Passenger leg protection apparatus

• US 6,945,562 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2003
• Issued: 09/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Japan GK (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Abe, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, David R.
• Application Number:
  US10/348,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20030155759A1
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.1, 280/743.1, 531/16, 531/17, 534/29
• US Class Current: 280/743.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23169 specially adapted for knee protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23176 specially adapted for foot protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded

Abstract

A passenger leg protection apparatus includes an airbag to be inflated at a position in front of legs of a passenger for protecting the legs, a case accommodating the folded airbag, and a gas generating unit for inflating the airbag. The folded body of the airbag includes a wound body folded along lateral folding lines extending laterally relative to the passenger several times in the same folding direction. The airbag is disposed in the case so that the wound body is deployed upward or downward while rolling along a front surface of the legs so as to be unwound when being inflated.

Claims

1. A passenger leg protection apparatus for protecting legs of a passenger in a vehicle, comprising:

a case to be attached to the vehicle,

a gas generating unit disposed in the case for generating a gas, and

an airbag disposed in the case in a folded state and connected to the gas generating unit to be inflated by the gas generated from the gas generating unit and deployed from the case, said airbag having a folded portion folded along lateral folding lines continuously in a plurality of times in a same direction so that the folded portion is deployed vertically while rolling when the airbag is inflated, and at least one side body, said airbag being folded along the lateral folding lines and then the at least one side body being folded along vertical folding lines.

2. A passenger leg protection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said airbag includes, in an unfolded flat form, a first side portion connected to the case, a second side portion located at a side away from the first side portion, and left and right portions relative to the case, said second side portion having a second folded portion including said folded portion, said second folded portion extending to the left and right portions and disposed above the case by folding along the lateral folding lines, said left and right portions having left and right folded portions located above the case by folding parts of the second folded portion along vertical folding lines without overlapping each other.

3. A passenger leg protection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said second folded portion has an inwardly rolled portion, and each of said left and right folded portions has an inwardly rolled portion.

4. A passenger leg protection apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said second folded portion includes portions folded in bellows.

5. A passenger leg protection apparatus for protecting legs of a passenger in a vehicle, comprising:

a case to be attached to the vehicle,

a gas generating unit disposed in the case for generating a gas, and

an airbag disposed in the case in a folded state and connected to the gas generating unit to be inflated by the gas generated from the gas generating unit and deployed from the case, said airbag having a folded portion folded along lateral folding lines continuously in a plurality of times in a same direction so that the folded portion is deployed vertically while rolling when the airbag is inflated,

wherein said airbag includes, in an unfolded flat form, a first side portion connected to the case, a second side portion located at a side away from the first side portion, and left and right portions relative to the case, said second side portion having a second folded portion including said folded portion, said second folded portion extending to the left and right portions and disposed above the case by folding along the lateral folding lines, said left and right portions having left and right folded portions located above the case by folding parts of the second folded portion along vertical folding lines without overlapping each other, said second folded portion having an inwardly rolled portion, each of said left and right folded portions having an inwardly rolled and obliquely folded portion folded obliquely from an edge away from the first side portion, said second folded portion having said obliquely folded portions.