Knee airbag device

• US 7,571,929 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2007
• Issued: 08/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Moro, Tomoyuki, Sanada, Akiyoshi, Imamura, Kenji, Fukawatase, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson; Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Freedman; Laura
• Application Number:
  US11/979,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20080106079A1
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.1, 280/731, 280/743.1, 280/743.2, 280/750, 280/751, 280/752
• US Class Current: 280/730.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0051 Knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/203 in steering wheels or steering columns
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/206 in the lower part of dashboards, e.g. for protecting the knees
• 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

Abstract

A knee airbag device includes a knee airbag that is disposed in a folded state inside a steering column cover. When the knee airbag receives gas, the knee airbag is inflated and deployed from an inside of the steering column cover toward a knee portion of an occupant. The knee airbag includes an interference suppression member that suppresses interference between the knee airbag and a projection body inside the steering column cover, which projects downward toward at least one side in a vehicle-width direction, when the knee airbag is inflated and deployed.

Claims

1. A knee airbag device comprising:

a knee airbag that is disposed in a folded state inside a steering column cover, wherein;

when the knee airbag receives gas, the knee airbag is inflated and deployed from an inside of the steering column cover toward a knee portion of an occupant;

the knee airbag includes a recessed portion that suppresses interference between the knee airbag and a steering lock device inside the steering column cover, which projects downward toward a right side of a vehicle from a column tube of a steering column, when the knee airbag is inflated and deployed; and

inclination of the knee airbag due to the steering lock device is suppressed when the knee airbag is inflated and deployed.

2. The knee airbag device according to claim 1, wherein:

the knee airbag further includes an instrument panel-side foundation cloth positioned close to an instrument panel when the knee airbag is deployed, and an occupant-side foundation cloth positioned close to the occupant when the knee airbag is deployed;

the recessed portion of the knee airbag is formed by a strap that is provided in the knee airbag, and that is connected to the instrument panel-side foundation cloth and the occupant-side foundation cloth; and

a length of the strap from the occupant-side foundation cloth in a vehicle-longitudinal direction at a portion that faces the steering lock device is set to be decreased according to a projection amount of the steering lock device.

3. The knee airbag device according to claim 2, wherein:

the strap is an upper strap that is positioned in an upper portion of the knee airbag at a position below the steering lock device when the knee airbag is deployed;

a lower strap is further provided in the knee airbag, and the lower strap is positioned in a lower portion of the knee airbag, which does not interfere with the steering column cover, when the knee airbag is deployed;

a portion of a front edge of the upper strap, which extends from a center portion in a vehicle-width direction to a right edge in the vehicle-width direction, constitutes an inclination portion, and the inclination portion is inclined toward a rear of the vehicle in a direction from the center portion to the right edge in the vehicle-width direction; and

a length of the inclination portion in the vehicle-longitudinal direction at the right edge in the vehicle-width direcation is set to be shorter than a length of the upper strap in the vehicle-longitudinal direction at a left edge in the vehicle-width direction.