ADVANCED DRIVER AIRBAG SYSTEM 2001-06-0005

New improvements in driver safety systems need to guarantee higher control on all crash parameters such us offset crashes with non longitudinal movements and crashes with steering column movements. New shapes of bags combined with systems that fix the position of the bag can do this work.

Steering systems have made that the normal shape of driver airbags DAB had been designed round or very near to this shape. In this work are presented the results of a new development in new shapes that with new mechanical (or electromechanical) steering solutions could be installed in future vehicles.

There have been studied new shapes that reduce the probability of injuries in head and thorax and that optimise the restraint effect. Also have been developed shapes that show clear benefits in the case of non desired movements of the steering wheel and column in frontal collisions. In these kind of accidents thorax injuries can be produced by the impact with the steering wheel rim new shapes of the bag combined with systems that guarantee the same bag position in all crash configurations.

The main objective is to reduce the kinetic energy of the drivers at the early moments of the crash, improving the restraint and avoiding hard contacts of the occupant body with the steering wheel. To achieve this objective the new proposed geometries have the target of restraining the arms of drivers reducing the forces transmitted to the body. This reduction have the target of decreasing the accelerations of drivers Head and Thorax.

The work will show that this main objective is fulfilled with a good rate of success.