Toyota Reveals New Safety Features
Tokyo — TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC)
announced
today that, to help promote the development of safe vehicles, it
has added
an active steering function to its VDIM (Vehicle Dynamics
Integrated Management)
vehicle control system and developed a two-chamber airbag aimed at
lessening
the impact of airbag deployment on front-seat passengers. These
technologies
will be offered in new models of the Lexus brand, which is due to
debut
in Japan this summer.
Against a backdrop of the increasing importance of traffic safety
policies,
and in order to contribute to the complete elimination of traffic
fatalities,
which is the ultimate goal of a society that values mobility,
Toyota intends
to strengthen its initiatives in the future through: 1) the
development
of even safer vehicles, 2) activities designed to educate people in
traffic
safety and 3) participation in the creation of a safe traffic
environment.
Features of the Newly Developed
Technologies
VDIM with active steering control added
Toyota's first-generation VDIM integrated VSC (Vehicle Stability
Control),
ABS (Anti-lock Brake System), TRC (Traction Control) and electric
power
steering. By constantly monitoring driver action and vehicle
status, it
used integrated control to help stabilize a vehicle before
performance
limits were breached. It made its debut in July 2004 on the Toyota
Crown
Majesta.
Adding to this, the new VDIM features an active steering function
for
optimal control of the front-wheel steering angle through VGRS
(Variable
Gear Ratio Steering), a new technology that can flexibly vary
steering
responsiveness. As a result, even during startup or braking when
the friction
coefficient (slipperiness) of the road surfaces under the right and
left
wheels differs, the new VDIM prevents the vehicle from going off
course
by optimally controlling the front-wheel steering angle in
conjunction
with the brakes, engine and steering torque. In this way, a higher
level
of preventive safety is achieved, along with ideal vehicle
performance.
SRS Twin-chamber Airbag
To help make front-seat passengers safer, TMC became the world's
first*1
automaker to develop a two-chamber airbag. TMC's SRS Twin-chamber
Airbag
features an advanced shape and is based on the omni-support
concept*2.
Designed for the front passenger seat, the new airbag's two
chambers create
a depression in the center of the airbag upon deployment. This
deployment
is met by multiple surfaces, such as the head and shoulders, to
disperse
the physical impact of the airbag on the passenger. As a result,
unlike
existing airbags, which are deployed as a single bag, the new
airbag can
be expected to lessen the localized force applied to the human body
immediately
following deployment.
For further details on these safety-enhancing technologies, please
see
the supplementary attachment.
| attachment |
System Configuration of VDIM (with integrated active steering control)
 |
|
SRS Twin-chamber Airbag |
|
■Deployed
state
|
■Impact
distribution 
|