Downwardly inflatable vehicle airbag

• US 9,789,840 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2016
• Issued: 10/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Farooq, S. M. Iskander, Jaradi, Dean M., Faruque, Mohammed Omar
• Primary Examiner(s): VERLEY, NICOLE T
• Application Number:
  US15/074,465
• Publication Number:
  US 20170267204A1
• Time in Patent Office: 578 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/14 rotatable, e.g. to permit easy access B60N2/10 , B60N2/2869 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/143 taking a position opposite to the original one
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/23161 specially adapted for protecting at least two passengers, e.g. preventing them from hitting each other
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/214 in roof panels
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/231 characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration

Abstract

A vehicle interior includes a roof, a seat including a seatback, and an airbag supported by the roof. The airbag is inflatable away from the roof to an inflated position surrounding the seatback. During an impact of the vehicle, the airbag may be inflated from an uninflated position to the inflated position to absorb energy from an occupant of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle interior comprising:

a roof;

a floor;

a seat including a seatback and being rotatable relative to the floor about an axis transverse to the floor; and

an airbag supported by the roof and being inflatable away from the roof to an inflated position surrounding the seatback.

2. The vehicle interior according to claim 1, further comprising a second seat including a second seatback, and a second airbag supported by the roof and being inflatable away from the roof to the inflated position surrounding the second seatback.

3. The vehicle interior according to claim 2, wherein the second seat is rotatable relative to the floor about an axis transverse to the floor.

4. The vehicle interior according to claim 2, wherein the seat is rotatable relative to the floor to a position facing the second seat.

5. The vehicle interior according to claim 1, wherein the airbag in the inflated position has a tubular recess receiving the seatback.

6. The vehicle interior according to claim 1, wherein the airbag in the inflated position has a top adjacent to the roof and a bottom spaced from the roof, and the airbag has a recess extending from the bottom toward the top.

7. The vehicle interior according to claim 1, wherein the airbag includes an inner panel defining a recess, the inner panel extending across the recess at the roof.

8. The vehicle interior according to claim 1, further comprising a second seat including a second seatback, and a second airbag supported by the roof and being inflatable away from the roof to an inflated position surrounding the second seatback, wherein the second seat includes a first passenger portion and a second passenger portion, and the second airbag includes a divider extending between the first passenger portion and the second passenger portion.

9. The vehicle interior according to claim 8, wherein the airbag includes a recess receiving the seatback in the inflated position, the divider extending across the recess.

10. A vehicle interior comprising:

a roof;

an airbag supported by the roof and being inflatable away from the roof to an inflated position; and

the airbag in the inflated position having a frustum shape, the frustum shape having a first base adjacent the roof and a second base spaced from the first base with a recess extending through the second base.

11. The vehicle interior according to claim 10, wherein the frustum shape is further defined as an elliptical frustum shape.

12. The vehicle interior according to claim 10, wherein the first base has a perimeter less than the perimeter of the second base.

13. The vehicle interior according to claim 10, wherein the frustum shape is further defined as a substantially right frustum shape.

14. The vehicle interior according to claim 10, wherein the recess has a frustum shape.

15. The vehicle interior according to claim 10, wherein the airbag has an inner panel defining the recess, an outer panel extending circumferentially about the inner panel, and an inflation chamber between the outer panel and the inner panel, the inflation chamber tapering from the first base of the airbag to the second base of the airbag.

16. The vehicle interior according to claim 15, wherein the inner panel and the outer panel are frustum shaped.

17. The vehicle interior according to claim 10, wherein the airbag includes an end extending across the recess at the first base.

18. The vehicle interior according to claim 10, further comprising a seat received by the recess in the inflated position, wherein the seat includes a first passenger portion and a second passenger portion, and the airbag includes a divider extending between the first passenger portion and the second passenger portion.