KNEE-PROTECTING AIRBAG APPARATUS

• US 20100007120A1
• Filed: 01/09/2008
• Published: 01/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Bito, Kazuaki, Sanada, Akiyoshi, Adachi, Yuichi, Fukawatase, Osamu
• Granted Patent: US 7,819,420 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/730.100
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0051 Knees
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23169 specially adapted for knee protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23382 Internal tether means
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/203 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 21/2338 Tethers
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/237 characterised by the way they are folded

Abstract

The knee-protecting airbag apparatus is mounted on a lower region of a column cover covering a steering column of vehicle projecting rearward from an instrument panel. The airbag (47) folded and housed in a housing emerges and spreads in four directions from the housing for deployment in front of knees of a driver when fed with inflation gas from an inflator (41) that is stored inside the airbag (47) and disposed to the rear side of the housing. Folding of the airbag (47) before being stored in the housing is such that left and right areas of a region (50) attached to the housing is folded on the side of the column side wall (49) to reduce the lateral width L2 of the airbag (47) without superimposing the left and right areas of the mounting region (50) on the inflator (41) in the vertical direction and a folded region (63) on the front side of the mounting region (50) is located in parallel with and in front of the inflator (41).

Claims

1. A knee-protecting airbag apparatus adapted to be mounted on a lower region of a column cover that covers a steering column of vehicle projecting rearward from an instrument panel, the airbag apparatus comprising:

an airbag folded up by a folding method specified below and housed in a housing on a lower area inside the column cover and emerging from the column cover and spreading in four directions from the housing for deployment in front of knees of a driver when fed with inflation gas, the airbag being a non-three-dimensional airbag comprised of a column side wall and a driver side wall having identical generally rectangular outer contours elongative in the lateral direction and adapted to inflate into a generally rectangular plate shape elongative in the lateral direction, and the airbag including a mounting region on a center in the lateral and anteroposterior directions of the column side wall, at which mounting region the airbag is attached to the housing; and

an inflator stored inside the airbag for supplying inflation gas to the airbag and attaching the airbag to the housing, the inflator including a cylindrical body provided with gas discharge ports for discharging the inflation gas and arranged such that an axial direction thereof extends along the lateral direction; and

a means to mount the body and the airbag on the housing at the location of the mounting region of the airbag, the inflator being disposed to either one direction in the anteroposterior direction inside the housing,

assuming that said one direction to which the inflator is disposed inside the housing is a one-sided direction, said folding method of the airbag comprising;

an initial folding that folds an area of the flattened airbag to the one-sided direction relative to the mounting region so that the area overlaps and is proximate the mounting region, whereby reducing the anteroposterior width of the airbag;

a bending that bends left and right peripheral areas of the airbag subjected to the initial folding toward an opposite direction from the one-sided direction on creases that extend toward the opposite direction from the one-sided direction in an expanding manner from left and right vicinities of the mounting region in an edge of the airbag subjected to the initial folding in the one-sided direction such that left and right parts of the edge of the airbag subjected to the initial folding in the one-sided direction which are disposed on the left and right of the mounting region are located on extensions from the left and right of the mounting region to the opposite direction from the one-sided direction without overlapping the left and right peripheral areas of the airbag subjected to the initial folding with the mounting region in the vertical direction;

a lateral contraction that folds and brings left and right ends of the airbag subjected to the bending close to the lateral center of the airbag but below or above the inflator so that the airbag is contracted in the lateral direction to fit into the housing; and

an anteroposterior contraction that folds and brings an edge of the airbag subjected to the lateral contraction on the opposite side from the one-sided direction close to the mounting region and locate a folded region thus formed in parallel with the inflator so that the airbag is contracted in the anteroposterior direction to fit into the housing.

2. The knee-protecting airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the anteroposterior contraction is comprised of rolling of a region of the airbag subjected to the lateral contraction including the edge on the opposite side from the one-sided direction toward the mounting region and locating the region thus rolled in parallel with the inflator.

3. The knee-protecting airbag apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the rolling is conducted on the side of the column side wall.

4. The knee-protecting airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the folding of the left and right ends of the airbag subjected to the bending in the lateral contraction is conducted on the side of the column side wall.

5. The knee-protecting airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bending of the left and right peripheral areas of the airbag subjected to the initial folding toward the opposite direction from the one-sided direction is conducted on the side of the column side wall.

6. The knee-protecting airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the initial folding is comprised of folding of the area of the airbag to the one-sided direction relative to the mounting region inward of the airbag.

7. The knee-protecting airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the one-sided direction to which the inflator is disposed inside the housing is the rear side.

8. The knee-protecting airbag apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the airbag includes at front and rear of the mounting region a front tether and a rear tether each having a band shape and joining the column side wall and driver side wall for regulating the thickness of the airbag at inflation and for redirecting inflation gas discharged from the inflator to the left and right.

9. The knee-protecting airbag apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a distance between joints of the front tether and rear tether to the column side wall is greater than a distance between joints of the front tether and rear tether to the driver side wall.