Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a seat assembly with a pivotable armrest and airbag, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on November 10th, 2020, published on February 22nd, 2022, and assigned serial number 11254248B1.
The Ford Authority Take
Ford has filed a flurry of airbag-related patents in recent months, including an externally-mounted system for rollover accidents and airbags for removable Ford Bronco doors, as well as one that depicts an autonomous vehicle with a retractable table. This latest Ford patent also involves the use of an airbag, but in this case, it’s contained within a seat that has a very interesting pivoting armrest that could be useful for a number of reasons.
The airbag in this patent is mounted into the inboard position of the seat, as well as the outboard portion, the former of which is rather unique. The idea is to protect the hip and torso area of occupants as well as provide a barrier between people and the door of the vehicle. Meanwhile, the armrest is also designed to absorb energy from a crash in the event that an occupant strikes it. The armrest can also pivot away from occupants in the event of a crash, preventing it from causing any injury as well.
This Ford patent aims to take seat-mounted airbags to an entirely new level in a variety of ways, all in the name of improving vehicle safety. It isn’t radically different from what is present in many new vehicles today but does provide yet another opportunity to protect passengers in the event of an accident, without having to give up basic creature comforts at the same time.
We’ll have more on this and all Ford patents soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford trademark news, Ford business news, and 24/7 Ford news coverage.
Comments
I ordered the rear seat belt airbag system option with my 2018 F150. My grandkids sit in the back so I thought the extra protection was important. And it was not that expensive. Apparently not many folks felt like me as the option was dropped by 2021.
I have a simple question. If ADAS/AV features like AEB (automatic emergency braking) and Lane Keeping are suppose to greatly reduce the occurrences of accidents, then why spend more company and consumer resources on protection devices during an accident.