ZF is developing an intelligent seat belt to reduce injuries in the event of a collision
A leading manufacturer of automotive components and accessories has developed a new Passive Safety Systems seat belt system that minimizes the consequences of accidents.
The innovative development is based on the so-called multi-stage load limiter (MSLL). Its main task is to adapt the restraining force of the belt to the physique and size of the driver and passengers. Thanks to these properties, the seat belt becomes an intelligent, flexibly controlled component of the vehicle’s safety concept. At the same time, the system makes it easier for vehicle manufacturers to implement the increased requirements for adaptability of safety systems in the NCAP 2030 Roadmap.
The developers of the new ZF Passive Safety Systems seat belt system promise significantly improved adjustment of the belt force limitation according to the height and weight of the car’s occupants. The curtain has been lifted on some new solutions, including the Multi-Stage Load Limiter (MSLL), which is largely responsible for the equalization of the individual system.
It is this technology that reduces the consequences of accidents for all passengers and allows car manufacturers to meet the increased requirements of NCAP 2030. The innovation is not only in the individual control parameters of the component itself, but also in the expanded possibilities of interaction with other security systems: the MSLL force limiter with an intelligent safety device can be flexibly controlled.
Since modern safety systems react and intervene in advance in an emergency, in the event of an imminent collision, the belt is pulled tightly around the body before the collision (pretensioning), which reduces belt slack and specifically slows it down after impact and pushes it forward toward the airbag. The systems are based on representative, standardized test subjects (dummies). In the future, the NCAP crash test will require even better protection for individual car occupants.
“The demands on the adaptability of safety systems are increasing – both in the expectations of end customers and in the NCAP testing criteria. Our new harness system makes it easier for vehicle manufacturers to meet these increased requirements and, in particular, to reduce the consequences of accidents by adapting even better to the occupants,” says Rudolf Stark, Head of Passive Safety Technology at ZF.
To reduce the force exerted on the body in the event of a crash, many seat belt systems already have a two-stage adjustable load limiter (Switchable Load Limiter, SLL). It was an important step towards adaptation. For even more flexibility, ZF now offers its belt tensioner with a multi-switchable force limit (MSLL). It has a multi-stage design and can better change the restraining force throughout the course of the accident. The system allows you to individually respond to people of different physiques and properly control the belt force.
In the future, the path to greater variability of belt forces will be through sensory monitoring of the cabin to better determine who is sitting where and which belt forces should be applied separately in the event of a major or minor impact. Various sources are used: in addition to internal cameras that detect, for example, when the driver operates the infotainment system with his right hand or turns his head to the rear passengers, the belt system itself can provide valuable information.
It is worth recalling that ZF has given a good newsworthy occasion in the topic of seat belts for the second time this year: last year, around this time, the developer showed heated seat belts (see video below) for electric vehicles, which allows you to do without heating the cabin in winter and significantly increases the mileage on a single battery charge. Seat belts are included for the driver and all passenger seats in accordance with the passport characteristics.
