Transparent Car Showcases New Automotive Safety Tech

Transparent Car Showcases New Automotive Safety Tech

The next generation of safety technologies designed to reduce the number of road accidents, have been revealed at the Frankfurt motor show. TRW Automotive used a life size acrylic car 'driven' by models to demonstrate how it is working towards semi-automated driving as well as other new technology innovations to keep drivers and car passengers safe. The company believes cars will be packed with more intelligent safety systems in the next decade that can anticipate road conditions. TRW Automotive showed off a range of airbags and active safety systems such as braking and steering products in the acrylic car, which also highlights the sensors that are used to collect information from 360 degrees around the vehicle. The data from the sensors is used to make driver assist systems work in a bid to protect drivers, passengers and pedestrians in emergency situations. Included in the acrylic car is an advanced radar that can be used to warn drivers of possible collisions and pedestrians, as well as spark mitigation braking and emergency braking.

A new 'active' seat belt system is fitted in the vehicle but in a real car that is forced to stop suddenly, it could help manage occupant energy during a crash. The new seatbelts can reduce slack in driving situations and decrease the possibility of passengers being out of position and more susceptible to injury, the company said. An integrated brake control system (IBC) enables a car to automatically brake and recover energy from braking in one package. The company said it offers 'improved pedal feel' and performance over conventional systems with a lower overall weight. Another feature shown off in the vehicle is an electrically powered steering system that offers fuel-saving benefits and factors in wind compensation, for example. TRW Automotive showed off an advanced radar in its acrylic car that can be used to warn drivers of possible collisions and pedestrians, as well as spark mitigation braking and emergency braking.

John Plant, chairman and CEO of TRW Automotive, said: 'Over the next decade, active safety systems will become increasingly intelligent as greater efforts are made to reduce the number of road fatalities worldwide. He believes consumers will benefit from more cars being fitted with active safety technologies as changes to road safety schemes and insurance incentives come into force across the world. TRW currently supplies safety technologies to car manufacturers including VW, Mercedes Benz, Ford, General Motors and Toyota. The company's stand at the automotive show also used holographic films to showcase its new technologies. Forthcoming car safety technology, designed to reduce crashes and save lives, has been shown off at the Frankfurt motor show using a specially created transparent car. Global automotive safety company TRW used a life-sized acrylic car to show the internal workings of the intelligent safety systems that can anticipate road conditions - something it says will become commonplace in cars within the next decade. The car was 'driven' around during the demonstration by a number of models. Amongst the kit being displayed was a range of airbags and active braking and steering systems designed to negotiate an unnoticed obstacle automatically. Sensors around the vehicle can process information in a full 360-degree field and a radar system scans the road ahead for pedestrians and stationary cars. New active seat belts are also fitted, which can tighten and reduce slack on-demand - better managing the force of a passenger flung forward in a collision and minimising injuries. Further kit fitted to the see-through car included electric power steering - a common sight on many new vehicles thanks to its lower power consumption. TRW's latest system can also compensate if it detects a crosswind.

This transmission brings a strong sporty component to the Mercedes-Benz C300, offering maximum control with short gear lever throws for quick shifting. Gear ratios for the new six-speed are 5.10, 2.78, 1.75, 1.25, 1.00 and an overdrive 6th gear with a ratio of 0.81 as well as a 4.63 reverse gear. This relatively wide spread of gear ratios provides quick off-the-line acceleration, great response when merging in traffic and quiet, fuel-efficient highway cruising. Most of the new-generation C-Class models come with the exclusive Mercedes-Benz seven-speed automatic transmission as standard equipment (C300 Luxury, C350 Sport). When compared to other automatic transmissions, the seven-speed provides better acceleration and fuel economy as well as smoother gearshifts. Seven gear ratios allows for a wider spread of ratios between first gear and top gear and, at the same time, smaller increases in engine speed as the car accelerates through the gears. This gives the electronic control unit more flexibility in terms of maximizing fuel economy and making the transmission's reaction timeextremely fast.

Unlike most transmissions, the seven-speed transmission will skip up to three gear ratios if necessary when it downshifts, shifting directly from seventh to fifth, for example, or even sixth to second. This helps the transmission choose the right gear ratio for quick acceleration, with smooth, almost imperceptible shifts in the process. The Mercedes-Benz seven-speed uses a refined, proven hydrodynamic torque converter with a special lock-up clutch inside the converter for maximum fuel efficien颅cy. Submerged in transmission oil and using special long-life friction materials, the lockup clutch eliminates the usual torque converter "slippage," providing the direct connection and fuel efficiency of a manual transmission when the lockup clutch is engaged. Unlike many other vehicles, the Mercedes-Benz lock-up clutch engages in all seven gears. Touch Shift allows the driver to manually select all forward speeds by pushing the gear lever slightly left or right to downshift or upshift while in the "Drive" selector position. In other words, it's not necessary to move the lever to another gate to make manual gear changes, and an in-dash gear indicator shows the selected gear. Though all forward speeds can be selected, computer control prevents downshifts that would cause the engine to over-rev.