Now There's Even An Airbag For Your Sunroof
Deploys in 0.08 second in case of a rollover crash.
Khodrocar - In the never-ending quest to make cars as safe as possible, automakers are installing ever more airbags through vehicle interiors. There is, however, somewhere you’ve never seen an airbag before: the roof.
Supplier Hyundai Mobis is introducing what it says is the first-ever airbag designed for panoramic sunroofs. The goal is to prevent passengers from being ejected out of the roofs in rollover crashes. The new airbag is similar to the side-curtain airbags already in use on many cars. It deploys from the back of the sunroof forward, covering the glass area, in just 0.08 second.
Of course, the company notes that developing this airbag posed different technical challenges than installing airbags in other places. It must work if the sunroof is open or closed, for instance, and must fit in the already-tight confines of the roof. Hyundai Mobis says it has 11 patents on this technology.
Supplier Hyundai Mobis is introducing what it says is the first-ever airbag designed for panoramic sunroofs. The goal is to prevent passengers from being ejected out of the roofs in rollover crashes. The new airbag is similar to the side-curtain airbags already in use on many cars. It deploys from the back of the sunroof forward, covering the glass area, in just 0.08 second.
Of course, the company notes that developing this airbag posed different technical challenges than installing airbags in other places. It must work if the sunroof is open or closed, for instance, and must fit in the already-tight confines of the roof. Hyundai Mobis says it has 11 patents on this technology.
The airbag is aimed to luxury SUVs, though the automaker says it has, "attracted the attention of major institutions related to road safety and industry officials in the U.S.”
The news comes on the heels of a report about occupant injuries from panoramic sunroofs that spontaneously shattered. Consumer Reports says there have been at least 859 reported cases of the problem since 1995. However, the Hyundai Mobis airbag is not intended to address this issue.
Still, the market for panoramic sunroof technologies is expected to grow as more and more car companies install big expanses of glass in new models. In fact, Hyundai Mobis says it expects the sales of them to grow 11 percent annually from now through 22 percent – meaning there’s a big potential market for this airbag.
The sunroof is not the only novel location automakers may place airbags. Porsche has patented an A-pillar-mounted one for convertibles, Ford has considered tray tables with airbags for autonomous cars, and Mercedes-Benz patented an external one to protect pedestrians.
As the name might suggest, Hyundai Mobis is related to the automaker of the same name. The supplier is part of Hyundai Motor Group; established in 1977, it claims to have been the sixth-largest OEM parts supplier in 2015.
The sunroof is not the only novel location automakers may place airbags. Porsche has patented an A-pillar-mounted one for convertibles, Ford has considered tray tables with airbags for autonomous cars, and Mercedes-Benz patented an external one to protect pedestrians.
As the name might suggest, Hyundai Mobis is related to the automaker of the same name. The supplier is part of Hyundai Motor Group; established in 1977, it claims to have been the sixth-largest OEM parts supplier in 2015.
Source: Motor1.com
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