Patent ID: 7578519

Claim:
A knee protection air bag apparatus disposed in front of an occupant seated in a vehicle, comprising: a case fixed to a body of the vehicle for storing therein a folded air bag and an inflator for supplying expanding gas to the air bag, the case including an opening formed in a rear of the case and disposed below an instrument and in the vehicle; an air bag cover including a lid portion covering the opening of the case and openable when the air bag develops and expands, a general portion disposed in a periphery of the lid portion and adjoining interior parts of the vehicle when the knee protection air bag apparatus is mounted in the vehicle, and an assembling mechanism for assembling the air bag cover to the case such that the air bag cover is movable in a vehicle back-and-forth direction; and a stopper portion formed at least one of the air bag cover and the case, wherein the stopper regulates a movement of the air bag cover in a vehicle backward direction in a state where the air bag cover is assembled to the case by the assembling mechanism, wherein the air bag cover includes an assembly piece projected in a vehicle forward direction from the general portion and an engaging hole formed in the assembly piece which constitute the assembling mechanism; the case includes a peripheral wall portion capable of storing the folded air bag and the inflator so as to cover outer peripheries of the air bag and the inflator, and a vertical wall portion erected substantially in a vehicle vertical direction so as to extend outwardly from an opening end of the opening of the case; a fit hole into which the assembly piece can be fitted is formed in the vertical wall portion; a securing portion which can be secured to the engaging hole so as to be movable in the vehicle back-and-forth direction is formed in the peripheral wall portion; a projecting streak which can be inserted into the fit hole and functions as the stopper portion is formed on the assembly piece on a vehicle-backward side of the engaging hole; and, the stopper portion includes a vertical portion having a rear portion thereof contacted with a vehicle-forward side surface of the vertical wall portion in a peripheral edge of the fit hole to thereby regulate the vehicle-backward movement of, the air bag cover with respect to the case when the air bag cover moves in the vehicle backward direction with respect to the case.