Auto Industry Delivers Bumper-to-Bumper Innovation

NASA Tech Briefs, Mar 2005

It's estimated that each year, 57 million new vehicles are produced worldwide. And each year, new vehicles become safer, make driving more enjoyable, and are increasingly fuel efficient and environmentally friendly. New advances in safety, telematics, and hybrid engines are on their way to an auto dealer near you.

Safety First

The focus is on safety when it comes to new automotive technologies. Once available only on top-of-the-line luxury models, a number of safety features are becoming standard equipment on mid-priced cars as well.

Top-tier automotive supplier Delphi Corp. recently introduced the next-generation Forewarn® Back-Up Aid system, a dual-beam radar system that helps drivers detect pets, children, vehicles, and other objects when backing up, as well as providing assistance in tight parking situations. The system uses a 24-GHz, dual-beam sensor radar mounted behind the rear bumper fascia to monitor a 16.4-foot area behind the vehicle. Using audible and visual alerts, the system warns the driver when an object is detected. When a driver backs up at 3 miles per hour or less, one of four distinct tones indicates the car's distance from the object. At higher speeds, the system uses a speed- and distance-based warning algorithm to warn the driver.

Other new systems prevent drivers from drifting out of their lane. The Lane Departure Warning (LDW) system, available on Nissan's Infiniti FX sport utility vehicle and M45 sedan, alerts drivers of an unintended movement of the vehicle out of its traffic lane. The system uses a small camem, speed sensor, indicator, and warning buzzer, and is temporarily disabled when the turn signal is activated. The system recognizes lane markings through the camera mounted behind the rearview mirror. The camera signal and vehicle speed are sent to the system's microprocessing unit, which calculates the distance between the vehicle and the lane marking, and the lateral velocity to the lane marking. A judgment is made as to whether the car is moving out of the lane.

Further enhancing both driver and passenger safety are new "smart" airbags such as the Bias Deployment Flap airbag from Delphi. The fabric chute "biases" or diverts the direction of the airbag during a collision when a vehicle occupant is out of position. Conventional airbag systems, while equipped with sensors that detect an impact, cannot identify the position of the occupants - if they are in a proper position (upright with the seat belt fastened) or out of position (leaning forward or turned to the side).

Delphi's STAR passenger airbag is a situationally adaptive restraint system that controls the size of the airbag as it inflates to match the occupant. The rate at which it inflates lakes into account the size of the occupant, his or her sitting position, whether the occupant is wearing a seat belt, and the severity and direction of the crash.

To prevent a crash from occurring, Acura has developed Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA®), which automatically controls brake pressure and engine power to maintain traction. Even if the driver takes no action, the system will reduce engine power and/or apply the brakes to reduce front or rear sideslip. If the driver enters a corner and the vehicle begins to spin out, the VSA will correct the problem by applying brakes to the outside front wheel. If the car begins to slip sideways, the VSA decreases engine power and applies brakes to the inside front wheel.

Tire manufacturers also are introducing new technologies that make tires safer and longer lasting. Michelin introduced earlier this year the Tweel(TM), an integrated wheel and tire combination that operates without air. Tweel consists of a composite reinforced tread band connected to a flexible (deformable) wheel via rectangular, polyurethane spokes. The hub and spoke design replaces the need for air pressure. The flexible spokes are fused with a flexible wheel that deforms to absorb shock, effectively "enveloping" road hazards. The Tweel could eventually eliminate the need for checking tire pressure, fixing flats, and suffering highway blowouts.

"Talking" To Your Car

Telematics covers many of the technologies that let you communicate with your vehicle. The market for telematics is exploding, and some of the most recent technology developments in this area are making cars more interactive than ever - child cameras, hands-free voice systems, collision warning systems, navigation systems, and back-seat video are just a few.

Ford has developed an intelligent architecture that enables your car to turn off your home sprinkler system, check your flight information, and update your calendar, all from the driver's seat. Available on the company's Lincoln Aviator, these advanced electronics enable drivers to link their PDAs to the vehicle, letting users update their appointment calendars and flight information using a voice-activated, hands-free system. Drivers also can access information such as their grocery lists by communicating with a Web-enabled refrigerator or other intelligent device in their home. This lets users activate or deactivate their home security systems, or any other home networked system.