The present invention relates to an active bolster for pedestrian protection. A vehicle instrument panel has a pedestrian protection zone along a forward side. The instrument panel generally has a low stiffness that avoids impact forces in the pedestrian protection zone greater than a predetermined force. An accessory component mounted on the instrument panel within the protection zone has a stiffness that could generate an impact force above the predetermined force. A cover providing a trim surface of the instrument panel has an annular wall region between inner and outer tear seams which encompass the accessory component. An annular bladder wall joined to the annular wall region forms a substantially toroidal expandable chamber. An inflator is arranged to supply an inflation gas into the expandable chamber during an impact of a pedestrian to tear the tear seams and expand the expandable chamber above the instrument panel body to intercept the pedestrian prior to impacting the accessory component.
Active bolster for pedestrian protection
2015-09-16
Patent
Electronic Resource
English
IPC: | B60R Fahrzeuge, Fahrzeugausstattung oder Fahrzeugteile, soweit nicht anderweitig vorgesehen , VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR |