Effectiveness potential of PRE-SAFE® impulse using the scenario of a major accident at an intersection as an example

Schöneburg, Rodolfo; Fehring, Michael; Richert, Julien; Glashagel, Mario; Ruf, Jochen; Walz, Matthias; Bogenrieder, Ralf

Affiliations

Abstract

Research Question/Objective: As automatic emergency braking systems are increasingly penetrating the market and their rates of efficiency are improving, initial trends show that there will be a reduction in the number and severity of accidents in longitudinal traffic scenarios.

The focus in the future will therefore increasingly be on side impacts in particular and the accompanying high risks of injury observed. Modern driver assistance systems address driver assistance and measures for avoiding accidents and reducing the severity for the driver's vehicle if it is involved in an accident with another party. However, the one area where assistance systems have hardly had any influence so far is side impacts. Improving this area can only be achieved by extending the protection available in the event of an accident.

Methods and Data Sources: The launch of the new E-Class in 2016 marks the first time that Mercedes-Benz has implemented an additional side protection system that uses modern systems that monitor the surroundings to initiate measures for enhanced protection in an accident even before a possible collision occurs. PRE-SAFE® Impulse Side detects the danger of an accident via radar sensors fitted on both sides of the car and moves the occupant moderately toward the center of the vehicle just before the imminent collision by inflating an airbag in the side seat cushion. The effect of the additional distance and the reduced contact speed at the time of the actual impact can be observed in all side impact configurations.

In this study, a particularly severe impact configuration was tested and analyzed in full-scale crash tests. For this purpose, crash tests were performed with two vehicles in each case. In the tests, the bullet vehicle had an impact speed of 65 km/h, while the target vehicle had a vehicle speed of 50 km/h. The target vehicle was equipped with PRE-SAFE® Impulse in one test and did not have the preventative protection system in the other test. The collision angle of the two vehicles was 105°. The point of impact of the bullet vehicle in the side of the target vehicle was the center of the passenger compartment.

Links

URL: http://indexsmart.mirasmart.com/25esv/PDFfiles/25ESV-000252.pdf

Cited Works (1)

Year	Entry
2015	Schöneburg R, Paurevic M, Fehring M, Richert J, Bogenrieder R. Evaluation of occupant protection systems: from a preventive to a pre-impacting restraint system. In: Proceedings of the 24th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 8-11, 2015; Gothenburg, Sweden.

Cited By (2)

Year	Entry
2019	Jang R, Lee S, Kim B, Choi Y, Yang D. Development of a side impact crash using integrated system. In: Proceedings of the 26th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 10-13, 2019; Eindhoven, Netherlands.
2019	Okamura K, Ohya H, Odai S. Collision detection using adas sensor and its effect on occupant injury. In: Proceedings of the 26th International Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles (ESV). June 10-13, 2019; Eindhoven, Netherlands.