Zf Passive Safety Systems US Inc.

Trw Vehicle Safety Systems Inc.

Hylus Ranjit Raj Jayakar

Kurt F Fischer

Douglas M Gould

Gabriela Diaz

Wael Youssef-Agha

David Ryan Varcoe

Tobias Klenk

Werner Freisler

Daniel R Sutherland

Dylan Moran

Angelo J Adler

Alexandra E Schroeder

Alexandra E Smith

Diaz Gabriela

Kiran Mohan Veepuri

Ronald Bielecki

An apparatus and method for helping to protect occupants of an autonomous vehicle in the event of a collision. An airbag has a stored, pre-deployment condition in a vehicle roof. The airbag is deployable downward toward the vehicle floor in front of a vehicle occupant. The airbag includes an upper portion for receiving the occupant's head and torso. A lower portion extends downward and forward from the upper portion. The lower portion is for receiving the occupant's lower legs.

Roof mounted passenger airbag with lower leg protection

An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle having a roof and a cabin with a seat for the occupant includes an airbag configured to be deployed from a roof of the vehicle. The airbag includes a front panel configured to face the occupant and a rear panel configured to face away from the occupant. An external tether has ends connected to the rear panel on an exterior of the airbag. The external tether has a length measured between the ends that is shorter than the length of the rear panel extending between the connections of the external tether to the rear panel so as to cause the airbag to have a curved portion when inflated and deployed, the curved portion facing convexly toward the occupant. In one example configuration, the curved portion can be configured to receive the occupants head and to unbend in response to receiving the occupants head, wherein the unbending causes the front panel to crumple and form creases. The configuration of the external tether, position of the external tether on the rear panel, and connections of the external tether to the rear panel can be configured to position the curved portion to receive the occupants head and to control the formation and location of the creases on the front panel.

Roof mounted occupant safety system

A restraint system for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle having a roof and a cabin with a seat for the occupant includes an airbag having a stored condition within the roof and being inflatable to a deployed condition extending into the cabin and aligned with the seat. The airbag includes a first portion extending along the roof and a second portion extending away from the roof toward the occupant. The second portion being configured to fold away from the occupant in response to occupant penetration into the airbag.

Roof-mounted occupant restraint system

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.

Apparatus and method for floor-mounted passenger lower leg protection

An occupant restraint system for retaining an occupant in a vehicle seat includes a support extending adjacent a back of the vehicle seat so that the back of the vehicle seat extends between the occupant and the support. At least one strap has first and second ends attached to the support. The at least one strap extends around the occupant and the back of the seat so that the back of the vehicle seat and the occupant are between the support and the at least one strap.

Occupant restraint system

A restraint system is provided for helping to protect an occupant in a seat of a vehicle and includes an airbag having a main portion inflatable from a stored condition to a deployed condition in front of the occupant. Arms extend from the main portion and are spaced apart from one another to form an uninflated volume for receiving the occupant in response to a vehicle collision. The arms are configured to inflate to opposite sides of the occupant prior to occupant penetration into the airbag.

A restraint system () for helping to protect an occupant () of a vehicle () having a roof () and a cabin () with a seat () for the occupant () includes an airbag () having a stored condition within the roof () and being inflatable to a deployed condition extending into the cabin () and aligned with the seat (). First and second tethers () each have a first end () connected to the airbag and a second end (). A first retractor () is connected to the vehicle () and to the second end () of the first tether (). A second retractor () is connected to the vehicle () and to the second end () of the second tether (). The first and second retractors () control the length of each of the first and second tethers () when the airbag () is in the deployed condition.

A restraint system for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle having a roof and a cabin with a seat for the occupant includes an airbag mounted to the vehicle roof. The airbag has a stored condition and is inflatable to a deployed condition having a front-facing occupant receiving portion and an opposite rear-facing portion facing away from the occupant. The airbag has one or more connections with the vehicle roof, with the airbag and the connections being configured such that the roof serves as a reaction surface for supporting the airbag against movement in response to a forward moving occupant impacting the occupant receiving portion. The system is non-reliant on the rear-facing portion of the airbag engaging and using vehicle structure as a reaction surface for supporting the airbag against movement in response to the impacting occupant.

A restraint system () for helping to protect an occupant () of a vehicle () having a seat () for the occupant () includes a primary airbag () having a stored condition within the roof () and being inflatable to a deployed condition extending into the cabin () on a first side of the seat (). A support airbag () has a stored condition within the roof () and is inflatable to a deployed condition on a second side of the seat () opposite the first side. Tethers () connect the primary airbag () and the support airbag () such that occupant () penetration into the primary airbag () pulls the support airbag () into engagement with the seat ().

An apparatus, system, and method for helping to protect occupants of a vehicle in the event of a collision. The apparatus comprising an inflatable tube having a first and second end connected to the floor of the vehicle and a middle portion therebetween and an inflator that is actuatable to direct inflation fluid into the inflatable tube in response to a vehicle collision. The inflatable tube is configured to inflate and deploy from the vehicle floor in response to receiving inflation fluid from the inflator. The middle portion extends from the floor and forms an arch into which the lower legs and/or feet of the occupant can move into in response to a collision and be restrained.

Leg restraining airbag

A restraint system () for helping to protect an occupant () of a vehicle () having a seat () for the occupant () includes a primary airbag () having a stored condition within a roof () and being inflatable to a deployed condition aligned with the seat (). A support airbag () has a stored condition within the roof () and is inflatable to a deployed condition engaging the primary airbag ().

An apparatus for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle includes a curtain airbag inflatable from a stored condition adjacent a roof of the vehicle to a deployed condition in which the curtain airbag is positioned between a side structure of the vehicle and the vehicle occupant. A tensioner is positioned adjacent to the vehicle roof and spaced inboard from the vehicle side structure. A tether has a first end portion connected to the tensioner and a second end portion connected to the curtain airbag. The tensioner is configured to pay-out and/or retract the tether. The tensioner is configured to control pay-out and/or retraction of the tether to control deployment of the curtain airbag and/or to control movement of the curtain airbag once deployed.

Airbag with deployment or movement controlling tensioner

An airbag for helping to protect an occupant of a vehicle having a roof and a cabin with a seat for the occupant includes an upper portion for being mounted to a vehicle roof, a lower portion having a ring-shaped configuration configured to encircle the occupant and a seatback of the vehicle seat when deployed, and at least one pillar connecting the lower portion to the upper portion. The lower portion encircles the seatback configures the lower portion to utilize the seatback as a reaction surface for supporting the lower portion against movement in response to an impacting occupant. An airbag module includes a housing that supports the airbag and an inflator. A vehicle safety system includes a sensor and a controller. The sensor senses the occurrence of an event for which deployment of the airbag is desired and produces a signal indicative thereof. The controller is connected to the sensor and, in response to receiving the signal, actuates the inflator to inflate and deploy the airbag.

Roof-mounted occupant safety system for 360 degree protection

A restraint system is provided for helping to protect at least one occupant of a vehicle having a floor and a cabin with at least one seat for receiving each occupant. The restraint system includes an airbag extending from a first end mounted in the vehicle floor to a second end. The airbag includes a first airbag portion curved away from the at least one occupant and a second airbag portion extending towards the at least one occupant. The airbag has a stored condition and is inflatable to a deployed condition aligned with the at least one occupant. A tether is connected to the airbag and the floor for limiting relative forward-rearward movement of the airbag in response to occupant penetration into the airbag.

Floor-mounted occupant restraint system

A restraint system () for helping to protect an occupant () of a vehicle () having a roof () and a cabin () with a seat () for the occupant () includes an airbag () mounted to the vehicle roof (). The airbag () has a stored condition and is inflatable to a deployed condition. The airbag (), when deployed, extends from an upper end () connected to the vehicle roof () to a lower end () positioned adjacent the occupant (). The airbag () has a U-shaped configuration including a first leg () and a second leg () pivotable relative to the first leg () in response to occupant () penetration into the second leg (). A tether () has first and second ends () each connected to the airbag () for limiting pivotal movement of the second leg () relative to the first leg ().

Growing community of inventors

Shelby Township, MI, United States of America

Hylus Ranjit Raj Jayakar