Siemens VDO Automotive Sensor Hears Accidents for Quicker Safety System Reaction

TROY, Mich.--June 23, 2005--Siemens VDO Automotive has developed a sensor at its Regensburg, Germany world headquarters that monitors noise vibrations in a vehicle's chassis, improving the accident recognition and reaction time of vehicle safety systems. This "hearing" sensor, called a Crash Impact Sound Sensor (CISS), accurately detects sound wave variations generated by the deformation of a vehicle's chassis during an accident. The deformation noises and acceleration signals together produce a precise image of the accident and allow integrated safety restraint systems to be individually triggered.

"In a sense, the sensor allows the vehicle to listen to the accident as it is happening and react quicker than ever - within milliseconds," said Siemens VDO Automotive Vice President of Restraints, Safety Electronics Derrick Zechmair. "Depending on the assessed seriousness of the accident, the airbag control unit will trigger the seat belt tensioner and necessary airbags in order to optimize the protection of the occupants."

CISS will be fitted as additional sensors on vehicles starting in 2007. Future generations of the innovative sensor will be integrated into the vehicle's airbag control unit.

Siemens VDO has been supplying crash sensors to nearly all worldwide vehicle manufacturers since 1993. Today, acceleration sensors are used to interpret the severity of front and rear impacts by assessing vehicle speed. Pressure sensors are utilized to react to side impacts by monitoring changes in air pressure in vehicle body cavities.

"Siemens VDO Automotive is continuing to improve the safety of occupants in an accident," said Zechmair. "We also are working on helping our customers create a 'seeing automobile,' with the goal of improving the opportunity to mitigate crash severity or even help avoid accidents altogether."

Siemens VDO Automotive is a tier-one supplier of automotive electronic/electrical systems and components with applications covering gasoline and diesel powertrain technologies, safety and chassis systems, body electronics, plus interior products including infotainment systems. Worldwide sales reflecting fiscal year 2003/2004 totaled $11.6 billion (EUR 9.0 billion). For more information: www.usa.siemensvdo.com.

Siemens AG is one of the largest global electronics and engineering companies with reported worldwide sales of $91.5 billion in fiscal 2004. Founded more than 150 years ago, the company is a leader in the areas of Medical, Power, Automation and Control, Transportation, Information and Communications, Lighting, Building Technologies, Water Technologies and Services and Home Appliances.

With its U.S. corporate headquarters in New York City, Siemens in the USA has sales of $16.6 billion and employs 70,000 people throughout all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Thirteen of Siemens' worldwide businesses are based in the United States. With its global headquarters in Munich, Siemens AG and its subsidiaries employ 430,000 people in 192 countries. For more information on Siemens in the United States: www.usa.siemens.com.