Cross vehicular assembly including knee bolsters
AssigneeFord Motor Company
InventorsThomas W. Pietila, Gerald A. Heath, James H. Zimmerman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicular assembly incorporating knee bolsters. The assembly is fabricated largely from integrally injection molded plastic that is capable of reinforcing the knee bolsters, supporting the instrument panel and forming the ducts of an air distribution system. In the event of a collision, the knee bolster plates are stabilized so that they can cushion and limit the movement of the knees of a driver or passenger.
Claims20
A multifunctional cross vehicular assembly for bolstering one or more knees of one or more occupants in the event of a collision, said assembly being adapted for use in a motorized vehicle having a body including a cowl adjacent a windshield and having a compartment for said occupants, said assembly comprising:
- knee bolster means for absorbing kinetic energy from said one or more knees in the event said one or more knees impact said knee bolster means;
- instrument panel means for carrying said knee bolster means;
- reinforcement means fabricated from plastic for transferring force from said knee bolster means without absorbing substantial kinetic energy from said one or more knees;
- duct means fabricated from plastic extending across more than half the entire width of said compartment of said vehicle between said cowl and said instrument panel for defining ducts of an air distribution system and for transferring force from said reinforcement means without absorbing substantial kinetic energy from said one or more knees;
- first fastening means for fastening said instrument panel to said duct means;
- second fastening means for fastening said reinforcement means to said duct means;
- and
- third fastening means for fastening said duct means to said body, whereby the position of the knee bolster means relative to said body is stabilized by the transfer of force through the reinforcement means and the duct means to said body while kinetic energy from said one or more knees is absorbed by said knee bolster means to cushion and limit movement of said one or more knees in the event of a collision.
A multifunctional cross vehicular assembly for bolstering one or more knees of one or more occupants in the event of a collision, said assembly being adapted for use in a motorized vehicle having a body including a cowl adjacent a windshield and having a compartment for said occupants, said assembly comprising:
- knee bolster means for cushioning said one or more knees in the event of a collision;
- duct means fabricated from injection molded plastic and extending across more than half the entire width of said compartment of said vehicle between said cowl and said knee bolster means for defining ducts of an air distribution system for said compartment;
- reinforcement means fabricated from injection molded plastic and located between said knee bolster means and said duct means for stabilizing the position of said knee bolster means during said collision;
- and
- fastening means for rigidly interconnecting said duct means, said reinforcement means and said body and for transferring force from said body through said duct means and said reinforcement means to said knee bolster means during said collision, whereby the position of said knee bolster means relative to said body is stabilized while kinetic energy from said one or more knees is absorbed by said knee bolster means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.