Vehicle passenger crash protector

Claim 1

Vehicle crash protector for roofed vehicles comprising: a. a paiR of spaced apart, essentially straight track means mounted in the vehicle longitudinally along the inside roof of said vehicle extending from above the rear seat of said vehicle and terminating at the upper edge of the windshield of the vehicle; b. shock attenuating panel means including articulated semirigid foamed plastic sections secured together and mounted in said track means in inoperative position, said shock attenuating panel means being of a sufficient length to extend from its forward end adjacent the windshield of the vehicle to cover the rear seat of the vehicle and provide roll-over protection in its inoperative position for passengers in the vehicle front and rear seats and to cover the vehicle windshield and extend over the vehicle front seat in its activated position, said panel means extending essentially from side to side of the vehicle roof and providing an essentially smooth surface to the interior of the vehicle; c. means cooperative between said panel means and said track means inclusive of attenuator means to provide sufficient inertia to move said panel means along said track means on activation so that the forward portion of said panel means moves out of said track means and downwardly along the vehicle windshield ahead of a passenger; and d. means for temporarily securing said panel means in passive position under normal conditions in said track means above the vehicle front and rear seats and releasable on a predetermined impact of the vehicle.