A vehicle side section structure capable of stabilizing the deployment behavior of an airbag that inflates and deploys from a side door toward a vehicle width direction outer side is obtained. An impact beam is attached to a door inner panel. The impact beam includes a support portion that supports an inflator and that includes a side-wall portion disposed at the vehicle width direction inner side of the inflator. Accordingly, reaction force from the deployment of the airbag is able to be supported by the support portion of the impact beam when the airbag inflates and deploys.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide an automobile. The automobile includes a housing; and a protection device arranged between the housing and a cabin of the automobile; wherein a buffer cushion is formed by at least a part of the protection device, when a collision of the automobile occurs.

An airbag apparatus to be applied to a vehicle includes an airbag, a collision determiner, an airbag deployment controller, and a pulling device. The airbag is configured to be deployed forward of a vehicle body front of the vehicle. The collision determiner is configured to establish a pre-crash determination in a case where a collision probability is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold. The airbag deployment controller is configured to give to an inflator a command to supply deployment gas to the airbag and deploy the airbag, in response to the pre-crash determination. The pulling device is configured to pull, rearward of the vehicle, a collision portion with which a collision object is to collide or vicinity of the collision portion on a front surface of the airbag so as to form a recessed portion configured to restrain the collision object.

A bumper assembly of a vehicle includes a vehicle bumper and a first inflatable device supported by the bumper. The first inflatable device is deployable downwardly from the bumper from an undeployed position to a deployed position. A second inflatable device is supported by the bumper and spaced cross-vehicle from the first inflatable device. The second inflatable device is deployable downwardly from the bumper from an undeployed position to a deployed position. An uninflatable panel is below the bumper 12 and extends from the first inflatable device to the second inflatable device in the deployed position.

A vehicle includes a vehicle bumper and a plurality of airbag assemblies each fixed directly to the vehicle bumper. Each airbag assembly includes an airbag inflatable below the vehicle bumper and upwardly vehicle-forward of the vehicle bumper from an uninflated position to an inflated position. The airbag assemblies are spaced from each other when the airbags are in the uninflated position. An external tether is fixed to two of the airbags and extends along the vehicle bumper from one of the two airbags to the other of the two airbags when the airbags are in the uninflated position.

An airbag apparatus may include: an inflator part installed in a vehicle so as to spray gas; and an airbag cushion part deployed by the gas sprayed by the inflator part. The airbag cushion part may include: a main cushion to which the gas sprayed by the inflator part is introduced; an auxiliary cushion connected to the main cushion and tucked into the main cushion; and an expansion limiting part connecting the main cushion to the tucked-in auxiliary cushion at a preset pressure or less so as to limit expansion of the auxiliary cushion.

A method for protecting an automobile, the method including: detecting one or more conditions indicative of an impending collision; and deploying one or more bumpers on the automobile for absorbing at least some energy of the collision.

A vehicle body transformable front section structure including: a front side member; a crash box that is configured including a tube shaped section having mountain portions and valley portions provided alternately along the vehicle front-rear direction and capable of extending in the vehicle front-rear direction, and that is attached to an end portion at a vehicle front side of the front side member; bumper reinforcement; a collision prediction section; and a gas generator; the tube shaped section being configured including a first wall portion and a second wall portion respectively disposed connected to each other in the vehicle front-rear direction through each of the mountain portions; and a recess being formed on an inner face side of the tube shaped portion in at least one out of the first wall portion or the second wall portion so as to enlarge the surface area of the inner face.

A vehicle body transformable front section structure including: a front side member; a crash box that is configured including a tube shaped section having mountain portions and valley portions provided alternately along the vehicle front-rear direction and capable of extending in the vehicle front-rear direction, and that is attached to an end portion at a vehicle front side of the front side member; bumper reinforcement; a collision prediction section; and a gas generator; the tube shaped section being configured including a first wall portion and a second wall portion respectively disposed connected to each other in the vehicle front-rear direction through each of the mountain portions; and a recess being formed on an inner face side of the tube shaped portion in at least one out of the first wall portion or the second wall portion so as to enlarge the surface area of the inner face.

The present disclosure is directed to a pedestrian protection system that includes a first sensor that generates a first signal indicating a hazard condition in front of a vehicle. The pedestrian protection system may also include an external airbag system that deploys an external airbag outside of the vehicle. In operation, a processor receives the first signal from the first sensor, processes the first signal to detect the hazard condition, and activates the external airbag system in response to the detected hazard condition to protect at least one of a pedestrian and the vehicle.