Externally deployed airbag system
First Claim
1. A motor vehicle, comprising an inflatable airbag deployable outside of the vehicle;
- an anticipatory sensor system for assessing the probable severity of an impact involving the vehicle based on data obtained prior to the impact and initiating inflation of said airbag in the event an impact above a threshold severity is assessed, and an inflator coupled to said anticipatory sensor system and said airbag for inflating said airbag when initiated by said anticipatory sensor system.
2 Assignments
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Accused Products
Abstract
Externally deployed airbag system for a vehicle including one or more inflatable airbags deployable outside of the vehicle, an anticipatory sensor system for assessing the probable severity of an impact involving the vehicle based on data obtained prior to the impact and initiating inflation of the airbag(s) in the event an impact above a threshold severity is assessed, and an inflator coupled to the anticipatory sensor system and the airbag for inflating the airbag when initiated by the anticipatory sensor system. The airbag may be housed in a module mounted along a side of the vehicle, in a side door of the vehicle (both for side impact protection), at a front of the vehicle (for frontal impact protection) or at a rear of the vehicle (for rear impact protection). Also, the externally deployed airbag can be deployed to cushion a pedestrian'"'"'s impact against the vehicle.
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Citations
52 Claims
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1. A motor vehicle, comprising
an inflatable airbag deployable outside of the vehicle; -
an anticipatory sensor system for assessing the probable severity of an impact involving the vehicle based on data obtained prior to the impact and initiating inflation of said airbag in the event an impact above a threshold severity is assessed, and an inflator coupled to said anticipatory sensor system and said airbag for inflating said airbag when initiated by said anticipatory sensor system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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15. A motor vehicle, comprising
an inflatable airbag deployable outside of the vehicle; -
an anticipatory sensor system for determining that an impact involving the vehicle is about to occur based on data obtained prior to the impact and determining whether the impact requires deployment of said airbag, and an inflator coupled to said anticipatory sensor system and said airbag for inflating said airbag in response to the determinations by said anticipatory sensor system that an impact involving the vehicle is about to occur and that the impact requires deployment of said airbag.
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29. A method for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during an impact between the vehicle and an object, comprising the steps of:
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detecting an impending impact between the vehicle and the object prior to the impact;
determining the probable severity of the impending impact prior to the impact; and
inflating an airbag exterior of the vehicle between the vehicle and the object in the event the impending impact is determined to be above a threshold severity.
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41. A method for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during an impact between the vehicle and an object, comprising the steps of:
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determining that an impact involving the vehicle is about to occur prior to the impact;
determining whether the impact requires deployment of an externally mounted airbag arranged to inflate between the vehicle and an object involved in the impact; and
inflating the airbag between the vehicle and the object. - View Dependent Claims (42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
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51. In a motor vehicle having a side and an externally deployable airbag system for protecting an occupant in a side impact with an impacting object, said airbag system comprising:
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an inflatable airbag deployable outside of the vehicle between the side of the vehicle and the impacting object;
an anticipatory sensor system for determining that a side impact requiring deployment of said airbag is required based on data obtained prior to the crash and initiating inflation of said airbag in the event a side impact requiring deployment of said airbag is detected, and inflator means responsive to the detection by said anticipatory sensor system that a side impact requiring deployment of said airbag is required for inflating said airbag. - View Dependent Claims (52)
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Specification