Knee bolster assembly

• US 6,145,880 A
• Filed: 12/19/1997
• Issued: 11/14/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Wang, James Jenying, White, James Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N.
• Application Number:
  US08/994,511
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• Field of Search: 280/748, 280/750, 280/751, 280/752
• US Class Current: 280/752
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0051 Knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/045 associated with the instrument panel or dashboard

Abstract

A knee bolster assembly is provided for use in a vehicle having a vehicle driver and including a steering column. The knee bolster assembly includes a central bracket adapted for partially surrounding the steering column and a foam element mounted on the central bracket. The knee bolster further includes left and right knee brackets mounted on opposite sides of the central bracket. The knee brackets each have a generally D-shaped cross-section including a convex rear wall positionable adjacent a vehicle driver such that upon loading by the vehicle driver, the knee brackets deform about multiple, nonspecific bend lines for absorption of energy. The knee brackets preferably include inner and forward walls rigidly secured to the central bracket and outer and rear walls that significantly deform for absorption of energy.

Claims

1. A knee bolster assembly for use in a vehicle having a vehicle driver the vehicle including a steering column and a steering column bracket, the knee bolster assembly comprising:

a central bracket for partially surrounding the steering column;

a foam element mounted on the central bracket;

left and right knee brackets mounted on opposite sides of the central bracket, the knee brackets having a generally D-shaped cross-section including a convex rear wall positionable adjacent a vehicle driver such that upon loading by the vehicle driver, the knee brackets deform about multiple, nonspecific bend lines for absorption of energy; and

wherein the central bracket includes a rearward foam-receiving wall and wherein the foam element is mounted on the foam-receiving wall and wherein the foam-receiving wall and foam element are shaped for directing frontal loads from the vehicle driver in laterally outboard directions towards the respective knee brackets.

2. A knee bolster assembly for use in a vehicle having a vehicle driver, the vehicle including a steering column and a steering column bracket the knee bolster assembly comprising:

a central bracket for partially surrounding the steering column;

a foam element mounted on the central bracket;

left and right knee brackets mounted on opposite sides of the central bracket, the knee brackets having a generally D-shaped cross-section including a convex rear wall positionable adjacent a vehicle driver such that upon loading by the vehicle driver, the knee brackets deform about multiple, nonspecific bend lines for absorption of energy; and

wherein the D-shaped bracket has overlapping portions cooperatively forming forward walls and cooperatively closing the D-shaped cross section.

3. A knee bolster assembly for use in a vehicle having a vehicle driver, the vehicle including a steering column and a steering column bracket, the knee bolster assembly comprising:

a central bracket for partially surrounding the steering column;

a foam element mounted on the central bracket;

left and right knee brackets mounted on opposite sides of the central bracket, the knee brackets having a generally D-shaped cross-section including a convex rear wall positionable adjacent a vehicle driver such that upon loading by the vehicle driver, the knee brackets deform about multiple, nonspecific bend lines for absorption of energy; and

wherein the central bracket includes a central foam-receiving wall and left and right side walls and wherein the foam element is connected to the foam-receiving wall and wherein the knee brackets are each attached to a respective one of the side walls, wherein the central bracket is significantly stiffer than the knee brackets and wherein the foam-receiving wall of the central bracket has a generally convex shape for directing forward loading from the driver in laterally outboard directions towards the knee brackets.

4. A knee bolster assembly for use in a vehicle having a vehicle driver, the vehicle including a steering column and a steering column bracket, the knee bolster assembly comprising:

a central bracket for partially surrounding the steering column;

a foam element mounted on the central bracket;

left and right knee brackets mounted on opposite sides of the central bracket, the knee brackets having a generally D-shaped cross-section including a convex rear wall positionable adjacent a vehicle driver such that upon loading by the vehicle driver, the knee brackets deform about multiple, nonspecific bend lines for absorption of energy; and

wherein the knee brackets are formed separate and independent from the central bracket and wherein the knee brackets include a generally straight inner wall, a generally straight outer wall, and wherein the inner and outer walls are integrally connected by the respective rear walls, and wherein the knee brackets each include a generally straight forward wall, and wherein the inner walls and forward walls are securely connected to the central bracket for minimizing deformation during loading and wherein the rear walls and the outer walls steadily deform about multiple bend lines during loading for energy absorption and wherein the forward walls of the knee brackets are cooperatively formed by overlapping portions closing the cross-section.

5. A knee bolster assembly for use in a vehicle having a vehicle driver, the vehicle including a steering column and a steering column bracket, the knee bolster assembly comprising:

a central bracket for partially surrounding the steering column;

a foam element mounted on the central bracket;

left and right knee brackets mounted on opposite sides of the central bracket, the knee brackets having a generally D-shaped cross-section including a convex rear wall positionable adjacent a vehicle driver such that upon loading by the vehicle driver, the knee brackets deform about multiple, nonspecific bend lines for absorption of energy; and

wherein the central bracket is significantly stiffer than the knee brackets.

6. A knee bolster assembly for use in a vehicle having a vehicle driver, the vehicle including a steering column and a steering column bracket, the knee bolster assembly comprising:

a central bracket for partially surrounding the steering column, the central bracket for attachment to the steering column bracket, the central bracket including a rear foam-receiving wall and left and right side walls extending forward from the foam-receiving wall, the central bracket including outward laterally bent ends extending from forward ends of the respective side walls;

a foam element mounted on the foam-receiving wall of the central bracket; and

left and right knee brackets mounted to the central bracket, the knee brackets each having a generally D-shaped cross-section and including a convex rear wall positionable adjacent the vehicle driver, the knee brackets each including an inner wall attached to the respective side walls of the central bracket and each including a forward wall attached to the respective bent ends of the central bracket, the central bracket being significantly stiffer than the knee brackets such that upon loading by the vehicle driver, the knee brackets deform about multiple, nonspecific bend lines for absorption of energy and such that the outer walls and the rear walls of the knee brackets deform significantly more than the inner walls and the forward walls.