Patent ID: 8696019
Filing Date: 2014-04-15
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
1. A knee airbag module for restraining an occupant seated in the interior compartment of a vehicle, the airbag module configured to be mounted at a bottom portion of a dashboard of the vehicle, comprising: a housing configured to couple to the vehicle; a cover connected to the housing, wherein the cover is configured to face downward when the airbag module is installed and coupled to the vehicle; an inflatable airbag cushion stored in the housing and configured to inflate and deploy out of the housing to a location forward of the legs of the seated occupant; and an inflator provided in the housing and configured to provide inflation gas to inflate the airbag cushion; wherein the housing includes a base, a forward side wall and a rearward side wall and wherein the base and side walls together with the cover form a compartment for housing the airbag prior to deployment; wherein a portion of the rearward side wall adjacent to the cover is inclined away from a vertical plane a greater amount than a portion of the forward side wall adjacent to the cover; wherein the airbag cushion includes an end portion rolled into a rolled portion and configured to deploy to a position farthest from the airbag module and wherein the end portion is positioned adjacent to the rearward side wall; and wherein during deployment of the airbag cushion the inclined portion of the housing guides the rolled portion of the deploying cushion in a downward direction when breaching the housing; wherein in a closed position, the cover is substantially horizontal, and in an open position, the cover is rearwardly declined to guide the airbag cushion in a rearward direction during deployment.