Unusual position
ZF reinvents the steering wheel – with an airbag behind it!
The car has changed dramatically in recent years. Screens have replaced the speedometer, electric motors have replaced the combustion engine, and sensors monitor safety. Only the steering wheel seems to resist innovation: Impact absorber with airbag in the middle, buttons or similar for cruise control, infotainment on the left and right. That's how most of them have looked for 20 years. ZF Lifetec is now changing this and creating space for more controls and greater clarity.
ZF Lifetec, a subsidiary of ZF Friedrichshafen, has been involved in passive safety in cars for decades and manufactures seat belts and airbags worldwide. The company has a market share of more than 20 percent in this area and generates sales of 4.6 billion euros with 36,000 employees.
Through the middle - airbag behind the wheel
Even though the driver's airbag has been part of almost every car's safety equipment for three decades, the engineers at ZF Lifetec are still coming up with new ideas. In future, the airbag will move from the impact absorber in the center of the steering wheel to the top, then shoot out between the steering wheel rim and hub to catch the driver in the event of an accident.
This position makes a new steering wheel design possible. This allows the cross spoke to become a smartphone-like user interface in the driver's field of vision. "With this new concept, we are enabling design freedom for steering wheels without compromising on safety," says Harald Lutz, Head of Development at ZF Lifetec. Initial talks with car manufacturers about series production are underway, and the time is expected to come in 2028.
Not everyone needs airbags
Even though the number of accidents has fallen by 87 percent since the record year of 1970, ZF Lifetec still sees a need for action: every year, up to 1.19 million people die in traffic accidents worldwide. In the age group between five and 29, road accidents are the most common cause of death. "In emerging countries, but also here in Germany, there are still vehicles that have neither airbags nor seat belts," says Rudolf Stark, Head of ZF Lifetec. Even light vehicles in the EU are not required to have airbags. Stark sees a growing need for this.
New challenges due to autonomous driving
But even in modern cars, the airbag is far from being fully developed. For small people sitting very close to the steering wheel or passengers in a particularly relaxed sitting position, the airbag does not deploy optimally. This is why ZF Lifetec has developed a "Dual Contour" airbag. If the front passenger is sitting too far away from the airbag, for example in a reclined position, the airbag is triggered more strongly. This technology will also play a role in automated driving, when the driver can recline in a relaxed position.
In a semi-recumbent position, a conventional, single-stage airbag would lose much of its protective function. The belts attached to the B-pillar would also no longer sit correctly, which is why ZF Lifetec wants to integrate the belts into the seat. "To do this, they have to be smaller and slimmer," says Head of Development Lutz.
Intelligent belt fastening
The dilemma that very small or very tall people are not optimally protected by standard restraint systems is also resolved in this way. Women, for example, are not considered to be optimally protected because they are on average smaller and lighter than men. The solution: a camera-based system measures the height, estimates the weight of the person in the seat and then adjusts the belts and airbag optimally.
But the belt of the future can do even more: if necessary, it pulls the occupant into the correct position before a collision. And it can even be heated, adding another comfort function to seat and steering wheel heating. In electric cars, heated seat belts can help to use less of the precious energy from the traction battery for heating.
With this bundle of new ideas, ZF Lifetec also wants to demonstrate the growth potential of passive safety in cars. The ZF subsidiary is currently becoming an independent company that is preparing for investors or the stock market. In 2015, ZF took over the passive safety business when it acquired TRW and is now considering a sale or an IPO. "No decision has been made yet. But we will be completely spun off by the middle of the year and could also work independently," says CEO Lutz. Only one thing is certain: there is still a lot of potential in automotive safety. (aum)
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
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