Photo: ZF LIFETEC
The driver’s frontal airbag has always had its position set in the center of the steering wheel. However, a German firm chooses to place it on the top side of the steering wheel.
The innovative placement of the driver airbag would anticipate the future in-cabin design. ZF considers placing a screen where the airbag would normally be located. The relocation would enable carmakers to come up with new tech on the steering wheel without compromising safety while integrating force-sensitive controls in a smartphone-like interface.
Placing an airbag that would deploy behind a glass screen would turn both the screen and airbag into a weapon. Airbags on board passenger cars were introduced in the United States in the 1970s. Ford manufactured experimental cars equipped with airbags as early as 1971, while an insurance company, Allstate, operated a fleet of 200 Mercury Monterey cars to prove the reliability of airbags in crash tests.
By 1974, General Motors was already rolling out cars featuring their ACRS system, which integrated a padded lower dashboard and a passenger-side airbag, offered as an option. For the past three decades, though, the driver's airbag has been standard equipment in most cars.
But is this new position really safe? For the airbag to safely deploy without causing further injuries, the driver must hold hands on the steering wheel either at 10 and 2 o'clock, or at 9 and 3 o'clock. Considering the speed and force the airbag would deploy with, holding one hand at 12 o'clock might cause a bone fracture.
The change would help car manufacturers to bring on board a seamless design, offering a smartphone-like interface right in front of the driver. However, this solution might be distracting. A new screen on board, alongside the one in the center console, the digital instrument cluster, and the head-up display might deflect the attention to the road ahead.
Automakers can also integrate on-demand functions or touch displays in the steering wheel. ZF also proposes a combination of an alternative rotary switch with a force-sensitive and tactile surface, enabling the driver to operate the system safely, without removing the hands off the steering wheel.
The steering wheel that ZF designed can also feature hands-on detection making sure that the driver keeps their hands on it at all times. The system would integrate a capacitive sensor placed under the leather surface, which recognizes whether the driver merely touches or grips the wheel.
Placing an airbag that would deploy behind a glass screen would turn both the screen and airbag into a weapon. Airbags on board passenger cars were introduced in the United States in the 1970s. Ford manufactured experimental cars equipped with airbags as early as 1971, while an insurance company, Allstate, operated a fleet of 200 Mercury Monterey cars to prove the reliability of airbags in crash tests.
By 1974, General Motors was already rolling out cars featuring their ACRS system, which integrated a padded lower dashboard and a passenger-side airbag, offered as an option. For the past three decades, though, the driver's airbag has been standard equipment in most cars.
The driver's airbag has been relocated for the first time
Specifically designed to protect the head, neck, and torso of the driver, they help save lives and reduce injuries. ZF LIFETEC designed a new type of airbag, which deploys from the top side of the steering wheel through the upper steering wheel rim toward the driver.But is this new position really safe? For the airbag to safely deploy without causing further injuries, the driver must hold hands on the steering wheel either at 10 and 2 o'clock, or at 9 and 3 o'clock. Considering the speed and force the airbag would deploy with, holding one hand at 12 o'clock might cause a bone fracture.
The change would help car manufacturers to bring on board a seamless design, offering a smartphone-like interface right in front of the driver. However, this solution might be distracting. A new screen on board, alongside the one in the center console, the digital instrument cluster, and the head-up display might deflect the attention to the road ahead.
Automakers can also integrate on-demand functions or touch displays in the steering wheel. ZF also proposes a combination of an alternative rotary switch with a force-sensitive and tactile surface, enabling the driver to operate the system safely, without removing the hands off the steering wheel.
The steering wheel that ZF designed can also feature hands-on detection making sure that the driver keeps their hands on it at all times. The system would integrate a capacitive sensor placed under the leather surface, which recognizes whether the driver merely touches or grips the wheel.
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