| Improved protection for rear passengers - New milestone of technology: active seat-belt buckle |
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07/02/2012 07:16 (113 Day 08:05 minutes ago) | |||||
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The FIMAMCIAL -- Active seat-belt buckle is a new innovation for the rear seats which is currently under development by safety pioneer Mercedes-Benz and will shortly go into series production in one of the Stuttgart manufacturer's luxury-segment models.
According to Daimler, an electric motor extends and retracts the seat belt buckle automatically. In this way, the belt slack in the area of the pelvis and thorax can be reduced and passengers are secured more firmly in sideways and lengthways directions.
Active seat-belt buckle fits in with Mercedes-Benz's integrated safety concept. In keeping with an all-embracing approach to safety, this concept covers all phases of automotive safety: from safety during driving through safety in hazardous situations and protection in the event of an accident to minimisation of the consequences of accidents.
The innovation is typically Mercedes-Benz, improving safety and comfort in one. Fastening seat belts in the rear is also made much simpler: the seat belt buckle emerges from the upholstery when the rear doors are opened and is provided with an illuminated insertion slot. Simplifying use of the seat belt in this manner may increase the percentage of rear passengers who buckle up. The innovation also makes it easier to assist children or people who require help in fastening their seat belts.
Active seat-belt buckle is also integrated in the PRE-SAFE preventive safety system. This means that whenever PRE-SAFE becomes active in critical driving situations or when a critical distance from other objects is detected, reversible belt tensioning is also effected in the rear via the active seat-belt buckle function.
The restraint system and the passengers are thus better prepared for a possible accident situation. Active seat-belt buckle complements the pyrotechnic belt tensioning which has featured as standard on all outer rear seats in Mercedes-Benz vehicles for many years now. This pyrotechnic system is triggered in the event of actual impact.
The Mercedes safety experts have developed active seat-belt buckle using detailed computer models of the human body, as dummies are only able to simulate the human pelvic system along very rough lines.Active seat-belt buckle is a moving belt buckle which can be extended by 70 millimetres and retracted by 40 millimetres via an electric motor. The belt buckle is attached via a cable to a spindle nut which runs on a spindle, translating the electric motor's rotary movement into a linear movement.
The Mercedes-Benz safety experts have developed active seat-belt buckle with the aid of virtual human models, which provide a clearer picture of what happens to a vehicle's occupants in an accident than crash-test dummies.
These digital models simulate not only the human body's outer form, but also its internal structures, such as bones and soft tissue.With virtual human models, the biomechanical characteristics of the human body are simulated in detail on a computer, enabling examination of the stress to which the model is exposed in a virtual crash test.
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