| Bosch is upgrading its safety
systems to help prevent accidents involving more than one impact, which
are commonly seen in bumper-to-bumper driving on motorways.
The force of impact is often enough to deflect the vehicle in front to
the side and into the crash barrier. In Germany, a quarter of all road
accidents involve more than one impact.
Bosch will program the airbags so that, in the event of a rear impact
triggering the bags, they send a signal to the ESC, which will perform
an emergency stop using ABS. The function will be available to OEMs for
integration into vehicles from 2009.
Michael Strugala, head of Bosch’s occupant safety development, said:
“Pre-crash systems typically involve the ESC sending a signal to
the airbags. But the interaction need not be a one-way street.”
The secondary collision could be avoided or minimised without the driver
having to take any action, although the driver would be able to deactivate
the braking systems at any time and steer the vehicle themselves.
Bosch said a future system with integrated cameras could steer the vehicle
away from other vehicles.
• Bosch is working on “early pole crash detection”,
to increase protection after a skid. If a vehicle hits a tree side-on,
bodywork offers only limited side-protection. Quick reaction by airbags
and seat-belt pretensioners is important.
The Bosch system uses ESC signals to detect when the vehicle is skidding
and trigger protection strategies.
Shunt manoeuvre: Bosch aims to investigate safety
in double impacts
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