Bulkhead mounted airbag for front seat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10953834-B2
Application number	US-201916382966-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 12, 2019
Priority date	Apr 12, 2019
Publication date	Mar 23, 2021
Grant date	Mar 23, 2021

Abstract

A system includes a bulkhead, a seat spaced from the bulkhead, and an airbag supported by the bulkhead and inflatable towards the seat to an inflated position. The airbag in the inflated position includes a vertex spaced from the bulkhead, a knee-impacting portion tapering from the vertex downwardly and towards the bulkhead, and a head-impacting portion extending upwardly from the vertex. The head-impacting portion includes a head-receiving depression. The head-receiving depression is round.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising;
a bulkhead;
a seat spaced from the bulkhead;
an airbag supported by the bulkhead and inflatable towards the seat to an inflated position, the airbag in the inflated position including a vertex spaced from the bulkhead, a knee-impacting portion tapering from the vertex downwardly and towards the bulkhead; and
a head-impacting portion extending upwardly from the vertex and including a head-receiving depression, the head-receiving depression being round;
wherein the airbag includes sides spaced from each other in a cross-vehicle direction and extending along the head-impacting portion and the knee-impacting portion, the head-receiving depression is spaced from each side.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising front pillars spaced from each other in the cross-vehicle direction, the sides of the airbag spaced from each front pillar.

3. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a base supported by the bulkhead and supporting the airbag, the head-impacting portion is inflatable upwardly relative to the base and the knee-impacting portion is inflatable downwardly relative to the base.

4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a base supported by the bulkhead and supporting the airbag, the head-impacting portion and the knee-impacting portion are rolled in opposite directions relative to the base in an uninflated position.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the head-impacting portion tapers upwardly and towards the bulkhead.

6. The system of claim 1 , further comprising an inflator in fluid communication with the airbag, the inflator supported by the bulkhead and elongated in a cross-vehicle direction.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the bulkhead is generally planar.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the bulkhead supports a user interface, the head-impacting portion in the inflated position is disposed between the seat and the user interface.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the bulkhead includes a recess extending away from the seat, the airbag is disposed in the recess.

10. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a second seat spaced from the bulkhead and a second airbag supported by the bulkhead and inflatable towards the second seat to the inflated position, and wherein the second seat and the second airbag are each spaced from the seat and the airbag in a cross-vehicle direction, the second airbag being identical to the airbag.

11. The system of claim 10 , further comprising a second inflator spaced from the inflator and in fluid communication with the second airbag, the second inflator supported by the bulkhead and elongated in a cross-vehicle direction.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the bulkhead includes two recesses each being disposed in front of one respective seat, each airbag is disposed in one respective recess.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the head-receiving depression is positioned to receive a head of an occupant between 5th-percentile female and 95th-percentile male stature sitting in the seat.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the knee-impacting portion is disposed adjacent to knees of an occupant between 5th-percentile female and 95th-percentile male stature sitting in the seat.

15. An airbag assembly comprising:
a base;
an airbag supported by the base and inflatable to an inflated position, the airbag in the inflated position including a vertex spaced from the base, a knee-impacting portion tapering from the vertex downwardly and towards the base; and
a head-impacting portion extending upwardly from the vertex and including a head-receiving depression, the head-receiving depression being round;
wherein the airbag includes sides spaced from each other and extending along the head-impacting portion and the knee-impacting portion, the head-receiving depression is spaced from each side.

16. The airbag assembly of claim 15 , wherein the head-impacting portion is inflatable upwardly relative to the base and the knee-impacting portion is inflatable downwardly relative to the base.

17. The airbag assembly of claim 15 , wherein the head-impacting portion and the knee-impacting portion are rolled in opposite directions relative to the base in an uninflated position.

18. The airbag assembly of claim 15 , wherein the head-impacting portion tapers upwardly and towards the base.

19. A system comprising;
a bulkhead;
a seat spaced from the bulkhead;
an airbag supported by the bulkhead and inflatable towards the seat to an inflated position, the airbag in the inflated position including a vertex spaced from the bulkhead, a knee-impacting portion tapering from the vertex downwardly and towards the bulkhead; and
a head-impacting portion extending upwardly from the vertex and including a head-receiving depression, the head-receiving depression being round;
wherein the bulkhead supports a user interface, the head-impacting portion in the inflated position is disposed between the seat and the user interface.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Jaradi Dean M
• Faruque Mohammad Omar
• Farooq S M Iskander

Classifications

• B60R2021/0048

  Head · CPC title

• B60R21/205 Primary

  in dashboards · CPC title

• B60R21/237

  characterised by the way they are folded · CPC title

• B60R21/231

  characterised by their shape, construction or spatial configuration · CPC title

• B60R2021/0051

  Knees · CPC title