Whole-body inflatable airbag system with pneumatic lower body garment

Abstract

In one example, a system includes an airbag inflating system, a control system operably coupled to the airbag inflating system, and a pair of pants and/or other lower-body garments that include one or more airbags configured to be removably coupled to the airbag inflating system. The airbag inflating system can be operated manually by the user, and/or automatically based on input from one or more sensors. The airbags may be inflated by a compressed gas, or by a flow of air from a mechanism such as a fan.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system, comprising:
 an airbag inflating system;   a control system operably connected to the airbag inflating system; and   a pair of pants and/or other lower-body garments comprising one or more airbags configured to be removably coupled to the airbag inflating system.   
     
     
         2 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising a backpack to which the airbag inflating system is connected. 
     
     
         3 . The system as recited in  claim 2 , wherein the backpack comprises an airbag removably coupled to the airbag inflating system. 
     
     
         4 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the airbag inflating system comprises a fan which is operable to generate a flow of air to the one or more airbags. 
     
     
         5 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the airbag inflating system comprises a compressed gas cylinder which, in operation, provides a flow of gas to the one or more airbags. 
     
     
         6 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the control system is operable to trigger operation of the airbag inflating system so that the one or more airbags are filled with a gas and/or air by the airbag inflating system. 
     
     
         7 . The system as recited in  claim 6 , wherein the control system is operable to initiate operation of the airbag inflating system in response to direct manual and/or wireless activation by a user. 
     
     
         8 . The system as recited in  claim 6 , wherein the control system is operable to automatically initiate operation of the airbag inflating system in response to input provided by one or more sensors of the control system. 
     
     
         9 . The system as recited in  claim 8 , wherein the one or more sensors comprise any one or more of: a motion sensor; spatial orientation sensor; directional velocity sensor; angular velocity sensor; rotational motion sensor; shock sensor; collision sensor; and, an accelerometer. 
     
     
         10 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the pair of pants or other lower-body garments comprises a plurality of airbags, where one or more of the airbags are configured to be positioned above a knee area of the pants, and one or more of the airbags are positioned to be located below the knee area of the pants on a lateral aspect of a leg of a wearer, and/or one or more of the airbags are configured to be positioned above and/or below a knee of a wearer on a medial side of each leg. 
     
     
         11 . The system as recited in  claim 3 , wherein the one or more airbags of the pants or other lower-body garments are configured to be inflated simultaneously with inflation of the airbag in the backpack. 
     
     
         12 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the one or more airbags in the pants or other lower-body garments have an inflated configuration that extends partway around a lower extremities of the user and front and back lower torso when the user is wearing the pants or other lower-body garments. 
     
     
         13 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising an upper-body garment including one or more airbags configured to be removably coupled to the airbag inflating system. 
     
     
         14 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , wherein the pants or other lower-body garment are integrated together with an upper-body garment in the form of a single-piece suit including one or more airbags configured to be removably coupled to the airbag inflating system. 
     
     
         15 . The system as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising an upper-body garment within which the airbag inflating system is integrated. 
     
     
         16 . A system, comprising:
 an airbag inflating system that is operable to supply a flow of gas or air;   a control system operably connected to the airbag inflating system and operable to control the flow of gas supplied by the airbag inflating system; and   a pair of lower-body garments comprising compartments within which respective airbags are disposed, and the airbags are configured to be removably coupled to the airbag inflating system, and the one or more airbags in the lower-body garments have an inflated configuration that extends partway around a lower extremities and lower torso of the user when the user is wearing the lower-body garments.   
     
     
         17 . The system as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the control system is configured to trigger the airbag inflating system so that the airbag inflating system supplies the flow of gas to the airbags, and the control system is configured to be operated manually by a user and/or automatically activated in response to input provided by one or more sensors of the control system. 
     
     
         18 . The system as recited in  claim 16 , further comprising an additional airbag that is removably attachable to a backpack or contained within and arranged so that deployment of the additional airbag causes the additional airbag to cover a portion of a lower torso and lower extremities of a user. 
     
     
         19 . The system as recited in  claim 16 , wherein the lower body garments comprise pants. 
     
     
         20 . The system as recited in  claim 16 , further comprising a backpack that includes a compartment within which an airbag(s) is disposed, and the airbag(s) in the compartment of the backpack is removably coupled to the airbag inflating system.