Pilot and prototype designs of a door-mounted air bag system for occupant protection in side impact have been assembled and tested. The primary goal of the designs was to take advantage of the improved space utilization offered by the air bag when combined with the padding and structural benefits that are contemplated for torso injury. Another important goal of the project was the demonstration of the head-protection potential of such a system, attempting to interpose a pad between the head and side structures and intruding objects likely to cause impact injury.

The pilot design was subjected to a test program, providing a preliminary evaluation of a system which incorporates both head and torso protection in a single air bag system. The pilot design showed sufficient promise that a preliminary prototype design program was undertaken.

Full-scale crash tests of recent production 4-door sedans were conducted to establish baseline performance over a range of side-impact conditions. Design objectives were analyzed and subsystem performance goals were established and proven by component testing. The prototype system incorporated two kinds of sensor switches, a production steering wheel air bag inflator module, a large, flat, tethered air bag, and a fabric air bag cover, all mounted in a modified production door. The complete prototype system was evaluated in laboratory tests and full-scale crash tests, including FMVSS 214 crabbed moving deformable barrier (CMDB) tests employing the DOT/SID side-impact dummy. A very satisfactory performance was achieved, as demonstrated by comparison of dummy indices measured in baseline and air bag-equipped vehicles in full-scale crash tests. This paper outlines the designs and system configurations and discusses the results of the pilot and preliminary design test series.