US6749218B2
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Externally deployed airbag system
Assignee: American Vehicular Sciences LLC
•
Filing: 2002-03-13
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Granted: 2004-06-15
•
Expires: 2022-03-13
Abstract
Abstract Externally deployed airbag system for a vehicle including one or more inflatable airbags deployable outside of the vehicle, an anticipatory sensor system for assessing the probable severity of an impact involving the vehicle based on data obtained prior to the impact and initiating inflation of the airbag(s) in the event an impact above a threshold severity is assessed, and an inflator coupled to the anticipatory sensor system and the airbag for inflating the airbag when initiated by the anticipatory sensor system. The airbag may be housed in a module mounted along a side of the vehicle, in a side door of the vehicle (both for side impact protection), at a front of the vehicle (for frontal impact protection) or at a rear of the vehicle (for rear impact protection). Also, the externally deployed airbag can be deployed to cushion a pedestrian's impact against the vehicle.
Inventors
- 👤 David S. Breed
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 03:21
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60R; B60R21/00; B60R21/01; B60R21/013; B60R21/0134; B60N; B60N2/00; B60N2/02; B60N2/0224; B60N2/02246; B60N2/0244; B60N2/0268; B60N2/0272; B60N2/0276; B60N2/24; B60N2/26; B60N2/28; B60N2/2803; B60N2/2806; B60N2/2857; B60N2/2863; B60R19/00; B60R19/02; B60R19/18; B60R19/20; B60R19/205; B60R19/42; B60R21/0132; B60R21/02; B60R21/16; B60R21/23; B60R21/231; B60R21/23138; B60R21/233; B60R22/00; B60R22/18; B60R22/26; B60R22/32; B60R22/321; B60R25/00; B60R25/20; B60R25/25; G; G01; G01S; G01S13/00; G01S13/88; G01S15/00; G01S15/87; G01S15/88; G01S17/00; G01S17/88; G01S7/00; G01S7/02; G01S7/41; G01S7/417; G01S7/48; G01S7/4802; G08; G08G; G08G1/00; G08G1/16; G08G1/161; G08G1/163; G08G1/164; B60R2021/0002; B60R2021/0006; B60R2021/23324; B60R2021/23332; B60R21/26; B60R2021/26058; B60W; B60W2556/00; B60W2556/45; B60W2556/50; G01S17/89; G01S7/483; G01S7/486; G01S7/487; G01S7/52; G01S7/539
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 50
Claim 1
Independent Claim
190 words
A motor vehicle, comprising: an inflatable airbag deployable outside of the vehicle; an anticipatory sensor system for assessing the probable severity of an impact involving the vehicle based on data obtained prior to the impact and initiating inflation of said airbag in the event an impact above a threshold severity is assessed; and an inflator coupled to said anticipatory sensor system and said airbag for inflating said airbag when initiated by said anticipatory sensor system, said anticipatory sensor system comprising at least one receiver for receiving waves or energy and pattern recognition means for analyzing the received waves or energy or data representative of the received waves or energy to assess the probable severity of the impact, said pattern recognition means being arranged to ascertain the identity of an object from which the waves or energy have been emitted, reflected or generated, the assessment of the probable severity of the impact being at least partially based on the identification of the object, said pattern recognition means comprising a processor embodying a pattern recognition algorithm trained to provide an output of one of a number of pre-determined identities of the object.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
190 words
A motor vehicle, comprising: an inflatable airbag deployable outside of the vehicle; an anticipatory sensor system for assessing the probable severity of an impact involving the vehicle based on data obtained prior to the impact and initiating inflation of said airbag in the event an impact above a threshold severity is assessed; and an inflator coupled to said anticipatory sensor system and said airbag for inflating said airbag when initiated by said anticipatory sensor system, said anticipatory sensor system comprising at least one receiver for receiving waves or energy and pattern recognition means for analyzing the received waves or energy or data representative of the received waves or energy to assess the probable severity of the impact, said pattern recognition means being arranged to ascertain the identity of an object from which the waves or energy have been emitted, reflected or generated, the assessment of the probable severity of the impact being at least partially based on the identification of the object, said pattern recognition means comprising a processor embodying a pattern recognition algorithm trained to provide an output of one of a number of pre-determined identities of the object.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
46 words
The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the vehicle has a front, a rear, a left side and a right side, further comprising an airbag module for housing said airbag, said airbag module being mounted along one of the right and left sides of the vehicle.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
27 words
The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising an airbag module for housing said airbag, said airbag module being mounted in a side door of the vehicle.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
59 words
The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein said pattern recognition means are further arranged to determine at least one property of the object from which the waves or energy have been emitted, reflected or generated, the assessment of the probable severity of the impact being at least partially based on the determined at least one property of the object.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
18 words
The vehicle of claim 4 , wherein the at least one property is the size of the object.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
58 words
The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein said anticipatory sensor system further comprises a transmitter for transmitting waves away from the vehicle, said at least one receiver receiving waves transmitted by said transmitter which have been reflected from objects exterior of the vehicle, the received waves being analyzed to enable assessment of the probable severity of the impact.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
63 words
The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising: an additional, internally deployable airbag, said anticipatory sensor system being arranged to initiate inflation of said additional airbag in the event an impact above a threshold severity is assessed; and an additional inflator coupled to said anticipatory sensor system and said additional airbag for inflating said additional airbag when initiated by said anticipatory sensor system.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
32 words
The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising an airbag module for housing said airbag, said airbag module being mounted at a front of the vehicle for use in frontal impact protection.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
32 words
The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising an airbag module for housing said airbag, said airbag module being mounted at a rear of the vehicle for use in rear impact protection.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
63 words
The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein when said pattern recognition means ascertains the identity of the object as being a pedestrian, said anticipatory sensor system is arranged to assess the probable severity of an impact between the pedestrian and the vehicle based on data obtained prior to the impact, said airbag being deployable to cushion impact of the pedestrian against the vehicle.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
41 words
The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising additional airbags deployable outside of the vehicle, said anticipatory sensor system being arranged to determine which of said airbags is to be deployed to provide for protection of any occupants of the vehicle.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
219 words
A motor vehicle, comprising: an inflatable airbag deployable outside of the vehicle; an anticipatory sensor system for determining that an impact involving the vehicle is about to occur based on data obtained prior to the impact and determining whether the impact requires deployment of said airbag; and an inflator coupled to said anticipatory sensor system and said airbag for inflating said airbag in response to the determinations by said anticipatory sensor system that an impact involving the vehicle is about to occur and that the impact requires deployment of said airbag, said anticipatory sensor system comprising at least one receiver for receiving waves or energy and pattern recognition means for analyzing the received waves or energy or data representative of the received waves or energy to determine that an impact is about to occur and to determine whether the impact requires deployment of said airbag, said pattern recognition means being arranged to ascertain the identity of an object from which the waves or energy have been emitted, reflected or generated, the determination whether the impact requires deployment of said airbag being at least partially based on the identification of the object, said pattern recognition means comprising a processor embodying a pattern recognition algorithm trained to provide an output of one of a number of pre-determined identities of the object.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
219 words
A motor vehicle, comprising: an inflatable airbag deployable outside of the vehicle; an anticipatory sensor system for determining that an impact involving the vehicle is about to occur based on data obtained prior to the impact and determining whether the impact requires deployment of said airbag; and an inflator coupled to said anticipatory sensor system and said airbag for inflating said airbag in response to the determinations by said anticipatory sensor system that an impact involving the vehicle is about to occur and that the impact requires deployment of said airbag, said anticipatory sensor system comprising at least one receiver for receiving waves or energy and pattern recognition means for analyzing the received waves or energy or data representative of the received waves or energy to determine that an impact is about to occur and to determine whether the impact requires deployment of said airbag, said pattern recognition means being arranged to ascertain the identity of an object from which the waves or energy have been emitted, reflected or generated, the determination whether the impact requires deployment of said airbag being at least partially based on the identification of the object, said pattern recognition means comprising a processor embodying a pattern recognition algorithm trained to provide an output of one of a number of pre-determined identities of the object.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
46 words
The vehicle of claim 12 , wherein the vehicle has a front, a rear, a left side and a right side, further comprising an airbag module for housing said airbag, said airbag module being mounted along one of the right and left sides of the vehicle.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
27 words
The vehicle of claim 12 , further comprising an airbag module for housing said airbag, said airbag module being mounted in a side door of the vehicle.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
32 words
The vehicle of claim 12 , further comprising an airbag module for housing said airbag, said airbag module being mounted at a front of the vehicle for use in frontal impact protection.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
64 words
The vehicle of claim 12 , wherein when said pattern recognition system ascertains the identity of the object as being a pedestrian, said anticipatory sensor system is arranged to determine that an impact between the pedestrian and the vehicle is about to occur based on data obtained prior to the impact, said airbag being deployable to cushion impact of the pedestrian against the vehicle.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
41 words
The vehicle of claim 12 , further comprising additional airbags deployable outside of the vehicle, said anticipatory sensor system being arranged to determine which of said airbags is to be deployed to provide for protection of any occupants of the vehicle.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
32 words
The vehicle of claim 12 , further comprising an airbag module for housing said airbag, said airbag module being mounted at a rear of the vehicle for use in rear impact protection.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
60 words
The vehicle of claim 12 , wherein said pattern recognition means are further arranged to determine at least one property of the object from which the waves or energy have been emitted, reflected or generated, the determination whether the impact requires deployment of said airbag being at least partially based on the determined at least one property of the object.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
18 words
The vehicle of claim 19 , wherein the at least one property is the size of the object.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
71 words
The vehicle of claim 12 , wherein said anticipatory sensor system further comprises a transmitter for transmitting waves away from the vehicle, said at least one receiver receiving waves transmitted by said transmitter which have been reflected from objects exterior of the vehicle, the received waves being analyzed to enable the determinations that an impact involving the vehicle is about to occur and that the impact requires deployment of said airbag.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
63 words
The vehicle of claim 12 , further comprising: an additional, internally deployable airbag, said anticipatory sensor system being arranged to initiate inflation of said additional airbag in the event an impact above a threshold severity is assessed; and an additional inflator coupled to said anticipatory sensor system and said additional airbag for inflating said additional airbag when initiated by said anticipatory sensor system.
Claim 25
Independent Claim
162 words
A method for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during an impact between the vehicle and an object, comprising the steps of: detecting an impending impact between the vehicle and the object prior to the impact; determining the probable severity of the impending impact prior to the impact; and inflating an airbag exterior of the vehicle between the vehicle and the object in the event the impending impact is determined to be above a threshold severity, the step of determining the probable severity of the impact comprising the steps of receiving waves or energy from the object and ascertaining the identity of the object based on the received waves or energy by inputting the received waves or energy or data representative of the received waves or energy into a pattern recognition algorithm which ascertains the identity of the object based thereon, the pattern recognition algorithm being trained to provide an output of one of a number of pre-determined identities of the object.
Claim 26
Independent Claim
162 words
A method for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during an impact between the vehicle and an object, comprising the steps of: detecting an impending impact between the vehicle and the object prior to the impact; determining the probable severity of the impending impact prior to the impact; and inflating an airbag exterior of the vehicle between the vehicle and the object in the event the impending impact is determined to be above a threshold severity, the step of determining the probable severity of the impact comprising the steps of receiving waves or energy from the object and ascertaining the identity of the object based on the received waves or energy by inputting the received waves or energy or data representative of the received waves or energy into a pattern recognition algorithm which ascertains the identity of the object based thereon, the pattern recognition algorithm being trained to provide an output of one of a number of pre-determined identities of the object.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 23 , wherein the vehicle has a front, a rear, a left side and a right side, further comprising the step of housing the airbag along one of the right and left sides of the vehicle.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 23 , further comprising the step of housing the airbag in a side door of the vehicle.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 23 , further comprising the step of housing the airbag at a front of the vehicle.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 23 , further comprising the step of housing the airbag at a rear of the vehicle.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 23 , wherein the step of determining the probable severity of the impact further comprises the step of determining at least one property of the object based on the received waves or energy.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 28 , wherein the at least one property is the size of the object.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
42 words
The method of claim 23 , wherein the step of detecting an impending impact comprises the steps of transmitting waves away from the vehicle, receiving the transmitted waves after the waves have been reflected from the object and analyzing the received waves.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
51 words
The method of claim 23 , wherein the step of detecting an impending impact between the vehicle and the object prior to the impact comprises the step of detecting an impending impact between a pedestrian and the vehicle, the airbag being inflated to cushion impact of the pedestrian against the vehicle.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
55 words
The method of claim 23 , further comprising the steps of: arranging additional airbags on the vehicle for deployment outside of the vehicle; and determining which of the airbags is to be deployed to provide for protection of any occupants of the vehicle prior to the impact and inflating those airbags prior to the impact.
Claim 36
Independent Claim
159 words
A method for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during an impact between the vehicle and an object, comprising the steps of: determining that an impact involving the vehicle is about to occur prior to the impact; determining whether the impact requires deployment of an externally mounted airbag arranged to inflate between the vehicle and an object involved in the impact; and inflating the airbag between the vehicle and the object, the step of determining whether the impact requires deployment of the airbag comprises the steps of receiving waves or energy from the object and ascertaining the identity of the object based on the received waves or energy by inputting the received waves or energy or data representative of the received waves or energy into a pattern recognition algorithm which ascertains the identity of the object based thereon, the pattern recognition algorithm being trained to provide an output of one of a number of pre-determined identities of the object.
Claim 37
Independent Claim
159 words
A method for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during an impact between the vehicle and an object, comprising the steps of: determining that an impact involving the vehicle is about to occur prior to the impact; determining whether the impact requires deployment of an externally mounted airbag arranged to inflate between the vehicle and an object involved in the impact; and inflating the airbag between the vehicle and the object, the step of determining whether the impact requires deployment of the airbag comprises the steps of receiving waves or energy from the object and ascertaining the identity of the object based on the received waves or energy by inputting the received waves or energy or data representative of the received waves or energy into a pattern recognition algorithm which ascertains the identity of the object based thereon, the pattern recognition algorithm being trained to provide an output of one of a number of pre-determined identities of the object.
Claim 38
Dependent Claim
40 words
The method of claim 33 , wherein the vehicle has a front, a rear, a left side and a right side, further comprising the step of housing the airbag along one of the right and left sides of the vehicle.
Claim 39
Dependent Claim
21 words
The method of claim 33 , further comprising the step of housing the airbag in a side door of the vehicle.
Claim 40
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 33 , further comprising the step of housing the airbag at a front of the vehicle.
Claim 41
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method of claim 33 , further comprising the step of housing the airbag at a rear of the vehicle.
Claim 42
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method of claim 33 , wherein the step of determining whether the impact requires deployment of the airbag further comprises the step of determining at least one property of the object based on the received waves or energy.
Claim 43
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method of claim 38 , wherein the at least one property is the size of the object.
Claim 44
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method of claim 33 , wherein the step of determining that an impact involving the vehicle is about to occur comprises the steps of transmitting waves away from the vehicle, receiving the transmitted waves after the waves have been reflected from the abject and analyzing the received waves.
Claim 45
Dependent Claim
110 words
A motor vehicle, comprising: a plurality of airbags deployable outside of the vehicle; an anticipatory sensor system for assessing the probable severity of an impact involving the vehicle based on data obtained prior to the impact and initiating inflation of at least one of said airbags in the event an impact above a threshold severity is assessed, said anticipatory sensor system being arranged to determine which of said airbags is to be deployed to provide for protection of any occupants of the vehicle; and an inflator system coupled to said anticipatory sensor system and said airbags for inflating said at least one airbag when initiated by said anticipatory sensor system.
Claim 46
Dependent Claim
110 words
A motor vehicle, comprising: a plurality of airbags deployable outside of the vehicle; an anticipatory sensor system for assessing the probable severity of an impact involving the vehicle based on data obtained prior to the impact and initiating inflation of at least one of said airbags in the event an impact above a threshold severity is assessed, said anticipatory sensor system being arranged to determine which of said airbags is to be deployed to provide for protection of any occupants of the vehicle; and an inflator system coupled to said anticipatory sensor system and said airbags for inflating said at least one airbag when initiated by said anticipatory sensor system.
Claim 47
Dependent Claim
127 words
A motor vehicle, comprising: a plurality of inflatable airbags deployable outside of the vehicle; an anticipatory sensor system for determining that an impact involving the vehicle is about to occur based on data obtained prior to the impact and determining whether the impact requires deployment of at least one of said airbags, said anticipatory sensor system being arranged to determine which of said airbags is to be deployed to provide for protection of any occupants of the vehicle; and an inflator system coupled to said anticipatory sensor system and said airbags for inflating said at least one airbag in response to the determinations by said anticipatory sensor system that an impact involving the vehicle is about to occur and that the impact requires deployment of said airbag.
Claim 48
Dependent Claim
127 words
A motor vehicle, comprising: a plurality of inflatable airbags deployable outside of the vehicle; an anticipatory sensor system for determining that an impact involving the vehicle is about to occur based on data obtained prior to the impact and determining whether the impact requires deployment of at least one of said airbags, said anticipatory sensor system being arranged to determine which of said airbags is to be deployed to provide for protection of any occupants of the vehicle; and an inflator system coupled to said anticipatory sensor system and said airbags for inflating said at least one airbag in response to the determinations by said anticipatory sensor system that an impact involving the vehicle is about to occur and that the impact requires deployment of said airbag.
Claim 49
Independent Claim
117 words
A method for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during an impact between the vehicle and an object, comprising the steps of: arranging a plurality of airbags on the vehicle for deployment outside of the vehicle; detecting an impending impact between the vehicle and the object prior to the impact; determining the probable severity of the impending impact prior to the impact; determining which of the airbags is to be deployed to provide for protection of any occupants of the vehicle prior to the impact; and then inflating those airbags exterior of the vehicle between the vehicle and the object prior to impact in the event the impending impact is determined to be above a threshold severity.
Claim 50
Independent Claim
117 words
A method for protecting an occupant of a vehicle during an impact between the vehicle and an object, comprising the steps of: arranging a plurality of airbags on the vehicle for deployment outside of the vehicle; detecting an impending impact between the vehicle and the object prior to the impact; determining the probable severity of the impending impact prior to the impact; determining which of the airbags is to be deployed to provide for protection of any occupants of the vehicle prior to the impact; and then inflating those airbags exterior of the vehicle between the vehicle and the object prior to impact in the event the impending impact is determined to be above a threshold severity.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2007-06-15 | 2007-12-15 | 2008-06-15 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2011-06-15 | 2011-12-15 | 2012-06-15 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2015-06-15 | 2015-12-15 | 2016-06-15 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |