Patent ID: 7275764

Claim:
A vehicle occupant knee protection device having a knee protecting member extending from a front portion of a vehicle body toward a knee of an occupant seated in a vehicle, the knee protecting member comprising: an outer frame having a hollow cross-sectional shape as viewed in side elevation, the outer frame including: a front plate provided on a front part side of the vehicle body such that a surface thereof is oriented in a forward direction of the vehicle; a load-bearing plate with a surface oriented toward the knee; a lateral upper plate connecting upper ends of the front plate and the load-bearing plate; and a lateral lower plate connecting lower ends of the front plate and the load-bearing plate; and an inner frame having a hollow quadrangular cross-sectional shape as viewed in side elevation, the inner frame being integrally formed within the outer frame by integrally connecting ends of ribs directly to a middle point of the front plate, a middle point of the upper plate, a middle point of the load-bearing plate and a middle point of the lower plate, respectively.