Micro airbag safety system

• US 20030085558A1
• Filed: 11/02/2001
• Published: 05/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Wedel, Martin, Forssell, Jonas, Ivarsson, Jan, Weiman, Martin
• Application Number:
  US09/682,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20030085558A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/741
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/00 Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles B60R22/00; seats constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats, B60N2/42; energy-absorbing arrangements for hand wheels for steering vehicles B62D1/11; energy-absorbing arrangements for vehicle steering columns B62D1/19
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/16 Inflatable occupant restraints or confinements designed to inflate upon impact or impending impact, e.g. air bags protective garments with automatically inflatable shock-absorbing means A41D13/018; connection of valves to inflatable elastic bodies B60C29/00

Abstract

The present invention relates to a safety system and method for protecting objects in a vehicle from possible damage due to sudden impact thereon. The safety system comprises a plurality of protective elements (1) arranged to be expandable and releasable from an original position in order to fill up a volume and provide damping for the objects.

Claims

1. A safety system for protecting objects in a vehicle from possible damage due to sudden impact thereon, comprising:

a plurality of protective elements arranged to be expandable and releasable from an origin al position.

2. The safety system according to claim 1, wherein said protective elements are arranged to expand by inflation.

3. The safety system according to claim 1, wherein said protective elements are arranged to fill a volume in a compartment of said vehicle.

4. The safety system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said protective elements comprises a trigger connected to at least one impact sensor.

5. The safety system according to claim 4, wherein said trigger is electronically connected to at least one impact sensor.

6. The safety system according to claim 1, wherein said protective elements are arranged on a panel element in their original position.

7. The safety system according to claim 1, wherein said protective elements are directly connected to one another in their original position.

8. The safety system according to claim 1, wherein said safety system is arranged in combination with other safety systems for protecting objects in said vehicle from damage due to sudden impact.

9. The safety system according to claim 1, wherein said protective element is substantially spherical when expanded.

10. The safety system according to claim 1, wherein said protective element has an expandable cover of a silicone based rubber like material.

11. The safety system according to claim 1, wherein said protective element has an expandable cover of polymer (TPE).

12. The safety system according to claim 1, wherein said protective element has at least an expandable cover, said cover being permeable to inflating media in order to absorb impact energy after being inflated.

13. The safety system according to claim 1, wherein said protective element has a core comprising a gas-releasing device.

14. A method for protecting objects in a vehicle from possible damage due to sudden impact thereon, said method comprising the steps of:

releasing a plurality of protective elements;

expanding said protective elements; and

triggering at least one protective element with a signal from an impact sensor in order to fill a volume of the compartment in the vehicle.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said trigging signal initiating a chain reaction comprising the steps of one protective element expanding by being triggered, causing its neighboring protective elements to expand..

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein the triggering of each said protective elements is initiated by a separate trigger.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the step of expanding said protective elements is caused by inflating said protective elements.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein said protective element has an expandable cover, said cover being permeable allowing expanding media to leave in order to cause deflation after absorbing impact energy.