Since its invention, the airbag It has been a capital element in the safety of car occupants. Over the years it has been perfected and new formats have been added (side, curtain, etc.), but the main one, the one for the driver and located on the steering wheel, has not changed much in general terms. . Until now, since ZF has presented a new version of the traditional airbag.
The rule is that the steering wheel has the airbag integrated in its central area, from which it deploys frontally in the event of an accident. This format is effective, but it brings with it certain limitations in the design of the steering wheels, which is why ZF Lifetec, the division of the company specialized in passive safety, has shown a prototype with a slightly different approach.
In this case, the airbag does not deploy frontally, but rather arises from the top of the central area of the steering wheel, with the bag extending between that area and the top of the rim, and then covering and exceeding the entire surface of the steering wheel that the driver can impact.
According to the company, it is as fast as a conventional airbag, but offers advantages when designing steering wheels.
Harald Lutz, head of development at ZF Lifetec, explains: “With this new concept, we allow design freedom for the steering wheels without compromising safety.”
This format allows the main horizontal radius of the steering wheel to have a design seamless, that is, continuous and without interruptions, which according to the firm not only allows the use of new materials and shapes, but also opens the window to incorporate new functionalities.
And with this structure it is possible, following the fashion of recent years, to convert that area into a place that includes screens or touch surfaces to which controls can be granted according to the tastes and/or needs of the driver. In addition, it is still viable to place physical, more ergonomic buttons, in the style of current multifunction steering wheels.
ZF points out that, in addition, this airbag format is compatible with systems such as the driver’s hand detection, which makes it possible to identify whether the driver is simply touching the steering wheel or if, on the contrary, he or she is safely gripping it tightly. .
