Occupant leg protecting device for vehicle

• US 7,762,577 B2
• Filed: 11/11/2005
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kato, Takeaki, Nezaki, Takuya, Fukawatase, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson; Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): BECK, KAREN JANE AMORES
• Application Number:
  US11/666,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20080157508A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,719 Days
• Field of Search: 280/730.1, 280/753, 280/752, 280/732, 280/743.2
• US Class Current: 280/730.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0051 Knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/024 mounted on dash-board
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23107 the bag being integrated in a multi-bag system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23169 specially adapted for knee protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/02 Occupant safety arrangements or fittings , e.g. crash pads seat belts with crash pads B60R22/14; removable children's seats having a front guard or barrier B60N2/2839
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/045 associated with the instrument panel or dashboard
• 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 21/233 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

An active knee bolster (28) and a knee bolster (42), whose accommodated positions are different, are mounted within an instrument panel (18) along a curved configuration of a wall portion (24) of the instrument panel (18) which, in a vehicle transverse direction, is convex and concave in a vehicle body longitudinal direction. At a time of a vehicle body collision, a main body (30) of the active knee bolster (28) moves from an accommodated position to a leg restraining position, and a leg restraining position of the active knee bolster (28) and a leg restraining position of the fixed-type knee bolster (42) become equal positions in the vehicle body longitudinal direction. In accordance with this invention, legs of an occupant can be reliably protected, and degrees of freedom in designing a vehicle interior wall such as the instrument panel or the like are improved.

Claims

1. An occupant protecting device for a vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle interior wall disposed in front of a front seat, and having one side portion opposing a left leg position, and an other side portion opposing a right leg position, in a vehicle transverse direction, and having, in the vehicle transverse direction, a curved configuration which is convex and concave in a vehicle body longitudinal direction such that one of the one side portion and the other side portion protrudes toward the rear of the vehicle body;

left leg protecting means, mounted to the one side portion of the vehicle interior wall, for restraining a left leg portion of an occupant seated on a front seat at a time of a vehicle body collision; and

right leg protecting means, mounted to the other side portion of the vehicle interior wall, and having an accommodated position which is different from an accommodated position of the left leg protecting means in the longitudinal direction, for restraining a right leg portion of the occupant seated on the front seat at a time of a vehicle body collision, and a longitudinal leg restraining position of the right leg protecting means being equal to a longitudinal leg restraining position of the left leg protecting means.

2. The occupant protecting device for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein one of the left leg protecting means and the right leg protecting means is a fixed-type knee bolster, and another is an active knee bolster which, under a predetermined condition, moves from the accommodated position to the longitudinal leg restraining position.

3. The occupant protecting device for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein both of the left leg protecting means and the right leg protecting means are active knee bolsters which, under a predetermined condition, move from the accommodated positions to the longitudinal leg restraining positions.

4. The occupant protecting device for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein one of the left leg protecting means and the right leg protecting means is a fixed-type knee bolster, and another is a knee air bag device equipped with an air bag body which, under a predetermined condition, inflates and unfolds from the accommodated position to the longitudinal leg restraining position.

5. The occupant protecting device for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein both of the left leg protecting means and the right leg protecting means are knee air bag devices equipped with air bag bodies which, under a predetermined condition, inflate and unfold from the accommodated positions to the longitudinal leg restraining positions.

6. The occupant protecting device for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the left leg protecting means and the right leg protecting means are structured by a knee air bag device equipped with one air bag body which, under a predetermined condition, inflates and unfolds from the accommodated position to the longitudinal leg restraining position.

7. The occupant protecting device for a vehicle of claim 1, wherein the longitudinal leg restraining position of the right leg protecting means is a point (P1, P5, P6) which is a central position of a width (W, T, X) and a central position of a longitudinal length (L) and a central position of a vertical direction length (H, R) of a surface skin at the surface skin portion of the right leg protecting means abutting the right leg portion, and the longitudinal leg restraining position of the left leg protecting means is a point (P2, P3, P4) which is a central position of a width (V, M, Q) and a central position of a longitudinal direction length and a central position of a vertical direction length (K, N, R) of a surface skin at the surface skin portion of the left leg protecting means abutting the left leg portion.

8. An occupant protecting device for a vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle interior wall disposed in front of a front seat;

left leg protecting means, mounted to the vehicle interior wall, for restraining a left leg portion of an occupant seated on a seat at a time of a vehicle body collision, the left leg protecting means being positioned in front of the left leg portion prior to deployment; and

right leg protecting means, mounted to the vehicle interior wall, for restraining a right leg portion of an occupant seated on a seat at a time of a vehicle body collision, the right leg protecting means being positioned in front of the right leg portion prior to deployment,

wherein the right leg protecting means is structured such that an accommodated position of the right leg protecting means is different, in a vehicle body longitudinal direction, than an accommodated position of the left leg protecting means, and a leg restraining position of the right leg protecting means is equal, in the vehicle body longitudinal direction, to a leg restraining position of the left leg protecting means.

9. An occupant protecting device for a vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle interior wall disposed in front of a front seat, and having one side portion opposing a left leg position, and an other side portion opposing a right leg position, in a vehicle transverse direction, and having, in the vehicle transverse direction, a curved configuration which is convex and concave in a vehicle body longitudinal direction; and

an air bag body mounted to the vehicle interior wall and having a left leg protecting portion and a right leg protecting portion for restraining left and right leg portions of an occupant seated on a seat at a time of a vehicle body collision, the left leg protecting portion being mounted on the one side of a vehicle interior wall and the right leg protecting portion being mounted on the other side of the vehicle interior wall,

wherein a vehicle body longitudinal direction thickness, in an inflated and unfolded state and as seen in a plan view of a vehicle body, of a region of the air bag body which region is above an operation pedal of a vehicle, is small as compared with vehicle body longitudinal direction thicknesses, in the inflated and unfolded state and as seen in the plan view of the vehicle body, of adjacent left and right regions,

the right leg protecting portion of the air bag body having an accommodated position which is different from an accommodated position of the left leg protecting portion of the air bag body in a vehicle longitudinal direction, and

a longitudinal leg restraining position of the right leg protecting portion being equal to a longitudinal leg restraining position of the left leg protecting portion.

10. An occupant protecting device for a vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle interior wall disposed in front of a front seat, and having one side portion opposing a left leg of an occupant seated on the front seat, and an other side portion opposing a right leg of the occupant, in a vehicle transverse direction, and having, in the vehicle transverse direction, a curved configuration which is convex and concave in a vehicle body longitudinal direction such that one of the one side portion and the other side portion protrudes toward the rear of the vehicle body;

left leg protecting means, mounted to one of the one side portion and the other side portion of the vehicle interior wall, for restraining a left leg portion of the occupant seated on the front seat at a time of a vehicle body collision; and

right leg protecting means, mounted to the other of the one side portion and the other side portion of the vehicle interior wall, and having an accommodated position which is different from an accommodated position of the left leg protecting means in the longitudinal direction, for restraining a right leg portion of an occupant seated on a seat at a time of a vehicle body collision,

wherein at least one of the left leg protecting means or the right leg protecting means is structured so as to rupture the vehicle interior wall and unfold at the time of the vehicle body collision, and

the right leg protecting means is structured such that a leg restraining position of the right leg protecting means is equal, in the vehicle body longitudinal direction, to a leg restraining position of the left leg protecting means.

11. The occupant protecting device for a vehicle of claim 10, wherein the leg protecting means, which is structured so as to rupture the vehicle interior wall and unfold at the time of a vehicle body collision, is an active knee bolster.

12. The occupant protecting device for a vehicle of claim 10, wherein the leg protecting means, which is structured so as to rupture the vehicle interior wall and unfold at the time of a vehicle body collision, is a knee air bag device.

13. The occupant protecting device for a vehicle of claim 10, wherein the left leg protecting means and the right leg protecting means are structured by a knee air bag device equipped with one air bag body which, under a predetermined condition, inflates and unfolds from the accommodated position to the leg restraining position.

14. The occupant protecting device for a vehicle of claim 13, wherein the air bag body is structured such that a vehicle body longitudinal direction thickness, in an inflated and unfolded state and as seen in a plan view of a vehicle body, of a region of the air bag body which region is above an operation pedal of a vehicle, is small as compared with vehicle body longitudinal direction thicknesses, in the inflated and unfolded state and as seen in the plan view of the vehicle body, of adjacent left and right regions.

15. An occupant protecting device for a vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle interior wall disposed in front of a front seat;

left leg protecting means, mounted to the vehicle interior wall, for restraining a left leg portion of an occupant seated on a seat at a time of a vehicle body collision, the left leg protecting means being positioned in front of the left leg portion prior to deployment; and

right leg protecting means, mounted to the vehicle interior wall, for restraining a right leg portion of an occupant seated on a seat at a time of a vehicle body collision, wherein at least one of the left leg protecting means or the right leg protecting means is structured so as to rupture the vehicle interior wall and unfold at a time of a vehicle body collision, the right leg protecting means being positioned in front of the right leg portion prior to deployment, and

the right leg protecting means is structured such that an accommodated position of the right leg protecting means is different, in a vehicle body longitudinal direction, than an accommodated position of the left leg protecting means, and a leg restraining position of the right leg protecting means is equal, in the vehicle body longitudinal direction, to a leg restraining position of the left leg protecting means.