Patent ID: 7819420
Filing Date: 2010-10-26
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
1. A knee-protecting airbag apparatus adapted to be mounted on a lower region of a column cover that covers a steering column of vehicle projecting rearward from an instrument panel, the airbag apparatus comprising: an airbag folded up by a folding method specified below and housed in a housing on a lower area inside the column cover and emerging from the column cover and spreading in four directions from the housing for deployment in front of knees of a driver when fed with inflation gas, the airbag being a non-three-dimensional airbag comprised of a column side wall and a driver side wall having identical generally rectangular outer contours elongative in the lateral direction and adapted to inflate into a generally rectangular plate shape elongative in the lateral direction, and the airbag including a mounting region on a center in the lateral and anteroposterior directions of the column side wall, at which mounting region the airbag is attached to the housing; and an inflator stored inside the airbag for supplying inflation gas to the airbag and attaching the airbag to the housing, the inflator including a cylindrical body provided with gas discharge ports for discharging the inflation gas and arranged such that an axial direction thereof extends along the lateral direction; and a means to mount the body and the airbag on the housing at the location of the mounting region of the airbag, the inflator being disposed to either one direction in the anteroposterior direction inside the housing, one direction to which the inflator is disposed inside the housing is a one-sided direction, said folding method of the airbag comprising: an initial folding that folds an area of the flattened airbag to the one-sided direction relative to the mounting region so that the area overlaps and is proximate the mounting region, whereby reducing the anteroposterior width of the airbag; a bending that bends left and right peripheral areas of the airbag subjected to the initial folding toward an opposite direction from the one-sided direction on creases that extend toward the opposite direction from the one-sided direction in an expanding manner from left and right vicinities of the mounting region in an edge of the airbag subjected to the initial folding in the one-sided direction such that left and right parts of the edge of the airbag subjected to the initial folding in the one-sided direction which are disposed on the left and right of the mounting region are located on extensions from the left and right of the mounting region to the opposite direction from the one-sided direction without overlapping the left and right peripheral areas of the airbag subjected to the initial folding with the mounting region in the vertical direction; a lateral contraction that folds and brings left and right ends of the airbag subjected to the bending close to the lateral center of the airbag but below or above the inflator so that the airbag is contracted in the lateral direction to fit into the housing; and an anteroposterior contraction that folds and brings an edge of the airbag subjected to the lateral contraction on the opposite side from the one-sided direction close to the mounting region and locate a folded region thus formed in parallel with the inflator so that the airbag is contracted in the anteroposterior direction to fit into the housing.