GM Patents Exterior Airbag; Pop-Up Headlights Set for Triumphant Return?
by
Matthew Guy
Published: December 12th, 2017
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Resident internet sleuth Bozi Tatarevic has unearthed an interesting patent granted to General Motors last week. Described as a “ Fender Located Pedestrian Airbag,” it is intended to provide protection to a pedestrian hit by the front area of a vehicle.Given that pedestrian safety standards are often cited as the reason for the pop-up headlamp’s demise, one can only assume that the units are poised for a glorious comeback on the next Corvette. No? Damn.
Referring to a number of the patent illustrations, a number of variations on this theme would see a pedestrian protection airbag module located in the fender region, laterally adjacent and below a vehicle’s hood but ahead of the driver’s door. Other examples describe an airbag deploying above the grille without lifting up the hood.One would think there’s a myriad of engineering issues to overcome with this concept, not the least of which are the extreme conditions these units will face being housed outside the passenger cabin. Sure, the airbags inside a car are often subjected to extreme heat and cold, but units outside the car will also have to contend with road hazards and rigors of a daily commute.The patent does address the issue of the deployment door sticking after being exposed to foul weather conditions. It goes on to talk about water diversion systems to keep the expensive electronics dry and in good working order. Sounds potentially like an awful lot of Rube Goldberg parts, then.
Still, it is an interesting concept. A line in the patent document goes on to say that a “discrete deployment door” could be integrated into a window trim ring or – HERE IT IS – integrated into the headlamp area as part of the lamp or surrounding trim.I know pop-ups aren’t making a return, even if some of the designs shown in this patent do make it into production vehicles.[Images: General Motors, U.S. Patent and Trademark Office]
Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.
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Pedestrian safety standards ..... do they exist in North America? I was under the impression that they did not, but with so many cars being 'international' cars, we end up getting stuck with the ugly design ramifications regardless.
I'm here to go on record as saying I hate pop-up headlights. The 3rd gen Accord, for example, looks so much better in the fixed-headlight European spec. (For those that haven't seen it, its very similar to the 88-91 Civic.) The only car I thought looked good with hidden headlights was the first gen Mercury Cougar. The rest, be they pop-up variety or otherwise, no thanks. The car looks blank with them hidden (like a person walking around with their eyes closed), and odd/awkward with them exposed. The car just never looks "right" to me. To each, their own.