DETROIT, March 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Siemens VDO Automotive is this
week presenting the advantages of passenger side airbags utilizing satellite
pressure sensors to detect side-impact collisions. This topic is among eight
Siemens VDO Automotive technical presentations being delivered during the
Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) World Congress being held March 3-6, at
Cobo Hall in Detroit, Mich.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20021029/SILOGO )
Air bag sensors used in side-impact systems must meet tougher sensing and
deployment requirements than those known for frontal impact sensors. Not only
is a clear distinction necessary between deploy and no-deploy/misuse events,
but in the case of severe side collisions, the decision to deploy the side air
bag is required to be calculated within five milliseconds.
Passive side-impact protection has become available on a wide range of
vehicle classes, resulting in the need for enhanced side-impact sensors to
cope with difficult sensing and deployment requirements.
For example, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards and Regulations
(FMVSS) 201 has proposed vehicle manufacturer specifications like the side-
pole crashes while the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has
specified for the high bumper/hood Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV)-type impact.
Though side collisions only account for a small percentage of all accidents,
they can result in significant injury.
In a side-impact situation, reliable, faster sensing becomes more
difficult than in frontal crashes.
An existing solution to these demands is Siemens VDO Automotive's advanced
crash sensor system that combines acceleration sensors and dynamic-pressure
sensors. This multi-point sensing system, with centralized signal evaluation,
utilizes available crash sensor information and employs a combination of
sensors designed to measure different physical characteristics of an impact
event.
Designed to trigger the deployment of a side air bag in under five
milliseconds, the Siemens VDO Automotive sensor is up to three times faster
than acceleration-based sensor technology for impacts to the vehicle's doors.
This is a critical advantage during side impact crashes.
Located inside the vehicle door cavity, the Siemens VDO Automotive
pressure sensor monitors dynamic air pressure changes within the cavity. With
packaging requirements less rigid than that of accelerometer-based sensors,
the patented pressure sensor is designed for easy installation into any
doorframe.
Over nine million Siemens VDO Automotive crash pressure sensors currently
are on the road in various passenger vehicles. The sensor is proven for
withstanding the daily wear and tear of being packaged in a vehicle's door.
The Siemens VDO Automotive side-impact sensor contains a microchip that
allows for communication with any safety supplier's airbag electronic control
unit. OEMs can have the flexibility of using this sensor on any of their
vehicles.
Siemens VDO Automotive is a tier-one supplier of automotive
electronic/electrical systems and components with applications covering
gasoline and diesel powertrain technologies, safety and chassis systems, body
electronics, plus interior products including infotainment systems. Worldwide
sales reflecting fiscal year 2001/2002 totaled $8.5 billion. For more
information: http://www.usa.siemensvdo.com .
Siemens AG (NYSE: SI), headquartered in Munich, is a leading global
electronics and engineering company. It employs 426,000 people in 192
countries and reported worldwide sales of $77.8 billion in fiscal 2002
(10/1/01 - 9/30/02). The United States is Siemens' largest market in the
world, with sales of $21.5 billion in fiscal 2002 and approximately 70,000
employees in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Corporate headquarters for
Siemens' U.S. businesses are located in New York City. For more information:
http://www.usa.siemens.com .
SOURCE Siemens VDO Automotive
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Photo Notes:
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20021029/SILOGO
PRN Photo Desk, +1-888-776-6555 or +1-212-782-2840
Related links:
http://www.usa.siemensvdo.com
CONTACT:
David Ladd of Siemens VDO Automotive,
+1-248-209-5822, david.ladd@siemens.com
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