LOW-MOUNT INFLATABLE KNEE AIRBAGS HAVING SERIAL CHAMBERS

• US 20110101660A1
• Filed: 11/03/2009
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Morris, Christina R., Choi, ChangSoo, Lachat, Michael Joseph, Schneider, David W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,272,667 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/731
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23169 specially adapted for knee protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23308 the individual compartments defining the external shape of the bag
• 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 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 21/2346 Soft diffusers

Abstract

An inflatable knee airbag can have a plurality of inflatable chambers. The inflatable chambers can be formed as independent chambers, rather than a single chamber being divided by an internal tether. The inflatable chambers can be arranged in a serial configuration, wherein the chambers form an “L” shape so that when the airbag is deployed, it conforms to the shape of an instrument panel.

Claims

1. An inflatable knee airbag configured to be mounted in a vehicle at a bottom portion of an instrument panel, wherein the inflatable knee airbag comprises:

a first inflatable chamber; and

a second inflatable chamber is fluidly coupled to the first inflatable chamber in a serial configuration, such that during inflatable knee airbag deployment, the second chamber is at least partially inflated before the first chamber, and

wherein in a deployed configuration, a lower portion of the first chamber is attached to the second chamber at an upper portion of the rear face of the second chamber, and

wherein in the deployed configuration, the first chamber is located above the second chamber, and

wherein in the deployed configuration, an angle between a rear face of the first inflatable chamber and a rear face of the second inflatable chamber is greater than 90°

.

2. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 1, wherein the angle between the first inflatable chamber and the second inflatable chamber is between about 90°

and about 160°

.

3. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 1, wherein a perimeter seam of the second chamber is located on front face side of the inflatable knee airbag.

4. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second inflatable chambers comprise single panels of material.

5. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 4, wherein the lower portion of the first chamber comprises a folded middle portion of the single panel of material from which the first chamber is formed.

6. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 1, wherein the second chamber comprises a plurality of inflator apertures that are located on the rear face of the second chamber.

7. An inflatable knee airbag configured to be mounted in a vehicle at a bottom portion of an instrument panel, wherein the inflatable knee airbag comprises:

a first inflatable chamber; and

a second inflatable chamber fluidly coupled to the first inflatable chamber in a serial configuration, such that during inflatable knee airbag deployment, the second chamber is at least partially inflated before the first chamber, and

wherein the second inflatable chamber comprises an inflator insert aperture and an inflator stem aperture that are each located on a rear face of the second inflatable chamber, and

wherein in a deployed configuration, a lower portion of the first chamber is attached to the second chamber at an upper portion of the rear face of the second chamber, and

wherein in the deployed configuration, the first chamber is located above the second chamber, and

wherein in the deployed configuration, an angle between a rear face of the first inflatable chamber and a rear face of the second inflatable chamber is greater than 90°

.

8. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 7, wherein the inflator insert aperture has a greater diameter than the inflator stem aperture.

9. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 7, wherein the inflator insert aperture is located between about 25 mm and about 125 mm from a distal edge of the second chamber when the airbag is in a flattened configuration and the inflator stem aperture is located between about 25 mm and about 125 mm from a distal edge of the second chamber when the airbag is in a flattened configuration.

10. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 7, wherein the second chamber comprises an internal tether that is oriented such that it extends across a portion of the second chamber along an axis that is substantially parallel with a lower edge of the second chamber.

11. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 10, wherein the internal tether extends from a front face to the rear face of the second chamber, and wherein the internal tether comprises an aperture that allows inflation gas to flow from one side of the tether to another side of the tether.

12. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 11, wherein centers of the inflator insert and inflator stem apertures are located between about 30% and about 60% of a distance between the lower edge of the second chamber and stitching that couples the internal tether to the second chamber.

13. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 12, wherein the first inflatable chamber comprises an internal tether that extends across a portion of the first chamber along an axis that is substantially parallel with a lower edge of the first chamber, and wherein the internal tether extends from a front face to a rear face of the first chamber.

14. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 7, wherein the top portion of the second inflatable chamber and the bottom of the first inflatable chamber each comprise a plurality of chamber to chamber vents.

15. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 14, wherein first and second inflatable chambers are attached such that each chamber to chamber vent of the second inflatable chamber aligns with a chamber to chamber vent of the first inflatable chamber.

16. An inflatable knee airbag assembly configured to be mounted in a vehicle at a bottom portion of an instrument panel, the inflatable knee airbag assembly comprising:

an inflatable airbag housing;

an inflatable knee airbag positioned within the housing, wherein the inflatable knee airbag comprises;

a first inflatable chamber; and

a second inflatable chamber,

wherein the first and second inflatable chamber are coupled together in a serial configuration such that a top portion of the second inflatable chamber is attached to a bottom portion of the first inflatable chamber; and

,

an inflator coupled to the airbag at the second chamber,

wherein upon activation of the inflator, a portion of the inflatable knee airbag exits the housing in a downward direction toward a floorboard of the vehicle.

17. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 16, wherein during deployment, the second chamber is partially inflated before the first chamber.

18. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 17, wherein during deployment, the second chamber travels in a predominantly horizontal direction, relative to the floorboard.

19. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 18, wherein during deployment, the upper portion deploys in a direction that is at an angle with respect to the horizontal direction of the second chamber, such that the first chamber moves upward toward an occupant'"'"'s knee and adjacent to a front face of the instrument panel.