Ford Motor Company has filed a patent for a seatback supported airbag system, Ford Authority has learned.
The patent was filed on July 12th, 2021, published on August 30th, 2022, and assigned serial number 11427150.
The Ford Authority Take
Ford has filed a rather large number of airbag-related patents in recent months, including one for a full seatback airbag system, a movable roof supported airbag system, an instrument panel mounted driver airbag, a seat bottom mounted airbag that protects pets, a side airbag with adaptive positioning, a seat bottom-mounted airbag system, and a seat assembly with a pivotable armrest and airbag. Now, that collection continues to grow with this new Ford patent, which outlines an idea for a seatback supported airbag system.
This new Ford patent shows off a new type of system that consists of two different airbags placed in the seatback inside a vehicle. When inflated, the airbag could wrap itself around the seat’s occupant completely, protecting them from injury in the event of a crash. As the patent points out, this particular type of airbag system would be particularly useful in an autonomous vehicle where the seat is able to swivel around, a scenario in which a traditional airbag wouldn’t be very effective.
While Ford has filed a dizzying array of airbag patents in recent months, this particular idea seems rather useful, particularly in self-driving vehicles. It’s clear that the automaker is placing a big emphasis on improving safety as it ventures into the realm of increasing autonomy in vehicles, which is sure to be a hot topic in the coming years, especially among those that aren’t completely sold on the technology.
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