GM has filed a patent application for an inflatable roof structure that provides added protection in the event of a vehicle rollover.
The GM patent filing has been assigned application number US 2023/0091405 A1 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and was published on March 23rd, 2023. The patent was originally filed on September 22nd, 2021, and lists several Michigan-based engineers as the inventors, including Jeff E. Nasca, Daniel W. Booth, Wonhee M. Kim, Peter J. Gareau, and William J. Barnes.
The patent describes an inflatable roof structure that incorporates a series of headers and a bladder system that is located below the headers. The inflatable badder can inflate to a maximum height of 12 cm (4.7 inches) below the headers, expanding the headliner. The headers include a front header section, two side header sections, and a rear header section. The system also incorporates a rib structure adjacent to the bladder.
The system described essentially creates an airbag system that provides added protection in a rollover accident. The system meets a federal safety standard that requires multiple foam shapes along the headliner, which can intrude into the cabin, reducing headroom. Instead, the bladder system would inflate upon impact and retain the inflation needed to protect occupants in the event of a rollover accident.
The bladder system itself is described as a matrix of separate chambers that are spaced laterally and longitudinally throughout the headliner, with the bladder connected to an inflator that activates the plurality of bumps spaced laterally and longitudinally across the headliner. The inflator is activated via a controller that responds to a detected impact or rollover event.
Additionally, the controller can be configured to detect the presence of a passenger within certain areas of the cabin, and thus activate or deactivate certain sections of the inflatable bladder system depending on where passengers are seated.
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Comments
April Fools is over fellas.
Sounds like a great idea!!!
I like . sounds great!
It’s amazing how many safety devices are developed but there’s one main safety device that IS ALWAYS IGNORED, NEVER UPDATED! The loose nut behind the wheel!!!! Education is improved over n over at what expense? More ignorance on the roadways.
Inflatable air bag roof? April fool’s joke, ha, I kinda doubt it. Exploding nerf balls for sure. Nut behind the wheels needs updated, meaning become financially responsible for all of you actions and reactions
Demolition Man is by far the most accurate sci-fi movie of all time, from a tech standpoint.
We now have a woke society with self-driving cars that now turn into a nerf ball when they crash.