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Visteon Puts Consumer Safety First With New Side Air Bag Sensors

1 March 1999

Visteon Puts Consumer Safety First With New Side Air Bag Sensors, Advanced Vehicle Restraints

    DETROIT, March 1 -- Visteon Automotive Systems continues to
emphasize consumer safety with the introduction of side air bag and advanced
vehicle restraint electronics that will assess the severity of an accident
and occupant information before deploying front air bags.
    The Visteon sensors were developed to help further reduce the risk of
airbag-related injuries to unbelted and smaller front seat occupants.
    Visteon's new side airbag sensors can be mounted in the vehicle's door
jams or under the front seat.  The sensors determine the G-force on the
vehicle during an accident and use an advanced system of algorithms in real
time to make a decision whether or not to deploy the side airbags.  If the
sensors determine that the side airbag should be deployed, this information is
sent to the vehicle's main electronic control module within milliseconds of
crash contact.
    Visteon's advanced restraint control module will also assess accident
severity, whether or not an occupant is wearing a seatbelt and how far the
driver's seat is from the steering wheel.  The electronic control module's
algorithms determine to which level of deployment the airbag should inflate.
In the most severe accidents, Visteon's advanced restraint electronics will
deploy the airbag at full force.  In less serious crashes, these airbags will
deploy with less force in two stages.
    "One of the really remarkable safety capabilities that Visteon offers to
its customers is its advanced algorithm technology," said Ralph Youngblood,
strategic business unit director, body and safety systems, Visteon.  "We
believe it is absolutely critical to continuously improve the safety and
security of vehicle occupants, and our world-class sensor electronics result
in the kind of breakthroughs necessary for change.  We are very proud of the
contributions we are making toward further improving automotive safety and
security."
    Visteon's new sensor electronics also process information about the
occupants.  A pressure-sensitive film in the passenger seat detects whether
the passenger-side seat is occupied and even measures the distribution of
weight on the seat surface.  The computer assigns the front passenger to a
weight category.  By mapping the contact points, the sensor is designed to
determine whether the pressure on a seat is likely caused by an adult, a
child's seat, or a mere briefcase.  This sensor will resolve the potential
that the passenger airbag would inflate if a child seat is mounted in the
front passenger seat.
    Visteon has already begun offering advanced airbag sensor technology to
its global customers.
    With a global delivery system consisting of more than 120 technical,
manufacturing, sales and service facilities located in 20 countries, Visteon
is leveraging the talents of its 82,000 employees to deliver innovative,
consumer-driven automotive solutions to its customers.