Knee-protecting airbag device

• US 7,434,837 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2005
• Issued: 10/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nagata, Atsushi, Mizuno, Yoshio, Tanaka, Hiroki, Hotta, Naoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Iian; Ruth
• Assistant Examiner(s): BECK, KAREN JANE AMORES
• Application Number:
  US11/265,501
• Publication Number:
  US 20060108780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 280/742, 280/743.1, 280/730.1, 280/729, 280/743.2
• US Class Current: 280/743.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0053 Legs
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23169 specially adapted for knee protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23324 Inner walls crating separate compartments, e.g. communicating with vents
• 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 21/2165 characterised by a tear line for defining a deployment opening
• 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

Abstract

The knee-protecting airbag device includes an airbag that protrudes rearward from a housing and deploys upward when fed with inflation gas. The airbag includes an upstream part located toward lower end of the completely inflated airbag and located upstream of inflation gas, and a downstream part located toward upper end of the completely inflated airbag and located downstream of inflation gas. The downstream part is adapted to protect an area from shins to knees of an occupant when the airbag is completely inflated. In the course of airbag inflation, internal pressure of a shin-protecting area, which is part of the downstream part for protecting shins, peaks 5 to 15 ms later than a peak time of internal pressure of the upstream part.

Claims

1. A knee-protecting airbag device comprising an airbag, the airbag, when fed with inflation gas, protruding rearward from a housing and deployable upward for protecting occupant'"'"'s knees, wherein:

the airbag comprises;

an upstream part located toward lower end of the completely inflated airbag and located upstream of inflation gas;

a downstream part located toward upper end of the completely inflated airbag and located downstream of inflation gas, the downstream part protecting an area from shins to knees of the occupant when the airbag is completely inflated;

an airbag body including an occupant side wall located toward the occupant and a vehicle body side wall located toward the vehicle body, respectively when the airbag is completely deployed; and

a regulating tether located within the airbag body, the regulating tether joining the occupant side wall and the vehicle body side wall for regulating thickness of the airbag body as completely inflated, the tether being arranged generally along transverse direction of the airbag body in such a manner as to partition the upstream part and the shin-protecting area; and

a sectional area of flow path of inflation gas flowing toward the shin-protecting area from the upstream part in the regulating tether is controlled, such that there

arises the time lag between peak times of internal pressures of the shin-protecting area and of the upstream part;

wherein;

the downstream part of the airbag comprises a shin-protecting area for protecting occupant'"'"'s shins; and

in the course of airbag inflation, internal pressure of the shin-protecting area peaks 5 to 15 ms later than a peak time of internal pressure of the upstream part,

wherein;

the airbag comprises more than one tether located within the airbag body and arranged in a row in vertical direction, each of the tethers joining the occupant side wall and the vehicle body side wall for regulating thickness of the airbag body as completely inflated, and each of the tethers extending generally along transverse direction of the airbag body;

one of the tethers is the regulating tether, and one of the rest of the tethers constitutes a partitioning tether for partitioning the shin-protecting area for protecting shins and a knee-protecting area for protecting knees, in the downstream part; and

a sectional area of flow path of inflation gas flowing toward the shin-protecting area from the upstream part in the regulating tether is set smaller than a sectional area of flow path of inflation gas flowing upward in each of locations of the tethers except the regulating tether;

wherein;

each of the regulating tether and the partitioning tether is joined to all over inner circumference of the airbag body, and comprises a gas communication hole allowing the inflation gas to pass therethrough;

wherein;

each of the regulating tether and the partitioning tether comprises more than one gas communication hole disposed side by side along transverse direction; and

the gas communication holes of the regulating tether and the gas communication holes of the partitioning tether are arranged in such a manner as dislocated from one another in transverse direction, as viewed from above.

2. A knee-protecting airbag device comprising an airbag, the airbag, when fed with inflation gas, protruding rearward from a housing and deployable upward for protecting occupant'"'"'s knees, wherein:

the airbag comprises;

an upstream part located toward a lower end of the completely inflated airbag and located upstream of inflation gas;

a downstream part located toward an upper end of the completely inflated airbag and located downstream of inflation gas, the downstream part protecting an area from shins to knees of the occupant when the airbag is completely inflated, the downstream part of the airbag comprises a shin-protecting area for protecting the occunant'"'"'s shins;

an airbag body including an occupant side wall located toward the occupant and a vehicle body side wall located toward the vehicle body, respectively when the airbags completely deployed;

a regulating tether located within the airbag body, the regulating tether joining the occupant side wall and the vehicle body side wall for regulating a thickness of the airbag body as completely inflated, the tether being arranged generally along a transverse direction of the airbag body in such a manner as to partition the upstream part and the shin-protecting area; and

more than one tether located within the airbag body and arranged in a row in a vertical direction, each of the tethers joining the occupant side wall and the vehicle body side wall for regulating the thickness of the airbag body as completely inflated, and each of the tethers extending generally along the transverse direction of the airbag body;

wherein one of the tethers is the regulating tether, and one of the rest of the tethers constitutes a partitioning tether for partitioning the shin-protecting area for protecting shins and a knee-protecting area for protecting knees. in die downstream part;

wherein a sectional area of a flow path of inflation gas flowing toward the shin-protecting area from the upstream part in the regulating tether is controlled, such that there arises the time lag between peak times of internal pressures of the shin-protecting area and of the upstream part; and

wherein a sectional area of the flow path of inflation gas flowing toward the shin-protecting area from the upstream part in the regulating tether is set smaller than a sectional area of the flow path of inflation gas flowing upward in the location of the one of the rest of the tethers;

wherein the regulating tether is joined to an all over inner circumference of the airbag body, and comprises a gas communication hole allowing the inflation gas to pass therethrough;

wherein each of the regulating tether and the partitioning tether is joined to an all over inner circumference of the airbag body, and comprises a gas communication hole allowing the inflation gas to pass therethrough;

wherein;

each of the regulating tether and the partitioning tether comprises more than one gas communication hole disposed side by side along transverse direction; and

the gas communication holes of the regulating tether and the gas communication holes of the partitioning tether are in series configuration with one another in the vertical direction.

3. A knee-protecting airbag device comprising an airbag, the airbag, when fed with inflation gas, protruding rearward from a housing and deployable upward for protecting occupant'"'"'s knees, wherein:

the airbag comprises;

an upstream part located toward a lower end of the completely inflated airbag and located upstream of inflation gas;

a downstream part located toward an upper end of the completely inflated airbag and located downstream of inflation gas, the downstream part protecting an area from shins to knees of the occupant when the airbags completely inflated, the downstream part of the airbag comprises a shin-protecting area for protecting the occupant'"'"'s shins;

an airbag body including an occupant side wall located toward the occupant and a vehicle body side wall located toward the vehicle body, respectively when the airbag is completely deployed;

a regulating tether located within the airbag body, the regulating tether joining the occupant side wall and the vehicle body side wall for regulating a thickness of the airbag body as completely inflated, the tether being arranged generally along a transverse direction of the airbag body in such a manner as to partition the upstream part and the shin-protecting area; and

more than one tether located within the airbag body and arranged in a row in a vertical direction, each of the tethers joining the occupant side wall and the vehicle body side wall for regulating the thickness of the airbag body as completely inflated, and each of the tethers extending generally along the transverse direction of the airbag body;

wherein one of the tethers is the regulating tether, and one of the rest of the tethers constitutes a partitioning tether for partitioning the shin-protecting area for protecting shins and a knee-protecting area for protecting knees, in the downstream part;

wherein a sectional area of a flow path of inflation gas flowing toward the shin-protecting area from the upstream part in the regulating tether is controlled, such that there arises the time lag between peak times of internal pressures of the shin-protecting area and of the upstream part; and

wherein a sectional area of the flow path of inflation gas flowing toward the shin-protecting area from the upstream part in the regulating tether is set smaller than a sectional area of the flow path of inflation gas flowing upward in the location of the one of the rest of the tethers;

wherein the regulating tether is joined to an all over inner circumference of the airbag body, and comprises a gas communication hole allowing the inflation gas to pass therethrough;

wherein each of the regulating tether and the partitioning tether is joined to an all over inner circumference of the airing body, and comprises a gas communication hole allowing the inflation gas to pass therethrough;

wherein;

each of the regulating tether and the partitioning tether comprises more than one gas communication hole disposed side by side along the transverse direction; and

the gas communication holes of the regulating tether and the gas communication holes of the partitioning tether are ranged in such a manner as to be dislocated from one another in the transverse direction, as viewed from above.

4. A knee-protecting airbag device comprising an airbag, the airbag, when fed with inflation gas, protruding rearward from a housing and deployable upward for protecting occupant'"'"'s knees, wherein the airbag comprises:

an upstream part located toward a lower end of the completely inflated airbag and located upstream of inflation gas;

a shin-protecting area located above the upstream part at full airbag inflation for protecting shins of the occupant;

a knee-protecting area located above the shin-protecting area at full airbag inflation for protecting knees of the occupant;

a lower tether disposed generally along the transverse direction inside the airbag in such a manner as to partition the upstream part and the shin-protecting area, the lower tether including a first gas communication hole permitting inflation gas to flow from the upstream part to the shin-protecting area; and

an upper tether disposed generally along the transverse direction inside the airbag in such a manner as to partition the shin-protecting area and knee-protecting area, the upper tether including a second gas communication hole permitting inflation gas to flow from the shin-protecting area to the knee-protecting area wherein the second gas communication hole has a greater opening area than that of the first communication hole and is arranged to be dislocated from the first communication hole in the transverse direction as viewed from above.