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Seen this while browsing the car manufacturers are coming up with some serious crash protection and avoidence systems ...
Top 10 Safety Features for the Future
Stability Control[glow=red,2,300][/glow]
Studies suggest that passenger cars with electronic stability control (ESC) are engaged in 35 percent fewer single-vehicle crashes than the same models without ESC. By 2003, ESC was on about 7.3 percent of light vehicles (cars and trucks). Today, about 40 percent of vehicles already have ESC. The NHTSA calculates that mass production of basic ESC could put the cost at about $100 per vehicle.
ESC has been around a while: Its an outgrowth of antilock braking, introduced in the 1980s, whose primary benefit is the avoidance of skids in sudden stops. ESC also builds on the success of traction control, which uses electronics to keep drivers literally from spinning their wheels in conditions of slick pavement or overaggressive acceleration. At its most basic, ESC combines the control of braking with that of throttle to prevent drivers from spinning out on curves or rolling over in sudden maneuvers.
Like computers, electronic systems in automobiles get increasingly powerful each year. ESC is about to become even smarter: GMs Stabilitrak, for instance, enters its third generation next model year and will incorporate steering input in addition to the control of the brakes and throttle.
Collision Mitigation[glow=red,2,300][/glow]
Also known as anticipatory braking, collision mitigation represents a step beyond smart cruise control and involves the use of radar to anticipate a crash and charge the brakes for better stopping. These systems are rapidly evolving. The latest DaimlerChrysler system combines two radars, one with a narrow angle aimed at distant objects and one with a wide angle to measure lateral distance at closer range. The combination gives the cars brains a near 3-D sense of objects around it.
Similarly, Lexus combines a distant radar that focuses on hard objects, such as other cars, with a short-range beam tuned for softer ones people or animals. A similar bmw system is called Dynamic Brake Control. Volvo's City Safety, a still-experimental system, adds computerized steering control in addition to the more common braking input. City Safety has been demonstrated on concept vehicles, but it is likely to appear on production models soon. A system called V2V (Vehicle to Vehicle) now under development at General Motors would forgo radar and instead locate other cars on the road using Wi-Fi and GPS technology.
Blind Spot / Lane-Departure Warning[glow=red,2,300][/glow]
Several new high-tech systems aim to protect against collisions to the side of the vehicle. Volvos new S80 sedan offers a system that warns of other vehicles in the drivers blind spot. Shown several years ago in the companys Safety Concept Car, the Volvo BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) illuminates a red warning in the side mirror when its sensors detect a passing car.
A related safety feature is lane-departure warning. If a driver drifts out of his or her lane, a warning buzzer or light goes off. Lexus calls its system Lane-Keeping Assist, available on the LS 460 and other models. Lane-Keeping Assist uses cameras that capture an image of the surrounding highway and dotted roadway lines on both sides of the car. The system sends an alarm and intervenes with steering to keep a wandering driver in line.
Infiniti introduced its version, called the Lane Departure Warning System, on the FX SUV and offers it on the M sedan as well. A small camera reads the dotted lines in the road and combines the information from speed sensors to calculate motion and course. Flipping the turn signal deactivates the system, and there is manual override to turn it off completely. Audis Side Assist uses two radars and a rear camera tracking road lines. These work up to a distance of 16.5 feet and activate yellow lights in the side mirror if another car passes into the danger zone (the blind spot). The system has no auditory warning and can be turned off entirely.
Bear in mind that these systems 100 percent effective yet: Because most rely on visual cues taken from cameras, they can get confused when the road lacks well-painted lines or mud obscures them.
'Smart' Cruise Control [glow=red,2,300][/glow]
Cruise control systems that maintain a set following distance from vehicles ahead not only provide immediate safety but reduce fatigue during long trips in heavy traffic. Distronic is Mercedes-Benzs name for its system; Lexus calls its setup Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, offered on such models as the LS 460.
Audis system can operate between 90 mph and a full stop, while others work on a more narrow range of speeds. The Infiniti system setting is by car lengths, represented as icons on the control panel. Jaguars can be set to mark a time distance between yours and the next car. On this system, the same sensors that continually scan the area ahead of the car 10 times a second can also detect a fixed obstacle and imminent collisions. The system not only warns the driver, but it charges the brakes to prepare for a sudden stop.
Rear-Looking Cameras and Radar [glow=red,2,300][/glow]
The little bumper dots that signal the presence of rear-looking radar are now a familiar feature of new vehicles, especially SUVs. The use of a warning beep inside the cars cabin as the driver backs up, growing in intensity and frequency as the vehicle draws closer to a barrier, can be handy for parking. But video cameras that display images of whats behind the vehicle on a dash-mounted screen are finding a place as well and give a better sense of what drivers might be backing into. These systems are particularly useful in large vehicles like SUVs or for avoiding the nightmares of running over a tricycle, pet or, perish the thought, a child in the driveway.
Rear-looking video and radar can also be useful in practical applications, such as lining up a vehicle to tow a boat or trailer, or helping with basic parallel parking. Particularly as SUVs get more massive and cars get higher haunches per the latest design trends, these systems are a boon to safe maneuvering. The system on Audis Q7 SUV puts the camera in the center of the tailgate and covers a wide, 130-degree rearward view. The relayed images are marked out on the dashboard screen, with lines indicating where the vehicle is aimed, and a blue area indicating the space the SUV will occupy as it moves. Lexus rear-facing camera on its LS 460 sedan is similar in functionality and can be paired with a self-parking system that steers while the driver manipulates the brakes.
Tire Pressure Warning Gauge[glow=red,2,300][/glow]
Low tire pressure can diminish fuel efficiency, but most importantly it can lead to deadly accidents. Adopted in the wake of the Ford Explorer/Firestone Tire controversy in 2000 where fatal crashes occurred after tires lost pressure a law called The Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act established targets for mandating dashboard warnings of low tire pressure. It has proven difficult to implement the rule, because some systems have tended to produce false warnings of low tire pressure due to changes in outside temperature, weather conditions and incompatibility with spare tires and replacement or aftermarket wheels.
Beginning in September, new vehicles will be required to have a tire pressure monitoring system. Pressure sensors, mounted on the tire valve stem, send information to a dash display when pressure falls 15 percent below a recommended level. More sophisticated systems check each tire constantly and display its status as a graphic.
Two-Stage or 'Smart' Airbags[glow=red,2,300][/glow]
Airbags are getting smarter, in part because the NHTSA has demanded that all passenger cars and light trucks produced after September 2006 have advanced frontal airbags that can detect the presence of a passenger in the front seats (often with weight sensors in the cushions). Sensors embedded in the vehicles body panels detect the severity of a crash and decide the best mode of airbag deployment in conjunction with the seat sensors.
GM has developed dual-depth frontal bags, which can deploy with two different sizes and pressures based on the same factors mentioned above. The airbags would inflate with less pressure in a less-severe accident or, in some cases, if a smaller occupant is detected by the seat sensors. Dual-stage airbags work similarly, inflating to different degrees but with just a single shape. Also, additional side-impact protection comes with dual shoulder and seat bags inflating at different rates, as on the Volvos S80, which has airbags with two separate chambers in the hip area, where a body can withstand more force, the airbag is inflated with greater pressure than the section aimed to protect the chest area. Most two-stage and dual-depth airbags work in combination with the pretensioning of seat belts.
Rollover Protection[glow=red,2,300][/glow]
Rollover protection systems are particularly useful for top-heavy SUVs. Most of these systems use gyroscopic sensors to detect if a turn is made too quickly or sense if the vehicle has swerved to avoid an obstacle. Enhanced traction or stability control can cut throttle and pulse the brakes to correct the vehicles trajectory if the sensors detect an imminent rollover. In addition, wide screens of airbags like Fords Safety Canopy deploy from the headliner or ceiling and protect passengers from window incursions of objects or glass. With the Safety Canopy, sensors detecting an imminent rollover inflate a canopy of airbags that covers 65 percent of the window surface in the front two rows. Safety Canopy is available on Ford, Mercury and Lincoln SUVs as well as the Ford Five Hundred, Mercury Montego and Volvo C70.
Rollover protection can be particularly important for convertibles because occupants are completely exposed from the shoulders up. Just about every luxury model with a convertible top and many mainstream ones now include roll-hoops that pop up from behind the seats to protect occupants if the car flips. The Volvo C70, mentioned above, is notable for having the Safety Canopy airbags that deploy upward from the window sill and remain rigid to further protect occupants if the vehicle flips multiple times.
Active Head Restraints[glow=red,2,300][/glow]
The Swedes are the leaders with this safety technology, as often is the case. Volvos head restraint system, called WHIPS (Whiplash Protection System) was a forerunner, introduced in 1999 on the Volvo S80. WHIPS essentially uses a piece of metal inside the seat back that bends gently in a crash, absorbing the energy of sudden deceleration while keeping the headrest stable.
The Saab system, called Saab Active Head Restraint, or SAHR, responds to a crash with a mechanism that actively moves the head restraint. If the car is struck from the rear the classic whiplash case where the passengers head goes forward, then back the mechanism pushes the head restraint forward to follow the passengers head, keeping the two close. BMWs Head Protection System is a wholly different concept: In the event of a collision, a tubular airbag, specifically targeted for the head, pops from the front window frame.
Post-Collision Assistance[glow=red,2,300][/glow]
Even when a vehicles driver and its advanced safety features fail to prevent a collision, onboard emergency communications systems can better prepare the first-aid response to follow. BMW Assist, GMs Onstar and other manufacturer-supported networks call for help after a crash and can pinpoint a vehicles location using GPS and automatically transmit that information to advisors using the systems built-in cell phone technology. A device similar to an airplanes black box records the severity of the impact of the crash this information can also be transmitted to an emergency responder.
The next generation of these systems, we are promised, will let emergency and hospital workers instantly know the nature of the crash such as which seats were occupied, which airbags deployed and detection of the point of impact or occurrence of a rollover. Armed with this information, a nearby emergency room could anticipate injuries.
Already, smart systems respond to crashes. BMW and Volkswagen automatically detach the battery in case of a crash. Mercedes-Benzs safety systems shut off the fuel pump and unlock the doors.
Top 10 Safety Features for the Future
Stability Control[glow=red,2,300][/glow]
Studies suggest that passenger cars with electronic stability control (ESC) are engaged in 35 percent fewer single-vehicle crashes than the same models without ESC. By 2003, ESC was on about 7.3 percent of light vehicles (cars and trucks). Today, about 40 percent of vehicles already have ESC. The NHTSA calculates that mass production of basic ESC could put the cost at about $100 per vehicle.
ESC has been around a while: Its an outgrowth of antilock braking, introduced in the 1980s, whose primary benefit is the avoidance of skids in sudden stops. ESC also builds on the success of traction control, which uses electronics to keep drivers literally from spinning their wheels in conditions of slick pavement or overaggressive acceleration. At its most basic, ESC combines the control of braking with that of throttle to prevent drivers from spinning out on curves or rolling over in sudden maneuvers.
Like computers, electronic systems in automobiles get increasingly powerful each year. ESC is about to become even smarter: GMs Stabilitrak, for instance, enters its third generation next model year and will incorporate steering input in addition to the control of the brakes and throttle.
Collision Mitigation[glow=red,2,300][/glow]
Also known as anticipatory braking, collision mitigation represents a step beyond smart cruise control and involves the use of radar to anticipate a crash and charge the brakes for better stopping. These systems are rapidly evolving. The latest DaimlerChrysler system combines two radars, one with a narrow angle aimed at distant objects and one with a wide angle to measure lateral distance at closer range. The combination gives the cars brains a near 3-D sense of objects around it.
Similarly, Lexus combines a distant radar that focuses on hard objects, such as other cars, with a short-range beam tuned for softer ones people or animals. A similar bmw system is called Dynamic Brake Control. Volvo's City Safety, a still-experimental system, adds computerized steering control in addition to the more common braking input. City Safety has been demonstrated on concept vehicles, but it is likely to appear on production models soon. A system called V2V (Vehicle to Vehicle) now under development at General Motors would forgo radar and instead locate other cars on the road using Wi-Fi and GPS technology.
Blind Spot / Lane-Departure Warning[glow=red,2,300][/glow]
Several new high-tech systems aim to protect against collisions to the side of the vehicle. Volvos new S80 sedan offers a system that warns of other vehicles in the drivers blind spot. Shown several years ago in the companys Safety Concept Car, the Volvo BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) illuminates a red warning in the side mirror when its sensors detect a passing car.
A related safety feature is lane-departure warning. If a driver drifts out of his or her lane, a warning buzzer or light goes off. Lexus calls its system Lane-Keeping Assist, available on the LS 460 and other models. Lane-Keeping Assist uses cameras that capture an image of the surrounding highway and dotted roadway lines on both sides of the car. The system sends an alarm and intervenes with steering to keep a wandering driver in line.
Infiniti introduced its version, called the Lane Departure Warning System, on the FX SUV and offers it on the M sedan as well. A small camera reads the dotted lines in the road and combines the information from speed sensors to calculate motion and course. Flipping the turn signal deactivates the system, and there is manual override to turn it off completely. Audis Side Assist uses two radars and a rear camera tracking road lines. These work up to a distance of 16.5 feet and activate yellow lights in the side mirror if another car passes into the danger zone (the blind spot). The system has no auditory warning and can be turned off entirely.
Bear in mind that these systems 100 percent effective yet: Because most rely on visual cues taken from cameras, they can get confused when the road lacks well-painted lines or mud obscures them.
'Smart' Cruise Control [glow=red,2,300][/glow]
Cruise control systems that maintain a set following distance from vehicles ahead not only provide immediate safety but reduce fatigue during long trips in heavy traffic. Distronic is Mercedes-Benzs name for its system; Lexus calls its setup Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, offered on such models as the LS 460.
Audis system can operate between 90 mph and a full stop, while others work on a more narrow range of speeds. The Infiniti system setting is by car lengths, represented as icons on the control panel. Jaguars can be set to mark a time distance between yours and the next car. On this system, the same sensors that continually scan the area ahead of the car 10 times a second can also detect a fixed obstacle and imminent collisions. The system not only warns the driver, but it charges the brakes to prepare for a sudden stop.
Rear-Looking Cameras and Radar [glow=red,2,300][/glow]
The little bumper dots that signal the presence of rear-looking radar are now a familiar feature of new vehicles, especially SUVs. The use of a warning beep inside the cars cabin as the driver backs up, growing in intensity and frequency as the vehicle draws closer to a barrier, can be handy for parking. But video cameras that display images of whats behind the vehicle on a dash-mounted screen are finding a place as well and give a better sense of what drivers might be backing into. These systems are particularly useful in large vehicles like SUVs or for avoiding the nightmares of running over a tricycle, pet or, perish the thought, a child in the driveway.
Rear-looking video and radar can also be useful in practical applications, such as lining up a vehicle to tow a boat or trailer, or helping with basic parallel parking. Particularly as SUVs get more massive and cars get higher haunches per the latest design trends, these systems are a boon to safe maneuvering. The system on Audis Q7 SUV puts the camera in the center of the tailgate and covers a wide, 130-degree rearward view. The relayed images are marked out on the dashboard screen, with lines indicating where the vehicle is aimed, and a blue area indicating the space the SUV will occupy as it moves. Lexus rear-facing camera on its LS 460 sedan is similar in functionality and can be paired with a self-parking system that steers while the driver manipulates the brakes.
Tire Pressure Warning Gauge[glow=red,2,300][/glow]
Low tire pressure can diminish fuel efficiency, but most importantly it can lead to deadly accidents. Adopted in the wake of the Ford Explorer/Firestone Tire controversy in 2000 where fatal crashes occurred after tires lost pressure a law called The Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act established targets for mandating dashboard warnings of low tire pressure. It has proven difficult to implement the rule, because some systems have tended to produce false warnings of low tire pressure due to changes in outside temperature, weather conditions and incompatibility with spare tires and replacement or aftermarket wheels.
Beginning in September, new vehicles will be required to have a tire pressure monitoring system. Pressure sensors, mounted on the tire valve stem, send information to a dash display when pressure falls 15 percent below a recommended level. More sophisticated systems check each tire constantly and display its status as a graphic.
Two-Stage or 'Smart' Airbags[glow=red,2,300][/glow]
Airbags are getting smarter, in part because the NHTSA has demanded that all passenger cars and light trucks produced after September 2006 have advanced frontal airbags that can detect the presence of a passenger in the front seats (often with weight sensors in the cushions). Sensors embedded in the vehicles body panels detect the severity of a crash and decide the best mode of airbag deployment in conjunction with the seat sensors.
GM has developed dual-depth frontal bags, which can deploy with two different sizes and pressures based on the same factors mentioned above. The airbags would inflate with less pressure in a less-severe accident or, in some cases, if a smaller occupant is detected by the seat sensors. Dual-stage airbags work similarly, inflating to different degrees but with just a single shape. Also, additional side-impact protection comes with dual shoulder and seat bags inflating at different rates, as on the Volvos S80, which has airbags with two separate chambers in the hip area, where a body can withstand more force, the airbag is inflated with greater pressure than the section aimed to protect the chest area. Most two-stage and dual-depth airbags work in combination with the pretensioning of seat belts.
Rollover Protection[glow=red,2,300][/glow]
Rollover protection systems are particularly useful for top-heavy SUVs. Most of these systems use gyroscopic sensors to detect if a turn is made too quickly or sense if the vehicle has swerved to avoid an obstacle. Enhanced traction or stability control can cut throttle and pulse the brakes to correct the vehicles trajectory if the sensors detect an imminent rollover. In addition, wide screens of airbags like Fords Safety Canopy deploy from the headliner or ceiling and protect passengers from window incursions of objects or glass. With the Safety Canopy, sensors detecting an imminent rollover inflate a canopy of airbags that covers 65 percent of the window surface in the front two rows. Safety Canopy is available on Ford, Mercury and Lincoln SUVs as well as the Ford Five Hundred, Mercury Montego and Volvo C70.
Rollover protection can be particularly important for convertibles because occupants are completely exposed from the shoulders up. Just about every luxury model with a convertible top and many mainstream ones now include roll-hoops that pop up from behind the seats to protect occupants if the car flips. The Volvo C70, mentioned above, is notable for having the Safety Canopy airbags that deploy upward from the window sill and remain rigid to further protect occupants if the vehicle flips multiple times.
Active Head Restraints[glow=red,2,300][/glow]
The Swedes are the leaders with this safety technology, as often is the case. Volvos head restraint system, called WHIPS (Whiplash Protection System) was a forerunner, introduced in 1999 on the Volvo S80. WHIPS essentially uses a piece of metal inside the seat back that bends gently in a crash, absorbing the energy of sudden deceleration while keeping the headrest stable.
The Saab system, called Saab Active Head Restraint, or SAHR, responds to a crash with a mechanism that actively moves the head restraint. If the car is struck from the rear the classic whiplash case where the passengers head goes forward, then back the mechanism pushes the head restraint forward to follow the passengers head, keeping the two close. BMWs Head Protection System is a wholly different concept: In the event of a collision, a tubular airbag, specifically targeted for the head, pops from the front window frame.
Post-Collision Assistance[glow=red,2,300][/glow]
Even when a vehicles driver and its advanced safety features fail to prevent a collision, onboard emergency communications systems can better prepare the first-aid response to follow. BMW Assist, GMs Onstar and other manufacturer-supported networks call for help after a crash and can pinpoint a vehicles location using GPS and automatically transmit that information to advisors using the systems built-in cell phone technology. A device similar to an airplanes black box records the severity of the impact of the crash this information can also be transmitted to an emergency responder.
The next generation of these systems, we are promised, will let emergency and hospital workers instantly know the nature of the crash such as which seats were occupied, which airbags deployed and detection of the point of impact or occurrence of a rollover. Armed with this information, a nearby emergency room could anticipate injuries.
Already, smart systems respond to crashes. BMW and Volkswagen automatically detach the battery in case of a crash. Mercedes-Benzs safety systems shut off the fuel pump and unlock the doors.
