Hip inflatable protection device

A protective system for preventing injuries to at least one of the hips, pelvis, buttocks and coccyx of a user, the system comprising:

• an elongate inflatable airbag assembly;
• a belt for supporting said airbag assembly around the waist of a user, said belt having a cavity associated therewith and said airbag assembly being housed substantially within said cavity when uninflated;
• sensing means for sensing acceleration and angular movement and for producing a signal indicative of a predetermined combination of acceleration and angular movement, the predetermined combination corresponding to a fall;
• and
• inflating means for inflating said airbag assembly to an expanded configuration in response to said signal.

A protective system for protecting at least a portion of the human body, comprising:

• a belt adapted to be secured around the waist of a wearer, the belt defining a predetermined width measured along the spine of the user;
• an inflatable airbag associated with the belt and adapted to be stored in a folded, uninflated state, the airbag defining a width measured along the spine of the user substantially equal to the width of the belt when the airbag is in the folded, uninflated state;
• sensing means for sensing acceleration and angular movement and for producing a signal indicative of a predetermined combination of acceleration and angular movement, the predetermined combination corresponding to a fall;
• and
• inflating means, associated with the belt, for inflating the airbag to an unfolded, inflated state in response to said signal, the air bag defining a width substantially greater that the width of the belt when in the unfolded, inflated state.