Knee protecting airbag device

• US 8,220,830 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2010
• Issued: 07/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyoda Gosei Company Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Takimoto, Masahiro, Koyama, Toru, Kuriyama, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming, Faye M
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOODEN JR, BARRY J
• Application Number:
  US12/846,125
• Publication Number:
  US 20100295281A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 280/728.1, 280/730.1, 280/731, 280/732, 280/743.1, 280/743.2
• US Class Current: 280/730.1
• 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 comprising:

an airbag inflatable for protecting knees;

a housing that houses the airbag; and

means for curving the airbag upward at inflation of the airbag, wherein

the airbag includes a knee-side wall deployable towards the knees and a vehicle body side wall deployable away from the knees,

the airbag expands and inflates rearward and upward from the housing;

the airbag includes a first tether and a second tether that respectively connect the knee-side wall to the vehicle body side wall so as to regulate a thickness of the airbag, the second tether being located at a rear of the first tether,

a length of the airbag between positions where the first tether and the second tether are connected to the vehicle body side wall is shorter than a length of the airbag between positions where the first tether and the second tether are connected to the knee side wall such that a rear end region of the airbag curves upward at inflation, the second tether being located in a front-rear direction between the first tether and the rear end region of the airbag that is curved upward,

an inflator for feeding an inflation gas to the airbag is located in a front position opposite to the rear end region of the airbag, the inflator being located in the front-rear direction anterior to the first tether and the second tether at airbag inflation and is secured to the housing,

the first tether being positioned in a front-rear direction in front of the second tether and between the inflator and the second tether,

the front-rear direction is from the inflator which is the front to the rear end region which is the rear.

2. The knee-protecting airbag device of claim 1, wherein

said airbag in an uninflated state is arranged in said housing so that the airbag is roll-folded with a side of the rear end region of the airbag rolled toward the vehicle body side wall.

3. The knee-protecting airbag device of claim 1, wherein

said airbag in an uninflated state is arranged in said housing so that left and right edges of the airbag are folded toward each other on the vehicle body side wall of the airbag, and the airbag with folded left and right edges is roll-folded with a side of the rear end region of the airbag rolled toward the vehicle body side wall.

4. The knee-protecting airbag device of claim 1, wherein the inflator is located in the front-rear direction anterior to the first and second tethers and in an upstream side of the flow of the inflating gas.

5. The knee-protecting airbag device of claim 1, wherein

the tethers are in a band shape and are arranged to extend transversely with respect to the front-rear direction.

6. The knee-protecting airbag device of claim 1, wherein

an entirety of the first tether is positioned in the front-rear direction between the inflator and the second tether.

7. The knee-protecting airbag device of claim 1, wherein

said airbag in an uninflated state is arranged in said housing so that the airbag is roll-folded with a side of the rear end region of the airbag rolled toward the vehicle body side wall,

wherein, as the airbag expands and inflates, an unfolded portion of the airbag is pulled toward the vehicle body side wall by a turning inertial force of the portion being unfolded while the rear end region of the airbag is curved upward.

8. The knee-protecting airbag device of claim 7, wherein the inflator is located in the front-rear direction anterior to the first and second tethers and in an upstream side of the flow of the inflating gas.

9. The knee-protecting airbag device of claim 7, wherein

the tethers are in a band shape and are arranged to extend transversely with respect to the front-rear direction.

10. The knee-protecting airbag device of claim 7, wherein

an entirety of the first tether is positioned in the front-rear direction between the inflator and the second tether.