Ford and TRW Automotive collaborate for innovative five-row side-curtain airbag

The automotive industry’s first five-row side-curtain airbag, developed by Ford and TRW Automotive, has debuted in the all-new Ford Transit 15-passenger wagon in the US and Canada. Part of the Ford Safety Canopy System, this jumbo airbag is designed to help provide enhanced head and neck protection in rollover and side-impact crashes.

“The Transit wagon’s five-row side-curtain airbag is a great technological innovation that allows us to provide a high level of protection to multiple passengers in one of Ford’s largest vehicles,” said Sean West, Ford restraints manager. “We are proud to build on our safety leadership.”

The airbag measures close to 15 feet long and 3 feet tall with a volume of 120 litres. By comparison, a side-curtain airbag for a sedan like the Ford Fusion is approximately 6.8 feet long and 2 feet tall with a volume of 42 litres.

In a crash situation, a series of sensors detects the impact and triggers two of the industry’s largest inflators to fill the entire airbag with stored gas in a fraction of a second. The inflators fill the bag in a pattern engineered to manage the direction of bag deployment and control cushion thickness throughout the length of the bag. The airbag is made of a coated, polyester-based fabric that holds the gas, so the bag remains inflated for several seconds.

The single-bag design – in conjunction with tethering and the vehicle’s B-, C- and D-pillars – helps keep the curtain supported when deployed.

Ford developed the five-row side-curtain airbag in cooperation with TRW Automotive, a global supplier of active and passive safety systems. “This airbag technology is unique in its purpose, which is to help provide protection across five rows of passengers in a cabin that is more spacious than the more traditional light-duty vehicle,” said Norbert Kagerer, vice- president, Occupant Safety Systems Engineering for TRW Automotive. “The stringent customer and industry regulatory requirements for airbags called for developing a system that provides appropriate occupant protection in a smart package.”