Hyundai Affiliate Announces Panorama-Sunroof Airbag

Hyundai Mobis announces it has successfully developed the world’s first panorama-sunroof airbag system.

The airbag prevents a passenger’s body from being thrown out of the car through the sunroof in a rollover accident, Hyundai Mobis, the parts-making subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group, says in a news release.

Hyundai Mobis completed road and reliability tests this month, including heat- and vibration-resistance tests, and it has secured mass-production technology. The panorama sunroof airbag has not previously been applied to mass-produced vehicles, the company says, noting this is the first time it has acquired a mass-production airbag technology ahead of its competitors.

‟We announced this technology at a global automotive safety conference held in the U.S. in June, and attracted the attention of major instituitions related to road-safety and industry officials in the U.S.,ˮ an unnamned Hyundai Mobis official says. ‟We will focus on premium SUV models and become a global leader in advanced airbags.ˮ

The panorama sunroof airbag is installed inside the sunroof and is deployed forward from the rear of the vehicle. It resembles the curtain airbag that is deployed alongside the windows of the vehicle in a broadside collision,. If the turning angle of the vehicle is changed due to a rollover, a sensor detects it and the inflator deploys the airbag. The airbag cushion protects passengers by inflating and covering the vehicle’s entire roof surface in only .08 seconds, Hyundai Mobis says.

In a road test using unbelted dummies, the airbag when deployed prevented the passenger from being ejected from the car and cushioned the impact on the head. Serious injuries likely to result in the death of the passenger were reduced to minor injuries, the parts supplier says.

If the car overturns when the sunroof is closed, the airbag – for which 11 patents are pending – deploys between the sunroof glass and the sun shield.

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