Keeping up with the requirements of meeting the better or best rating in New Car Assessment Programs in North America and globally, Toyoda Gosei has developed a driver-side airbag with a new structure to safely protect the occupant during the front crash. Honda Civic launched in June 2021 in North America will use this new Airbag.
Typically, the function of the Steering wheel mounted on airbags is to mitigate impact on the occupant head and chest during Front Collisions. Loaded in the center of the steering wheel, driver-side airbags inflate during frontal collisions to mitigate the impact on the driver’s head and chest
Compared to a conventional airbag system mounted on the Center of the steering wheel, the new airbag has an innovative doughnut-shaped structure to hold and protect the occupant head gently to reduce the rotation during the angled front crash.
Driver-side airbag with the new structure
Movement of the head during oblique impacts (seen from above)
With various levels of Autonomous driving, occupant driving postures will increase. We can expect to see new innovations in safety systems in the coming future.
Toyoda Gosei other innovations:
In 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, Toyoda Gosei introduced Driver-side airbag mounted on the seat to cover diverse occupant postures that are expected in autonomous driving. Many other innovations were presented alongside as well.
Refer link here
