TRW
Automotive Holdings Corp has announced that its second generation Active
Control Retractor system (ACR2) has started production on the 2014 Cadillac
CTS. This is the first launch of this advanced seat belt technology in North
America, combining active and passive approaches to offer enhanced safety,
comfort and convenience to vehicle occupants, according to a press statement
from TRW.
With
2013 sales of $17.4 billion, TRW Automotive ranks among the world's leading
automotive suppliers. Headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, USA, the Company,
through its subsidiaries, operates in 24 countries and employs approximately
65,000 people worldwide.
Uwe
Class, senior manager of mechatronic systems for TRW's Occupant Safety Systems,
said: "ACR2 is designed to use braking and stability control sensor
information to recognise critical situations before a potential accident. It
reacts by helping to secure the driver and passenger by removing seat belt
slack – so the occupant position is improved in advance of an impending crash.
The system also offers additional convenience features such as slack removal
after the belt is buckled."
The
ACR2 provides dynamic driving support which has been developed to help keep the
driver in a more stable position in the seat during highly dynamic situations
and during rapid deceleration. This
features an advanced version of TRW's proprietary situation management
algorithm.
"The
ACR2 situation management algorithm continuously processes signals from the
vehicle's relevant dynamic systems such as ABS, electronic stability control,
radar or camera systems," continued Class. "The algorithm evaluates
events such as braking, sliding or vehicle angle, and if a critical situation
is identified, the ACR system pretensions the seat belt, helping place the
occupant in a better position for a potential crash and acting as a warning to
the driver that an accident may occur.
Should the accident be avoided, the system automatically resets itself
via the reversible actuator."