How the crash sensing car protects its occupants

by Rich Bowden - May 27 2008, 21:21

Technology which senses when a crash is about to occur and strengthens the car frame accordingly has been tested by European engineers in Spain.

Recent crash tests by the car maker Continental has employed radars and cameras to anticipate an impact just milliseconds prior to its occurrence which activates a metal bar in the side of the car to brace the vehicle prior to impact.

The revolutionary crash-prediction software uses two radars and stereo cameras placed in the back window, with a view out of the car's side of about 20 metres. The moving bar is automatically deployed by the software once it senses a sideways crash and can be in place in 70 milliseconds, driven by a powerful spring.

The bar bridges a gap between the front door and another bar running across the car and anchored on the chassis, reports the New Scientist.

"The energy of the impact is transferred to the 'unstruck' side of the vehicle," says Joachim Tandler, an engineer at car maker Continental, "Normally that connection could not be complete," he adds.

Tandler said the crash tests showed the predictive technology was able to reduce the amount of penetration into the side of the car by 5-8 centimetres, a considerable lessening of risk of injury to passengers.

"The intrusion velocity was considerably reduced," he said, and added that the software could also give current anti-crash devices such as airbags, "more time to react".

Continental is at the leading edge of research into the EU-funded APROSYS intelligent safety systems with tests carried out at the Research and Development Centre in Transport and Energy in Valladolid in Spain.

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