An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle includes a tubular inflatable seat belt configured to be moved between an inflated condition and a deflated condition. The inflatable seat belt, when in the inflated condition, is configured to permit the occupant to enter and exit a vehicle seat. The inflatable seat belt, when in the deflated condition, is configured to restrain a seated occupant. An airbag is attached to a lap belt portion of the inflatable seat belt. The airbag is inflatable from a stored condition on the inflatable seat belt to a deployed condition in which the airbag has a lower airbag portion extending from the lap belt portion along the seated occupant's legs and an upper airbag portion extending from the lap belt portion upward in front of the seated occupant's torso.

An airbag assembly including an airbag body having a front side and an opposite rear side, a fold line provided on one of the front side and the rear side, the fold line configured to adjust a length of the one of the front side and the rear side such that a length of the rear side is greater than a length of the front side when the airbag body is in a deployed state, the fold line defining a lower boundary, and a sewn portion provided on an outer surface portion of the front side and an outer surface portion of the rear side. The sewn portion fixes an inner surface portion of the front side to an inner surface portion of the rear side at a location within a predetermined distance from the lower boundary.

A knee protection airbag device is provided with an airbag, an inflator, an airbag cover, and an attachment base to be connected to a vehicle body side member. The airbag cover includes a door portion that allows forming of a protrusion-permitting opening when pushed by the airbag that inflates, a door disposition wall portion that covers a lower portion of the airbag in a folded state, and connecting wall portions that extend upward from front and rear edges of the door disposition wall portion and that are connected to the attachment base. The airbag cover defines an accommodating recess capable of accommodating the airbag that is formed by bending a portion of the recessed grooves for bending that are formed by performing press working on a sheet member made of a non-woven fabric.

A knee airbag device includes: a knee airbag that is housed in a folded state at a lower end portion of an instrument panel, and that, due to gas being supplied thereto, is inflated and expanded along the instrument panel; an airbag case that houses the knee airbag; an airbag door portion that structures a lower surface of the airbag case, and that, due to a planned rupture portion rupturing due to inflation pressure of the knee airbag, is opened toward a vehicle front side; and a flap that is housed within the airbag case, one end portion of the flap being fixed to the airbag case, another end portion of the flap being a free end, and that, at a time of inflation and expansion of the knee airbag, unfolds, and covers the airbag door portion from a vehicle rear side.

A knee airbag apparatus includes an airbag that is configured to be accommodated in a holder arranged in an instrument panel of a vehicle. The airbag includes an upper inflation portion and a lower inflation portion. The upper inflation portion is configured to be deployed and inflated from the holder along a rear surface of the instrument panel in a rear upward direction to protect a knee of a lea of the occupant. The lower inflation portion is configured to be deployed and inflated from the holder in a downward direction or a diagonally rear downward direction such that a lower end of the lower inflation portion reaches a position where the lower end contacts an instep of a foot of the leg of the occupant or a position lower than the instep to protect the foot of the occupant.

An assembly for a vehicle includes a steering wheel having a hub, an airbag supported by the hub and inflatable to an inflated position, and an inflatable device supported by the hub and inflatable to an inflatable position. The inflatable device defines an inflation chamber. The inflatable device is a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE).

A knee airbag module, comprising an airbag (10) which has plural vertical chambers superimposed in the inflated state, including a middle, upper and lower chamber (18, 20, 16), is filled directly via the middle chamber (18), wherein the lower chamber (16) can be fluid-communicated with the middle chamber via plural overflow openings (28) and a valve device is configured on the overflow openings (28) so that the overflow openings (28) are open at the beginning of the deployment operation and the valve device closes the overflow openings (28) in the course of the deployment operation.

A knee protection airbag device includes: an airbag that is folded and stored; an inflator configured to supply inflation gas to the airbag; a case that stores the airbag and the inflator; and an airbag cover covering the folded airbag. The airbag cover includes a door portion that covers a protruding opening and can be opened when the airbag is deployed and inflated, and is attached to a peripheral wall portion of the case around the door portion. A recessed groove through which a harness main body can be inserted is formed at a portion of a peripheral edge of the protruding opening in the case so as to recess an end edge of the peripheral wall portion. A bead for reinforcement at a peripheral edge portion of the recessed groove is formed on the peripheral wall portion so as to surround a periphery of the recessed groove.

The invention relates to an airbag module (10) of a vehicle occupant restraint system, specifically a knee airbag module, comprising a folded inflatable airbag (12) for restraining a vehicle occupant, a module housing (14) which includes a flexible airbag sheath (16) at least partially enclosing the folded airbag (12), and comprising a module cover (18) which includes fasteners (20) for fastening the module cover (18) to the module housing (14), wherein the flexible airbag sheath (16) of the module housing (14) is fixed directly to said fasteners (20), and wherein at least one flexible anchoring element (22, 22′) is provided which extends between the folded airbag (12) and the module cover (18) and limits or prevents expansion of the folded airbag (12) toward the module cover (18).

An occupant protecting device for a vehicle has a knee airbag that is disposed at a seat front side of a vehicle seat, and that, at a time of a front collision of a vehicle, deploys, and restrains leg portions of a vehicle occupant seated in the vehicle seat. A foot airbag is disposed at the seat front side of the vehicle seat. At a time of a front collision of the vehicle, when a seat front-rear direction position of the vehicle seat is disposed further toward a rear side than a predetermined position, the foot airbag deploys between the knee airbag and the leg portions of the vehicle occupant seated in the vehicle seat, and restrains the leg portions of the vehicle occupant seated in the vehicle seat.