Leg protection device for vehicle occupant

• US 20030030255A1
• Filed: 07/22/2002
• Published: 02/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Joyson Safety Systems Japan GK
• Original Assignee: Takata Corporation (Ningbo Junsheng Investment Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Igawa, Tadahiro, Abe, Kazuhiro, Sawa, Tomohiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,207,594 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23169 specially adapted for knee protection
• 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 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded

Abstract

A leg protection device for a vehicle occupant is disposed inside a seat-front member of a vehicle. The leg protection device includes an air bag having a rear panel and positioned along the seat-front member and a front panel facing the occupant when the air bag is inflated, and a gas generator for inflating the air bag. When the air bag is inflated, the air bag has a vertical length at a center portion of the front panel in the width direction longer than a vertical length at a center portion of the rear panel in the width direction to obtain a curved cross section.

Claims

1. A leg protection device for protecting legs of a vehicle occupant from colliding a seat-front member of a vehicle, comprising:

a gas generator to be disposed inside the seat-front member for generating gas, and

an air bag connected to the gas generator and having a front panel for facing the occupant, and a rear panel to be positioned along the seat-front member when the air bag is inflated, a center portion of the front panel having a vertical length longer than that of a center portion of the rear panel when the air bag is inflated.

2. A leg protection device according to claim 1, wherein said front panel has a tucked portion so that the center portion of the front panel has the vertical length longer than that of the center portion of the rear panel when the air bag is inflated.

3. A leg protection device according to claim 2, wherein said tucked portion is an overlapped portion of a part of the front panel extending along a lateral direction of the air bag.

4. A leg protection device according to claim 3, wherein said overlapped portion is sewed along peripheries of the front and rear panels.

5. A leg protection device according to claim 4, wherein the vertical length of the front panel with the tucked portion is substantially same as that of the rear panel before the air bag is inflated.