A protector for preventing legs and feet of a person in a vehicle when it collided consists of a panel in the form of a curved body extending toward a seat for the person and is provided with a pad adhered to a surface facing said seat. The protector disclosed herein includes the panel comprising at least one closed channel including a space therein filled with an energy absorption member, thereby greatly increasing plastic deformation load and yield load of the panel to prevent the legs and feet from being hurt.
A knee protector for use in automotive vehicles has a knee protector body located beneath an instrument panel and extending in the lateral direction of the vehicle opposite the knees of a passenger. Support members are connected between the knee protector body and a rigid portion of the vehicle body. Each support member includes a folding portion which folds upon collision impact. Each support member also includes a cushion member bridging the folding portion of the support member. The cushion member is formed of a material which can absorb collision energy. The folding portion absorbs collision impact by stable deformation.
An energy absorbing knee bolster assembly for a vehicle includes a knee deflector for partially surrounding a steering column of the vehicle. The energy absorbing knee bolster assembly also includes left and right energy absorbing knee bolster brackets on opposite sides of the knee deflector. The knee deflector and the energy absorbing knee bolster brackets are integral, unitary, and one-piece.
An occupant protection apparatus has a panel which constitutes part of a passenger compartment side surface of an instrument panel and which is separatable from the instrument panel to move when at least a knee load of an occupant is inputted. There are a plurality of support members which face transverse end portions of the panel, respectively, and which have a rigidity higher than that of the instrument panel.
In an exemplary embodiment, an instrument panel assembly (10) includes an elongate beam structure (14) and a plurality of thermoplastic energy absorbers (16) coupled to the beam structure. The instrument panel assembly also includes at least one knee bolster (116) positioned adjacent the plurality of thermoplastic energy absorbers and an instrument panel (90).
