Motor vehicles – With means for promoting safety of vehicle – its occupant or... – Responsive to engagement of portion of perimeter of vehicle...
Reexamination Certificate
2006-07-11
2006-07-11
Dunn, David R. (Department: 3616)
Motor vehicles
With means for promoting safety of vehicle, its occupant or...
Responsive to engagement of portion of perimeter of vehicle...
C280S730100
Reexamination Certificate
active
07073619
ABSTRACT:
The present invention comprises an external airbag system for mounting on a vehicle (24) that deploys into the region above the bumper (38) to prevent or mitigate injuries that would have otherwise been caused by a person striking the grill (28) or hood area (26) of the vehicle. The airbag (20) is stored in a housing (40) mounted within the front bumper (38) of the vehicle. The airbag (20) is deployed upwardly through an opening (42) in the upper surface of the bumper (38) into the region between the upper surface of the bumper (38) and the front surface of the grill (28) and hood (26). The airbag (20) is generally T-shaped and includes a plurality of internal tethers (30,31) extending internally between the opposing inner surfaces (74) at regular intervals to cause the airbag (20) to be tufted. The internal tethers (30, 31) reduce the volume of the airbag (20) for a given frontal area thereby decreasing the inflation time required, without resort to fabricating the airbag (20) from multiple independent chambers. Selected of the internal tethers (31) may be designed to break as the airbag reaches close to its full inflation pressure to allow a portion of the airbag to bulge outwardly after the air bag is fully deployed. The remaining tethers (30) are designed to break as the pressure increases when the airbag is collapsed in a collision.
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“Vehicle leading bumper airbag for pedestrian protection comprises front and back panels joined by internal tethers and extending side wings to wrap around the vehicle sides on deployment aided by tethers”, May 10, 2000, Research Disclosure RD433005A.
Alexander Cherie
Curry Paul
Hailstone Steven
Dunn David R.
Holden Jerry
Titus John D.
Universal Propolusion Company
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