An extendable and retractable knee bolster

Wang, J. T.; Browne, Alan L.

Affiliations

Abstract

Knee bolsters are integral parts of the occupant protection system for frontal impact in modern passenger vehicles. The knee bolster is the lower portion of the instrument panel of a passenger vehicle. It is generally made of padded structures, which structures are capable of absorbing the impact energy imposed by the knees during a frontal impact. In this paper we present an active knee bolster called the extendable and retractable (E/R) knee bolster. The E/R knee bolster is intended to automatically extend in situations in which there is a high risk of frontal impact to help prepare the vehicle for crash and retract when the risk subsides. Its key enabling technologies, implementation options and intended benefits are discussed in detail. A prototype vehicle is presented to demonstrate the unique styling, designs and utilities enabled by the E/R knee bolster.

Cited Works (2)

Year	Entry
2003	Wang JT, Zhou Q. A seat belt buckle pretensioner and load-limiter combo device. In: Proceedings of the 18th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). May 19-22, 2003; Nagoya, Japan.
2001	Baumann K-H, Schöneburg R, Justen R. The vision of a comprehensive safety concept. In: Proceedings of the 17th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 4-7, 2001; Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Cited By (2)

Year	Entry
2005	Wang JT. An extendable and retractable bumper. In: Proceedings of the 19th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 6-9, 2005; Washington, DC.
2005	Aparicio F. EEVC WG19 activities on primary and secondary safety interaction. In: Proceedings of the 19th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 6-9, 2005; Washington, DC.