Knee airbag device

• US 7,661,700 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2007
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Sanada, Akiyoshi, Imamura, Kenji, Fukawatase, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson; Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): BECK, KAREN JANE AMORES
• Application Number:
  US11/984,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20080122205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 818 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.1, 280/731, 280/732, 280/733, 280/743.2
• US Class Current: 280/730.1
• 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 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 knees of an occupant. The thickness of outer portions of the knee airbag, which are positioned outside centers of the knees when the knee airbag is deployed, is set to be larger than the thickness of a general portion of the knee airbag, which is positioned in front of the knees when the knee airbag is 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 knees;

outer portions of the knee airbag, which are positioned outside centers of the knees when the knee airbag is deployed, protrude toward a rear of a vehicle as compared to knee front portions of the knee airbag, which are positioned in front of the knees when the knee airbag is deployed, so that the outer portions expand toward areas outside the knees when the knee airbag is deployed;

the knee airbag includes an instrument panel-side foundation cloth positioned close to an instrument panel when the knee airbag is deployed, an occupant-side foundation cloth positioned close to the occupant when the knee airbag is deployed, and tethers that connect the instrument panel-side foundation cloth and the occupant-side foundation cloth, and regulate a thickness of the knee airbag;

first connections at which the tethers are connected to the instrument panel-side foundation cloth are set to be outside second connections at which the tethers are connected to the occupant-side foundation cloth, with respect to a center of the knee airbag in a vehicle-width direction;

a length between the first connections in the vehicle-width direction is set to be longer than a length between the second connections in the vehicle-width direction;

the second connections are positioned outside the centers of the knees; and

when the knee airbag is inflated and deployed, the gas is supplied to a general portion in which the knee front portions are positioned, and then the gas is supplied from the general portion to the outer portions so that the outer portions are deployed toward right and left sides in the vehicle-width direction while rear portions of the outer portions are slack due to regulation by the tethers, and then the outer portions expand toward the rear of the vehicle.

2. The knee airbag device according to claim 1,

wherein the tethers are on right and left sides of the knee airbag device;

an inflator, which supplies the gas to the knee airbag to deploy the knee airbag, is provided between the right and left tethers;

the right and left tethers are provided to extend over a substantially entire length of the knee airbag in a vehicle-height direction;

vent holes, which allow the gas supplied from the inflator to the general portion to flow to the outer portions when the knee airbag is deployed, are provided in the right and left tethers; and

the outer portions are formed to be protruding portions that expand in the vehicle-height direction when the knee airbag is deployed.

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

the tethers are on right and left sides of the knee airbag device;

an inflator, which supplies the gas to the knee airbag to deploy the knee airbag, is provided between the right and left tethers;

the right tethers are disposed such that the right tethers are apart from each other in a height direction of the knee airbag;

the left tethers are disposed such that the left tethers are apart from each other in the height direction of the knee airbag; and

the gas from the inflator is supplied from the general portion to the outer portions of the knee airbag through at least one gap between the right tethers and at least one gap between the left tethers in the height direction of the knee airbag; and

the outer portions are formed to be protruding portions that expand in the vehicle-height direction when the knee airbag is deployed.

4. The knee airbag device according to claim 1, wherein an upper end and a lower end of the knee airbag are folded toward a center of the knee airbag in a height direction of the knee airbag, and then, right and left side portions of the knee airbag in the vehicle-width direction are rolled up toward the instrument panel, and the knee airbag that is folded and rolled up is stored inside the steering column cover.