Secondary impact airbag

• US 10,029,638 B1
• Filed: 07/25/2016
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Waymo LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Lombrozo, Peter Craig, Rivera, Felix Jose Alvarez, Larner, Daniel Lynn, Gupta, Atul
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming, Faye M
• Application Number:
  US15/218,560
• Time in Patent Office: 729 Days
• Field of Search: 180271
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23107 the bag being integrated in a multi-bag system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/36 using airbags

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure relate to airbag systems for vehicles. The airbag systems may reduce the secondary impact forces felt by an object upon rebounding from an initial impact with an external airbag by encasing or substantially surrounding the pedestrian with the external airbag. The airbag system may include an initial impact airbag and a secondary impact airbag, wherein the secondary impact airbag is configured to reduce injury caused by a secondary impact of an object upon after an initial impact of the object with the initial impact airbag. The initial impact airbag may be configured to be deployed at a location where the object is predicted to collide with the vehicle. The secondary impact airbag may comprise one or more arms configured to surround the object upon the initial impact.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an initial impact airbag; and

a secondary impact airbag comprising one or more enclosing structures configured to surround an object, wherein the secondary impact airbag is configured to reduce injury caused by a secondary impact of an object upon after an initial impact of the object with the initial impact airbag, and

one or more muscle wires embedded in the secondary impact airbag, wherein the one or more muscle wires are configured to receive a current and, in response to the current, guide the one or more enclosing structures around the object.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the initial impact airbag is configured to be deployed at a location where the object is predicted to collide.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the secondary impact airbag comprises one or more arms configured to surround the object upon the initial impact.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the one or more muscle wires are embedded within the one or more arms and the one or more muscle wires are configured to guide the one or more arms around the object up-on the initial impact.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a power supply, wherein the power supply is configured to provide the current to the one or more muscle wires upon the occurrence of the initial impact.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein one or more extenders are connected to the one or more arms and the one or more extenders are connected to a first arm of the one or more arms and the one or more extenders are configured, upon the occurrence of the initial impact, to extend to a second arm of the one or more arms.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more extenders are telescoping tubes and wherein the telescoping tubes are each comprised of at least two stages.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising one or more sensors configured to determine when an initial impact occurs;

and

wherein the one or more sensors are configured to send a triggering signal to deploy the secondary impact airbag based upon the determination of when the initial impact occurs.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

an airbag system comprising at least the initial impact airbag and secondary impact airbag; and

a vehicle, wherein the airbag system is attached to the vehicle.

10. A method for deploying a vehicle'"'"'s external airbag comprising:

determining, by one or more processors, a collision with an object is imminent;

predicting, by the one or more processors, the location on the vehicle where the collision with the object is expected to occur;

determining a first external airbag of one or more external airbags at the location on the vehicle where the collision is expected to occur;

sending, by the one or more processors, a triggering signal to deploy the first external airbag; and

in response to receiving the triggering signal, deploying by the one or more processors, the first external airbag, wherein the first external airbag comprises an initial impact airbag and a secondary impact airbag and the secondary impact airbag is configured to reduce injury caused by a secondary impact of an object after an initial impact of the object with the initial impact airbag by surrounding the object, and

wherein deploying the first external airbag further includes providing a current to one or more muscle wires embedded in the secondary impact airbag, the one or more muscle wires being configured to guide the one or more enclosing structures around the object in response to the current.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising wherein the initial impact airbag is configured to be deployed at a location where the object is predicted to collide with the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the secondary impact airbag comprises one or more arms configured to surround the object upon the initial impact.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the one or more muscle wires are embedded within the one or more arms and the one or more muscle wires are configured to guide the one or more arms around the object up on the initial impact.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the triggering signal further causes a power supply to provide the current to the one or more muscle wires upon the occurrence of the initial impact.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein one or more extenders are connected to the one or more arms and the one or more extenders are connected to a first arm of the one or more arms and the one or more extenders are configured, upon the occurrence of the initial impact, to extend to a second arm of the one or more arms.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the one or more extenders are telescoping tubes and wherein the telescoping tubes are each comprised of at least two stages.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein one or more sensors are configured to determine when an initial impact occurs;

and

the one or more sensors send a triggering signal to deploy the secondary impact airbag based upon the determination of when the initial impact occurs.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium on which instructions are stored, the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method of deploying an external airbag, the method comprising:

determining a collision with an object is imminent;

predicting the location on the vehicle where the collision with the object is expected to occur;

determining a first external airbag of one or more external airbags at the location on the vehicle where the collision is expected to occur;

sending a triggering signal to deploy the first external airbag; and

in response to receiving the triggering signal, deploying the first external airbag, wherein the first external airbag comprises an initial impact airbag and a secondary impact airbag comprising one or more enclosing structures configured to surround an object and the secondary impact airbag is configured to reduce injury caused by a secondary impact of an object after an initial impact of the object with the initial impact airbag, and

wherein one or more muscle wires are embedded in the secondary impact airbag and the one or more muscle wires are configured to receive a current, and in response to the current, the one or more muscle wires guide the one or more enclosing structures around the object.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises deploying the initial impact airbag at a location where the object is predicted to collide with the vehicle.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein one or more muscle wires are embedded within the one or more arms and the one or more muscle wires are configured, upon the occurrence of the initial impact, to guide the one or more arms around the object up on the initial impact.