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Automotive Industry

Volvo's Superior Vision

Automotive Industries, Jan, 2001 by Lora J. Bingham

With its look-through-the-pillars greenhouse, Volvo's new SCC pushes safety in a new envelope.

Picture the safety features on your vehicle. Now forget about extra airbags and imagine a vehicle that senses a driver's physical attributes and adjusts the seat, console and pedals accordingly. Imagine a vehicle whose seat restraint performance rivals those in race cars. The vision is Volvo's Safety Concept Car (SCC), a collaborative effort between Volvo and Ford Motor Co. debuting this month at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

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With SCC, Volvo focuses on using technology to improve driver vision both inside the vehicle and externally. "Technology does not mean more features that can distract a driver's attention," says Hans Gustavsson, head of Research, Product Development and Purchasing at Volvo in Sweden. "We believe technology should be used to improve incoming information, to help make decisions quicker and easier for the driver."

SCC does just that. With redesigned A- and B-pillars, potentially dangerous blind spots are practically eliminated. This is achieved by engineering an open A-pillar framework -- a feat that was impossible until recently. Advances in engineering and metallugy allow an open framework with dynamic load characteristics that are just as strong as a solid A-pillar, claims Volvo. The B-pillar was also re-engineered, curving it to match the front seat back profile. This configuration improves side rear visibility without reducing structural integrity.

"A main ambition with the SCC was to create 'superior vision'," says Gustavsson. "Another was to implement modern technology in order to support the driver and make driving safer. Both were achieved by combining traditional engineering with advanced electronics."

Volvo meets both of these goals with an in-vehicle eye sensor. The sensor automatically "looks" for the driver's eyeball and adjusts the seat, pedals, steering wheel and center console (including gear lever) into a comfortable driving position based on the driver's size.

Another safety feature on the SCC is four-point safety belts. Volvo introduced two design concepts at the show, seeking consumer input on the comfort and user friendliness of the belts. The CrissCross Belt (X4) is a conventional three-point belt supplemented with an extending diagonal chest belt from shoulder to hip. The Center Buckle (V4) is similar to the safety belts previously found in racing and rally cars.

But SCC doesn't stop there. improving nighttime vision is part of the "superior vision" efforts. Using light delivered through fiber optics rather than traditional headlamps, in conjunction with computer intelligence, light distribution can be tailored to road speeds. At slower speeds, the light distribution is short and wide; at higher speeds, the light distribution is narrower and longer.

The SCC even has a Personal Communicator (VCP) for increased vehicle security. A remote control keypad verifies the driver's identification, allowing the vehicle to be unlocked. It can be programmed to transmit travel routes and personal health information to Volvo's On-Call Plus center in emergencies. It even has a heartbeat sensor to alert drivers of children or pets inadvertently left in the vehicle, or warn drivers if someone is lurking inside the car.

"SCC contains a large number of technological systems and features which are associated with driving safety and the interplay between man and machine," says Helen Petrauskas, head of Environmental and Safety Engineering at Ford Motor Co. While Volvo acknowledges that some of SCC's features don't meet current regulations, expect Volvo and Ford to continue developing the SCC's technologies towards production.

Automotive Industry

Volvo's Superior Vision

Automotive Industries, Jan, 2001 by Lora J. Bingham

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