Land vehicles – Wheeled – Attachment
Patent
1998-08-07
2000-03-07
Rice, Kenneth R.
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Attachment
280753, B60R 2122, B60R 2104
Patent
active
060329785
ABSTRACT:
An inflatable knee bolster for a vehicle occupant is mounted to the bottom of the vehicle's instrument panel. Having an outer wall that is projected outwardly from a stored position to an extended position adjacent the occupant's knees by inflation of an expansible chamber by an inflator, characterized by. The bolster is an expansible chamber comprising a unitary hollow blow molded polypropylene body that has an outer wall and an inner wall which are interconnected at their bottoms by a bottom wall and at their tops and sides by U-shaped normally folded accordion pleats. These pleats extend from the bottom side corners of the body up the sides and across the top of the body. A pair of spaced attachment tabs extend from the bottom wall for attachment to vehicle structure, and a pair of spaced frangible tabs extending from the top of the outer wall for attachment to vehicle structure to maintain the outer wall in stored position. An inflator is mounted on the hollow body in fluid communication with the interior of the body and, when activated, pressurizes the expansible body to unfold the accordion pleats to expand the body. This breaks the frangible tab and projects the front wall outwardly to extended position adjacent the occupant's knees. A pair of vent holes formed in the inner wall enable controlled depressurization of the bolster.
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Conlee James Kent
Fisher Martin B.
Mahmood Nicole M.
Marshall George E.
Spencer Graham Thornton
ABC Group Interior Systems
General Motors Corp.
Marra Kathryn A.
Rice Kenneth R.
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