Airbag assemblies are disclosed that include inflatable knee airbags. The knee airbags can include panel(s) forming a main chamber that provides a primary cushioning protection zone to a lower leg of a vehicle occupant. The knee airbags can further include an external chamber panel coupled to a rearward surface of an occupant-facing panel, external to the main inflatable chamber, to form an external chamber facing the occupant. Vent(s) through the occupant-facing panel can communicate inflation gas from the main chamber to the external chamber to fill a space between the vehicle and the lower leg of the occupant, and to control timing of inflation of the external chamber to cause it to inflate on lateral sides of the lower leg of the occupant to thereby limit lateral movement of the lower leg relative to the vehicle.

A vehicle seat includes a seat back, and an airbag that deploys in the seat back. After having deployed, the airbag has such a shape that a deployment amount, in a front-back direction, of the airbag near an upper part of the seat back differs from that near a lower part of the seat back. The airbag deploys in the seat back in such a way that, after having deployed, the airbag elastically supports an upper body of an occupant and elastically receives an impact force applied to a back surface of the seat back.

A method for folding a knee airbag apparatus may include: folding an upper portion of an airbag cushion part a plurality of times; stacking a main folding part and a pair of side folding parts by folding both side portions of the airbag cushion part folded the plurality of times toward the center; and stacking a cover folding part over the pair of side folding parts by folding a lower portion of the airbag cushion part.

A vehicle seat includes a seat back frame, an elastic installation supporting member installed in the seat back frame, and an airbag within a seat back, the vehicle seat causing the airbag to inflate and develop within the seat back. An inflator is attached to the seat back frame. The seat back frame has a substantially frame shape along a seat back shape. The airbag is provided in the seat back frame in the substantially frame shape. The inflator is attached to at least one of an upper portion and a lower portion of the seat back frame in the substantially frame shape. An inflation and a development of the airbag in the seat back due to an operation of the inflator allows the airbag to elastically support an upper body of a seated person and to elastically receive an impact force.

A knee-airbag-device attachment structure comprises knee-airbag devices and vehicle-body side brackets which connect the knee-airbag devices and hinge pillars of a vehicle body, respectively. This knee-airbag-device attachment structure further comprises an instrument-panel-member supporting-post side bracket which connects the knee-airbag device to an instrument-panel-member supporting post which is provided to extend between an instrument panel member and a tunnel portion of a floor panel.

A lower limb restraint airbag device, including: an airbag that is configured to be inflated and deployed toward a knee and a shin of a passenger seated in a vehicle seat by gas ejected from an inflator, and to make contact with at least the knee; a reaction force plate that is configured to be pulled out to a seat front side of the airbag in conjunction with inflation and deployment of the airbag; and a lock mechanism that is configured to block movement toward a seat front side of the pulled out reaction force plate.

An active bolster for a vehicle is provided, wherein the bolster comprises an expansible hollow interior that is inflatable and is self-supporting in both an inflated and in an uninflated position. The bolster has an inflator module for inflating the expansible hollow interior. The bolster has an inner wall for projecting inwardly into the vehicle and away from the side of the vehicle on inflation of the expansible hollow interior. The bolster may have a relatively non-expansible component located between a first expansible chamber and a second expansible chamber. The bolster may comprise an outer wall having an attachment portion for attaching the outer wall to a portion of the side of the vehicle.

Provided is an occupant protection device which is disposed side by side with an under-cover of an instrument panel and has a harness connected to an inflator disposed on a front side of the under-cover in a vehicle traveling direction to protect a knee portion of an occupant, including a case having a side wall on which the harness is disposed, and a protrusion configured to extend from the side wall of the case toward a front of the under-cover in forward and backward direction of a vehicle, to come in contact with the under-cover, and to restrict movement of the under-cover to the front side in the forward and backward direction of the vehicle.

A vehicle seat includes a seat back frame, an elastic installation supporting member installed in the seat back frame, and an airbag within a seat back, the vehicle seat causing the airbag to inflate and develop within the seat back. An inflator is attached to the seat back frame. An inflation and a development of the airbag in the seat back due to an operation of the inflator allows the airbag to elastically support an upper body of a seated person and to elastically receive an impact force which is applied to a rear of the seat back.

A knee air bag apparatus having a housing disposed in or adjoining a lower region of an instrument panel extending from front to rear having an outlet opening. An inflator and a knee air bag are mounted in the housing in the initial state, and in an expanded state deploys in front of the instrument panel. The air bag outer skin has a protective section and a fill and support section. The protective section when expanded state is positioned, in front of the instrument panel. To improve deployment behavior, the fill and support section features a vehicle-front section such that with the knee air bag fully expanded, the front section extends beyond the vehicle front end of the housing in the direction of the vehicle front.