A seat for a vehicle includes an occupant protection system. The occupant protection system includes an airbag or other barrier that at least partially occludes an opening to a volume under a vehicle seat. The occupant protection system may reduce or prevent lower leg injury and/or retain cargo in the volume during a collision event.

A foot protection device for a driver (34) of a vehicle including pedals comprises an inflatable first airbag (40) located beneath at least one pedal (10, 12) which, in the inflated state, extends between a bulkhead (24) delimiting the footwell and the associated pedal (10, 12). The first airbag (40) in the inflated state and in a lateral view extends from the bulkhead (24) to the front side of the pedal (10, 12) and laterally encloses the pedal (10, 12) to prevent the foot from bending.

An apparatus for helping to protect occupants of a vehicle in the event of a collision includes a deployable restraint having a stored, predeployment condition in a vehicle floor. The restraint is deployable from the floor to restrain the feet and/or lower legs of an occupant from swinging forward and upward in response to a vehicle collision. In one configuration, the deployable restraint can include a module comprising an airbag and an inflator for inflating and deploying the airbag. The module can include a door that opens in response to deployment of the airbag and that serves as a reaction surface for the airbag. In another configuration, the deployable restraint can include a restraining panel configured to move to a deployed position extending above the vehicle floor adjacent the occupants lower leg and feet.

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 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.

The invention describes a vehicle occupant restraint system (2) comprising a control unit and at least two restraint elements (8, 10) for the protection of lower extremities (6, 6′, 7, 7′) in the area of a footwell (4) of a vehicle of a vehicle occupant seated in a particular vehicle seat of the vehicle, wherein a first restraint element (8) is configured as a knee airbag module (12), wherein a second restraint element (10) is provided for mounting into the footwell (4) of the vehicle, especially in an area of the footwell (4) of the vehicle arranged in the vehicle longitudinal direction (x) ahead of the knee airbag module (12), wherein, in a situation of restraint, the control unit can differentiate between different situations, wherein the control unit, in the situation of restraint, activates at least the first restraint element (8) and, depending on the given situation, additionally activates the second restraint element (10) and/or a partial element of the first restraint element (8) and/or a partial element of the second restraint element (10).

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.

A passenger protection device for a front passenger seat includes: an upper airbag that is installed in a front header of a vehicle, and is configured to inflate and deploy at a time of a frontal collision of the vehicle so as to be supported by a windshield from a front side of the vehicle; and a lower airbag that is provided separately from the upper airbag and installed at a front end of a vehicle cabin below the windshield in a vehicle height direction, the lower airbag being configured to inflate and deploy at the time of the frontal collision so as to be supported by a dashboard including an instrument panel from the front side of the vehicle.

A passenger protection device for a front passenger seat includes: an upper airbag that is installed in a front header of a vehicle, and is configured to inflate and deploy at a time of a frontal collision of the vehicle so as to be supported by a windshield from a front side of the vehicle; and a lower airbag that is provided separately from the upper airbag and installed at a front end of a vehicle cabin below the windshield in a vehicle height direction, the lower airbag being configured to inflate and deploy at the time of the frontal collision so as to be supported by a dashboard including an instrument panel from the front side of the vehicle.

The present disclosure relates to a leg protection device for an occupant protection system of a vehicle. The leg protection device includes an airbag module. The airbag module includes an airbag and a gas generator that inflates the airbag to a deployed state such that the airbag is disposed in the footwell and in front of a vehicle seat. The airbag includes a first chamber and a second chamber fluidically connected to the first chamber. The first chamber and the second chamber are deployed in the footwell to protect an occupant when the airbag is set in the deployed state. The first chamber is connected to the second chamber by a flexible connection region that diverts the airbag along the object in any spatial direction when the airbag encounters the object during deployment in the footwell.