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US 7,681,908 B2Granted
Knee airbag device
AssigneeToyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsOsamu Fukawatase, Tomoyuki Moro, Kenji Imamura, Akiyoshi Sanada
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AssigneeToyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsOsamu Fukawatase, Tomoyuki Moro, Kenji Imamura, Akiyoshi Sanada
Estimating the term…
A knee airbag device includes an airbag module and an airbag door. The airbag module includes a gas generation device that is operated when the knee airbag device is operated, and a knee airbag that is stored in a folded state inside a column cover that covers the rear end portion of a steering column. When the knee airbag receives gas from the gas generation device, the knee airbag is inflated and deployed toward the knee of an occupant. The airbag door, provided in the lower portion of the column cover, is made of a flexible material. When the knee airbag is inflated and deployed, the airbag door is opened toward the knee of the occupant due to an airbag inflation pressure.
A knee airbag device comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
In steering wheels or steering columns: the inflator or inflatable member not being rotatable with the steering wheel; Arrangements using the…
In dashboards: in the lower part of dashboards, e.g. for protecting the knees
Characterised by the covers for the inflatable member: characterised by a tear line for defining a deployment opening
Characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration: specially adapted for knee protection
About 1 year 5 months of term left · ends 26 Mar 2028 (estimated)
The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2006317353 filed on Nov. 24, 2006 including the specification, drawings and abstract is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a knee airbag device that includes a knee airbag that is inflated and deployed from a column cover for a steering column to restrain the knees of an occupant, when a collision occurs.
The foregoing and further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals are used to represent like elements and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross section showing the entire configuration of a knee airbag device according to an embodiment in a lateral view;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing a column lower cover shown in FIG. 1 when an airbag door is closed;
Hereinafter a knee airbag device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4. In FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, the arrow FR indicates the front of a vehicle. The arrow UP indicates the top of the vehicle. The arrow IN indicates the inside of the vehicle in a vehicle-width direction.
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross sectional view showing the entire configuration of a knee airbag device 10 according to the embodiment FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing the main portion of the knee airbag device 10.
As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, an opening portion is formed in a portion of an instrument panel 14, which faces a driver seat. A steering column 12 is inserted through the opening portion such that the steering column 12 is inclined downward toward the front of the vehicle. The column cover 18 covers the rear end portion of the steering column 12, which protrudes toward a vehicle cabin 19 from the opening portion of the instrument panel 14. The column cover 18 is divided into two portions, i.e., an upper portion and a lower portion. More specifically, the column cover 18 includes a column upper cover 20 and a column lower cover 22.