The introduction of seat belts and airbags has contributed significantly to a substantial reduction in traffic fatalities and injuries in Western countries over the past 30 years despite an increase in vehicles on the roads and more crashes. We are committed to driving this reduction even further by investing in R&D projects, both in passive and active safety systems.
Side-Support Airbag (SSA)
To provide additional protection in far-side collisions (i.e. the side opposite
the occupant), Autoliv has designed a new airbag. It is mounted on the inner-side
of the backrest and inflates to three liters at the height of the occupant's
upper arm to hold the occupant in an upright position. This reduces significantly
the risk that the occupant's head will hit the intruding car side, which can
be fatal.
The SSA can be combined with Autoliv's new 3+2-point seat belt system,
which consists of a two-point belt running diagonally across the regular three-point
belt.
In severe frontal crashes, the additional belt could reduce the
risk for life-threatening injuries by 30% compared to a regular three-point
system.
In far-side collisions, the two systems have - in laboratory tests
- eliminated completely the risk of fatalities, and reduced the risk in rollovers
by almost 100%, provided that the roof of the vehicle does not collapse.
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New Airbag and Seat Belt Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden listens intently to a description of Autoliv's new Side-Support Airbag (SSA) and new 3+2-point belt system during her visit to Autoliv's main facilities in Sweden in 2003. |
Pre-Crash Dipping Nose
High-profile light-duty trucks, such as pick-ups and other Sport Utility Vehicles
(SUVs), could be especially dangerous for occupants in passenger cars, because
these vehicles hit the passenger car above the door sill and other parts of
the car's energy-absorbing structure. As a consequence, the risk of fatality
to an occupant in a passenger car is four times greater if the striking vehicle
is a pick-up or a SUV rather than another passenger car.
To address this problem, Autoliv is developing a Pre-Crash Dipping
Nose that employs our Pre-Crash Radar to detect an inevitable crash
three-tenths of a second before the crash. This short time is enough to release
the air of the frontal suspension bellows in order to lower the SUV's front
end by approximately 6 inches (15 centimeters) to make the vehicles geometrically
compatible with each other. This does not affect the steering, braking or traction
of the SUV.
After the crash, the valves of the air suspension bellows are closed
again and the SUV automatically resumes its original height in less than 20
seconds.
The Pre-Crash Radar could also be used to trigger passive systems
such as Autoliv's pre-pretensioning system the Active Seat Belt to mitigate
the consequences of the crash.
In addition, the radar has the potential to be used for active safety
functions such as automatic triggering of brake-assistance systems or even emergency
braking of the vehicle.
Pre-Crash Dipping Nose By using radar and controlling the suspension
systems of high-profile vehicles, the front end of SUV's can be lowered to the
level of a passenger car in the event of a crash, giving the occupants in the
passenger car a four-times better chance of surviving. The SUV then automatically
resumes its original height in less than 20 seconds.
