Mazda Motor Corporation

Hideaki Tanaka

Keisuke Miyoshi

Masafumi Sakakida

Kazutaka Ishikura

Kouki Makino

Shuji Sanagi

Sadamu Nishiguchi

Kazunori Tomono

Shouji Nobumoto

In a supporting structure for a brake pedal assembly pivotally mounted for rocking motion on the rear surface of a dash panel of an automobile through a first bracket, a front portion of the first bracket is fixed to the dash panel and the rear end thereof is coupled to a second bracket, fastened to a cowl member in a cabin, so as to be disengageable by the application of a load of automobile collision above a predetermined level. The brake pedal assembly is pivotally mounted for rocking motion to the first bracket. At the lower end of the second bracket, a pedal lever stop is provided which abuts against the rear end of the brake pedal assembly when the first and second brackets are disengaged in an automobile collision so that the brake pedal assembly moves backward. The brake pedal assembly is restrained by abutment on the pedal lever stop against backward movement. This ensures to prevent the brake pedal assembly from moving backward in an automobile collision while providing a simple and highly reliable structure.

Pedal assembly supporting structure for automobile

The present invention provides a side air bag apparatus including an air bag unit. The air bag unit contains a side air bag and an inflator in its upper and lower portions, respectively. The air bag unit is attached to an inner panel of a side door through upper attaching portions and lower attaching portions. The air bag unit is configured to move in parallel toward a vehicle occupant compartment during a side impact collision by way of a difference in distance between a side impact input position corresponding to a impact bar and each attaching portion. This enables the side air bag unit to avoid damage during the collision. Further, the side air bag can reliably be expanded between an occupant and the side door. A structure for attaching the air bag unit to the side door can also be simplified.

Side air bag apparatus for vehicle

Growing community of inventors

Hiroshima, Japan

Hideaki Tanaka