NAIAS Highlights: Concepts
Volvo accents safety
Vision enhancements and safety provisions are the focal points for the new Volvo Safety Concept Car (SCC). Sensors and other technological treatments used on the SCC underscore a new research and development trend in vehicle safety.
The SCC uses fixed eye position sensors to set the driver's seating position as well as adjust the steering wheel location, center console height, and foot pedals. "The idea is that in every car there is a certain position that is the best position for the eye because it gives the best view over the hood," said Bosse Handel, Project Manager for New Car Launches, Volvo Car Corp.
The entire system, based on a Volvo idea, came together using the expertise of researchers, engineers, and designers from Volvo Cars and parent company Ford Motor Co. as well as various suppliers, including Johnson Controls (seating position system supplier), Sarnoff (video technology-based eye sensor), BMG (capacitive eye position sensor that uses the driver's head location to calculate eye position), Presta (steering column), and Helmstech Corp. (software and electronics wiring for seats, pedal box, console, steering column).
The concept car also modernizes the A-pillars by creating a series of six triangular cutouts - angled toward the driver - made of steel box construction and offset by see-through Plexiglas. "Today's A-pillars are less complicated to manufacture, but technically, this solution is possible," Handel said. The B-posts, which are integrated with the front seat frames, curve inward at the top to provide an unobstructed vision to the car's offset rear.
Sensors are embedded in the door mirrors. If the turn signal is activated, a series of yellow lights illuminates, alerting the driver to traffic entering the vehicle's blind spot. As the neighboring-lane vehicle nears, red lights illuminate and acoustic signals sound. Rearward-facing cameras, integrated in each door mirror, provide a view that can be accessed via the instrument panel display monitor. Two additional cameras provide views showing the area directly behind the vehicle. When the driver engages reverse gear, the display monitor automatically shows the behind-the-car zone.
Adaptive headlamps provide a light beam that gives a longer reach when driving at high speeds and a broader sweep when driving at low speeds. When the vehicle is being steered through a curve, the beam illuminates the entire road to coincide with the car's change in direction. The fiber-optic headlamps, using three lenses in each fixture, were designed in partnership with Hella.
The SCC is equipped with an infrared night vision system developed in conjunction with Autoliv. During night driving, the black and white image is projected onto a retractable display in the dashboard. The vehicle also is equipped with a collision-warning sensor and lane-tracking cameras that monitor - 20 m (65 ft) ahead - the car's position relative to center and side lane markers. If the car veers when the turn signal is not activated, the driver hears a rumble sound either from the left or right audio speakers, depending on which way the car is drifting.
The car's front conceals an external airbag that inflates in a crash to provide pedestrians and cyclists added protection. The SCC is fitted with two types of prototype four-point safety harnesses. (Volvo Cars, Ford Research Laboratory, and TRW are jointly developing and evaluating the harnesses.) The crossover harness is a conventional three-point safety belt supplemented with a retractable diagonal chest belt that goes from shoulder to hip, while the brace-type/V-shaped system is similar to the harness style used in racing competitions. Both belts have sensors to indicate when the harnesses are not properly locked in place. Rear seats have electronically adjusting seat cushions. "For children, when the seat raises, the seatbelt automatically moves toward the middle of the top of the seat. Otherwise, the safety belt could fall off a child's narrow shoulders," said Stefan Jansson, a Designer with Volvo Cars of North America.
A remote control unit - developed by Volvo Cars, Fingerprint, Combitech, and Humpf Design - uses Bluetooth technology. Known as the Volvo Personal Communicator (VPC), the unit uses a built-in fingerprint sensor to handle an array of security and comfort tasks, including storage of personalized settings such as driver's seat, steering wheel, and mirrors. The VPC employs a heartbeat sensor to detect an in-vehicle beating heart (human or animal). "It's a way to know if someone is hiding in a parked car, or if a sleeping child has been left in the vehicle," said Hans Gustavsson, Senior Vice President of Research, Development, and Purchasing for Volvo Cars.
- Kami Buchholz
