Advanced Technology Restraint Systems
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•  Introduction
• What are 'advanced technology restraints'?
• Advanced technology restraints in your future vehicle
•  Electronic Sensing
• Side Impact Airbags

Airbags were first introduced into American automobiles in the early 1970's in limited numbers. Driver airbags became standard in many vehicles beginning in 1990. Beginning with the 1999 models, driver and passenger-side airbags have been standard equipment on all new passenger cars, sport utility vehicles, vans, and light trucks sold in this country. Airbag automobile safety systems now include thorax, side impact, and inflatable curtain airbags as well as seatbelt load limiting and pretensioners.

Airbags and safety belts in combination are important components of the total occupant protection system found in today's motor vehicles. While seat belt protection is provided to all passengers who buckle up, airbags are specifically designed for the crash event. For example, frontal airbags provide protection to driver and front seat passenger in frontal collisions while side airbags and side curtains are designed to protect in the event of a side-impact or rollover crash.  Airbags and seatbelts are designed to work together to provide maximum protection to an occupant who is buckled up.

New safety regulations designed to provide increased protection and reduce risk of injury to small-stature adults and out-of-position adults and children required the automotive occupant restraints industry to turn to new and sophisticated advanced technologies to determine if an occupant is buckled up or out of position and if a child is in the front passenger seat.

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WHAT ARE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY RESTRAINT SYSTEMS?

Advanced technology occupant restraints are sophisticated systems that monitor and analyze such factors as the severity of a motor vehicle crash and pre-crash circumstances of both the vehicle and its occupants. This information provides input to onboard microprocessors which optimize restraint performance. Manufacturers and suppliers of occupant restraints are committing millions of dollars for extensive research and development to bring to American motorists advanced technology restraint systems that can increase protection for occupants involved in motor vehicle crashes.

Adding to occupant safety are the safety belt energy management devices such as belt pretensioners and belt load limiters. Together, these advanced airbags and seat belts further enhance crash protection for belted and unbelted occupants. Advanced technology restraints are part of a total system that consists of much more than airbags and seat belts. Central to this system is a family of specialized electronic sensors that tailor the restraint system's performance in the event of a traffic crash.

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ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY RESTRAINTS IN YOUR FUTURE VEHICLE

Some vehicles already have advanced technology restraints, including depowered airbags (airbags with lower or decreased deployment force), advanced airbags, side impact airbags and seat belt pretensioners. Federal regulations mandated that vehicle manufacturers phase in advanced airbag systems beginning with model year 2004 and complete the phase-in with model year 2007.

These advanced restraints will:

1. Comply with future government regulations;
2. Reduce risk for children and out-of-position occupants;
3. Enhance protection for belted occupants; and
4. Provide added benefits to unbelted occupants.

Depending on a vehicle's structure and/or crash response, each automobile manufacturer can enhance occupant protection by selecting from a menu of advanced restraint components.

A wide array of advanced technology devices and techniques has been developed by the occupant restraint industry that will be introduced into production motor vehicles.

These include:

* Multi-stage inflators
* Advanced occupant sensors
* Advanced crash severity sensors
* Passenger presence sensors
* Energy-absorbing seat belts
* Electronic seat belt switches
* Pretensioning seat belts

AORC member companies are meeting federal government regulation mandates on advanced airbags. Paramount is the restraint system performance, reliability and durability. Most important is the continuous improvement in motor vehicle safety on highways around the world.

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ELECTRONIC SENSING - KEY TO SAFER OCCUPANT RESTRAINTS Most current and future motor vehicles will have several sets of electronic sensors, each with specific roles in occupant protection. For instance, crash severity sensors will signal advanced airbag inflators to deploy bags at a rate appropriate to the crash; not all crashes need an airbag's full-force deployment to provide protection. Sensors located in the passenger seat could detect if a child is seated there and may not deploy the airbag at all. Special sensors will detect the presence of an occupant; if their safety belt is in use; their weight category and whether or not they are in proper position to receive maximum benefit from an airbag. Based on these data, the bag's deployment force will be altered to meet those circumstances. Back to top.

SIDE IMPACT AIRBAGS

The basic function of distributing forces over the occupant is the same for side impact airbags and frontal impact airbags; the method to accomplish the function is very different. A side impact airbag is smaller than a frontal airbag. Because of their smaller "crumple zone" (the area of the vehicle body absorbing the crash impact) side airbags are triggered more rapidly than frontal airbags. The side impact crash takes place in a shorter period of time with less crumple zone and occupant movement relative to the interior of the vehicle.

There are three types of side airbags offering various levels of protection. One is mounted in the door and deploys toward the occupant. Another type is mounted in the seat and deploys toward the door and upward. The third type is mounted in the roof rail and deploys downward. Side airbags can be designed to protect single or multiple areas including the chest, the hips, or the head and neck. Side airbags and side curtains can be particularly effective in reducing head injury in side impact collisions and preventing occupant ejection in rollovers.

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