Patent ID: 8459696

Claim:
A system for incorporation into a vehicle to protect one or more occupants from direct contact with an overhead glass component of the vehicle, the system comprising: a protective structure having— a stowed condition in which the protective structure does not significantly obstruct the overhead glass, and a deployed condition in which the protective structure is substantially interposed between the overhead glass and the heads of the one or more occupants of the vehicle; and a deployment device operable to move the protective structure from the stowed condition to the deployed condition, the deployment device including a trigger operable to initiate movement of the protective structure, and the trigger including an active material operable to change shape in response to an actuation signal, wherein the change in shape initiates movement of the protective structure, wherein the deployment device includes one or more arms operable to move between a folded configuration in which the protective structure is in the stowed position, and an open configuration in which the protective structure is in the deployed position.