Patent ID: 8215666
Filing Date: 2012-07-10
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
1. A knee air bag device for a vehicle comprising: an air bag module structured to include a knee air bag that, at non-collision times, is in a folded-up state, and, at the time of a collision, is expanded and unfolded toward knees of a vehicle occupant; and a glove compartment door that opens and closes a glove compartment main body provided at a predetermined position of an instrument panel, and that houses the air bag module at an interior of the glove compartment door, wherein a glove compartment door outer that is disposed at a vehicle cabin inner side of the glove compartment door is structured to include a lower door structured by a pair of lower-side side doors that are disposed at both outer sides in a glove compartment door transverse direction and unfold leftward and rightward, and a lower central door disposed between the pair of lower-side side doors and formed from one door, and an upper door structured by three doors that are a pair of upper-side side doors that are disposed above the lower door at both outer sides in the glove compartment door transverse direction and unfold in left and right directions, and an upper central door disposed between the pair of upper-side side doors and formed from one door, or an upper door that is structured by one upper portion door, and, due to a predetermined bag expanding pressure being applied, the glove compartment door outer fractures from a fracture portion and unfolds upward, downward, leftward and rightward, and when, in a state in which a vehicle occupant of a small build is seated, knees of the vehicle occupant are near to or are abutting the pair of lower-side side doors, an opening surface area of the lower central door in an initial stage of unfolding of air bag doors is set to be smaller than an opening surface area of the upper door in the initial stage of unfolding of the air bag doors.