GM has filed a patent for a sleeping bedsheet crash protection system that can protect a sleeping passenger in an autonomous vehicle.
The new GM patent application has been assigned patent number US 11,760,292 B2 with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), and was published on September 19th, 2023. The patent was originally filed on October 27th, 2021, and lists several Michigan-based engineers as the inventors, including Yi-Pen Cheng, Chin-hsu Lin, Louis D. Thole, and Wonhee Michael Kim.
The patent describes a system wherein a sleeping occupant is situated in a compartment with a flat platform and elastic bedsheet, with the bedsheet positioned in direct contact with the upper surface of the platform between the occupant and platform. The bedsheet is then deployed via a sensing system in the event of a rapid deceleration event.
As the patent points out, autonomous vehicles offer an opportunity for occupants to rest, with the onboard autonomous systems “taking the wheel” as far as driving duties are concerned. Naturally, some autonomous vehicle occupants will want to sleep, lying down in a horizontal position to be comfortable. However, modern crash systems and seatbelts are designed for the occupant to be seated upright, and thus do not provide adequate protection in the event of a crash should the occupant be lying down. This system aims to fix that issue.
As GM make further moves towards implementing autonomous vehicle technology on a broader scale, new technology like this sleeping bedsheet crash protection system will become increasingly more relevant. GM has previously filed to patent other autonomous-centric technologies, including a lost item detection system, remote autonomous vehicle towing, antimicrobial vehicle cabin surfaces, clothing-sensing climate control systems, reclining seat airbag systems, and a self-cleaning floor system.
GM is now gearing up to launch Cruise Origin, the company’s first AV built from the ground-up as a fully autonomous vehicle.
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Comments
Will that still work when you’re having sex? 😁
It depends on if you are in the front seat or the back seat.
The one thing I hate more than EVs is the idea of autonomous vehicles. This validates it.
‘Please return your seats to a up-right position’… BEFORE the crash !