Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

The B. F. Goodrich Company

Universal Propulsion Company, Inc.

Deborah Lee Kalisz

David R Hammer

Saeed David Barbat

Paul G Curry

Priyaranjan Prasad

Wesley Pack

Larry K Hansen

A multi-chambered bumper airbag for deployment from the bumper of a vehicle in the event of a collision with another vehicle is provided. The airbag comprises a main inflatable portion that, when inflated, absorbs the energy from contact with a structural member of the struck vehicle. The airbag also has one or more secondary inflatable portions concentric with the main inflatable portion. Because the secondary inflatable portions have a lower gas pressure than the main inflatable portion, they are used to cushion the occupant of the struck vehicle should the occupants' head and neck be forced out of the window of the struck vehicle.

Bumper airbag with multiple chambers

A rollover cushion and system for a motor vehicle is fabricated from a lightweight, low denier material having its inside surface coated with a gas retention material. A gas generator responsive to a sensor generates an inflation fluid that fills the sealed curtain causing the curtain to deploy over the side windows of the vehicle. In this position, the head and upper torso of an occupant are protected from striking or going through an open window during a rollover or side impact collision. Several styles of tethers are used to maintain the desired shape of the cushion. A manifold system directs the flow of the inflation fluid from the gas generator to the gas inlets in each individual cylindrical tube of the curtain. The cushion is folded either in a &ldquo;Z&rdquo; fold or in a tuck fold and at one end fastened to the structure of the vehicle and at the other end extending in a direction down the window. A pair of curtain tethers secured to the cushion and to the pillars maintain the cushion taut when inflated.

Inflatable rollover cushion system

Growing community of inventors

Phoenix, AZ, United States of America

Deborah Lee Kalisz