Knee protecting airbag device

• US 6,752,417 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2002
• Issued: 06/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Funabashi, Satoshi, Takimoto, Masahiro, Koyama, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): Poon, Peter M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAYES, BRET C
• Application Number:
  US10/137,468
• Publication Number:
  US 20020171230A1
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.1, 280/753
• US Class Current: 280/730.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0051 Knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/21512 the lid being displaced towards the occupant during deployment B60R2021/2161, B60R2021/21525 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23169 specially adapted for knee protection
• 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 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded

Abstract

A knee protecting airbag device includes a folded airbag housed below a member attached to the vehicle body and in front of the knees of a seated passenger. The airbag extends and expands when fed with an inflating gas toward the rear of the vehicle to protect the knees of the passenger. The airbag includes a lower expansion portion, which is upstream in the flow of the gas, and an upper expansion portion, which is downstream. The lower expansion portion protrudes toward the rear of the vehicle to protect the knees. The upper expansion portion protrudes upward from the lower expansion portion. The airbag properly protects the knees of the passenger by extending and expanding efficiently, taking into account the time elapsed, until completion of the extension and expansion.

Claims

1. A knee protecting airbag device for a vehicle comprising:

an airbag for inflating, when fed with an inflating gas, to protect the knees of a passenger; and

a housing portion arranged below a member attached to the vehicle and in front of the knees of the passenger for housing the airbag in a folded state, wherein;

said housing portion includes an opening for permitting said airbag to protrude toward the rear of the vehicle;

said airbag is arranged to extend and expand, when fed with said inflating gas, while protruding from said housing portion toward the rear of the vehicle; and

said airbag includes;

a lower expansion portion, which is located in an upstream part of a flow of said inflating gas, and the lower expansion portion protrudes from the opening of said housing portion toward the rear of the vehicle when fed with said inflating gas, to protect said knees; and

an upper expansion portion that communicates with said lower expansion portion and is in a downstream part of the gas flow, and the upper expansion portion protrudes upward from said lower expansion portion along a rear face of said member attached to the vehicle to cover the opening and at least an area above the opening;

at an initial stage of the extension and expansion of said airbag, said lower expansion portion protrudes toward the rear of the vehicle from the opening and then extends and expands transversely to cover the areas to the left and right of said opening;

means for transversely extending and expanding said lower expansion portion includes a gas flow guide member arranged in said airbag for guiding said inflating gas in said lower expansion portion toward opposite, transverse sides of the airbag;

said airbag includes, upon completion of the extension and expansion, a front wall and a rear wall;

a tether is arranged in said airbag for connecting said front wall and said rear wall to regulate the thickness of said lower expansion portion during the extension and expansion of the airbag;

left and right ends of the tether are spaced from corresponding left and right edges of said airbag, and the tether is arranged in a transverse direction to form said gas flow guide member; and

includes a gas communication port near its center for feeding the inflating gas to said upper expansion portion.

2. A knee protecting airbag device according to claim 1, wherein:

an inflator for discharging said inflating gas is arranged in the lower expansion portion of said airbag, and

said gas flow guide member covers the inflator and is formed in a tubular shape such that left and right ends of the gas flow guide member are opened.

3. A knee protecting airbag device according to claim 2, wherein said gas flow guide member has an auxiliary opening at a transverse central portion of the gas flow guide member for feeding the inflating gas to said upper expansion portion.

4. A knee protecting airbag device according to claim 3,

wherein said gas flow guide member has narrow openings at its left and right ends, and

wherein said auxiliary opening is sewn at its peripheral edge with a sewing thread, for allowing said auxiliary opening to open when the thread is broken.

5. A knee protecting airbag device for a vehicle comprising:

an airbag for inflating, when filled with an inflating gas, to protect the knees of a passenger; and

a housing arranged below a fixed member of the passenger compartment and in front of the knees of the passenger for housing the airbag in a folded state, wherein;

the housing includes an opening for permitting the airbag to protrude toward the rear of the vehicle;

the airbag is arranged to extend and expand, when fed with the inflating gas, while protruding from the housing portion toward the rear of the vehicle; and

the airbag includes;

a lower expansion portion, which is located in an upstream part of a flow of the inflating gas, and the lower expansion portion protrudes from the opening of the housing portion toward the rear of the vehicle when filled with the inflating gas, to protect the knees; and

an upper expansion portion, which communicates with the lower expansion portion and is in a downstream part of the gas flow, and the upper expansion portion protrudes upward from the lower expansion portion along a rear face of the fixed member to cover the opening and at least an area above the opening;

at an initial stage of the extension and expansion of the airbag, the lower expansion portion protrudes toward the rear of the vehicle from the opening and then extends and expands transversely to cover areas to the left and right of the opening;

a gas flow guide member is located in the airbag for guiding the inflating gas in the lower expansion portion toward opposite, transverse sides of the airbag;

the airbag includes a front wall and a rear wall;

a tether device is arranged in the airbag for connecting the front wall and the rear wall to regulate the thickness of the lower expansion portion during the extension and expansion of the airbag;

left and right ends of the tether device are spaced from corresponding left and right edges of the airbag to form gas flow passages between the upper expansion portion and the lower expansion portion, and the tether device forms the gas flow guide member; and

at approximately the center of the tether device, the tether device defines a gas communication port for permitting the inflating gas to flow from the lower expansion portion to the upper expansion portion.