Thomas Stierle

Side-Impact Restraint Activation System Combining Acceleration and Dynamic-Pressure Sensing

This paper describes how in 1997, Siemens VDO Automotive began supplying a side impact pressure sensor to the OEM passenger car market, for front row side protection. The pressure sensors have been successfully applied to more than ten vehicle platforms, with over ten million sensors supplied to date. The automotive industry is developing new and enhanced crash protection requirements. In support of these requirements, expandable and scaleable systems are inherent to providing optimal and reliable side impact detection. By using at least two complimentary sensing technologies, in combination with multi-input data evaluation, a wide variety of vehicle setups are imaginable. The result is significantly improved restraint activation performance and robustness across different side impact scenarios. Included are new demands, like the high bumper/hood SUV-type impact as proposed by the IIHS, as well as side pole charges specified by FMVSS 201. In conjunction with intelligent algorithms, very short activation times for side impact restraints are possible. The paper describes the advanced crash sensor system that combines acceleration sensors and dynamic-pressure sensors that was developed by Siemens VDO Automotive.