KNEE PROTECTING AIRBAG DEVICE

• US 20100295281A1
• Filed: 07/29/2010
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Takimoto, Masahiro, Kuriyama, Yuji, Koyama, Toru
• Granted Patent: US 8,220,830 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0051 Knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/21506 comprising tearing tabs, legs or the like for holding the lid before deployment
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2163 with energy absorbing or elastic means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23169 specially adapted for knee protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23316 Inner seams, e.g. creating separate compartments or used as tethering means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23324 Inner walls crating separate compartments, e.g. communicating with vents
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/206 in the lower part of dashboards, e.g. for protecting the knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/215 characterised by the covers for the inflatable member B60R21/2176 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/216 comprising tether means for limitation of cover motion during deployment
• 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 21/2346 Soft diffusers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded

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.

Claims

1-27. -27. (canceled)

28. A knee-protecting airbag device comprising:

an airbag inflatable for protecting knees;

a housing that houses the airbag; and

means for curving the airbag upward at inflation at inflation of the airbag.

29. The knee-protecting airbag device according to claim 28, wherein:

the airbag includes a knee-side wall deployable toward knees and a vehicle body side wall deployable away from the knees; and

the knee-side wall is substantially longer in length in a longitudinal direction than the vehicle body side wall.

30. The knee-protecting airbag device of claim 28, wherein the means for curving the airbag upward is a length adjusting cloth that is joined to the vehicle body side wall at front and rear ends thereof so as to shorten the length in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body side wall relative to the knee-side wall.

31. The knee-protecting airbag device according to claim 28, wherein the means for curving the airbag upward is a tuck formed on the vehicle body side wall.