Series of New Contracts for Occupant Safety Systems Enhances TRW
2 March 1999
A Series of New Contracts for Occupant Safety Systems Enhances TRW's Leadership in Advanced, Integrated Restraints
DETROIT, March 1 -- Building upon a number of recent industry
firsts, TRW announced today it has secured a dozen production
contracts between now and model year 2002 for advanced and integrated safety
systems with six automakers worldwide. The awards further strengthen TRW's
position as a leading occupant restraint systems supplier.
TRW made the announcement here today at the 1999 Society of Automotive
Engineers (SAE) International Congress & Exposition at Cobo Center.
According to James S. Remick, TRW Automotive executive vice president and
acting general manager, the contracts cover occupant restraint systems for the
vehicles of worldwide automakers and span a variety of platforms -- from small
sedans to mid-size vehicles and light trucks to sport-utility vehicles.
"As global automakers introduce advanced safety technologies, TRW is
pleased to provide several customers with our proven systems integration
expertise and innovative occupant restraint systems," Remick said. "Our
continuing advances in occupant safety systems -- including seat belts,
inflatable restraints, crash sensors and integrated steering wheels -- enable
us to expand occupant protection to a wider range of crash situations."
For the new safety systems contracts, TRW has program management
responsibilities and, in most cases, provides several of the following
technologies:
* Driver and passenger air bags;
* Crash-severity sensors;
* Frontal dual-stage inflators;
* Seat belt pretensioners;
* Remote acceleration sensors;
* Energy-management seat belt retractors;
* Seat belt buckle switches; and
* Integrated steering wheels.
For some vehicle platforms, TRW also will serve as the systems integrator
for the complete occupant restraint system, which includes conducting initial
math modeling to prototyping and computer simulation to sled testing and, if
needed, vehicle barrier crash testing.
According to James F. Smith, vice president and general manager of TRW's
inflatable restraint systems, the new contracts stem from the company's
leadership in providing cost-effective advanced technologies, products and
systems and in integrating complete safety systems.
Smith said TRW is building off two of its industry technology milestones.
These involved supplying the first mass-produced dual-stage air bag inflator
in early 1998, and becoming the first supplier in the automotive industry to
design, develop and integrate a complete occupant restraint system for a
production vehicle -- the 1998 Mercedes-Benz M-Class.
Arvind M. Korde, TRW vice president and general manager of seat belt
systems, noted similar advancements in the seat belt business. "Enhanced seat
belt systems, including pretensioners, energy management systems and buckle
switches, are being introduced more and more as part of advanced occupant
restraint systems," Korde said.
At SAE '99, TRW is showcasing these advanced restraint systems, as well as
a variety of other inflatable restraints, electronics, seat belt systems and
steering wheel systems. Some of the highlights include:
* Dual-stage inflators -- part of an adaptive restraint system with
varying air bag inflation levels -- partial or full -- to match deployment to
the wide range of pre-crash scenarios, including crash severity, seat belt
usage, occupant position and weight. TRW, which began manufacturing dual-
stage inflators in 1998, has production orders for more than 550,000 dual-
stage inflators for several customers through the end of 1999;
* Heated Gas Inflator (HGI) -- including a dual-stage unit, is the
world's simplest and most environmentally friendly inflator, using a mixture
of hydrogen and air;
* Seat belt systems -- including seat belt pretensioners, advanced buckle
switches and energy-management devices such as force limiters. TRW produced
nearly 70 million seat belts in 1998, and is launching new seat belt
technology in all regions of the world;
* Inflatable Tubular Torso Restraint (ITTR) -- created by Simula, Inc. and
exclusively being developed and marketed in conjunction with TRW, this is an
advanced seat belt restraint system in which the shoulder belt inflates and
pretensions the seat belt. The inflatable portion is located within the torso
section of the seat belt, cushioning and restraining the occupant as the belt
inflates to several inches in diameter. The ITTR has both front- and rear-
seat applications and remains inflated for six seconds or more, enhancing
protection in frontal crashes, side-impact collisions and rollovers;
* Inflatable Tubular Structure (ITS) -- created by Simula and being
developed and marketed in conjunction with TRW, the ITS is an elongated tube
that stows along the interior roof rail. In a side impact, the ITS inflates to
provide support for an occupant's head and neck. ITS remains fully inflated
for six or more seconds to also protect occupants from secondary impacts or
rollovers. Also under development and shown at SAE is an Advanced Head
Protection System (AHPS) that provides a fabric shield from the roof rail to
the ITS, enhancing both head and rollover protection;
* Door-, seat-mounted, knee bolster and inflatable head curtain air bags
-- that protect occupants in side impacts, rollover accidents and rear-impact
collisions, and provide leg protection in frontal crashes. In 1998, TRW
produced a total of more than 21 million air bags, of which 4 million were
side air bags;
* New sensing capabilities -- a new Remote Acceleration Sensor (RAS) and
Generation 5 (Gen 5) Sensor, which work in harmony with dual-stage inflators
to more quickly assess specific crash scenarios and adjust air bag deployments
accordingly. Together, these technologies cost-effectively help improve the
sensing of front and side impacts, such as offset deformable barrier crashes
and offset pole crash events;
* Occupant Sensing System (OSS) -- based on ultrasonic transducers located
in the instrument panel and a weight sensor, determines an occupant's
approximate size and state in both static and dynamic mode, as well as whether
anyone is present in the passenger seat. In pre-crash braking, for example,
the system can track an occupant's motion toward the front of the vehicle,
determine the proximity to the air bag and deploy it at the appropriate level,
if at all; and
* Steering wheel systems -- a full-range of systems, from base units to
top-of-the-line versions that incorporate integral air bag modules, leather,
wood and multi-function switches. The designs address energy absorption,
crash performance, durability and environmental requirements to satisfy
varying vehicle performance standards. TRW produced more than 6 million
steering wheels in 1998.
One of the world's largest suppliers of occupant restraint systems,
including air bags, seat belts, steering wheels and electronics, TRW Inc. is
headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, and has sales of nearly $12 billion. The
company is one of the largest independent automotive suppliers in the world
with more than $7 billion in worldwide automotive sales in 1998. TRW also
provides advanced technology products and services for the space, defense and
information systems markets worldwide.