A roof airbag for vehicles is proposed. The roof airbag includes: a main chamber configured to be deployed as gas is introduced therein through a diffuser; an overlap chamber into which the gas is introduced and configured to be deployed into a shape that overlaps the main chamber around the diffuser; and a support chamber into which the gas is introduced and configured to be deployed while overlapping a roof frame.

An assembly for a vehicle includes a vehicle body having an opening. The assembly includes a track supported by the vehicle body. The track extends along the opening. The assembly includes an airbag supported by the vehicle body. The airbag is slidably engaged with the track. The airbag is inflatable across the opening and along the track to an inflated position. The assembly includes a pyrotechnic device supported by the vehicle body and connected to the airbag. The airbag is slidable along the track by the pyrotechnic device to the inflated position.

A vehicle includes a bulkhead. The vehicle includes an airbag supported by the bulkhead and inflatable to an inflated position. The airbag in the inflated position includes a main chamber and a pair of side chambers that extend transversely from the main chamber. The vehicle includes a seat having a seatback and a seat bottom that extends from the seatback in a direction away from the bulkhead. The seatback is between the side chambers in the inflated position.

A closed or sealed airbag system is described in which a semi-rigid, resilient force distribution plate is positioned proximate a pair of relatively flat inflatable airbags. Once inflated, the airbags retain the gas/fluid provided thereto, while the plate serves to redistribute a point of impact on the system across the entirety of the air bags so as to significantly reduce impact forces that otherwise would have been sustained by the object/person causing the initial point of impact. The airbags and plate are specifically engineered with features to distribute and dissipate force across their entire surface area, resulting in distributed deceleration of point load forces. Additional airbags and plates can be incorporated, including outer most plates on the outer facings of the system.

A rooftop airbag apparatus including: a first cushion deployed along a ceiling of a vehicle body; a second cushion connected to the first cushion and deployed toward a bottom of the vehicle body; and a third cushion connected to the second cushion and deployed in a widthwise direction of the vehicle body.

A roof mounted airbag is proposed. The roof mounted airbag includes: an airbag cushion having an upper portion fixed to a roof of a vehicle and configured to be expanded downward when gas is supplied therein; a vent hole formed on the airbag cushion, and configured to discharge the gas in the airbag cushion to the outside of the airbag cushion during opening of the vent hole; and a closing tether having a first end fixed to the roof of the vehicle, and a second end connected to the vent hole to close the vent hole when tension is applied thereto.

The present invention provides a roof airbag for a vehicle, the roof airbag including an airbag cushion mounted on a roof panel of a vehicle and configured to deploy downward from the roof panel to a location between front and rear passengers seated while facing one another, a front tether configured to surround an outer portion of the airbag cushion and having one end connected to a front side of the airbag cushion and the other end connected to the airbag cushion, and a rear tether configured to surround the outer portion of the airbag cushion and having one end connected to a rear side of the airbag cushion and the other end connected to the airbag cushion, in which the front and rear tethers surround the outer portion of the airbag cushion while intersecting each other.

A restraint system (10) for helping to protect an occupant (60) of a vehicle (20) having a roof (32) and a cabin (40) with a seat (50) for the occupant (60) includes an airbag (120) having a stored condition within the roof (32) and being inflatable to a deployed condition extending into the cabin (40) aligned with the seat (50). A tether (140) includes a first end (142) connected to the airbag (120) and a second end (144) connected to the vehicle (20). Tear stitching (170) interconnects overlying portions (152, 154) of the tether (140). The tear stitching (170) is rupturable in response to occupant (60) penetration into the deployed airbag (120) to permit the interconnected overlying portions (151, 154) to move relative to one another such that the tether (140) lengthens.

A vehicle includes a roof and an airbag supported by the roof. The airbag is inflatable downwardly from the roof to an inflated position surrounding a seatback. The airbag has non-inflatable panels and inflatable chambers in alternating arrangement around the seatback in the inflated position. A widest one of the non-inflatable panels is adjacent the back of the seatback in the inflated position. The widest one of the non-inflatable panels is wider in a horizontal plane that the other non-inflatable panels.

An occupant protection system for a vehicle may include an expandable curtain and/or an expandable bladder configured to be expanded from a stowed state to a deployed state. In the deployed state, the expandable curtain may include first and second sides configured to extend along respective portions of first and second interior sides of the vehicle. The expandable curtain may also include a transverse portion extending between the first and second sides, and the first and second sides, and the transverse portion of the expandable curtain may form a contiguous barrier. The expandable bladder when deployed may be supported by the expandable curtain during contact by an occupant. The occupant protection system may also include a deployment control system configured to cause the expandable curtain and/or the expandable bladder to expand to the deployed state. The occupant protection system may be used in vehicles having a carriage-style seating arrangement.