Knee protecting airbag device

• US 7,201,396 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2005
• Issued: 04/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Kazumasa, Takimoto, Masahiro, Nagata, Atsushi, Koyama, Toru, Mizuno, Yoshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming; Faye M.
• Application Number:
  US11/151,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20050230941A1
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.1, 280/743.1, 280/743.2, 280/752, 296/70, 297/487
• US Class Current: 280/730.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0051 Knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/161 characterised by additional means for controlling deployment trajectory
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23169 specially adapted for knee protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23547 one piece weaving
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23595 Sealing
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/206 in the lower part of dashboards, e.g. for protecting the knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2165 characterised by a tear line for defining a deployment opening
• 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
• 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 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2342 Tear seams
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/261 with means other than bag structure to diffuse or guide inflation fluid

Abstract

In a knee protecting airbag device of the present invention, an airbag is folded and housed on the front side of the knees of a seated passenger. The airbag is protruded rearward of a vehicle from a protruding opening and expanded and inflated upward, when an inflating gas flows in. And, the airbag is arranged on the front side of the knees of the passenger between a member on the body side and the knees of the passenger thereby to protect the knees of the passenger. The protruding opening has a transverse width size set within a range of ⅛ to ⅔ of the transverse width size of the airbag having completed its expansion and inflation.

Claims

1. A knee protecting airbag device,

wherein an airbag folded and housed on the front side of the knees of a passenger can protect the knees of the passenger when protruded rearward of the vehicle from the housed portion and expanded and inflated upward by admitting an inflating gas,

wherein a lower side of said airbag when completely expanded and inflated serves as an upstream portion of said inflating gas, and an upper side of said airbag when completely expanded and inflated serves as a downstream portion of said inflating gas,

wherein said airbag arranges a plurality of tethers for keeping a general sheet shape of said airbag by connecting a passenger side wall portion and a body side wall portion at the inflation completion time,

wherein said tethers are constructed to enlarge the spaced distance between said passenger side wall portion and said body side wall portion at said upstream portion of the inflating gas and to reduce the spaced distance between said passenger side wall portion and said body side wall portion at said downstream portion,

wherein individual tethers of the tethers are arranged in band shaves alone the transverse direction of the vehicle and at a plurality of stages in the vertical direction in the vicinity of the transverse center of said airbag having completed its expansion and inflation, and

wherein a tether of said tethers is provided at a position above a lowermost tether, and has a communication port capable of releasing the inflating gas upward.

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

wherein said airbag is provided wit thickness regulating means for keeping the spaced distance between said passenger side wall portion and said body side wall portion at the initial stage of the expansion and inflation short and for enlarging the spaced distance between said passenger side wall portion and said body side wall portion to a predetermined length before the completion of the expansion and inflation.

3. A knee protecting airbag device according to claim 1,

wherein a current member is arranged at said upstream portion of the inflating gas in said airbag and has side openings for releasing the inflating gas to the left and right sides of the vehicle, and an upper opening capable of releasing the inflating gas upward.

4. A knee protecting airbag device comprising an airbag, wherein:

the airbag is folded and housed in a vehicle on a front side of the knees of a passenger to protect the knees of the passenger when the airbag is protruded in a rearward direction of the vehicle and expanded and inflated upward by admitting an inflating gas into the airbag;

when completely expanded and inflated, an upstream part of the inflating gas is located in a lower portion of the airbag;

when completely expanded and inflated, a downstream part of the inflating gas is located in an upper portion of the airbag;

the airbag includes a plurality of tethers for keeping the shape of the airbag generally planar by connecting a passenger side wall portion and a body side wall portion at the time that inflation of the airbag is completed;

individual tethers of the tethers are arranged in bands along the transverse direction of the vehicle and at a plurality of stages in the vertical direction in the vicinity of the transverse center of the airbag, when the airbag has completed expansion and inflation;

tether of the tethers is provided at a position above a lowermost tether, and has a communication port capable of releasing the inflating gas upward.