NEC Automotive Electronics Unveils New SeatSentry
6 March 2000
NEC Automotive Electronics Unveils New SeatSentry
DETROIT--March 6, 2000--Advanced Passenger Sensing System Exceeds New NHTSA Requirements
NEC Technologies, Inc. Automotive Electronics Division announced today at the Society of Automotive Engineers trade show that its new and improved SeatSentry(TM) passenger sensing system has all the capabilities auto makers need to not only meet, but exceed all of the suppression requirements of the proposed National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) rule on advanced air bags.
"SeatSentry has the flexibility to fit any seat and any vehicle. It's easy to install and easy to calibrate," said Phil Rittmueller, vice president of NEC Automotive Electronics. "With the new NHTSA requirements anticipated this month, auto makers are evaluating advanced air bag solutions that comply with these complex regulations. The SeatSentry system we are unveiling today is smarter, tougher and safer than anything out there in the marketplace."
NEC Automotive Electronics began its quest to develop the most effective advanced occupant sensing system when it became clear that there was an immediate threat to children posed by airbags, particularly infants in the front seat in rear-facing child seats. SeatSentry will suppress the passenger airbag for all twenty-four NHTSA approved seats.
"At NEC, we are committed to child safety and the safety of all vehicle occupants," added Rittmueller. "The government is going to require 25 percent of all new cars to have advanced occupant sensing by 2003 and for all of them to have it by 2005, but for the safety's sake we hope the industry can do it even sooner."
HOW IT WORKS
The SeatSentry occupant sensing system is based on technology developed at and licensed from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. NEC engineers worked to adapt this technology specifically to classify the occupant in the passenger seat and suppress or allow the airbag based on who is in the seat and their relative position.
Electric Field Sensing
A very low-level electric field is generated from antennas mounted in the seat's cushions. When a body enters the field, the loading current changes, thus allowing detection. By analyzing the change of the current at each antenna and combining this information, the relative size and relative position of the passenger can be determined.
A key factor in addition to the sensing performance of the SeatSentry is the integration of the antennae into the seat. The SeatSentry antennae are mounted in or on the seat cushion and are tough, durable and designed to function for the life of the vehicle. NEC Technologies Automotive Electronics Division is a leading manufacturer of automotive safety products for the North American automotive market. NEC Technologies Automotive Electronics headquarters are in Itasca, Illinois. Its U.S. manufacturing plant is in Hillsboro, Oregon and engineering and distribution is in McDonough, Georgia.