Multi-stage airbag in vehicle with reconfigurable interior
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsManoharprasad K. Rao, Jialiang Le
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A steering wheel is locatable between an operational position at a driver seat of a vehicle and a stowed position in the vehicle. A first airbag is coupled to the steering wheel, and a multi-stage airbag laterally overlaps the driver seat and a passenger seat of the vehicle next to the driver seat. A controller includes instructions for detecting a frontal collision, locating the steering wheel, deploying the first airbag at the driver seat and the multi-stage airbag at the passenger seat when the steering wheel is in the operational position, and deploying the multi-stage airbag at the driver and passenger seats when the steering wheel is in the stowed position.
Claims20
A controller in a vehicle, the controller comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor, the instructions including instructions for:
- monitoring crash sensor data;
- detecting a frontal collision;
- and
- determining that a steering wheel in a vehicle is in one of an operating position and a stowed position, and, when the steering wheel is in the operational position, deploying a first airbag at the driver seat and a multi-stage airbag at the passenger seat, and, when the steering wheel is in the stowed position, deploying the multi-stage airbag at the driver and passenger seats.
A system, comprising:
- a steering wheel locatable between an operational position at a driver seat of a vehicle and a stowed position in the vehicle;
- a first airbag coupled to the steering wheel;
- a multi-stage airbag laterally overlapping with the driver seat and a passenger seat of the vehicle next to the driver seat;
- and
- a controller comprising a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor, the instructions including instructions for detecting a frontal collision, locating the steering wheel, deploying the first airbag at the driver seat and the multi-stage airbag at the passenger seat when the steering wheel is in the operational position, and deploying the multi-stage airbag at the driver and passenger seats when the steering wheel is in the stowed position.
A method, comprising:
- monitoring crash sensor data;
- detecting a frontal collision;
- and
- determining that a steering wheel in a vehicle is in one of an operating position and a stowed position, and, when the steering wheel is in the operational position, deploying a first airbag at the driver seat and a multi-stage airbag at the passenger seat, and, when the steering wheel is in the stowed position, deploying the multi-stage airbag at the driver and passenger seats.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.