Knee protection airbag device

• US 7,384,065 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2002
• Issued: 06/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Takimoto, Masahiro, Hayakawa, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Ilan; Ruth
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOODEN JR, BARRY J
• Application Number:
  US10/478,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20040245750A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,017 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.1, 280/743.2, 280/743.1, 280/732
• US Class Current: 280/732
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0051 Knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23169 specially adapted for knee protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/205 in dashboards
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded

Abstract

The knee protection airbag device (S1) includes an airbag (40) which protrudes rearward from a deployment opening of a housing upon inflow of inflation gas, and deploys upward to be located in front of knees of an occupant between a vehicular body and the occupant. The airbag (40) includes an occupant'"'"'s side wall (41) and a vehicular body side wall (42). Lower end (48) side of the airbag (40) as flatly expanded with the walls (41 and 42) overlaid on each other constitutes an upstream side of inflation gas. The airbag (40) is firstly folded to bring its upper end (47) close to its lower end (48), from flat expanded state in which the occupant'"'"'s side wall (41) and the vehicular body side wall (42) are overlaid on each other. Thereafter, the airbag (40) is folded to reduce its transverse width, and then is housed in the housing. The airbag (40) of the knee protection airbag device (S1) is able to deploy effectively from the start to completion of deployment for protecting the knees of the occupant.

Claims

1. A knee protection airbag device arranged in front of an occupant knee area, the airbag device comprising an airbag folded and housed in undeployed condition, and upon inflow of inflation gas, the airbag protrudes rearward from a deployment opening of the housing to deploy upward and be located in front of the occupant knee area between a vehicle body and the occupant knee area, wherein the airbag has a generally rectangular plate shape when it is completely expanded and inflated, and wherein a transverse width of the airbag, when the airbag is completely inflated, is greater than a transverse width of the housing, such that the airbag covers the occupant knee area,

the airbag comprising an occupant side wall disposed toward the knee area and a vehicular body side wall disposed toward the vehicular body, respectively upon deployment,

a lower side of the airbag, while the airbag is expanded, or developed, with the occupant side wall and the vehicular body side wall overlaid on each other, constitutes an upstream part of an inflation gas channel upon deployment of the airbag,

in a folding process, from a flattened state in which the occupant side wall and the vehicular body side wall are overlaid on each other, the airbag firstly is folded to bring an upper end of the airbag close to a lower end of the airbag, which forms a folded portion, and then the airbag is folded to reduce the width of the airbag, and the airbag is housed as thus folded, wherein, when reducing the transverse width of the airbag, left and right ends of the folded portion of the airbag, which were folded to bring the upper end close to the lower end, are folded downward and toward a lateral center of the folded portion and on the occupant side wall.

2. A knee protection airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the airbag is roll-folded on the vehicular body side wall from the upper end when the upper end of the airbag is brought close to the lower end.

3. A knee protection airbag device according to claim 1, wherein, when reducing the transverse width of the airbag, left and right ends of the folded portion of the airbag, which were folded to bring the upper end close to the lower end, are roll-folded toward the transverse center of the folded portion so as to be close to each other.

4. A knee protection airbag device according to claim 1, wherein:

the airbag further comprises a tether for joining the vehicular body side wall and the occupant side wall to regulate thickness of the inflated airbag; and

the tether is arranged along the transverse direction so as to direct inflation gas flowing from the upstream side of the airbag toward the left and right directions of the airbag.