With the upgrading of autonomous driving technology, many new cars have L2 or even L3 level of automatic driving, but in the process of using automatic driving, because the vehicle is not completely controlled by the driver, consumers are more concerned about the safety of use. Based on this concern, ZF has released three airbag products that can be used in autonomous vehicles.
In general, automobile safety is divided into active safety and passive safety, active safety: refers to the risk monitoring and early warning before the accident to assist the driver to drive safely, so as to prevent the occurrence of accidents. Passive safety: refers to safety equipment used to protect drivers and passengers at the time of or after an accident to minimize accident injuries.
Active safety includes braking related, such as ABS anti-lock braking system: when braking urgently, so that the vehicle does not lose control due to locking, can maintain steering ability; EBD electronic braking force distribution system: ABS auxiliary function, the corresponding braking force is assigned to each wheel to avoid risks such as skidding and rollover; ESP electronic stability system: active intervention in the danger signal to achieve smooth driving of the vehicle, effectively preventing the car from losing control; TCS traction control system: to prevent the driving wheel slippage phenomenon when starting to accelerate, Maintain the stability of the vehicle's driving direction; TPMS tire pressure detection system: real-time monitoring of tire pressure, and alarm of tire leakage and low air pressure;
There are also systems that actively control vehicle trajectories, including ACC Adaptive Cruise Control: monitoring the speed of the vehicle in front, determining the distance, orientation and relative speed of the vehicle in front, adjusting the current speed by coordinating the steering wheel and brakes to maintain a safe distance; lane departure warning system: When the car is detected to deviate from the lane, the controller will issue an alarm signal to the driver.
Passive safety is a plan to passively reduce losses after the accident, such as body structure: high-strength steel frame structure, strong cockpit, in the event of an accident to strive for effective living space for personnel; airbags: when seriously impacted on the front or side, the airbags rapidly expand to cushion the driver and the internal components; seat belts: constrain the displacement and cushioning of the driver and occupants when the speed changes rapidly.
This time ZF released a passive safety airbag, known as ZF is a transmission provider, but this company actually has a lot of automotive-related business. For example, they showed three new airbags: pre-collision external airbags, distal airbags and lightweight knee airbags.
The pre-crash external airbag is mounted on the side of the vehicle and is activated when sensors on the side detect a vehicle approaching quickly on the side of the vehicle while the vehicle is moving and it cannot stop itself, a process that takes only a few milliseconds. When such airbags are ejected, a buffer zone is formed between the two vehicles, and officials say the product can reduce the impact force in a side collision accident by 40%.
The distal airbag is designed to alleviate the injury to the head and other parts of the body, and in the event of a collision, the airbag will be deployed from the middle position of the passenger in the car to prevent rebound after the collision. The lightweight knee airbag is different from the airbag on the current model, and its outer cover is made of fiber, which is much smaller than the traditional airbag in size and weight. Due to its small size, it can also meet the diverse interior styles of future cars.