream portion and regulating the thickness of the airbag upon inflation, and a gas communication hole that communicates the upstream portion and downstream portion one with the other, wherein the tether is configured to inflate the upstream portion in such a manner as to widen a lateral width of the upstream portion at the initial stage of inflow of inflation gas; and a housing disposed below the steering column for housing the airbag. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31)
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32. A knee-protecting airbag device located below a steering column for protecting knees of a driver, the airbag device comprising:
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an airbag inflatable and deployable upward and rearward with inflation gas, the airbag including an upstream portion of inflation gas disposed at a lower part of the airbag at full inflation, a downstream portion of inflation gas disposed at an upper part of the airbag at full inflation, and a gas flow regulating member that regulates a flow of inflation gas so as to inflate the upstream portion in such a manner as to widen a lateral width of the upstream portion and then inflate the downstream portion; and a housing disposed below the steering column for housing the airbag. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34)
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- 35. A knee-protecting airbag device located below a steering column for protecting knees of a driver, the airbag device comprising an airbag housed in a housing that is located below the steering column such that it is inflatable and deployable upward and rearward when with inflation gas, the airbag including an upper wall and lower wall opposing each other in the thickness direction of the airbag and being configured such that the upper wall is shorter in a longitudinal length than the lower wall such that the airbag is bent upward at a rear end at full inflation.
Specification