Knee protection airbag apparatus

• US 7,029,026 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2003
• Issued: 04/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Morita, Toshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): CULBRETH, ERIC D
• Application Number:
  US10/654,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20040075253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: 280/728.3, 280/730.1, 280/728.2, 280/732
• US Class Current: 280/728.3
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0051 Knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23169 specially adapted for knee protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/045 associated with the instrument panel or dashboard
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/206 in the lower part of dashboards, e.g. for protecting the knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2171 specially adapted for elongated cylindrical or bottle-like inflators with a symmetry axis perpendicular to the main direction of bag deployment, e.g. extruded reaction canisters B60R21/2176 takes precedence

Abstract

A knee protection airbag apparatus (S), which accommodates an airbag (73) and an inflator (62) and is opened at a vehicle rear side part thereof and has a casing assembly (22) fixedly attached to a vehicle body (B) and also has an airbag cover (46) that has a peripheral portion (47), whose upper part is assembled to a vehicle interior member (19b), and that is assembled to the casing assembly (22). The knee protection airbag apparatus (S) is mounted on a vehicle by assembling the airbag (73), the inflator (62), and the airbag cover (46) to the casing assembly (22). The airbag cover (46) is assembled to a knee panel (27) of the casing assembly (22) in such a manner as to be able to move only in a nearly upward or downward direction and in a nearly left-right direction so as to be enabled to absorb an error in assembling the airbag cover (46) to the interior member to be placed thereabove.

Claims

1. A knee protection airbag apparatus, configured to be mounted in a vehicle and disposed in front of a knee of an occupant seated in a seat, comprising:

a casing having an opening at a vehicle rear side part thereof and fixedly mounted on a vehicle body, for accommodating a folded knee protection airbag and an inflator supplying an inflating gas to said airbag;

an airbag cover, assembled to said casing so as to be movable in three directions including an upward-downward direction, a left-right direction, and a front-rear direction with respect to said casing, said airbag cover including

a door portion which covers said opening of said casing and is opened when said airbag is inflated, and

a peripheral portion which is disposed around said door portion and has an upper part that adjoins a vehicle interior component when mounted in said vehicle; and

a knee panel, fixed to said vehicle body, having an opening into which said casing is received;

wherein an upper side portion of said airbag cover is locked to said interior component; and

a lower side portion of said airbag cover is locked to said knee panel so as to be movable substantially only in the upward-downward direction and the left-right direction with respect to said knee panel.

2. The knee protection airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said airbag cover has a locking member provided in said peripheral portion,

wherein said knee panel has a locking hole which penetrates though said knee panel and is placed at a position corresponding to said locking member, and

wherein said locking member has a shaft portion, which penetrates through said locking hole and is movable in said locking hole substantially only in the upward-downward direction and the left-right direction, and has a locking portion and an abutting portion, by which a periphery of said locking hole is sandwiched from front and rear sides of said locking hole.

3. The knee protection airbag apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said shaft portion is elastically deformable, and wherein said locking portion is formed at a tip end part of said shaft portion, while said abutting portion is formed at a proximal end part of said shaft portion.

4. The knee protection airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said airbag cover has a lock receiving part provided in said peripheral portion,

wherein said knee panel has a locking hole placed at a position corresponding to said lock receiving part so as to penetrate through said knee panel,

wherein said lock receiving part of said airbag cover and said knee panel are locked by a locking member, and

wherein said locking member has a shaft portion that penetrates through said locking hole and is movable in said locking hole substantially only in the upward-downward direction and the left-right direction.

5. The knee protection airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said knee panel, said casing, said airbag, said inflator, and said airbag cover are assembled into a single assembly before being mounted in said vehicle.

6. The knee protection airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said knee panel is constructed so as to be integral with said casing.

7. A knee protection airbag apparatus, configured to be mounted in a vehicle and disposed in front of a knee of an occupant seated in a seat, comprising:

a casing having an opening at a vehicle rear side part thereof and fixedly mounted on a vehicle body, for accommodating a folded knee protection airbag and an inflator supplying an inflating gas to said airbag; and

an airbag cover, assembled to said casing, having

a door portion which covers said opening of said casing and is opened when said airbag is inflated, and

a peripheral portion which is disposed around said door portion and has an upper part that adjoins a vehicle interior component when mounted in said vehicle;

wherein an upper side portion of said airbag cover is assembled to said casing so as to be movable in three directions including an upward-downward direction, a left-right direction, and a front-rear direction with respect to said casing; and

a lower side portion of said airbag cover is assembled to said casing so as to be movable substantially only in the upward-downward direction and the left-right direction with respect to said casing.