Ford Patents a New Airbag Meant to Make Vehicle Rollovers Safer
Ford has filed a patent application for a headliner airbag.
Although rollovers aren’t common, they do occur and are quite dangerous for vehicle occupants. As you can imagine, when a rollover occurs the head of an occupant can easily hit the roof of a vehicle. This led Ford to develop what is essentially a headliner airbag, in hopes of reducing the amount of impact energy transferred from the headliner to the occupant during a rollover.
Basically the airbag would be sandwiched between the headliner and roof panel and whenever a rollover is sensed, it would deploy, pushing the headliner towards the occupant of the vehicle and increasing the space between the headliner and the roof panel.
SEE ALSO: Ford Patents Clever Cup Holders that Smokers will Love
One key point in the patent application is that the airbag could be integrated into existing vehicles without the need for major structural changes, helping reduce development time and cost.
The patent application was filed in the U.K. on September 16, 2016 and was published on March 22, 2017.
Discuss this story on our Ford Forum
Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
More by Jason Siu
Comments
Join the conversation