Occupant protection device

Abstract

To provide an occupant protection device capable of protecting an occupant seated on a front passenger seat by an air bag without degrading the degree of freedom of design in an upper part of an instrument panel.SOLUTION: An occupant protection device M includes: a glove box 20 attached to an instrument panel 3 in a front side of a front passenger seat; and an air bag device S installed inside the glove box 20. The glove box 20 includes a box body part 31, and a lid part 21 movable rearward. The lid part 21 moves rearward by a pressing force from the air bag 60 at the time of bag deployment, and a swelling opening part 49 that makes the air bag 60 swell upward can be formed between a rear wall part 3a of the instrument panel 3 and the lid part 21. The deployed air bag 60 is supported by the lid part 21 that has moved rearward, the instrument panel 3 located forward from the lid part 21, and a windshield 5 located above the instrument panel 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an occupant protection device for protecting an occupant seated in a passenger seat of a vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, in the passenger seat protection device described in Patent Document 1 below, an airbag device is installed in the instrument panel in front of the passenger seat, and an airbag door formed in the upper wall of the instrument panel is deployed, thereby protecting the upper body of the passenger by the airbag that inflates upward from an opening formed in the upper wall.

[0003] However, the configuration of the passenger protection device described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that the installation of the airbag device limits the degree of freedom in designing the upper part of the instrument panel. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-69730 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The present invention solves these problems and aims to provide an occupant protection device that can protect a passenger in the front passenger seat with an airbag without compromising the design freedom in the upper part of the instrument panel. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The occupant protection device according to the present invention includes: a glove box attached to an instrument panel in front of a passenger seat and having a box body and a lid; an airbag device that is installed in the glove compartment and supplies inflation gas to an airbag to deploy the airbag rearward; Equipped with The glove compartment includes an inner member and an outer member movable rearward relative to the inner member, and the outer member moves rearward due to a pressing force from the airbag when the bag is deployed, so that an expansion opening for expanding the airbag upward can be formed between a rear wall portion of the instrument panel and the outer member, The deployed airbag is supported by the outer member which has moved rearward, the instrument panel which is positioned forward of the outer member, and the windshield which is positioned above the instrument panel.

[0007] According to the passenger protection device of the present invention, the airbag housed in the glove compartment is inflated from an opening formed between the rear wall of the instrument panel and the outer member of the glove compartment, so there is no need to provide an opening in the upper wall of the instrument panel for the airbag to inflate, which prevents the installation of the airbag device from restricting the design freedom of the upper part of the instrument panel. In addition, the airbag that inflates and deploys from inside the glove compartment is supported at three points: the outer member that has moved rearward, the instrument panel that is positioned forward of the outer member, and the windshield that is positioned above the instrument panel, allowing it to assume the desired deployed shape.

[0008] In the passenger protection device of the present invention, the outer member may be configured to include the lid portion, and an upper end of the lid portion may be used as an engaging support portion that supports the deployed airbag. In this way, the cover of the glove box can be used as a part for supporting the airbag.

[0009] In the passenger protection device of the present invention, the airbag may be provided with an engaging recess that opens downward and engages with the engaging support portion. In this way, the deployed airbag can be supported at a desired position by the engagement between the engaging support portion and the engaging recess.

[0010] In the passenger protection device of the present invention, the airbag may be provided with a front inflatable portion that covers the upper surface of the instrument panel when the airbag is fully deployed. In this way, the airbag can be supported not only by the rear wall portion of the instrument panel but also by the upper surface of the instrument panel.

[0011] In the passenger protection device of the present invention, the upper surface of the instrument panel that can come into contact with the airbag can be formed as a surface that slopes upward toward the front. This increases the reaction force when the airbag catches the upper body of the occupant.

[0012] In the passenger protection device of the present invention, the lid portion may be provided with an inclined wall portion that inclines rearward as it extends upward, at a position facing the airbag installed in the glove compartment. In this way, the airbag that has begun to deploy inside the glove compartment can be guided upward along the inner surface of the inclined wall (the surface facing the airbag). In addition, the lid with the inclined wall can effectively restrain the occupant's knees when it moves toward the rear of the vehicle due to the pressure from the airbag. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which an occupant protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a vehicle. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a front view of the glove box with the window portion closed. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the glove box of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] An explanatory diagram of the movement mechanism in the glove box, where A shows the state in which the lid is close to the door, and B shows the state in which the lid is detached. [Figure 5] 5 is an explanatory diagram of a movement mechanism in the glove box as seen from the direction of arrows VV in FIG. 4. [Figure 6] 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing a state in which an airbag used in the occupant protection device of the embodiment is inflated by itself; FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a base fabric constituting the airbag of FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 3 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the passenger protection device of the embodiment in a state where the airbag has completed inflation. FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram of a modified example having a different opening and closing mechanism for the glove box. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic longitudinal sectional view showing an occupant protection device according to an embodiment of the present invention mounted on a vehicle. In this embodiment, the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions correspond to the front-rear, up-down, and left-right directions of the vehicle 1 unless otherwise specified. In the drawing, an instrument panel 3 is disposed in front of a passenger seat 2 in the interior of the vehicle 1, and above the instrument panel 3 is disposed a windshield 5 that slopes upward as it approaches the rear of the vehicle.

[0015] A glove box 20 is attached to the instrument panel 3 in front of the passenger seat 2. The occupant protection device M of this embodiment is configured to include this glove box 20 and an airbag device S installed in the glove box 20.

[0016] The glove compartment 20 includes a lid 21 and a box body 31. As shown in FIG. 2, the instrument panel 3 in front of the passenger seat is provided with a pair of side walls 3b that extend forward and are spaced apart in the left-right direction of the vehicle. A window 4 is formed between the pair of side walls 3b and in the rear wall 3a of the instrument panel 3. The lid 21 of the glove compartment 20 opens and closes the window 4. As shown in FIG. 3 and other figures, the lid 21 has a horizontally extending bottom 22 followed by an inclined wall 23 that slopes rearward as it extends upward. The inclined wall 23 is further followed by an upper end 24 that extends vertically upward. The upper end 24 serves as an engaging support that supports the deployed bag body 61 from below (see FIG. 8).

[0017] The box body 31 is integrally formed with a small item storage section 25 and an airbag storage section 33. The small item storage section 25 is located in front of the lid 21 and stores small items, and the open top section forms an entrance 26 for storing stored items.

[0018] The open portion on the rear end side of the small item storage section 25 is closed by a partition wall 30, and an airbag storage section 33 is provided on the vehicle rear side of the box main body 31, which is separated from the small item storage section 25 by the partition wall 30. The rear end side of the airbag storage section 33 is open, and the airbag device S is installed in the airbag storage section 33 so that its rear side portion faces the lid portion 21.

[0019] An axis 27 is provided on the lower side of the glove box 20, which is supported by the side wall portion 3b of the instrument panel 3 and extends in the left-right direction of the vehicle, and the glove box 20, including the lid portion 21 and the box main body portion 31, is configured to be rotatable around the axis 27, as shown by the dotted line in Figure 3.

[0020] 2, a connecting mechanism 36 is provided between the box body 31 and the instrument panel 3 to releasably connect the box body 31 to the instrument panel 3. The connecting mechanism 36 includes a pair of engagement holes 37, an operating handle 38, a pair of lock pins 39, and a transmission mechanism 40. Each engagement hole 37 penetrates both side walls 3b of the instrument panel 3 in the left-right direction. The operating handle 38 is located in a recess at the rear upper part of the lid 21, the rear end of which is open, and the operating handle 38 is supported so as to be rotatable in the up-down direction relative to the box main body 31. A pair of lock pins 39 are supported by the box main body 31 so as to be movably in the left-right direction.

[0021] Although a detailed description of the specific configuration of the transmission mechanism 40 is omitted, the transmission mechanism 40 has the function of converting the vertical rotation of the operating handle 38 into linear motion in opposite directions in the left-right direction and transmitting this to both lock pins 39. When the operating handle 38 is not rotated, the transmission mechanism 40 causes each lock pin 39 to protrude outward from the box main body 31 and engage with the corresponding engagement hole 37. This engagement connects the box main body 31 to the instrument panel 3, and restricts rotation of the box main body 31 about the shaft 27.

[0022] When the operating handle 38 is rotated upward, the transmission mechanism 40 moves each lock pin 39 inward and retracts it from the engagement hole 37, thereby releasing the connection of the box main body 31 with the instrument panel 3. This makes it possible to rotate the box main body 31 around the shaft 27 between the closed position and the open position.

[0023] A movement mechanism 42 is provided between the box body 31 and the lid 21 to enable the lid 21 to slide toward and away from the box body 31. The movement mechanism 42 includes a guide groove 44 and a pin 47 that engage with each other. 4 and 5, guide plates 43 extending in the front-rear direction are connected to both left and right ends of the cover portion 21. A plurality of guide grooves 44 (two in this example spaced apart in the vertical direction) are formed on the inner surface 43a of each guide plate 43 so as to extend horizontally. On the other hand, a pair of left and right side wall portions 46 of the box body 31 are provided with a plurality of pins 47 that protrude outward in the left-right direction and engage with the guide grooves 44 .

[0024] In a proximity state where the lid portion 21 is close to the box body portion 31 (see A in FIG. 4), the guide groove 44 engages with the pin 47 at its rear end portion 44a, thereby defining the position of the lid portion 21 in the proximity state. Although not shown, this embodiment is provided with a holding mechanism that holds the lid portion 21 in the proximity state. On the other hand, in a detached state where the lid portion 21 is detached a predetermined distance from the box main body portion 31 (see B in Figure 4), the guide groove 44 engages with the pin 47 at its front end portion 44b, thereby determining the position of the lid portion 21 in the detached state.

[0025] The movement of the lid part 21 from the adjacent state to the detached state is achieved by the lid part 21 receiving the pressure when the airbag 60 deploys and inflates. Note that in this embodiment, it is also possible to configure the device so as to separately provide a locking mechanism for holding the lid part 21 in a predetermined detached state position.

[0026] In the occupant protection device M of this embodiment configured as described above, the box body 31 constitutes the inner member of the present invention, and the lid portion 21 constitutes the outer member that is movable rearward relative to the inner member (box body 31).

[0027] Next, we will explain the airbag device S installed in the airbag storage section 33. As shown in Fig. 3, the airbag device S is configured to include an airbag 60 that is folded and has its periphery covered with a wrapping member, an inflator 50 that supplies inflation gas to the airbag 60, and a case 51 that serves as a storage portion for storing and holding the airbag 60 and the inflator 50.

[0028] The inflator 50 is configured to include a substantially cylindrical main body 50a having a plurality of gas discharge ports 50b, and a flange 50c for attaching the inflator 50 to the case 51.

[0029] The case 51 is made of sheet metal and has a three-dimensional shape with an opening at the top end, and the periphery of the inlet opening 82 (see FIG. 6) of the airbag 60 and the flange portion 50c of the inflator 50 are attached to the bottom wall of the case 51. A bracket (not shown) that is connected to the box body 31 of the glove compartment 20 is disposed on the bottom wall of the case 51.

[0030] As shown in Figures 6 to 8, the airbag 60 comprises a bag body 61, a conduit portion 62 that allows inflation gas to flow into the bag body 61, and tethers 64, 67 that are disposed within the bag body 61 and regulate the shape of the bag body 61 when fully inflated.

[0031] As shown in Figure 6, the bag body 61 has an outer shape when fully inflated that is approximately triangular prism-shaped with its axial direction aligned approximately in the left-right direction, and is equipped with an occupant side wall portion 70 that is positioned on the occupant MP side when fully inflated and receives the occupant MP, a front upper wall portion 71 that is positioned forward and away from the occupant MP when fully inflated and abuts the windshield 5, a lower wall portion 73 that is positioned below the front upper wall portion 71 when fully inflated, and a left wall portion 74 and a right wall portion 75 that are positioned opposite each other in the left-right direction when fully inflated.

[0032] A conduit 62 is formed in the approximate center of the front and rear of the lower wall 73, extending diagonally downward and left in the figure. When inflation is complete, most of the conduit 62 is disposed inside the glove box 20 (see FIG. 8). An inlet opening 82 is formed at the tip of the conduit 62, the periphery of which is attached to the bottom wall of the case 51. A plurality of (four in this embodiment) mounting holes 84 (see FIG. 7) are formed around the periphery of the inlet opening 82, through which mounting bolts (not shown) are inserted to attach the periphery of the inlet opening 82 to the bottom wall of the case 51.

[0033] The bag body 61 has a forward inflatable portion 76 extending from the front side 73a of the connection between the lower wall portion 73 and the conduit portion 62 toward the front side of the lower wall portion 73, which covers the upper surface 3c of the instrument panel 3 when fully deployed.

[0034] Furthermore, an engagement recess 78 that opens downward is formed in a region extending from rear side 73b of the connection between lower wall portion 73 and conduit portion 62 to the rear side of lower wall portion 73. Engagement recess 78 is formed in a position that corresponds to upper end portion (engagement support portion) 24 of lid portion 21 in the detached state after sliding rearward.

[0035] The left wall portion 74 and the right wall portion 75 of the bag body 61 are formed with vent holes 80 that are approximately circular openings for venting excess inflation gas that has flowed into the bag body 61 through the conduit portion 62.

[0036] As tethers that regulate the shape of the bag body 61 after inflation, front and rear tethers 64 and left and right tethers 67 are arranged inside the bag body 61.

[0037] The front and rear tethers 64 connect the approximate center in the left-right direction of the occupant-side wall portion 70 to the front end 62a of the conduit portion 62 so as to extend approximately along the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the front tethers 64 connect a front portion 65 extending from the periphery of the inlet opening 82 to a rear portion 66 extending from the occupant-side wall portion 70 (see FIG. 6). In this embodiment, the front portion 65 is formed by folding a strip-shaped front portion material 89 shown in FIG. 7, and has an outer shape when the bag body 61 is fully inflated, which is a three-dimensional shape that approximates a triangular pyramid shape with the front end extending approximately along the left-right direction and the rear end extending approximately along the up-down direction. The rear portion 66 has an outer shape that is approximately trapezoidal and narrows toward the front end 66a connected to the front portion 65. In this embodiment, the rear edge 66b of the rear portion 66 is connected to a position that is approximately the center in the vertical direction of the occupant-side wall portion 70 (see FIG. 6). The front and rear tethers 64 are arranged to prevent the airbag 60 from protruding excessively rearward when it is deployed and inflated, and to regulate the distance from the front end 62a of the occupant-side wall portion 70 when the airbag 60 is fully inflated.

[0038] The left and right tethers 67 are configured such that a pair of left and right tether bodies 67L, 67R are arranged approximately along the left-right direction within the bag body 61 to connect the left wall portion 74 and the right wall portion 75 that face each other on the left-right side, and to suppress outward protrusion of the left and right wall portions 74 and 75.

[0039] The airbag 60 is formed into a bag shape by joining the peripheral edges of a base fabric of a predetermined shape together, and in the case of this embodiment, as shown in Figure 7, it is composed of an outer left panel 86 and an outer right panel 87 that are positioned outward in the left-right direction when inflation is complete, a peripheral wall panel 88 that is disposed between the outer left panel 86 and the outer right panel 87 and mainly constitutes the occupant side wall portion 70, a front portion material 89 and a rear portion material 90 that constitute the front and rear tethers, and tether materials 91L and 91R that constitute the left and right tethers 67. The outer left panel 86, outer right panel 87, peripheral wall panel 88, front portion material 89, rear portion material 90, and tether materials 91L, 91R are each formed from flexible woven fabric made of polyester yarn, polyamide yarn, or the like.

[0040] Next, a series of operations in the occupant protection device M of this embodiment will be described. In the occupant protection device M of this embodiment, when the glove compartment 20 is fixed to the instrument panel 3 in the closed position that blocks the window portion 4 of the instrument panel 3, the inflator 50 is activated and the airbag 60 installed in the airbag storage portion 33 begins to deploy and inflate due to the inflation gas discharged from the inflator 50. At this time, the lid portion 21 receives pressure when the airbag 60 deploys and inflates and moves rearward to a predetermined position (a position where the guide groove 44 engages with the pin 47 at its front end portion 44b), and an opening (expansion opening) 49 for inflating the airbag 60 upward is formed between the rear wall portion 3a of the instrument panel 3 and the lid portion 21, as shown in B of FIG. 4 . Furthermore, the rearwardly moved lid portion 21 has an inclined wall portion 23 that is inclined in substantially the same manner as the knees MK of the occupant MP, and as shown in FIG. 8, comes close to the knees MK of the occupant MP and suppresses the forward movement of the knees MK.

[0041] The airbag 60, which has begun to deploy inside the glove compartment 20, is guided upward along the inner surface 23a of the inclined wall portion 23 and exits the glove compartment 20 upward through the opening 49. The bag body 61 of the airbag 60 then deploys upward and rearward, and after inflating upward and rearward to a limit defined by the front and rear tethers 64, also inflates downward and forward, with the front side of the lower wall portion 73 of the bag body 61 (more specifically, the region from the front side 73a of the connection portion to the forward inflation portion 76) supported by the rear wall portion 3a and upper surface 3c of the instrument panel 3, the rear side of the lower wall portion 73 (more specifically, the engagement recess 78) supported by the upper end portion 24 of the lid portion 21, and the front upper wall portion 71 of the bag body 61 supported by the windshield 5, so that upon completion of inflation, the bag body 61 is positioned in front of the upper body MU of the occupant MP in the desired deployed shape.

[0042] Therefore, even if the upper body MU of the occupant MP moves forward significantly when the airbag 60 (bag main body 61) is fully inflated, the lower wall portion 73 and the front upper wall portion 71 of the bag main body 61 are supported over a wide area by the instrument panel 3 and the windshield 5, so that the upper body MU of the occupant MP is prevented from collapsing or being compressed, and the upper body MU of the occupant MP can be accurately restrained by the upper body restraint surface 70a arranged opposite the front side of the upper body MU.

[0043] According to the occupant protection device M of this embodiment configured as described above, the airbag 60 housed in the glove compartment 20 is inflated from the opening 49 formed between the rear wall 3a of the instrument panel 3 and the lid 21 of the glove compartment 20, so there is no need to provide an opening in the upper wall of the instrument panel 3 for inflating the airbag 60. This makes it possible to avoid a loss of freedom in design of the upper part of the instrument panel 3 due to the installation of the airbag 60. In addition, the airbag 60 that inflates and deploys from within the glove compartment 20 is supported at three points: the lid portion 21 that has moved rearward, the instrument panel 3 that is positioned forward of the lid portion 21, and the windshield 5 that is positioned above the instrument panel 3, allowing the airbag 60 to assume the desired deployed shape.

[0044] Furthermore, according to the occupant protection device M of this embodiment, the outer member is configured to include the lid portion 21, and the upper end portion 24 of the lid portion 21 is used as an engaging support portion that supports the deployed airbag 60, so that the lid portion 21 of the glove box 20 can be effectively utilized as a support component for the airbag 60.

[0045] In addition, in the occupant protection device M of this embodiment, an engagement recess 78 that opens downward and engages with the upper end 24 of the lid portion 21 is provided in the airbag 60, and the deployed airbag 60 can be supported at a desired position by engagement between the upper end 24 and the engagement recess 78.

[0046] In addition, in the occupant protection device M of this embodiment, the airbag 60 is provided with a forward inflation portion 76 that covers the upper surface 3C of the instrument panel 3 when deployment is complete, and the deployed airbag 60 is supported not only by the rear wall portion 3a of the instrument panel 3 but also by the upper surface 3c of the instrument panel 3.

[0047] In addition, in the occupant protection device M of this embodiment, a portion of the upper surface 3c of the instrument panel that can come into contact with the airbag 60 is made into an inclined surface 3c1 (see Figure 8) that slopes upward as it moves forward, and the airbag 60 abuts against the inclined surface 3c1, thereby increasing the reaction force when the airbag 60 supports the upper body of the occupant MP.

[0048] Furthermore, in the occupant protection device M of this embodiment, the lid portion 21 is provided with an inclined wall portion 23 that inclines rearward as it extends upward, at a position facing the airbag 60 installed in the glove compartment 20, so that the airbag 60 that has begun to deploy in the glove compartment 20 can be guided upward along the inner surface 23a of the inclined wall portion 23. Furthermore, the lid portion 21 is provided with the inclined wall portion 23 that is inclined in substantially the same manner as the knees MK of the occupant MP, so that when the lid portion 21 moves rearward of the vehicle due to the pressing force from the airbag 60, the occupant MP's knees MK can be effectively restrained.

[0049] 9 is a diagram of a modified example having a different opening and closing mechanism for the glove compartment 20. The opening and closing mechanism for the glove compartment 20 is not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified as appropriate. In the example of Fig. 9, the lid portion (outer member) 21 and the box main body portion (inner member) 31 are held integrally in close proximity to each other by an engaging member (not shown). In this example, when the occupant operates the glove compartment 20 to open it from the closed state shown in Fig. 9A under normal circumstances, the lid portion 21 and the box main body portion 31 first slide rearward as shown in Fig. 9B, and then, at the position after the movement, the lid portion 21 and the box main body portion 31 rotate downward about the axis as shown in Fig. 9C, and the glove compartment 20 opens. In the example of Figure 9, in addition to the opening and closing mechanism, a moving mechanism 42 (see Figure 4) is provided between the box main body 31 and the lid 21, which allows the lid 21 to slide towards or away from the box main body 31. In the event of a collision (when the bag is deployed), the lid 21 and the box main body 31 are disengaged by the pressure from the airbag 60 provided in the airbag storage section 33, and the lid 21 is able to separate from the box main body 31 and move rearward from the state shown in A in Figure 9.

[0050] Although the embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described in detail above, these are merely examples, and the present invention can be carried out in various modified forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the lid portion 21 serving as the outer member is moved horizontally rearward, but in some cases, the lid portion 21 may be moved obliquely downward. In the above embodiment, the entire lid portion 21 is movable rearward, but it is also possible to make only a part of the lid portion 21 movable rearward.

[0051] Furthermore, the airbag used in the occupant protection device of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment and can be modified as appropriate. For example, a flow regulating cloth can be provided inside the airbag. The flow regulating cloth covers the upper part of the gas inlet opening (indicated by reference numeral 63 in FIG. 6) of the bag body and can be made approximately cylindrical with openings on both sides so that the inflation gas flowing into the bag body 61 is first divided into the front side and the rear side and then flows therethrough. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 2...passenger seat, 3...instrument panel, 3a...rear wall portion, 3c...upper surface, 3c1...inclined surface, 5...windshield, 20...glove box, 21...lid portion (outer member), 23...inclined wall portion, 24...upper end portion (engagement support portion), 31...box main body portion (inner member), 49...opening (bulging opening), 60...airbag, 76...front inflatable portion, 78...engagement recess, M...occupant protection device, MP...occupant, S...airbag device

Claims

1. a glove box attached to an instrument panel in front of the passenger seat and having a box body and a lid; an airbag device that is installed in the glove compartment and supplies inflation gas to an airbag to deploy the airbag rearward; Equipped with The glove compartment includes an inner member and an outer member movable rearward relative to the inner member, and the outer member moves rearward due to a pressing force from the airbag when the bag is deployed, so that an expansion opening for expanding the airbag upward can be formed between a rear wall portion of the instrument panel and the outer member, An occupant protection device characterized in that the deployed airbag is supported by the outer member which has moved rearward, the instrument panel which is positioned forward of the outer member, and the windshield which is positioned above the instrument panel.

2. 2. The passenger protection device according to claim 1, wherein the outer member includes the lid portion, and an upper end of the lid portion serves as an engaging support portion that supports the deployed airbag.

3. 3. The passenger protection device according to claim 2, wherein the airbag is provided with an engaging recess that opens downward and engages with the engaging support portion.

4. 2. The passenger protection device according to claim 1, wherein the airbag has a front inflatable portion that covers an upper surface of the instrument panel when the airbag is fully deployed.

5. 5. The passenger protection device according to claim 4, wherein an upper surface of the instrument panel that can come into contact with the airbag is an inclined surface that slopes upward toward the front.

6. 3. The occupant protection device according to claim 2, wherein the cover portion is provided with an inclined wall portion that is inclined rearward as it extends upward, at a position facing the airbag installed in the glove compartment.

Images