COVERS FOR INFLATABLE KNEE AIRBAG HOUSINGS

• US 20120049488A1
• Filed: 08/31/2010
• Published: 03/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated)
• Inventors: Enders, Mark L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,360,464 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/728.3
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/21506 comprising tearing tabs, legs or the like for holding the lid before deployment
• 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 21/2171 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

Abstract

An inflatable knee airbag is typically stored in a packaged state within an airbag housing. The housing typically has a cover, which can be either a cosmetic cover or an unfinished cover, if the cover will not be readily visible to an occupant. The cover can be extruded rather than molded and may have features for coupling the cover to the housing. The cover may also have other features such as a tear seam.

Claims

1. An inflatable knee airbag assembly comprising:

an inflatable knee airbag;

an inflator coupled to the inflatable knee airbag;

an airbag housing coupled to the inflator; and

,

a cover coupled to the housing, wherein the cover has a car-forward longitudinal side, an opposing car-rearward longitudinal side with a tear seam, and two opposing lateral sides, and

wherein each of the two longitudinal sides comprise end caps, and wherein neither of the lateral sides comprise end caps.

2. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 1, wherein the cover comprises extruded plastic.

3. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 1, wherein the tear seam is located on the car-rearward end cap.

4. The inflatable knee airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein in a deployed configuration, both the car-forward longitudinal side and the car-rearward longitudinal side of the cover remains coupled to the housing.

5. An inflatable knee airbag assembly comprising:

an inflatable knee airbag;

an inflator coupled to the inflatable knee airbag;

an airbag housing coupled to the inflator; and

,

a cover coupled to the housing, wherein the cover has a car-forward longitudinal side, an opposing car-rearward longitudinal side with a tear seam, and two opposing lateral sides, and

wherein in a deployed configuration, both the car-forward longitudinal side and the car-rearward longitudinal side of the cover remains coupled to the housing, and

wherein the cover is coupled to the housing at car-forward portions of each of the lateral sides such that the car-forward longitudinal side has a limited ability to rotate, such that during inflatable knee airbag deployment, the tear seam at least partially defines an opening with a smile shape.

6. The inflatable knee airbag assembly of claim 5, wherein the car-forward longitudinal side and the car-rearward longitudinal side each comprise end-caps, and wherein each of the end-caps comprise structures for coupling the cover to the housing.

7. The inflatable knee airbag assembly of claim 6, wherein the tear seam runs parallel to the car-rearward end cap.

8. The inflatable knee airbag assembly of claim 7, wherein the tear seam is located between the car-rearward end cap and the car-forward portions of the lateral sides.

9. The inflatable knee airbag assembly of claim 5, wherein the tear seam runs along an entire longitudinal length of the cover.

10. The inflatable knee airbag assembly of claim 6, wherein neither of the two lateral sides comprise end-caps,

11. The inflatable knee airbag assembly of claim 6, wherein the cover comprises an integral hinge that is located on a car-forward portion of the cover and is parallel with the car-forward longitudinal end-cap.

12. The inflatable knee airbag assembly of claim 5, wherein in a deployed configuration, both the car-forward longitudinal side and the car-rearward longitudinal side of the cover remains coupled to the housing.

13. An inflatable knee airbag assembly comprising:

an inflatable knee airbag;

an inflator coupled to the inflatable knee airbag;

an airbag housing coupled to the inflator; and

,

a cover coupled to the housing, wherein the cover has a car-forward longitudinal side, an opposing car-rearward longitudinal side with a tear seam, and two opposing lateral sides, and

wherein the car-forward longitudinal side and the car-rearward longitudinal side each comprise end-caps, and wherein each of the end-caps comprise structures for coupling the cover to the housing, and

wherein each of the longitudinal end-caps comprise a tang that extends away from the longitudinal end cap such that each of the tangs rest adjacent to and parallel with longitudinal sidewalls of the housing, and wherein each of the tangs are configured to stiffen the cover against rotational forces encountered during inflatable knee airbag deployment.

14. The inflatable knee airbag assembly of claim 13, wherein the structures for coupling the cover to the housing comprise a plurality of windows and the housing comprises a plurality of hooks that are each configured to engage one of the windows on the cover.

15. The inflatable knee airbag assembly of claim 14, wherein the windows in the cover each comprise an extension that is directed toward an outside edge of the cover end cap, and wherein the extensions collectively comprise a tear seam.

16. The inflatable knee airbag assembly of claim 15, wherein upon activation of the inflator, inflation gas begins to fill the inflatable knee airbag, which applies pressure to the cover, and

wherein after a predetermined magnitude of pressure is applied to the cover, each of the extensions of the windows rupture such that the cover may rotate about the hinge and thereby allow the inflatable airbag to exit the housing.

17. The inflatable knee airbag assembly of claim 13, wherein the housing comprises two opposing lateral sidewalls, and wherein each lateral sidewall comprises a flange that extends away from each lateral sidewall, and

wherein the lateral sides of the cover are coupled to the flanges of the housing.

18. The inflatable knee airbag assembly of claim 17, wherein each of the lateral sides of the cover comprises a flange, and wherein the flange of the cover is coupled to the flange of the housing.

19. The inflatable knee airbag assembly of claim 18, wherein the flange of the cover is located on a car-forward portion of the cover.

20. The inflatable knee airbag assembly of claim 19, wherein the tear seam is located between the flange of the cover and a car-rearward end cap of the cover.

21. The inflatable knee airbag assembly of claim 13, wherein the cover comprises a tear seam located on a car-rearward portion of the cover, and wherein the tear seam is parallel with a car-rearward end-cap of the cover.

22. The inflatable knee airbag assembly of claim 21, wherein the tear seam runs along an entire longitudinal length of the cover.

23. The inflatable knee airbag assembly of claim 13, wherein in a deployed configuration, the cover comprises a first piece and a second piece, and wherein the first piece comprises a portion of the cover from the tear seam to a car-forward tang and the second piece comprises a portion of the cover from the tear seam to the car-rearward tang.