Active safety is making its way into an increasing number of vehicle segments, with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) becoming a necessity for OEMs in the quest for semi-autonomous driving and to achieve five-star crash test ratings.
The primary aim of adopting active safety systems is to reduce the chances of a crash occurring in the first place, or at least to mitigate the effects of an unavoidable collision. Systems such as lane-keep assist (LKA) and autonomous emergency braking (AEB) contribute toward keeping the occupants out of a collision, but what happens if the collision cannot be avoided? This is where passive safety remains a key technology. Seatbelts and airbags aren’t going anywhere, for now, but they will be placed and used within the car in new ways.
In future, lightweight autonomous cars will navigate through smart cities, communicating with other cars around them, even performing collision avoidance manoeuvres such as emergency stops without driver input. Active safety may help to avoid collisions, but passive safety cannot dodge the trends that are happening within the industry – notably, autonomous driving, lightweighting, and increasing electronics content.
“A surge in demand”
Despite the advances in safety electronics, there is still considerable potential for passive safety technology. Indeed, passive safety systems will see a technological renaissance, believes Sourabh Banik, an automotive research analyst at Transparency Market Research. Banik expects passive safety systems such as airbags and seatbelts to witness “a substantial surge in demand within the next six years.” This growth is mainly attributed to the growing production of cars around the world, which in itself is being governed by government regulations. Many countries mandate the compulsory installation of airbag systems by OEMs across their various vehicle segments, including low-cost small cars, notes Banik. Active safety systems have been typically reserved for the premium segment, where higher price points make it easier to absorb the cost of the technology. Admittedly, certain active safety systems – such as AEB – are becoming common across more vehicle segments thanks to insurance incentives and even mandatory fitment, but the current trend is that the value segment is not seeing such a strong uptake.
According to a report by Transparency Market Research, the global airbags market is expected to reach US$29.72bn by 2020, growing steadily at a CAGR of 8.1%. Of particular mention is the frontal airbag segment, says Banik, which accounted for more than 50% of the market share in the global airbags market, “and is expected to remain so throughout 2014 to 2020”.
A key driver in this growth is the wealth of opportunities arising in new vehicles to integrate airbags in new, innovative ways. “Airbag manufacturers are making huge investments in R&D to explore new technical possibilities in the passive safety system and improve the safety standards of its existing products,” says Banik.
TRW in particular – one of three manufacturers that collectively hold 71% of the market share for automotive airbags – has developed a range of new airbag applications. Citroen’s new C4 Cactus was declared the 2015 World Car Design of the Year, and featured TRW’s latest bag-in-roof airbag technology. This technology replaces passenger airbags that would typically be mounted in the instrument panel, which the supplier says can allow for “improved interior design aesthetics, ergonomics and functionality, while saving space in the instrument panel.”
Taking safety lightly?
Seatbelts were first fitted as standard in a passenger car in 1958. On the face of things, the trusty three-point seatbelt with which drivers are familiar has not undergone any significant change of late. This poses the question: What more can be done to innovate seatbelts? Addressing this question, Aziz Canatar, Global Director of Engineering at TRW’s Seatbelt division, told Megatrends that there are still opportunities for innovation, particularly in terms of weight reduction. “Going into the future, with new hybrid materials, this could overcome certain stress, durability and endurance issues. In the next five-plus years, I think there are some opportunities in weight reduction.”
Although passive safety systems are still being developed by companies like TRW, many within the industry believe the future of passive safety lies in the hands of active safety systems. Jens-Ulrich Wiese, Director at business advisory firm AlixPartners, believes there will still be some “incremental improvements” in passive safety, but suggests that changes in vehicle safety will now come primarily from active safety developments. The force behind this – as with other areas of car design – is the onset of semi- and fully-autonomous driving.
This is a common debate between the airbag and seatbelt divisions of TRW, says Canatar. “I always say, for the seatbelt business, the future is bright,” he notes. If the speed of a crash can be mitigated to the point where the impact of a collision is far slower, is the requirement of a seatbelt as significant? “If in future cars can reduce the potential impact themselves, maybe the structure of the seatbelt will change,” he suggests. “Maybe you don’t need to have two buckles, you could have one instead. It is about finding opportunities to eliminate areas that do not add any benefit, if of course you can control the speed of the impact.”
For Brian Loh, the supplier’s VP Active Safety and Semi-Automated Portfolio in the Global Electronics division, the future of passive safety technology lies in the integration of active and passive safety. “If your sensors detect that something is about to happen, how do you adjust your passive safety system to get it to respond either faster or more appropriately? That’s additional information that most passive safety systems are not taking advantage of today. Additionally, autonomous cars present a whole new set of challenges. How do you keep a person safe when they’re out of the normal assumed position? We definitely see continued room for growth and innovation in passive safety.”
As with most aspects of a passenger car, autonomous driving is set to drastically change the way occupants are protected, and it is reasonable to expect traditional safety systems such as seat belts and airbags in untraditional placements within the car interior in future. If passengers are no longer required to face the road, can a traditional seatbelt system still protect them in a crash?
Andreas Eppinger, Group Vice President, Technology Management at Johnson Controls Automotive Seating, believes this an area that requires investigation: “We will still have seat belts, airbags and all these things, and in order for them to work properly, you have to be in a reasonable sitting position,” he told Megatrends. The onset of autonomous driving will require a new way of looking at the placement and functionality of traditional safety systems, as the driver’s ability to do other tasks within the car increases.”
The role of the driver is evolving, with autonomous drive technology even promising to take some responsibilities away from the driver entirely. At the same time, the pressure for OEMs to develop lighter cars is increasing. Passive safety systems are thus likely to become more compact – yet stronger – and will be integrated within the car to protect a range of occupant seating positions. Ultimately, however, passive safety systems look set to take on an important ‘back office’ role, supporting the new active safety technologies that prevent collisions in the first place.
Freddie Holmes
