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First dedicated safety bus from TRW

TRW announced that the Distributed Systems Interface (DSI) architecture it developed with Motorola will enter production on MY2002 vehicles of a major automaker. It is the first use of the new DSI standard and the first application of a dedicated safety bus, according to TRW. The interface makes use of a two-wire serial bus linking safety-related sensors and components on a dedicated high-speed communications circuit. It enables the use of the latest-generation "intelligent" digital sensors and actuators for dual-stage front airbags, weight sensors, electronic seatbelt pretensioners, and side-impact protection systems.

1. Side impact remote acceleration sensor	7. Seatbelt buckle sensors
2. Two-wire bus	8. Front airbags (multi-stage inflators)
3. Occupant sensing system	9. Seatbelt pretensioners
4. Seatbelt pretensioners	10. Side airbag
5. Crash zone remote acceleration sensors	11. Side impact remote acceleration sensor
6. Side airbag	12. Central electronics control module

The TRW/Motorola DSI architecture has plug-and-play flexibility, allowing components to be added without redesigning or rewiring the entire electrical system.

The bus provides electrical power for the components linked by the system, and its two-wire design greatly reduces the wiring required by older designs, reducing weight and easing assembly and in-use maintenance. The use of DSI can speed vehicle development because its open architecture has plug-and-play flexibility. Components designed to the standard can be added without redesigning or rewiring the system. The number of components or discrete part numbers that automakers and suppliers must track can be reduced, thus cutting costs.

Though developed by TRW and Motorola, other companies can design systems and components to the open DSI standard without paying royalty or licensing fees. According to Heinz Pfannschmidt, Executive Vice President and General Manager of TRW Automotive Electronics, the use of the DSI architecture gives TRW customers an advantage in configuring their systems. New sensors and actuators can be added in mid-development, which can dramatically reduce product time-to-market.

Kevin Jost

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General Motors promotes SenseAble driving

General Motors Corp. announced the creation of "SenseAble driving," a new safety initiative designed to help reduce the risk of driver distraction while enhancing vehicle technology and safety. GM Chairman Jack Smith, who kicked off the program at Convergence, said the effort - which combines technology, research, and education - "will identify new ways to improve technology, while at the same time raise public awareness about the dangers posed by the wide variety of distractions faced by drivers."

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an estimated 25% of the 6.3 million crashes reported by police each year involve some form of driver distraction. Recent reports of highway tragedies involving drivers using handheld cell phones have heightened concerns about the issue.

The research and technology portions of the three-year, multi-million-dollar GM program have already begun. The educational components will start this fall with a special pilot in the state of Michigan. In addition to educational materials distributed through offices of Michigan's Secretary of State, GM will launch public service announcements, advertisements, an interactive computer exercise on driver-distraction risks, and educational materials for dealers and customers. Following Michigan's six-month pilot program, there are plans to roll out the program across more states, Smith said.

"We have always believed that as far as driver distraction is concerned, OnStar is part of the solution," said Mark Hogan, president of e-GM. "With OnStar, we have prioritized safety, and we will continue to do so." The GM subsidiary is a provider of in-vehicle safety, security, and information services and is completely integrated into the vehicle. New OnStar features for the 2001 model year include Personal Calling, which allows subscribers to use speech recognition technology to place hands-free, voice-activated calls - reducing distractions.

GM is the world's only automaker to announce a set of "guiding principles" to govern the design and use of telematics technology in its vehicles, according to the company. The SenseAble driving campaign will help GM "manage the rapid pace of technology by assuring that our choices are guided, at every step of the way, by rigorous research, complemented by education," Smith said.

Kevin Jost

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An electronics future

By 2010, the automotive industry's electronic pulse will pump a dual-voltage system into more than a million production vehicles.

A blue ribbon Convergence panel featuring Francois Castaing, President of Castaing and Associates; Hans Gustavsson, Senior Vice President of Product and Process Engineering for Volvo Car Corp.; Norio Omori, Senior Managing Director of Engineering Research & Development Center for DENSO Corp.; Donald Runkle, Executive Vice President of Delphi Automotive Systems; Franz Wressnigg, Group President, Siemens Automotive Systems Group/Chairman, Siemens Automotive Corp.; and moderator William Powers, Vice President, Research for Ford Motor Co., agreed that a dual-voltage system is the electronics wave of the future.

The group's shared prediction is a safe bet since brake-by-wire, electromagnetic valve timing, electric heating, and electrically driven pumps need dual voltage. "This is a rather easy forecast since we presently have more than one voltage level in vehicles," Wressnigg admitted.

One technology in particular seems destined to ignite in popularity. "I believe that diesel (engines) will have a great future," said Gustavsson. Delphi is one company that has invested heavily in diesel technology. "The image in the U.S. of diesels is - slow, stinky, rough, and noisy devices. That's not the case anymore," said Runkle, adding, "If fuel prices were similar to Europe, I think you'd see diesel (engines) take off in the U.S." The electronics technology used in common-rail diesels has already reshaped engine performance. "Diesel is right there with the fuel cell, if not better," Powers said in making a wheels-to-wheels comparison.

Advanced hybrid vehicles will be a 2010 player, but panelists hedged on the volume count. One hurdle is cost. "A full hybrid is a question of affordability for the consumer," said Gustavsson.

Fuel cells are inching closer to production and will likely arrive in PEM form. "You'll probably see PEM fuel cells in the next five to six years," predicted Castaing.

As for other 2010 expectations, panelists agree that emissions and fuel economy will remain front-burner items throughout the decade as will developing technology to handle increased electrical loads. The concept of total-vehicle-energy management may become a standard means of minimizing system cost and optimizing vehicle efficiency.

One certainty about the future: history either will or will not repeat itself. "Whatever we predict, we are destined to be surprised," promised Omori.

Kami Buchholz

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