Knee protecting airbag device

• US 7,878,540 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2008
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Takimoto, Masahiro, Kuriyama, Yuji, Koyama, Toru
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson; Paul N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOODEN JR, BARRY J
• Application Number:
  US12/081,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20080258441A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,027 Days
• Field of Search: 280/728.2, 280/730.1, 280/731, 280/732, 280/743.1, 280/743.2
• US Class Current: 280/743.2
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0051 Knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/21506 comprising tearing tabs, legs or the like for holding the lid before deployment
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/2163 with energy absorbing or elastic means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23169 specially adapted for knee protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23316 Inner seams, e.g. creating separate compartments or used as tethering means
• 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 2021/23386 External tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/206 in the lower part of dashboards, e.g. for protecting the knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/215 characterised by the covers for the inflatable member B60R21/2176 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/216 comprising tether means for limitation of cover motion during deployment
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2165 characterised by a tear line for defining a deployment opening
• 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 21/233 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
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/2346 Soft diffusers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded

Abstract

In a knee protecting airbag device (M1), an airbag (26) folded and housed below a steering column (3) is expanded and inflated while rising from the lower side of the steering column (3) along a column cover lower surface (9a) during an inflation process. The shape of the airbag having completed the inflation is in a generally plate shape capable of covering at least the lower surface of the column cover. Even if the knee of the driver comes close to the column cover when the driver depressing a brake pedal, therefore, the airbag being expanded and inflated goes smoothly into the clearance between the knee of the driver and the column cover lower surface. The airbag having completed the expansion and inflation protects the knee of the driver properly so that the knee may not interfere with the column cover.

Claims

1. A knee-protecting airbag device located below a steering column for protecting knees of a driver, the airbag device comprising:

an airbag inflatable and deployable upward and rearward with inflation gas, the airbag including an upstream portion of inflation gas disposed at a lower part of the airbag at full inflation, a downstream portion of inflation gas disposed at an upper part of the airbag at full inflation, a tether disposed along a transverse direction inside the airbag for partitioning the upstream portion and the downstream portion and regulating a thickness of the airbag upon inflation, and a gas communication hole that communicates between the upstream portion and the downstream portion one with the other, wherein the tether is configured to inflate the upstream portion in such a manner as to widen a lateral width of the upstream portion at an initial stage of inflow of inflation gas, and wherein the downstream portion of the airbag includes a knee-receiving region, for receiving the knees of the driver; and

a housing disposed below the steering column for housing the airbag, wherein

the knee-receiving region is located at an upper end of the airbag when the airbag is fully deployed, and

the tether is located at a shin-receiving region which is located completely below the knee-receiving region when the airbag is fully deployed.

2. The knee-protecting airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the housing is disposed either below the steering column and at a lower region inside a column cover that covers the steering column and is inclined upward and rearward at a lower surface thereof, or below the steering column and inside an instrument panel that is located below the column cover such that the airbag deploys upward and rearward along the lower surface of the column cover.

3. The knee-protecting airbag device according to claim 1, wherein the gas communication hole is one of a pair of gas communication holes located on the left and right sides of the tether respectively.

4. The knee-protecting airbag device according to claim 1,

wherein the knee-receiving region is greater in thickness than the shin-receiving region at airbag inflation.

5. A knee-protecting airbag device located below a steering column for protecting knees of a driver, the airbag device comprising:

an airbag inflatable and deployable upward and rearward with inflation gas, the airbag including an upstream portion of inflation gas disposed at a lower part of the airbag at full inflation, a downstream portion of inflation gas disposed at an upper part of the airbag at full inflation, and a gas flow regulating member that regulates a flow of inflation gas so as to inflate the upstream portion in such a manner as to widen a lateral width of the upstream portion and then inflate the downstream portion, wherein the downstream portion of the airbag includes a knee-receiving region that is adapted to receive knee-receiving region, for receiving the knees of the driver; and

a housing disposed below the steering column for housing the airbag, wherein

the knee-receiving region is located at an upper end of the airbag when the airbag is fully deployed, and

the gas flow regulating member is located at a shin-receiving region which is located completely below the knee-receiving region when the airbag is fully deployed.

6. The knee-protecting airbag device according to claim 5, wherein the housing is disposed either below the steering column and at a lower region inside a column cover that covers the steering column and is inclined upward and rearward at a lower surface thereof, or below the steering column and inside an instrument panel that is located below the column cover such that the airbag deploys upward and rearward along the lower surface of the column cover.

7. The knee-protecting airbag device according to claim 5,

wherein the knee-receiving region is greater in thickness than the shin-receiving region at airbag inflation.