Autoliv receives technical award from Toyota

Toyota recently presented a technical award to safety system maker Autoliv for development of the inflatable curtain for the new Sequoia. The award was given out at the 2008 Annual Global Supplier Convention in Nagoya, Japan.

In side-impact collisions, side curtain airbags for head protection have to be fully inflated within 25 milliseconds — four times faster than the blink of an eye, according to a news release. For SUVs and minivans with passengers seated in three rows, this has been especially difficult to achieve due to the size and volume of the airbag cushion. Earlier technology required two gas generators, one at each end of the airbags, in order to fully inflate these large curtain airbag in time.

With new technology, the Sequoia side curtain airbag requires only one gas generator, even though the new airbag has a volume almost twice that of the previous Toyota models. This is achieved by deploying the curtain from the middle, rather than from each end. This technical solution not only reduces cost and weight dramatically, but also offers superior protection and easier installation at the vehicle assembly line and frees up space in the vehicle, according to the release.

This is the third consecutive year Toyota has recognized Autoliv with an award. Last year Autoliv received a technology award for its new seat cushion airbag developed for Toyota’s Lexus LS460, and in 2006 Autoliv was honored with a Toyota Value Improvement Award.

The world’s first Inflatable Curtain airbags were introduced in 1998 by Autoliv, according to the company. Last year, Autoliv produced 22 million inflatable curtain airbags for more than 160 different car models. Side curtain airbags will be required in all new vehicles sold in the United States starting in the fall of 2013.