ADVANCEMENT IN AUTOMOBILES

PREPARED BY:
ARUNKUMAR S
111ME111
S5MEA

INRODUCTION:
Automobiles are the means of transport through which man
could establish relations with other nation. The travel in automobiles has not
been safer. It has its own defects when it was first introduced. But man had
made it safer through his knowledge. Let us discuss about it now.
SAFETY IN MOTOR VEHICLES
It is a vehicle which carries motor and passenger with it. The safety
features present in it are divided in to two types they are
1) Active safety device
2) Passive safety device
Active safety device;
An active device requires user activation of the safety mechanism. The
clinician needs to do something above and beyond the normal use of the
product for protection from the sharp tip of the contaminated needle. On the
other hand, a passive device requires no user activation of the safety
mechanism. It happens automatically during the normal use.
These systems, such as intelligent speed adaptation, brake assist, traction
control, ESC, VDIM pre-tensioning are active in the sense that they invoke
an action in order to improve safety.
Passive safety device;
A passive device needs no action by the vehicle occupant is required to
activate or use the airbag, it is considered a passive safety device.
Airbag is the most commonly used passive safety device.
Types of safety devices:
Brake assist;
More than 90% percent of drivers fail to brake with enough force in
emergency situations. Brake Assist detects circumstances in which
emergency braking is required by measuring the speed with which the brake
pedal is depressed. Some systems additionally take into account the rapidity
of which the gas pedal is released, pre-tensioning the brakes when a "panic
release" of the gas is noted. When panic braking is detected, the Brake Assist
system automatically develops maximum brake boost in order to mitigate a
drivers tendency to brake without enough force. In doing so, Brake Assist
has been shown to reduce stopping distance by a significant margin; up to
20%.The Volvo system Collision Warning with Auto Brake 'CWAB' uses

radar to detect when a collision is likely and will pre-charge the brakes so
that when the driver uses the brakes, however lightly, full braking is applied.
The system will also flash a light and make a warning sound, if the driver
does not respond to the warning at the point where a collision cannot be
avoided the system will apply the brakes automatically and dramatically
reduce the speed of the collision.
Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA),
Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA), also known as Intelligent
Speed Assistance, is any system that constantly monitors vehicle speed and
the local speed limit on a road and implements an action when the vehicle is
detected to be exceeding the speed limit. This can be done through an
advisory system, where the driver is warned, or through an intervention
system where the driving systems of the vehicle are controlled automatically
to reduce the vehicles speed. Intelligent speed adaptation uses information
about the road on which the vehicle travels to make decisions about what the
correct speed should be. This information can be obtained through use of a
digital map incorporating roadway coordinates as well as data on the speed
zoning for that roadway at that location, through general speed zoning
information for a defined geographical area. Most motorists do not
appreciate the extra risks involved in travelling just a few km/h over the
speed limit. Most think that the risk of a casualty crash is doubled if you are
travelling at least 25km/h over the speed limit. Research has found that that,
in urban areas, the risk of a casualty crash is doubled for each 5km/h over
the limit.
Types of ISA (Active/ Passive)
The two types of ISA systems, passive and active, differ in that
passive systems simply warn the driver of the vehicle travelling at a speed in
excess of the speed limit, while active systems intervene and automatically
correct the vehicles speed to conform to the speed limit.
Active ISA systems actually reduce or limit the vehicles speed
automatically by manipulating the engine and/or braking systems.
Passive systems are generally driver advisory systems.
Speed and location determining/ verification technology
There are four types of technology currently available for
determining local speed limits on a road and determining the speed of the
vehicle. These are:

GPS
Radio Beacons
Optical recognition
Dead Reckoning

A traction control system (TCS)

A traction control system (TCS), also known as Anti-Slip
Regulation (ASR), on current production vehicles, are typically (but not
necessarily) electro-hydraulic systems, designed to prevent loss of traction
of the driven road wheels, and therefore the control of the vehicle, when
excessive throttle is applied by the driver, and the condition of the road
surface (due to varying factors) is unable to cope with the torque applied.
In road cars:
Traction control has traditionally been a safety feature in highperformance cars, which would otherwise need very sensitive throttle input
to keep them from spinning the driven wheels when accelerating, especially
in wet, icy or snowy conditions. In recent years, traction control systems
have become widely available in non-performance cars, minivans, and light
trucks.
In race cars:
Traction control is used as a performance enhancement, allowing
maximum traction under acceleration without wheel spin. When accelerating
out of turn, it keeps the tires at the optimum slip ratio.
Electronic stability control (ESC);
Electronic stability control (ESC) is a computerized technology introduced
in 1995 that improves the safety of a vehicle's stability by detecting and
minimizing skids. When ESC detects loss of steering control, ESC
automatically applies the brakes to help "steer" the vehicle where the driver
intends to go. Braking is automatically applied to individual wheels, such as
the outer front wheel to counter oversteer, or the inner rear wheel to counter
understeer. Some ESC systems also reduce engine power until control is
regained.

Operation
During normal driving, ESC works in the background, continuously
monitoring steering and vehicle direction. ESC compares the driver's
intended direction (by measuring steering angle) to the vehicle's actual
direction (by measuring lateral acceleration, vehicle rotation (yaw), and
individual road wheel speeds).
ESC only intervenes when it detects loss of steering control, i.e. when the
vehicle is not going where the driver is steering.[21] This may happen, for
example, when skidding during emergency evasive swerves, understeer or
oversteer during poorly judged turns on slippery roads, or hydroplaning.
ESC can work on any surface, from dry pavement to frozen lakes. It reacts
to and corrects skidding much faster and more effectively than the typical
human driver, often before the driver is even aware of any imminent loss of
control.
Seat belt
A seat belt, sometimes called a safety belt, is a safety harness designed
to secure the occupant of a vehicle against harmful movement that may
result from a collision or a sudden stop.
TYPES
LAP: Adjustable strap that goes over the waist. Used frequently in older
cars.
Sash: Adjustable strap that goes over the shoulder. Used mainly in the
1960s, but of limited benefit because it is very easy to slip out of in a
collision.

Three-point: Similar to the lap and shoulder, but one single continuous
length of webbing. Both three-point and lap-and-sash belts help
spread out the energy of the moving body in a collision over the chest,
pelvis, and shoulders.
Belt-in-Seat (BIS): The BIS is a three-point where the shoulder belt
attachment is to the backrest, not to the b pillar.
Five-point harnesses: These restraints are safer but more restrictive
than most other seat belt types. They are typically found in child
safety seats and in racing cars. The lap portion is connected to a belt
between the legs and there are two shoulder belts, making a total of
five points of attachment to the seat.
Six-point harnesses: These harnesses are similar to a five-point
harness but include an extra belt between the legs, which is seen by
some to be a weaker point than the other parts. These belts are used
mainly in racing.
Seven-point harnesses (5+2): aircraft frequently use a combination
harness consisting of a five-point harness with a redundant lap-belt
attached to a different part of the airframe.
Airbag:
An airbag is a vehicle safety device. It is an occupant restraint
consisting of a flexible envelope designed to inflate rapidly in an automobile
collision, to prevent vehicle occupants from striking interior objects such as
the steering wheel or window.
Because no action by the vehicle occupant is required to activate or use
the airbag, it is considered a passive safety device. This is in contrast to seat
belts, which are considered active safety devices because the vehicle
occupant must act to enable them.
Airbags for passenger cars were introduced in the mid-1970s, when seat
belt usage rates in the country were quite low. Airbags were marketed as a
convenient alternative to seat belts, while offering similar levels of
protection to unbelted occupants in a head-on collision.

The auto industry and research and regulatory communities have

moved away from their initial view of the airbag as a seat belt replacement,
and the bags are now nominally designated as Supplemental Restraint
System (SRS) or Supplemental Inflatable Restraints.

TYPES:
Frontal airbag:
In this type of airbags the airbag is present in the steering
wheel which is present at the frontal side of driver.
When the collision takes place head on the airbag will be filled
up and expands there by increasing the area at which the force spreads there
by reducing the injury to the driver.
Side airbag:
There are essentially two types of side airbags commonly used
today, the side torso airbag and the side curtain airbag.
Side-impact airbags or side torso airbags are a category of airbag
usually located in the seat, and inflate between the seat occupant and the
door. These airbags are designed to reduce the risk of injury to the pelvic and
lower abdomen regions. Some vehicles are now being equipped with
different types of designs, to help reduce injury and ejection from the vehicle
in rollover crashes
.

Curtain airbags:

Curtain airbags have been said to reduce brain injury or

fatalities by up to 45% in a side impact with an SUV. These airbags come in
various forms depending on the needs of the application. Many recent SUVs
and MPVs have a long inflatable curtain airbag that protects all 3 rows of
seats.
e.g., tubular, curtain, door-mounted
Side tubular or curtain airbag:
In late 1997 the 1998 model year vehicles were fitted with a
tubular shaped head side airbags, the "Head Protection System (HPS)" as
standard equipment. This is an industry's first in offering head protection in
side impact collisions. This airbag also maintained inflation for up to seven

seconds for rollover protection. However, this tubular shaped airbag design
has been quickly replaced by an inflatable 'curtain' airbag for superior
protection.
Knee airbag
The automotive industry's first knee airbag appeared on the 1996 model. The
airbag is located beneath the steering. The Toyota Avensis became the first
vehicle sold in Europe equipped with a drivers knee airbag. The EuroNCAP
reported on the 2003 Avensis, "There has been much effort to protect the
drivers knees and legs and a knee airbag worked well.
Rear curtain airbag:
In 2008, the Toyota iQ launched featuring the first rear curtain
shield airbag to protect the rear occupants heads in the event of a rear end
impact.
Rear center airbag:
Toyota developed the first rear-seat center airbag designed to
reduce the severity of secondary injuries to rear passengers in a side
collision. This system deploys from the rear center console first appearing in
2009 on the redesigned Crown Majesta.
How airbags work:
The design is conceptually simple; a central "Airbag control
unit"(ACU) (a specific type of ECU) monitors a number of related sensors
within the vehicle, including accelerometers, impact sensors, side (door)
pressure sensors, wheel speed sensors, gyroscopes, brake pressure sensors,
and seat occupancy sensors. When the requisite 'threshold' has been reached
or exceeded, the airbag control unit will trigger the ignition of a gas
generator propellant to rapidly inflate a nylon fabric bag. As the vehicle
occupant collides with and squeezes the bag, the gas escapes in a controlled
manner through small vent holes. The airbag's volume and the size of the
vents in the bag are tailored to each vehicle type, to spread out the
deceleration of (and thus force experienced by) the occupant over time and
over the occupant's body, compared to a seat belt alone.

In an airbag, the initiator is used to ignite solid propellant inside the

airbag inflator. The burning propellant generates inert gas which rapidly
inflates the airbag in approximately 20 to 30 milliseconds. An airbag must
inflate quickly in order to be fully inflated by the time the forward-traveling
occupant reaches its outer surface. Typically, the decision to deploy an
airbag in a frontal crash is made within 15 to 30 milliseconds after the onset
of the crash, and both the driver and passenger airbags are fully inflated
within approximately 60-80 milliseconds
Gas-Generator Reaction

Reactants

Products

Initial Reaction Triggered by

NaN3
Sensor.

Na
N2 (g)

Second Reaction.

Na
KNO3

K2O
Na2O
N2 (g)

Final Reaction.

K2O
Na2O
SiO2

alkaline silicate
(glass)

Table 1
This table summarizes the species involved in the chemical
reactions in the gas generator of an airbag.

Inflation:
When the frontal airbags are to deploy, a signal is sent to the
inflator unit within the airbag control unit. An igniter starts a rapid chemical
reaction generating primarily nitrogen gas (N2) to fill the airbag making it
deploy through the module cover. Some airbag technologies use compressed
nitrogen or argon gas with a pyrotechnic operated valve ("hybrid gas
generator"), while other technologies use various energetic propellants.
Propellants containing the highly toxic sodium azide (NaN3) were common

in early inflator designs. However, propellants containing sodium azide were

widely phased out during the 1990s in pursuit of more efficient, less
expensive and less toxic alternatives.
Post-deployment:
Once an airbag deploys, deflation begins immediately as the
gas escapes through vent(s) in the fabric (or, as it's sometimes called, the
cushion) and cools. Deployment is frequently accompanied by the release of
dust-like particles, and gases in the vehicle's interior (called effluent). Most
of this dust consists of cornstarch, French chalk, or talcum powder, which
are used to lubricate the airbag during deployment. Newer designs produce
effluent primarily consisting of harmless talcum powder/cornstarch and
nitrogen gas (about 80% of the air we breathe is nitrogen).
Vehicular Emergency Data Set (VEDS):
The Vehicular Emergency Data Set is an XML-based
standard for reporting collision data elements and medical data elements
related to a collision. The standard was developed by the ComCARE
Alliance, and is aimed at relaying critical information to facilitate efficient
emergency response. This data set can be transmitted automatically to a
response center, which can then forward it to emergency services providers.
Top 10 Safety Features should be followed in vehicles:
Automakers constantly strive to improve or add safety features to
their cars each year, aiming for four-or-five star crash-test ratings
(and thus more auto sales). Here are a few we like
Cargo Nets:
If you've got an open trunk space (mini-van,
station wagon, SUV) then use this to prevent all your junk from
flying into you during an accident (or during the avoidance of one).
Airbags Galore:
Side-impact airbags that protect the body are mostly standard these
days, but now there's an added feature: they can sense the passengers' height,

weight, and position (such as leaning forward to the glove box) as well as
speed, and adjust their impact accordingly
Side curtain airbags: (head curtain) guard your head, and should also be an
important part of your airbag checklist
Stabilize Yourself:
A Stability Control system's sensors can tell which
way the car's driver is headed vs. which way the car's actually going. A sister
system is the Rollover Prevention System (variously known by different
names) which brakes your car if you're in danger of rolling
A Sensitive Touch:
A parents' worst nightmare is a toddler who learns how to
open a door and runs out behind a backing-up car. Two things can help:
sensors in the back, which beep when you're close to an object (also helps
for tight parking spots) and a rearview camera. A rearview camera
actually gives you a picture of what's behind you, so there's no question of
whether that's a bike or your baby. Oh, yeah, and these help with parking,
too.
Tire-pressure Monitoring:
A well-filled tire is one of the most basic, most
important, and most overlooked safety feature there is, so most new cars
now come with this feature. Some cars chirp at you or have a lighted
symbol when pressure's low; whatever the method, get thee to a filling
station and add air.
Wake Me Up Before You Crash:
Changing lanes without checking your blind spots and
sleepy driving are two major accident-causers. When you turn on your
signal, some cars "look" in your blind spot for you and warn you if there's
something there. By the same token, if you have a little lane drift
WITHOUT turning on your signal, the lane-departure warning will sound
an alarm.
Stop Me:
We all use cruise control on long trips, but sometimes it's
hard to remember to turn it off (or to do it in time) if traffic suddenly
slows. Adaptive Cruise Control brakes for you; if you think everything's

okay, you just tap the brake yourself. Emergency Brake Assist is a similar
system, which recognizes a panic stop and helps you out.
Night Vision Assist:
Though these sounds like something a soldier would have more
than your car, night vision assist (adaptive headlights) has cropped up.
This cool technology shows you a picture of that thing standing in the
middle of the road at night. The system can also adjust how long the light
beams are and know if there's extra light around, putting more or less
light on the subject as needed.
Emergency Response:
This system calls for help when you can't. It also does stuff
like unlocks the doors, switches off the fuel, and disconnects the battery
when the airbags go off