Knee restraint means
First Claim
1. A knee restraint means for occupants of a vehicle with a dashboard and a footwell for the feet of said occupant, said knee restraint means including a gas bag in a cavity provided in said dashboard, a gas generator, a knee cushion on which said occupant impacts in case of an accident, and a gas bag cover with an outer surface made of energy-absorbent material, said gas bag cover being deformed in a crash situation by inflation of said gas bag in the direction of said footwell, said gas bag cover forming said knee cushion together with said inflated gas bag.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A knee restraint means for occupants of a vehicle with a footwell for the feet of the occupant includes a gas bag in the footwell, a gas generator, a knee cushion on which the occupant impacts in case of an accident, and an inflatable gas bag cover with an outer surface and of energy-absorbent material. The gas bag cover is deformed in a crash situation by inflation of the gas bag in the direction of the footwell. The gas bag cover forms the knee cushion together with the inflated gas bag.
21 Citations
12 Claims
- 1. A knee restraint means for occupants of a vehicle with a dashboard and a footwell for the feet of said occupant, said knee restraint means including a gas bag in a cavity provided in said dashboard, a gas generator, a knee cushion on which said occupant impacts in case of an accident, and a gas bag cover with an outer surface made of energy-absorbent material, said gas bag cover being deformed in a crash situation by inflation of said gas bag in the direction of said footwell, said gas bag cover forming said knee cushion together with said inflated gas bag.
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11. A knee restraint means for occupants of a vehicle with a dashboard and a footwell for the feet of said occupant, said knee restraint means including a gas bag in a cavity provided in said dashboard, a gas generator, a knee cushion on which said occupant impacts in case of an accident, and a one-piece gas bag cover with an outer surface made of energy-absorbent material, said gas bag cover being deformed in a crash situation by inflation of said gas bag in the direction of said footwell, said gas bag cover forming said knee cushion together with said inflated gas bag.
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12. A knee restraint for an occupant of a vehicle with a dashboard and a footwell for the feet of the occupant, said knee restraint comprising:
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an inflatable gas bag in a cavity in the dashboard; a gas generator for inflating said gas bag; an energy-absorbent gas bag cover, said gas bag cover having an outer surface engageable by the occupant during a collision and an inner surface engageable with said gas bag upon inflation of said gas bag, said gas bag cover being deformed by said gas bag upon inflation of said gas bag in a direction toward the footwell.
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Specification