KNEE AIRBAG MODULE

• US 20110095512A1
• Filed: 10/22/2010
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Acquisition, LLC (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: TK Holdings Incorporated (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: MENDEZ, Gerardo
• Granted Patent: US 8,505,969 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.1
• 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 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23576 Sewing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/206 in the lower part of dashboards, e.g. for protecting the knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2334 Expansion control features
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 20/141 Feedstock

Abstract

A knee airbag module for protecting a vehicle occupant comprising a housing containing an inflatable airbag and an inflator for providing gas for inflating the airbag; and wherein the airbag is configured to inflate and deploy out of the housing into a position forward of the knees of the occupant; where the airbag includes front and rear panels that are connected together to form an inflatable chamber; wherein when the airbag deploys the front panel is positioned adjacent to an instrument panel of the vehicle and the rear panel is positioned adjacent to the occupant; wherein the cross-sectional vertical length of the front panel is shorter than the cross-sectional vertical length of the rear panel thereby causing the airbag to deploy upwardly.

Claims

1. A knee airbag module for protecting a vehicle occupant comprising:

a housing containing an inflatable airbag and an inflator for providing gas for inflating the airbag; and

wherein the airbag is configured to inflate and deploy out of the housing into a position forward of the knees of the occupant;

where the airbag includes front and rear panels that are connected together to form an inflatable chamber;

wherein when the airbag deploys the front panel is positioned adjacent to an instrument panel of the vehicle and the rear panel is positioned adjacent to the occupant;

wherein the cross-sectional vertical length of the front panel is shorter than the cross-sectional vertical length of the rear panel thereby causing the airbag to deploy upwardly.

2. The airbag module of claim 1, wherein at least one of the front and rear panels includes a substantially horizontal pleat thereby resulting in the cross-sectional vertical length of the front panel being shorter than the cross-sectional vertical length of the rear panel.

3. The airbag module of claim 2, wherein the pleat is located in the front panel.

4. The airbag module of claim 3, wherein the front panel includes an opening and the pleat is formed in the front panel by connecting the edges of the opening.

5. The airbag module of claim 3, wherein the front panel includes a folded portion and the pleat is formed by tucking the folded portion into the inflatable chamber.

6. The airbag module of claim 5, wherein the front panel includes a substantially horizontal seam positioned to maintain the folded portion in the inflatable chamber.

7. The airbag module of claim 3, further comprising a second pleat located in the rear panel, wherein the second pleat is configured to reduce the perimeter of the rear panel to substantially match the perimeter the front panel.

8. The airbag module of claim 2, wherein prior to connecting the first and second panels together to form the airbag cushion the length of the perimeter of the rear panel is greater than the length of the perimeter for the front panel, and wherein the pleat is located in the rear panel.

9. The airbag module of claim 8, wherein the pleat is formed by a connected pair of edge portions of the rear panel to thereby reduce the perimeter of the rear panel to substantially match the perimeter of the front panel.

10. The airbag module of claim 9, wherein the rear panel includes a second pleat formed on a horizontally opposite side of the perimeter of the rear panel.

11. The airbag module of claim 3, wherein the front panel includes a folded portion and the pleat is formed to extend away from the inflatable chamber.

12. A knee airbag cushion for use in an airbag module for restraining a vehicle occupant comprising:

a front panel, and

a rear panel connected to the front panel to form an inflatable chamber;

wherein the inflatable chamber is configured to inflate to deploy the airbag cushion out of the airbag module into a position forward of the lower legs of the occupant;

wherein when the airbag deploys to the position forward of the lower legs of the occupant the front panel is positioned adjacent to an instrument panel of the vehicle and the rear panel is positioned adjacent to the occupant;

wherein the cross-sectional vertical length of the front panel is shorter than the cross-sectional vertical length of the rear panel thereby causing the airbag to deploy upwardly.

13. The airbag cushion of claim 12, wherein at least one of the front and rear panels of the airbag cushion includes a substantially horizontal pleat thereby resulting in the cross-sectional vertical length of the front panel being shorter than the cross-sectional vertical length of the rear panel.

14. The airbag cushion of claim 13, wherein the pleat is located in the front panel.

15. The airbag cushion of claim 14, wherein the front panel includes an opening and the pleat is formed in the front panel by connecting the edges of the opening.

16. The airbag cushion of claim 14, wherein the front panel includes a folded portion and the pleat is formed by tucking the folded portion into the inflatable chamber.

17. The airbag cushion of claim 16, wherein the front panel includes a substantially horizontal seam positioned to maintain the folded portion in the inflatable chamber.

18. The airbag cushion of claim 14, further comprising a second pleat located in the rear panel, wherein the second pleat is configured to reduce the perimeter of the rear panel to substantially match the perimeter the front panel.

19. The airbag cushion of claim 13, wherein prior to connecting the first and second panels together to form the airbag cushion the length of the perimeter of the rear panel is greater than the length of the perimeter for the front panel, and wherein the pleat is located in the rear panel.

20. The airbag cushion of claim 19, wherein the pleat is formed by a connected pair of edge portions of the rear panel to thereby reduce the perimeter of the rear panel to substantially match the perimeter of the front panel.

21. The airbag cushion of claim 20, wherein the rear panel includes a second pleat formed on a horizontally opposite side of the perimeter of the rear panel.

22. The airbag module of claim 14, wherein the front panel includes a folded portion and the pleat is formed to extend away from the inflatable chamber.