Roof-mounted airbags must be Ford-patented | Rare Techy

The new roof-mounted airbags are said to be designed to work for all kinds of vehicles

Ford has reportedly filed a patent application for roof-mounted airbags.

As the name suggests, airbags deploy from the top of the vehicle, adding an extra layer of crash protection. The patent application was reportedly filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in April 2021 and published on October 13, 2022.

According to images in the patent application, the airbags are mounted in ring-shaped housings above each seat. However, as you can see from these pictures, the “airbags” are slightly different from the usual ones used in other vehicles. Ford’s patent drawings show an egg-shaped element with inflatable cylinders that surround each occupant and absorb the impact during a crash.

The new roof-mounted airbags are said to work for all kinds of vehicles, including sedans, coupes, SUVs, minivans and pickups. It can also be used on commercial vehicles. However, given the design of the airbags, it seems more suited to body types with a lot of headroom. Some of the drawings depicted two rows of seats facing each other, showing its use in an autonomous vehicle as well.

However, it is not yet confirmed whether roof-mounted airbags will make it to production cars, as a patent application does not always guarantee market access.

Source: CarBuzz