Protective garment

A garment comprising:

• A. an outer shell having an inward facing surface, wherein the outer shell is adapted to be positioned about at least a portion of a body of a wearer of the garment,
• B. an inner protective structure adapted for detachable coupling to a vehicle, and disposed within the outer shell, including:
• i. at least one wearer protection structure adapted to be affixed to and underlie at least a portion of the inward facing surface of the outer shell, and defining an interior gas containment reservoir, wherein the interior gas containment reservoir includes at least one inflatable tubular region, and a gas fill port adapted to establish a gas containment reservoir input flow path from points exterior to the interior gas containment reservoir to the at least one inflatable tubular region,
• ii. at least one elongated tubular volume control sleeve disposed along a sleeve axis and about at least a portion of the tubular region of the interior gas containment reservoir, wherein the sleeve includes two opposing sleeve portions disposed along the sleeve axis, wherein a first sleeve portion is relatively stretchable between a rest state and a circumferentially stretched state, and a second sleeve portion is relatively non-stretchable,
• iii. a cartridge housing structure affixed to the outer shell for receiving at least one gas cartridge defining an interior cartridge reservoir region adapted to store a compressed gas therein, and including a cartridge gas release port adapted to selectively couple the interior cartridge reservoir region along a cartridge exit flow path to points external to the interior cartridge reservoir region,
• iv. a cartridge gas release controller and an associated trigger assembly, coupled to the cartridge gas release port of a cartridge received in the cartridge housing structure, wherein the controller and the trigger assembly are selectively operable to:
• a. with the inner protective structure coupled to the vehicle, in a closed state, establish the interior cartridge reservoir region to be fully enclosed, whereby the compressed gas in the interior cartridge reservoir region remains in the interior cartridge reservoir region, and
• b. upon separation of the inner protective structure from the vehicle, in an open state, establish a cartridge outlet flow path exiting the interior cartridge reservoir region by way of the gas release port, and entering the tubular region of the interior gas containment reservoir by way of the gas fill port of the at least one wearer protection structure, whereby at least a portion of the compressed gas in the interior cartridge reservoir region passes to the tubular region and inflating the tubular region of the interior gas containment reservoir of the at least one wearer protection structure.