Patent ID: 7048298

Claim:
A knee bolster assembly for a vehicle comprising: an air bag having an inflated condition and a deflated condition; an air bag inflator in communication with said air bag for filling said air bag to said inflated condition; a knee contact plate located in front of said airbag and movable by inflation of said air bag, said knee contact plate having an actuated position with said air bag in said inflated condition and an unactuated position with said air bag in said deflated condition; a tether attaching said air bag to said knee contact plate; and a guide structure attached to said knee contact plate, said guide structure for directing said knee contact plate along a generally linear path from said unactuated position to said actuated position, wherein said guide structure has a first member and a second member, said first member extendable from said unactuated position to said actuated position along said generally linear path relative to said second member, said first member being disposed within said second member, wherein said first member is a guide pin and said second member is a guide tube, said guide pin having a first tapered surface and said guide tube having a second tapered surface, said first tapered surface mating with said second tapered surface in said actuated position.