US 12,434,658 B1
Downwardly inflatable vehicle airbag
Mohammad Omar Faruque, Ann Arbor, MI (US); S. M. Iskander Farooq, Novi, MI (US); and Dean M. Jaradi, Macomb, MI (US)
Assigned to Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed by Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US)
Filed on Jul. 2, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/761,412.
Int. Cl. B60R 21/232 (2011.01); B60R 21/214 (2011.01); B60R 21/231 (2011.01); B60R 21/2338 (2011.01)
CPC B60R 21/232 (2013.01) [B60R 21/214 (2013.01); B60R 2021/23153 (2013.01); B60R 21/2338 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vehicle comprising:
a vehicle body;
an inflator supported by the vehicle body;
an airbag inflatable by the inflator downwardly from an uninflated position to an inflated position, the airbag including a first panel and a second panel being fixed to each other;
the airbag including an uninflatable segment supported by the vehicle body in the uninflated position and in the inflated position;
the airbag including a first airbag segment supported by the uninflatable segment in the inflated position and a second airbag segment supported by the uninflatable segment in the inflated position, the first airbag segment having an inflation chamber between the first panel and the second panel, and the second airbag segment having an inflation chamber between the first panel and the second panel; and
the airbag including a conduit segment supported by the uninflatable segment in the inflated position, the conduit segment extending from the inflator to the inflation chamber of the first airbag segment and the inflation chamber of the second airbag segment, the conduit segment fluidly connecting the inflation chamber of the first airbag segment and the inflation chamber of the second airbag segment to the inflator, the first panel and the second panel being fixed to each other along the conduit segment to define the conduit segment between the first panel and the second panel;
the first airbag segment protruding from the uninflatable segment in a first direction transverse to the uninflatable segment;
the second airbag segment protruding from the uninflatable segment in a second direction opposite the first direction and transverse to the uninflatable segment;
an upper boundary of the first airbag segment being above an upper boundary of the second airbag segment, a lower boundary of the second airbag segment being below a lower boundary of the first airbag segment, and the lower boundary of the first airbag segment being below the upper boundary of the second airbag segment so that the inflation chamber of the first airbag segment is open to the inflation chamber of the second airbag segment.