Ford Motor Co. has introduced an airbag restraint design that provides inflatable restraint protection in a smaller, lighter package.

The new design will make its debut on the 2015 Ford Mustang. It is being introduced as part of what Ford says is a standard comprehensive safety system that includes a more robust package of sensors, safety belt anchor pretensioners and improved exterior lighting. The move doubles the number of airbags on the Mustang.

In the initial application of this technology, an inflatable plastic bladder is integrated into the glove box door and provides front passenger with knee protection similar to a conventional knee airbag mounted under the instrument panel.

Other applications for this technology – which allows airbags to be placed in new locations inside the vehicle and offers more freedom to vehicle designers – are being considered.

Differeing from the traditional fabric airbag, the new system consists of a pliable, injection-molded plastic bladder sandwiched between the inner and outer glove box door panels.

After an applicable vehicle impact is detected by the crash sensor system and classified, an inflator fills the bladder, extending the entire glove box outer door panel toward the front passenger’s legs. On deployment, the outer door helps to provide cushioning in a manner similar to a traditional knee airbag.

The resulting design is 65% lighter with an inflator that is approximately 75% smaller than a conventional knee airbag inflator, Ford says. The system provides comparable protection to the passenger, the automaker says.

The improved packaging of the system is more discreet, with no visible seams or airbag cover. This has given designers flexibility to move the dashboard closer to the windshield, enhancing the feeling of roominess in the cabin, the statement added.

Ford has been granted 15 U.S. patents in the development of the new Mustang passenger knee airbag, with more patents filed.

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