2009 Mercedes Safety Focus Car Review and Specs | 2009 Mercedes Safety Focus Car Wallpaper Pictures Pics

It sounds like science-fiction: concealed metallic structures that wait patiently in a collapsed, space-saving state until they are required to go into action. Daimler researchers working together with the gas generator specialists at Autoliv spent two years actively researching such active metal support systems, and tested a variety of applications. For the very first time, inflatable metal side impact protection can be seen in the ESF 2009.

Imagine an inflatable mattress. When it is not needed, it is rolled up flat and e.g. consigned to a shelf in the attic. When inflated, however, it has a highly resistant structure that can easily carry a man weighing 100 kilograms. Inflatable metallic structures work in the same way: when not in use, the metal section is folded together to save space. Once its protective effect is needed, a gas generator just like those used to inflate airbags builds up an internal pressure of 10 to 20 bar within fractions of a second, the metal section is unfolded and the structure has significantly greater stability.

The advantages are obvious, and mainly involve packaging and weight: more stable structures can be accommodated within the increasingly tight installation spaces of an automobile, or weight can be greatly reduced while maintaining the same stability. Using the example of the side impact protection member in the doors of the S-Class, the researchers have calculated that around 500 grams less weight per door would be feasible.

Daimler safety researchers examined various applications for these innovative, crash-responsive metal structures, among them side impact protection, the side skirts and the seat cross-members. These have the advantage of being several centimetres away from the impact zone. The gas generator therefore only needs to be activated when a crash has definitely taken place.

One of the still unsolved problems of these protective members is that unlike the PRE-SAFEÂ® measures already in series production, their active deformation is not reversible. Moreover, the activation of protective members installed well to the outside of the bodyshell that can be inflated by internal pressure requires their deployment before the crash. The pre-crash sensor system must therefore provide highly reliable signals.

Another hurdle is the currently still uncompetitive cost level of the required gas generators in relation to the cost requirements for weight-saving measures. These crash-responsive metal structures are therefore still a thing of the future " but the same was also once true of standard safety features like the airbag, ABS or ESPÂ®.

Airbags in cars have previously only been used as a restraint system for the occupants. In the future they might also be a PRE-CRASH- component, activating an auxiliary brake in the vehicle floor and improving both deceleration and compatibility with the other vehicle involved in the accident.

Energy is not only reducible by braking the road wheels: jet fighters and dragsters use braking parachutes, for example. And as early as 1952, Mercedes-Benz was already experimenting with an air-brake at the Le Mans race: when decelerating, the driver was able to move a metal panel on the roof of his racing SL to a vertical position. Even earlier, coachmen used special wheel chocks. These were placed in front of one of both rear wheels on long downhill gradients, and their iron-clad base helped to brake the vehicle during the descent.

This is an old idea that Mercedes safety researchers have revitalised on a similar principle with the Braking Bag, an airbag installed between the front axle carrier and the underbody panelling. If the sensor system concludes that an impact is inevitable, the PRE-SAFEÂ® system not only initiates automatic emergency braking. At the same time the Braking Bag is deployed just before the crash, supporting the car against the road surface by means of a friction coating. The vehicle's vertical acceleration increases the friction and has an additional braking effect before the impact. The Braking Bag uses the PRE-CRASH sensors in Mercedes-Benz cars, which are already able to initiate preventive occupant protection measures in critical driving situations.

There are several advantages to this unusual auxiliary brake:
The rate of deceleration is briefly increased to over 20 m/sec/sec. This scrubs additional energy beyond the potentials of a wheel brake, thereby reducing accident severity.
Because the car is raised upwards by up to eight centimetres within a short time, the dive effect that occurs with conventional brakes is substantially compensated. This improves geometrical compatibility with the other party in an accident.
This vertical movement also improves the effects of the restraint systems: the seats move towards the occupants by around three centimetres, which enables the belt tensioners to take up more slack. The high deceleration rate before the impact has a "pretensioning" effect on the occupants, so to speak.
Downward support for the vehicle during the crash reduces the typical diving motion during a collision.

All in all, the braking airbag has the effect of an additional crumple zone. Mercedes engineers have calculated that even at a low 50 km/h, the additional deceleration has the same effect as lengthening the front end by 180 mm. Initial driving tests in a C-Class have already shown the effectiveness of this new auxiliary brake " though it will still be some time before the Braking Bag becomes another component of the PRE-SAFEÂ® system.

Cars sometimes know more about their surroundings than their drivers. With the help of intelligent communication systems, vehicles themselves are able to contribute to improved road safety and mobility.

A patch of black ice on the next bend? A bank of fog three kilometres down the road? A new traffic tailback where roadworks are being carried out? What used to come as an unpleasant surprise is far less frightening if the approaching driver receives an up-to-date is warning beforehand. This is a task that will in future be carried out by the other vehicles on the roads at the time " automatically, by radio. This is the basic idea behind Interactive Vehicle Communication.

Cars are nowadays able to collect a great deal of information about the current driving situation, as the numerous sensors, cameras and control units for the dynamic and assistance systems can register e.g. poor weather conditions just as well as sudden braking and avoiding manoeuvres, or broken-down vehicles on the road. There are also other sources of information, for example local police reports. This information can be passed on via additional relay stations ("car-to-x") such as radio masts at the roadside, stationary nodal points (e.g. traffic centres and overhead gantries) or via the internet. The onboard computer classifies all the reports according to plausibility and relevance. Tailback reports on the radio which are out-of-date or irrelevant to the individual driver will then be a thing of the past.

Mercedes engineers have been working on "Interactive Vehicle Communication" as a technology of the future for more than seven years. The ESF 2009 safety concept vehicle demonstrates the current status of this research: this Mercedes can automatically recognise an approaching police car, for example, and warn its driver by showing a symbol in the display. It is also possible to send and receive warnings of bad weather or obstacles in the road.

The exchange of data between vehicles is via so-called "ad hoc" networks, connections that are spontaneously formed between the vehicles over short distances. These wireless local area networks (WLANs) are self-organising, and require no external infrastructure. Transmission and reception is at a frequency of 5.9 gigahertz, over a distance of up to 500 metres. In fact the achievable communication range is much greater, as oncoming vehicles pass the messages on.

Cars that communicate with each other can do more than just pass on information: linked to modern proximity control systems such as DISTRONIC Plus from Mercedes-Benz, they can help to harmonise the traffic flow and avoid tailbacks by automatically selecting the most suitable vehicle speed when joining a motorway. And collisions can be avoided if onboard sensors recognise an impending accident and automatically regulate the distance.

This technology is currently demonstrating its practicality in the "Safe Intelligent Mobility " Test area Germany" project (simTD), in which Mercedes-Benz and other German manufacturers and suppliers are taking part. Up to 400 vehicles communicate with each other in these, the world's largest field trials for Interactive Vehicle Communication. simTD is being conducted in the densely populated Frankfurt/Rhine-Main area from autumn 2008 to 2012. Experts expect usable mobile information networks with full coverage to become a possibility when around ten percent of all vehicles have this communications capability.

Mercedes engineers have thought about how children might travel even more safely in a car.

The two major advantages of the Mercedes concept study "Child Protect" over conventional child safety seats are an improved protective effect and greater comfort for the child. This is accompanied by a high level of quality and attractive

visual integration of the seat into the interior of Mercedes models. This system jointly designed with the restraint system specialist Takata is suitable for children aged between three and 12 years (weight categories II and III). One special feature is its modular construction, as the height and width can be individually adapted to the childs physical proportions.

"Child Protect" has a tubular frame construction. This design offers better support and greater rigidity than versions of moulded plastic during a side impact. The prominent side bolsters in the shoulder and head area keep the child in place and minimise body movement during an accident. At the same time they prevent the child from coming into contact with vehicle components penetrating into the interior, or with the passenger in the adjacent seat. This seat study, which is approved according to the ECE R44.04 standard, is also equipped with automatic, sensor-controlled airbag deactivation on the front passenger seat.

As an additional benefit, Mercedes engineers are considering the addition of a buggy subframe to the child seat. This would also ensure that children travel in comfort, style and safety outside the car.

The seat belt is regarded as one of the most important inventions of the 20th Century, and has saved countless lives. It has been further improved with belt tensioners and belt force limiters, but that is not the end of its development: an innovative extension to the width of the belt, known as a Belt Bag, is able to reduce the risk of injury even further in an accident.

When a seat belt limits the movement of its wearer's torso as intended during a collision, it subjects the body to considerable forces. The Belt Bag, on whose development Mercedes-Benz is working intensively with the seat belt specialist Autoliv, practically doubles its width within fractions of a second during an accident. This increase in the width of the belt spreads the pressure over a wider area, thereby reducing the risk of injury. This is particularly beneficial for older passengers, whose ribcage is no longer so flexible.

As the name suggests, the Belt Bag is a combination of a seat belt and airbag. When the crash sensors detect a serious impact, the airbag control unit activates the Belt Bag. A generator at the belt armature inflates the double-layered belt, which has Velcro seams. The volume of the Belt Bag is around four litres. The developers consider the Belt Bag to deliver the greatest benefits in the rear of the car, where conventional airbags cannot be installed. It is therefore conceivable that the Belt Bag could be used here by Mercedes-Benz in the foreseeable future.

In the early 1970s, alone on the occasion of the ESV programme Mercedes-Benz built over 30 experimental vehicles for research on future automotive safety systems. These prepared the ground for numerous innovations, some of which only reached series production maturity years later. They include ABS, belt tensioners and belt force limiters, airbag and side impact protection.

In the 1960s it became impossible to ignore a negative aspect of mass motorisation: more and more people were being killed on the roads. In 1968 the US Department of Transport therefore started a programme for the development of Experimental Safety Vehicles (ESVs), and initiated the international "Technical Conference on the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles". In 1970 the first requirements to be met by ESVs were defined. These included an extremely demanding frontal and rear-end impact against a rigid barrier at 80 km/h, and a side impact against a mast at 20 km/h. The test vehicles also had to withstand minor accidents at 16 km/h without lasting deformations at the front and rear. It was also believed that American consumers would not accept having to actively put on and fasten a seat belt, therefore automatic belt systems were envisaged which would envelop the front occupants when the doors were closed.

The American government also issued an invitation to foreign countries to take part in this safety research. In 1970 this gave rise to the still active European Enhanced Vehicle Safety Commitee (EEVC).

At Mercedes-Benz the challenge of designing vehicles with even more safety was taken up with great enthusiasm. After all, the company was already able to look back on more than 20 years of continual safety research at the time. And about ten years previously, in 1959, the fundamental basis for all future safety developments had already entered series production at Daimler-Benz: the safety bodyshell with impact energy absorbing crumple zones at the front and rear, and a rigid passenger compartment between them.

From spring 1971 the ESV project went full-steam ahead in the separate safety research department founded at Mercedes-Benz in Sindelfingen in 1969. All in all, 35 vehicles were built and tested over the four following years. The first test took place on 12 March 1971 with a W 114 from series production, i.e. the medium-class series at the time. The car was subjected to a frontal impact on a rigid wall at 80 km/h. The tests also included frontal and rear-end collisions, lateral collisions with masts and other vehicles, and also drop tests from a height of 0.5 metres.

The development focus was not only on occupant protection during an accident by means of correspondingly improved vehicle structures and innovative restraint systems, however. Even almost forty years ago, the still valid, comprehensive approach to safety always taken by Mercedes-Benz applied, as an extract from the description of the ESF 13 first presented in May 1972 shows.

This already refers to still current concepts such as driver-fitness safety through seating comfort, climate control and non-intrusive vibration/noise characteristics. Where perceptual safety is concerned, the ESF 13 featured pneumatic beam range control, a headlamp wash/wipe system, a tail light monitoring system in the cockpit, a rear wiper and a safety paint finish with a light colour and contrasting strips. External safety features for the protection of pedestrians and two-wheeled road users included foam-covered front and rear bumpers, rubber drainage channels and rounded door handles. Fire safety was also taken into account: the fuel tank was above the rear axle, well away from the exhaust system. The fuel pump was if necessary deactivated by a mechanism that depended on the engine oil pressure, a valve system prevented any spillage of fuel if the car stood at an unusual angle, the materials used in the interior were fire-retardant and a fire extinguisher was conveniently mounted on the lower front of the driver's seat.

ESF 5: developed on the basis of the W 114 (â€œStrich AchtÂ) series and
presented at the 2nd International ESV Conference from 26 to 29 October 1971 in Sindelfingen
Designed for an impact speed of 80 km/h
Five three-point seat belts, each with three force limiters, front seat belts self-fitting.
Driver and front passenger airbag, also an airbag in each of the front seat backrests for rear passengers on the outer seats. This increased the weight of the front seats to 63 kg each (standard: 16 kg).
Extensive structural modifications in the front end and sides
Kerb weight: 2060 kg (665 kg more than standard)
Overall length: 5340 mm (655 mm more than standard)
Wheelbase increased by 100 mm, so as to maintain spaciousness in the rear despite the larger seats
Front-end extension incl. hydraulic impact absorber: 370 mm
Experimental V6 engine to gain deformation space at the front
Dashboard with impact-absorbing metal structure on the front passenger side
All relevant impact areas in the interior were padded with polyurethane foam, especially the doors, pillars and roof frame
Doors without quarterlights, power windows
Headlamp wipers, beam range control, parallel rear window wipers
Side marker lights, tail lights with standstill relay and control function
Windscreen and rear window of laminated glass, bonded in place
Pedals with rounded-off lower section
ABS brakes

ESF 13: Stylistically revised variant of the ESF 5, presented at the 3rd International ESV Conference from 30 May to 2 June1972 in Washington (USA)
Restraint systems and other features adopted from the ESF 5
Kerb weight: 2100 kg (705 kg more than standard)
Overall length: 5235 mm (550 mm more than standard)
Front-end extension incl. hydraulic impact absorber: 420 mm
The changes to the external dimensions were primarily the result of the redesigned front and rear ends. The bumpers were now designed to be underrun, while the deformation path remained the same. The front and rear were extended to reduce the bumper overhang to an acceptable level.

ESF 22: Based on the W 116 series (1971 S-Class) and presented at the 4th International ESV Conference from 13 to 16 March 1973 in Kyoto (Japan)
Designed for an impact speed of 65 km/h
Four three-point belts, each with three force limiters and a belt tensioner
Driver: airbag instead of belt tensioner
Kerb weight: 2025 kg (287 kg more than standard)
Overall length: 5240 mm (280 mm more than standard)
Front-end extension incl. hydraulic impact absorber: 245 mm
ABS brakes

ESF 24: Modified S-Class (W 116) presented at the 5th International ESV Conference from 4 to 7 June 1974 in London (Great Britain)
Restraint systems identical to ESF 22
Kerb weight: 1930 kg (192 kg more than standard)
Overall length: 5225 mm (265 mm more than standard)
Front-end extension incl. hydraulic impact absorber: 150 mm
ABS brakes

The foundations for the current safety level of cars bearing the Mercedes star had therefore been laid. Extract from the summary test report (1975): "The ESF 24 can be regarded as the completion of the project, as this vehicle represents the best possible compromise between the original ESV requirements and our current series production cars."

At Mercedes-Benz safety was included in the development specifications for new cars as a matter of course decades before the ESVprogramme, and in rapid succession the ideas first realised as part of the ESFproject entered series production as well.

The milestones included:
1978: premiere of the ABS as an option for the S-Class
1981: driver airbag and belt tensioneravailable in the S-Class
1995: belt force limiters and sidebags enter series productionof the E-Class

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