Inflatable knee airbag assemblies with articulating housings
AssigneeAutoliv ASP, Inc.
InventorMark L. Enders
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An inflatable knee airbag is typically stored in a packaged state within an airbag housing. The housing often has a cover, which can be either a cosmetic cover or an unfinished cover, if the cover will not be readily visible to an occupant. During inflatable airbag deployment, the housing may contribute to determining the airbag's trajectory. A car-forward portion of an airbag housing that is horizontally oriented may rotate in a car-downward direction to allow a deployment trajectory of the deploying airbag to be more vertically oriented.
Claims17
An inflatable knee airbag assembly comprising:
- an inflatable knee airbag;
- an inflator coupled to the inflatable knee airbag;
- and
- a housing coupled to the inflator, wherein in a packaged configuration, the inflatable knee airbag is contained within the housing and the housing is in a contracted configuration,
- wherein the housing comprises a car-upward portion opposite from a car-downward portion,
- wherein the housing comprises a car-forward wall opposite from a car-rearward opening,
- wherein in a deployed configuration, the car-downward portion has rotated about a hinge such that the housing is in an extended configuration, wherein the car-forward wall has a greater height in the extended configuration than in the contracted configuration,
- wherein the inflatable knee airbag exits the housing in a car-rearward direction via the car-rearward opening of the housing, and
- wherein the car-rearward opening of the housing has a height that remains the same in the deployed configuration and in the contracted configuration.
An inflatable airbag assembly comprising:
- an inflatable airbag;
- an inflator coupled to the inflatable airbag;
- and
- a housing coupled to the inflator, wherein the housing comprises a car-upward portion and a car-downward portion, wherein the car-upward portion comprises a rigid reaction plate, and wherein a car-forward wall of the housing comprises a plurality of folds that permit the car-downward portion to rotate relative to the rigid reaction plate,
- wherein, when the assembly is in a packaged configuration, the airbag is contained within the housing and the housing is in a contracted configuration, and
- wherein, when the assembly transitions to a deployed configuration, the folds expand so that the housing is moved to an extended configuration, wherein a car-forward portion has a greater height in the extended configuration than in the contracted configuration.
An inflatable airbag assembly comprising:
- an inflatable airbag;
- an inflator coupled to the inflatable airbag;
- and
- a housing coupled to the inflator, wherein the housing comprises a car-upward portion and a car-downward portion, and wherein the car-upward portion comprises a rigid member and wherein the car-downward portion comprises a plastic member,
- wherein a car-forward wall of the housing comprises a plurality of folds,
- wherein the car-downward portion comprises a living hinge,
- wherein in a packaged configuration, the airbag is contained within the housing and the housing has a contracted configuration,
- wherein in a deployed configuration, the housing comprises an extended configuration, wherein the car-forward wall has a greater height than in the contracted configuration, and
- wherein in the deployed configuration and in the constricted configuration, a car-rearward portion has a same height.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.