| Accident
Reconstruction Network > News
Accident Reconstruction News Article
ELESYS Announces Child Seat Static Suppression for Low Risk
Airbag Systems
SeatSentry(TM) Technology
SUWANEE, Ga., March 20 /PRNewswire/ -- ELESYS North America
Inc., automotive electronic safety systems, today announces its Low Risk Deployment
(LRD) system for advanced vehicle airbags. This new addition to ELESYS' SeatSentry(TM)
product line is an available airbag suppression option for automakers seeking
both to comply with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA)
FMVSS-208 Static Suppression for Advanced Airbag Systems and to support low
cost initiatives.
The newly developed Low Risk Deployment (LRD) system has a
single-layer flexible sensor assembly capable of accurately classifying occupants
and child seat presence. It is a lower cost airbag strategy that equals the
robust system capabilities of a full suppression system. It will allow OEM's
to meet the mitigated injury requirements in FMVSS-208 for low risk deployment,
as well as contribute to cost savings. "This system is unique in that
it is not dependent on belt tension sensors for its robust classification
capabilities. It also has immunity to child seat changes and seat structural
changes which can be a problem for other systems," says ELESYS' Susan
McCarthy, General Manager of Sales and Marketing.
ELESYS' SeatSentry(TM) is an expansive electric-field imaging
technology, on which several of ELESYS' products are based: Passenger Sensing
System - PSS, a full suppression system, which is currently in production
for GM vehicles, and Occupant Detection System - ODS, a side airbag suppression
system, which is currently in Honda and Acura vehicles.
The SeatSentry(TM) technology is based on electric-field technology.
Using this electric-field (e-field) technology a low-level electric signal
is sent to sensors in a seat cushion and/or seat back. The e-field can sense
the presence, position and motion of a human body because of the human body's
ability to conduct electricity. It can measure the human body mass by the
size of the interference it causes within the e-field in the seat (cushion
or seatback). The level of interference is directly related to the size of
the body -- larger people create larger interferences. Conversely, if items
such as a briefcase or Child Restraint Seat occupy the seat, very little interference
is measured due to the non-conductive nature of the objects. If a human body
is detected then a signal is sent to the airbag's electronic control unit
(ECU) to suppress or to enable airbag deployment in accordance with the NHTSA
FMVSS-208 Static Suppression for Advanced Airbags requirements for occupant
classification.
"We have been working with this technology since the mid
'90's," said Phil Rittmueller, Vice President of ELESYS North America
Inc., "and we find it extremely robust and very reliable -- especially
for detecting infants, children and child seats. We are able to adapt it quickly
to many different vehicles and seat requirements."
About ELESYS North America Inc.
ELESYS North America Inc. (http://www.elesys-na.com),
headquartered in Suwanee, Georgia with a Detroit Safety Center in Plymouth,
Michigan, is a global business leader with a history of providing automotive
safety electronics on which consumers have depended for the last decade. ELESYS
remains at the forefront of occupant sensing and classification technology.
Its SeatSentry(TM) system was first installed in Honda vehicles in 2002 and
continues to receive accolades for improving vehicle safety. With a NHTSA
5- Star crash rating given to several vehicles equipped with its automotive
electronic safety systems millions of drivers can rely on ELESYS' passive
and active safety systems: SeatSentry(TM) systems (Passenger Sensing Systems
- PSS, Occupant Detection System - ODS and Low Risk Deployment - LRD), Airbag
Sensors and Controllers, Adaptive Cruise Control, All-Terrain Vehicle Transmission
Controls, Anti-Lock Brakes, Electronic Power Steering, Traction Control System,
and Vehicle Stability Controls. ELESYS has proven it delivers a high standard
of quality. ELESYS' automotive electronic safety systems are featured in a
variety of vehicle models, including SUVs, CUVs and passenger cars, for several
vehicle manufacturers in North America.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: ELESYS North America Inc.
###
Back to Accident
Reconstruction News
|