Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd.

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Toyoda Gosei Kabushiki Kaisha

Masahiro Takimoto

Toru Koyama

Yoshio Mizuno

Atsushi Nagata

Kazumasa Suzuki

Yuji Kuriyama

Yoshio Yamazaki

Hisashi Mizuno

Satoshi Ohta

Naoki Hotta

Yasumasa Tatewaki

Junji Takeuchi

Satoshi Ota

Yuji Sato

Hiroyuki Kobayashi

Chiharu Totani

Tadashi Yamamoto

Hiroyuki Tajima

Kenji Mori

Masakazu Hashimoto

Toshinori Takahashi

Hikaru Ando

Michihisa Asaoka

Masato Kobayashi

Hisaaki Kato

Tatsuya Hayakawa

Kouji Shiraki

Tatsuo Hirano

Takeshi Hosokawa

Mitsuhiro Isomichi

Shinji Jinushi

Ryoji Kagohashi

Mamoru Tomida

Ikutaro Iizuka

Mayumi Maeda

Satoshi Funabashi

Junichi Hirano

In a knee protecting airbag device (M), an airbag () folded and housed below a steering column () is expanded and inflated while rising from the lower side of the steering column () along a column cover lower surface () during an inflation process. The shape of the airbag having completed the inflation is in a generally plate shape capable of covering at least the lower surface of the column cover. Even if the knee of the driver comes close to the column cover when the driver depressing a brake pedal, therefore, the airbag being expanded and inflated goes smoothly into the clearance between the knee of the driver and the column cover lower surface. The airbag having completed the expansion and inflation protects the knee of the driver properly so that the knee may not interfere with the column cover.

Knee protecting airbag device

In a knee protecting airbag device of the present invention, an airbag is folded and housed on the front side of the knees of a seated passenger. The airbag is protruded rearward of a vehicle from a protruding opening and expanded and inflated upward, when an inflating gas flows in. And, the airbag is arranged on the front side of the knees of the passenger between a member on the body side and the knees of the passenger thereby to protect the knees of the passenger. The protruding opening has a transverse width size set within a range of &#x215b; to &#x2154; of the transverse width size of the airbag having completed its expansion and inflation.

The knee protection airbag device (S) includes an airbag () which protrudes rearward from a deployment opening of a housing upon inflow of inflation gas, and deploys upward to be located in front of knees of an occupant between a vehicular body and the occupant. The airbag () includes an occupant's side wall () and a vehicular body side wall (). Lower end () side of the airbag () as flatly expanded with the walls (and) overlaid on each other constitutes an upstream side of inflation gas. The airbag () is firstly folded to bring its upper end () close to its lower end (), from flat expanded state in which the occupant's side wall () and the vehicular body side wall () are overlaid on each other. Thereafter, the airbag () is folded to reduce its transverse width, and then is housed in the housing. The airbag () of the knee protection airbag device (S) is able to deploy effectively from the start to completion of deployment for protecting the knees of the occupant.

Knee protection airbag device

The knee protecting airbag device is assembled such that a retainer and an attachment bracket clamp the peripheral portion of a gas inlet opening of an airbag, bag holding wall parts of a case, and a gas providing inflator. This inflator is provided with a diffuser for covering the gas discharge port of a body. The retainer and the attachment bracket are connected by inserting bolts and connecting members through the airbag and the case, by retaining retaining portions on the retaining portions of the connecting members, and by inserting the bolts into through holes and fastening them with nuts. At this connecting time, guide portions of the retainer and the diffuser are fitted on each other to form a guide passage for guiding the gas into the airbag.

Air bag device for knee protection

An airbag device comprising: an airbag adapted to be expanded and inflated by admitting an inflating gas; and an inflator housed in the airbag for feeding the inflating gas to the inside of the airbag. The airbag includes an airbag body forming a bag-shaped outer peripheral wall, and a reinforcing cloth for preventing a gas leakage from the airbag body. The reinforcing cloth is joined at its peripheral edge on the upstream side of the inflating gas to the outer peripheral wall in the airbag body but is not joined at the edge portion of the reinforcing cloth on the downstream side of the inflating gas.

Airbag device

A knee protecting airbag device in which a folded airbag and an inflator are housed and held in a case. In the inflator, a connection portion to be connected with a connector having leadwires connected is exposed to the outside of the case through insert holes formed in the airbag and in the case. The through hole of the case has an internal diameter size smaller than the external diameter size of the general portion of the inflator near the connection portion of the inflator.

A knee protecting airbag device (M), wherein an airbag () covers the substantial lower surface () of a column cover () protruded to a driver side. Therefore, the airbag is minimized in the capacity without deteriorating the protection of the knee of the driver. As a result, it is possible to shorten the time period required for the airbag to complete the expansion and inflation. The airbag has a generally plate shape capable of covering at least the lower surface of the column cover when it completes the inflation. Even if the knee of the driver comes close to the column cover when the driver depresses a brake pedal or the like, the airbag being expanded and inflated is smoothly arranged in a narrow space between the knee of the driver and the column cover lower surface without interfering with the knee of the driver. With the knee protecting airbag device according to the present invention, therefore, the airbag is rapidly expanded and inflated in the narrow space between the column cover and the knee of the driver thereby to protect the knee of the driver properly.

A knee protecting airbag device comprises an airbag, an inflator, a case and an airbag cover to be assembled with the case. The case houses the airbag and the inflator, and is fixed to the side of the vehicular body with its rear side open. The airbag cover includes a door and a general portion around the door. The door closes the opening of the case and opens when the airbag expands and inflates. The general portion is surrounded by interior members of the vehicle when mounted on the vehicle. The knee protecting airbag device is mounted on the vehicle in an assembled state in which the airbag, the inflator and the airbag cover are joined to the case. The airbag cover is joined to the case in a movable manner so as to absorb the dimensional inconsistency between itself and the surrounding interior members.

A knee protecting airbag device includes a folded airbag housed below a member attached to the vehicle body and in front of the knees of a seated passenger. The airbag extends and expands when fed with an inflating gas toward the rear of the vehicle to protect the knees of the passenger. The airbag includes a lower expansion portion, which is upstream in the flow of the gas, and an upper expansion portion, which is downstream. The lower expansion portion protrudes toward the rear of the vehicle to protect the knees. The upper expansion portion protrudes upward from the lower expansion portion. The airbag properly protects the knees of the passenger by extending and expanding efficiently, taking into account the time elapsed, until completion of the extension and expansion.

Growing community of inventors

Aichi-ken, Japan

Masahiro Takimoto