Abstract: The present invention comprises an external airbag system for mounting on a vehicle (24) that deploys into the region above the bumper (38) to prevent or mitigate injuries that would have otherwise been caused by a person striking the grill (28) or hood area (26) of the vehicle. The airbag (20) is stored in a housing (40) mounted within the front bumper (38) of the vehicle. The airbag (20) is deployed upwardly through an opening (42) in the upper surface of the bumper (38) into the region between the upper surface of the bumper (38) and the front surface of the grill (28) and hood (26). The airbag (20) is generally T-shaped and includes a plurality of internal tethers (30,31) extending internally between the opposing inner surfaces (74) at regular intervals to cause the airbag (20) to be tufted.

Abstract: The present invention comprises an external airbag system for mounting on a vehicle (24) that deploys into the region above the bumper (38) to prevent or mitigate injuries that would have otherwise been caused by a person striking the grill (28) or hood area (26) of the vehicle. The airbag (20) is stored in a housing (40) mounted within the front bumper (38) of the vehicle. The airbag (20) is deployed upwardly through an opening (42) in the upper surface of the bumper (38) into the region between the upper surface of the bumper (38) and the front surface fo the grill (28) and hood (26). The airbag (20) is generally T-shaped and includes a plurality of internal tethers (30,31) extending internally between the opposing inner surfaces (74) at regular intervals to cause the airbag (20) to be tufted.