CAPS Technology Saves Lives

Jan. 1, 2020
In addition to working hard to realize its vision of accident-free driving, automotive engineers are also developing technologies that help minimize the risk of injury for those people caught up in accidents that cannot be avoided. In 2006, for examp
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CAPS Technology Saves LivesIn addition to working hard to realize its vision of accident-free driving, automotive engineers are also developing technologies that help minimize the risk of injury for those people caught up in accidents that cannot be avoided. In 2006, for example, vehicle occupants were 10 times less likely to be fatally injured in a car accident than they were in 1970. 
Bosch engineers are creating new functions by networking existing active and passive safety systems. (Photo: Robert Bosch GmbH)According to Dr. Michael Strugala, manager of the Development Occupant Safety Business Unit for Robert Bosch GmbH's Automotive Electronics Division, the progress over that timeframe and moving forward has been the result of efforts to improve both passive and active safety systems. Moreover, it is the networking between the two - known as Combined Active And Passive Safety (CAPS) - that has fueled next-generation safety systems. "Passive vehicle safety has so far been based on three key areas: bodywork structures, restraint systems and occupant protection systems," notes Strugala. During an accident, the bodywork of modern vehicles protects occupants by absorbing huge forces through predetermined deformation. The residual forces are then managed by restraint systems, such as seat belts and airbags, which minimize the risk of injury. These safety technologies therefore significantly improve the chances that vehicle occupants will survive a vehicular accident unharmed or with only minor injuries. "However, we are also a leading manufacturer of active safety systems, especially in the field of braking technology," Strugala adds. Today, Bosch is using this wide-ranging know-how to develop brand new safety functions by interconnecting active and passive safety systems. Safety is an evolutionary process Strugala provided a brief insight into Bosch's activities in the field of passive safety technology, as well as into its development projects on networking safety systems. Accident studies and computer simulations are essential for the development of cutting-edge safety systems. Large amounts of data gathered from actual accidents represent a key basis for improving passive safety systems. This accident data has been accumulated over many years and is stored in country-specific databases.  Bosch evaluates this information, feeding data into its computer simulations and thereby helping to optimize existing functions and create new ones. This work has led to developments such as Bosch's latest generation of airbag control units, which are being prepared for series production. 
By networking the electronic stability program with the airbag controller, restraint systems can be triggered more precisely during a rollover, offering occupants better protection during an accident. (Photo: Robert Bosch GmbH "These airbag control units function as switching centers for the entire occupant protection system," explains Strugala. "Within a matter of milliseconds, they determine how serious an accident is, analyze signals from the crash sensors, and identify the seating position of the occupants requiring protection - even whether a child, who requires particular protection, is sitting next to the driver."  The control units then decide on the best way to protect the occupants. Up to 12 sensors distributed around the vehicle capture data as the accident happens, and only a few milliseconds later the control unit deploys the appropriate restraint devices, which - depending on the seriousness of the accident - can include a number of seat-belt pretensioners, front airbags, head airbags, side airbags and knee airbags. In the case of convertibles, there are also rollover protection systems. Networking: Sometimes 1 + 1 = 3 The safety levels offered by Bosch's airbag control units are further boosted by interlinking with existing active safety technologies in the vehicle. For example, networking the electronic stability program (ESP) is particularly beneficial, Strugala states. Its sensors rapidly identify when a vehicle reaches the limit values for skidding, and the technology intervenes to stabilize the vehicle. However, even if these critical physical limit values are exceeded, ESP is still able to help indirectly. 
If the data of the electronic stability program is available to the airbag controller, it can trigger the occupant protection systems after a considerably shorter accident-plausibility check. The milliseconds gained in this way can help protect occupants better from the enormous loads generated[HG1] during an accident. (Photo: Robert Bosch GmbH) Bosch has found that by working to interconnect ESP with the airbag control unit, captured skid information can be sent to the airbag control unit, warning that an accident could be imminent. The control unit then prepares itself for an impact, enabling a much shorter plausibility check before occupant protection systems are deployed. Shaving just a few milliseconds off reaction times means that restraint systems are much better equipped to protect vehicle occupants from the major forces[HG5] generated during an accident.  "We call this function Early Pole Crash Detection, EPCD for short," Strugala explains. "Targeted for series production by the end of 2008, it offers additional protection during an impact following a skid, which is the most frequent cause of fatal accidents."  As an example, consider a skid accident where the side of a vehicle hits a tree. Because of its design, a vehicle's bodywork offers only limited protection in this area. As a result, it is especially important that airbags and seat-belt pretensioners react quickly.  "However, interaction between the passive airbag control system and the active ESP system is not a one-way street," Strugala notes. The latest function currently under development at Bosch, referred to as Secondary Collision Mitigation (SCM), uses signals from the airbag control unit and its sensors to control ESP. The aim is to avoid secondary collisions that often follow the initial impact in many accidents. Case in point One typical example is an accident in which a car crashes at high speed into a vehicle driving ahead of it. The force of the impact is so great that the vehicle driving in front is deflected to the side and crashes with great force into the crash barrier. 
In many accidents, an initial impact is followed by additional collisions. The Secondary Collision Mitigation, or SCM, function will trigger automatic braking following the first impact to completely prevent - or at least minimize - the severity of any additional collisions. (Photo: Robert Bosch GmbH)

If the vehicle in front was equipped with SCM, the airbag control unit and its sensors would detect the first impact. The restraint systems are deployed as necessary and the control unit automatically sends a signal to the ESP that it has identified an impact. The ESP control unit reacts by automatically implementing an emergency stop, making full use of the automatic breaking system (ABS) function. This means that the vehicle is brought to a complete stop in the quickest way possible while maintaining maximum stability, all without the driver having to take any action. The impending secondary collision is thereby avoided or minimized. 

It is important to note that the driver can deliberately deactivate the ABS at any point and steer the vehicle himself. Strugala reports that Bosch plans to offer this function to automobile manufacturers for integration into their vehicles from MY2009. 

Strugala stresses that Bosch researchers aren't stopping there, however. They are also working to improve safety using vehicle communication, whether car to car, or car to infrastructure. This work demands the creation of the necessary standards for communication, he says, and is a task requiring the collaboration of all automobile manufacturers and suppliers. 

"When these standards exist, we will use them for new functions in accident prevention to further minimize the consequences," he concludes.

(Source: Robert Bosch GmbH)

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