SAFETYNEWS 12/06/2024

Check out the latest safety advancements in SAFETYNEWS! Let's look at two important updates to get you started:

• ZF LIFETEC rearranges Driver Airbag on the Steering Wheel and creates Design Freedom
• Toyotas Collaborative Safety Research Center announces fifteen new Research Projects to advance Safety for the Automotive Industry

ZF LIFETEC REARRANGES DRIVER AIRBAG ON THE STEERING WHEEL AND CREATES DESIGN FREEDOM

• The steering wheel is a core element of digital interior concepts
• Innovative positioning of the driver airbag enables forward-looking design options for the steering wheel and its controls
• Integration of force-sensitive controls in a seamless, smartphone-like interface

Since the introduction of driver airbags in the 1980s, they have had a permanent place in the center of the steering wheel, in its hub. Since then, the steering wheel has been more than just the interface between driver and car for transmitting steering commands, it has also become a protective function in the event of an accident. For around three decades, the driver's airbag has been standard equipment in most cars, helping save lives and reduce injuries. In addition, the steering wheel has become the command center for entertainment and assistance functions in modern cars. ZF LIFETEC has designed a new generation of steering wheel to expand the design possibilities of future-oriented interior concepts.

The driver's airbag is nowadays deployed frontal out of center of the steering wheel. In addition to this ZF LIFETEC is going to go a different way in regard of the upcoming new interior designs of the future. In the event of an accident, the driver airbag deploys from the top side of the steering wheel through the upper steering wheel rim towards the driver. This new installation position of the airbag allows the horizontal spoke, including the hub, to have a seamless, smartphone-like design. Force sensitive controls for the vehicle's entertainment and assistance functions are integrated behind a continuous surface. This design blends seamlessly into the digitally designed dashboards of modern vehicle interiors. "With this new concept, we are enabling design freedom for steering wheels without compromising safety," explains Harald Lutz, Head of Development at ZF LIFETEC.

Clear design language

The trend towards seamless design, which has become increasingly popular in recent years, can also be found in modern vehicle interiors. Manufacturers are increasingly eliminating joints and gaps in the interior. This is also reflected in innovative lighting options and displays, which are integrated throughout the vehicle interior. This development will also continue with future steering wheels. Seamless design variants with greater integration of HMI functions and new surfaces will decisively influence the appearance and functionality of tomorrow's steering wheel.

The function determines the design

The seamless design not only opens many possibilities for the use of new materials and shapes, but also in terms of function. On-demand functions (freely assignable fields), touch displays, or a central screen are now conceivable. However, as the steering wheel is also a safety-relevant component in the vehicle, user-friendliness is paramount. Hybrid solutions can therefore also be implemented with this concept. These include, for example, the combination of an alternatively rotary switch with a force-sensitive and tactile surface also integrated in the steering wheel as an anchor point, thus enabling the driver to operate the system safely.

These functions can also be combined with hands-on detection which is a component of current and future steering wheels. A capacitive sensor under the leather surface recognizes whether the driver is merely touching or safely gripping the wheel. This technology is a further module for safe vehicle control.

More Information: press.zf.com

Author/Source: ZF

The text, images, graphics, sound files, animation files, video files and their arrangement on the news sites are all subject to Copyright and other intellectual property protection. The author resp. the authors can be find on the more information link.

TOYOTA'S COLLABORATIVE SAFETY RESEARCH CENTER ANNOUNCES FIFTEEN NEW RESEARCH PROJECTS TO ADVANCE SAFETY FOR THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

Additions to current phase of research explore a diversity of topics in driver behavior, crash avoidance and crash injury mitigation

CSRC, Discovery Education and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst develop new teen driver training program, Risk ATTEND, which launches on TeenDrive365

CSRC also releases summaries of fourteen recently completed projects

Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) announced fifteen new projects to help advance automotive safety industrywide for societal good. These additions to CSRC’s current five-year research phase focus on better understanding driver behavior, crash avoidance and crash injury mitigation.

“Through launching these projects, CSRC is responding to the latest trends in automotive industry and traffic safety,” said CSRC Director Danil Prokhorov. “We are focused on nimbleness by addressing today’s safety needs with new insights into future products, processes and policies that can help create a safe mobility society for tomorrow.”

Additionally, Toyota announced the launch of the Toyota Risk ATTEND Program (Risk Anticipation Training to Enhance Novice Driving), based on CSRC research. Many new drivers know about distracted driving, but Toyota is extending that knowledge to interactive learning. Through self-paced driving simulation modules developed in collaboration with global education technology leader Discovery Education and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, teens are exposed to difficult driving scenarios before encountering them behind the wheel, helping to improve drivers’ abilities to predict or detect risky situations on the road. The Risk ATTEND module joins the full Toyota teen-driver toolkit at TeenDrive365.

Following are CSRC’s new projects, categorized by their application to CSRC’s current research tracks – Human-Centric (safe technology interaction with people), Safety Assurance (crash avoidance) and Assessment (safety decision-making empowerment) – which are designed to address the emerging challenges of the changing mobility ecosystem.

Further, CSRC released summaries of fourteen recently completed projects, which are available for download and review here.

Toyota created CSRC in 2011 to advance safety for the industry as a whole through open collaborations with universities, hospitals and other research institutions. Results are published and openly presented for others to utilize and benefit from the research.

With these new initiatives, CSRC now has completed or commenced 116 research projects with more than 30 different institutions. CSRC results are regularly published in prestigious scientific journals and presented at world-renowned conferences, meetings, and directly with key stakeholders. Through these outreach efforts, the projects have made meaningful contributions to help advance research and technology relating to the safe integration of future mobility solutions for all.

More Information: pressroom.toyota.com

Author/Source: Collaborative Safety Research Center

The text, images, graphics, sound files, animation files, video files and their arrangement on the news sites are all subject to Copyright and other intellectual property protection. The author resp. the authors can be find on the more information link.

These two topics offer a sneak peek into our latest SAFETYNEWS edition.

More current news:

• ZF LIFETEC rearranges Driver Airbag on the Steering Wheel and creates Design Freedom
• Toyotas Collaborative Safety Research Center announces fifteen new Research Projects to advance Safety for the Automotive Industry
• New Los Angeles digital Model to support Autonomous Vehicle Development
• Automated Driving: The State of Play in 5 Key Developments
• Dürr and Rohde & Schwarz collaborate on ADAS/AD Functional Testing for EOL and PTI
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• EDAG Citybot at University of Applied Sciences Fulda
• Mitsubishi Electric, Mitsubishi Electric Mobility and AISIN reach a basic Agreement to establish a Joint Venture Company
• STMicroelectronics reveals Automotive-grade Inertial Modules for cost-effective Functional-safety Applications up to ASIL B
• GHSA, Michelin Mobility Intelligence Award $300,000 for advanced Traffic Safety Data Analysis
• A new Cooperation Agreement was signed between THI and the Lactec Research Institute
• Follow-up on the Action Plan for Road Safety 2022-2025: 2023 Monitoring of Actorss Measures
• Current Seminars and Events

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