KNEE AIRBAG ASSEMBLIES

• US 20180345899A1
• Filed: 06/01/2017
• Published: 12/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated), Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Autoliv ASP Incorporated (Autoliv Incorporated), Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Munsee, Matthew Lee, Hess, Travis Brent, Anae, Gavin Francom, Heitkamp, Eric M.
• Granted Patent: US 10,457,243 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0051 Knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0053 Legs
• 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 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 21/239 characterised by their venting means

Abstract

Airbag assemblies are disclosed that include inflatable knee airbags. The knee airbags can include panel(s) forming a main chamber that provides a primary cushioning protection zone to a lower leg of a vehicle occupant. The knee airbags can further include an external chamber panel coupled to a rearward surface of an occupant-facing panel, external to the main inflatable chamber, to form an external chamber facing the occupant. Vent(s) through the occupant-facing panel can communicate inflation gas from the main chamber to the external chamber to fill a space between the vehicle and the lower leg of the occupant, and to control timing of inflation of the external chamber to cause it to inflate on lateral sides of the lower leg of the occupant to thereby limit lateral movement of the lower leg relative to the vehicle.

Claims

1. An airbag assembly comprising:

a housing to be mounted in a vehicle;

an inflatable knee airbag in a packaged state within the housing, the airbag to receive inflation gas to expand and deploy from the housing to a deployed state, the airbag comprising;

a vehicle-facing panel;

an occupant-facing panel coupled to the vehicle-facing panel to form a main inflatable chamber that provides a primary cushioning protection zone to a lower leg of an occupant of the vehicle;

an external chamber panel coupled to a rearward surface of the occupant-facing panel external to the main inflatable chamber to form an external inflatable chamber facing the occupant; and

one or more vents disposed through the occupant-facing panel to provide fluid communication between the main inflatable chamber and the external inflatable chamber and to communicate inflation gas from the main inflatable chamber to the external chamber,

wherein the one or more vents control timing of inflation of the external chamber to inflate the main inflatable chamber to fill a space between the vehicle and the lower leg of the occupant, and

wherein the one or more vents control timing of inflation of the external chamber to cause the external chamber to inflate on lateral sides of the lower leg of the occupant to limit lateral movement of the lower leg relative to the vehicle.

2. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the one or more vents control timing of inflation of the external chamber to cause the external chamber to begin inflating as the lower leg of the occupant begins to impact the inflatable knee airbag, such that the external chamber conforms to a forward portion of the lower leg of the occupant.

3. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the external chamber panel is positioned on the occupant-facing panel so as to overlay only a single main inflatable chamber.

4. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the external chamber panel extends horizontally from a first lateral edge of the occupant-facing panel to a second lateral edge of the occupant-facing panel.

5. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the external chamber panel comprises a plurality of sections attached together, wherein at least a first section of the plurality of sections is configured to extend rearward farther than an adjacent portion of another section of the plurality of sections.

6. The airbag assembly of claim 5, wherein the first section of the plurality of sections of the external chamber panel comprises an almond-shaped section.

7. The airbag assembly of claim 6, wherein the almond-shaped section is disposed between and attached to two lateral sections of the plurality of sections of the external chamber panel.

8. The airbag assembly of claim 5, wherein the plurality of sections of the external chamber panel includes a plurality of almond-shaped sections.

9. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the external chamber panel extends vertically along the occupant-facing panel to be disposed between the lower legs of the occupant.

10. The airbag assembly of claim 1, wherein the external chamber panel comprises one or more bubbles configured to expand to form a rearward protrusion in a rearward surface of the external chamber panel upon inflation of the external chamber panel in the deployed state.

11. An inflatable knee airbag configured to deploy from a component of a vehicle at a position below a knee position of a vehicle seating position, wherein the inflatable knee airbag comprises:

a first panel to deploy to be positioned facing the vehicle seating position;

a second panel to deploy to be positioned facing opposite the vehicle seating position and in a direction of the component of the vehicle, the second panel coupled to the first panel to define a main inflatable chamber of the inflatable knee airbag;

an external panel coupled to an external surface of the first panel to form a supplemental inflatable chamber; and

one or more vents disposed through the first panel to communicate inflation gas from the main inflatable chamber to the supplemental inflatable chamber,

wherein the one or more vents are configured to control timing of communication of inflation gas to inflate the main inflatable chamber to fill a space between the vehicle and a lower leg of an occupant before occupant impact with the inflatable knee airbag and to inflate the supplemental chamber to form around a portion of the lower leg of the occupant.

12. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 11, wherein the one or more vents control timing of inflation of the supplemental chamber to cause the inflation of the supplemental chamber to begin as the lower leg begins to impact the inflatable knee airbag.

13. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 11, wherein the supplemental chamber panel is positioned on the first panel so as to overlay only a single main inflatable chamber.

14. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 11, wherein the main inflatable chamber is to provide a cushioning protection zone to an occupant of the vehicle, the cushioning protection zone to provide primary cushioning protection for a lower leg of the occupant, and wherein the supplemental chamber is to limit lateral movement of the lower leg relative to the vehicle.

15. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 11, wherein the external panel is positioned on the occupant-facing panel so as to be at least partially superimposed on only a single main inflatable chamber.

16. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 11, wherein the external panel comprises a plurality of discrete sections attached together, wherein at least a first section of the plurality of sections is configured to extend rearward farther away from the first panel than an adjacent portion of another section of the plurality of sections.

17. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 16, wherein the first section of the plurality of sections of the external panel comprises a vesica piscis shaped section.

18. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 17, wherein the vesica piscis shaped section is disposed between and attached to two opposing lateral sections of the plurality of sections of the external chamber panel.

19. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 18, wherein the two lateral sections each include a first side with a length similar to a length of a perimeter of a corresponding side of the almond-shaped section, and wherein the first side of each of the lateral sections is attached along the perimeter of the corresponding side of the almond-shaped section.

20. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 11, wherein the external panel comprises one or more bubbles configured to expand upon inflation to extend rearward farther than portions of the external panel adjacent the one or more bubbles.

21. An inflatable knee airbag configured to deploy from a component of a vehicle at a position below a knee position of a vehicle seating position, wherein the inflatable knee airbag comprises:

a first panel to deploy to be positioned facing the vehicle seating position;

a second panel to deploy from the housing to be positioned facing opposite the vehicle seating position and in a direction of the component of the vehicle, the second panel coupled to the first panel to define a main inflatable chamber of the inflatable knee airbag; and

an internal panel coupled to an internal surface of the second panel at a first position and at a second position vertically displaced from the first position, wherein the internal panel configures a portion of the second panel to form a supplemental inflatable chamber, wherein the supplemental inflatable chamber is configured to inflate to protrude toward the vehicle seating position farther than adjacent portions of the first panel.

22. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 21, further comprising one or more vents disposed through the internal panel to communicate inflation gas from the main inflatable chamber to the supplemental inflatable chamber.

23. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 22, wherein the one or more vents are configured to control timing of communication of inflation gas to inflate the main inflatable chamber to fill a space between the vehicle and a lower leg of an occupant before occupant impact with the inflatable knee airbag and to inflate the supplemental chamber to form around a portion of the lower leg of the occupant.

24. The inflatable knee airbag of claim 21, wherein the main inflatable chamber is to provide a cushioning protection zone to an occupant of the vehicle, the cushioning protection zone to provide primary cushioning protection for a lower leg of the occupant, and wherein the supplemental chamber is to limit lateral movement of the lower leg relative to the vehicle.