"The new airbag can stay upright and help protect the head effectively even if the side windows are open."
Autoliv's Integrated Safety Systems
Autoliv has accounted for virtually all major technological breakthroughs in the occupant restraint industry over the last 20 years and remains in the forefront of development. The new Volvo convertible, C-70, which was launched in 2005, is an example of a new vehicle that features many state-of-the-art safety products from Autoliv.
1. Driver airbag
Estimated to reduce driver fatalities in frontal crashes by approximately 25% (for belted drivers) and serious head injuries by over 60%.
The driver airbag in the new Volvo C-70 is smart. Consequently, the power of the airbag can be tuned to the severity of the crash, using a dual-stage airbag inflator i.e. an airbag inflator with two separate charges.
2. E-Call
The airbag control unit (ACU) automatically calls a Volvo On-Call Emergency Center after a severe crash and provides the rescue team with the location of the accident.
This post-crash system that Autoliv introduced in 2000 can also be used to trace a stolen vehicle.
3. Thorax side airbags
Thorax or chest airbags were introduced by Autoliv in 1994 and are estimated to reduce the risk of serious chest injuries in side impact crashes by approximately 25%.
Thorax side airbags deploy eight times faster than the blink of an eye.
4. Whiplash protection
Estimated to reduce the risk for neck injuries in rear-end collisions by more than 50%. An Autoliv innovation introduced in 1998 and available in all Volvo cars.
5. Seatbelt systems
Produced by Autoliv since 1956. Seatbelts are estimated to reduce the overall risk for serious injuries in frontal crashes by 60–70%.
In the Volvo C-70, both the belts in the front seats and the belts in the rear seat have the advanced seatbelt technologies:
Pretensioners which tighten the belt up to 15 cm (6 inches) at the onset of a crash, using a small pyrotechnic charge. Slack is thereby eliminated and the occupant is restrained as early as possible. Therefore, the occupant is not caught by a sudden jerk and hence the risk of rib fractures is reduced. Autoliv introduced pretensioners in 1989.
Load limiters pay out some webbing before the load on the occupant's chest becomes too high. The excessive energy is instead absorbed more uniformly by the frontal airbag. In combination with pretensioners, load limiters and frontal airbags reduce the risk for life-threatening chest injuries by 75% in frontal crashes. Autoliv introduced load limiters in 1995.
6. Passenger airbag
Estimated to reduce fatalities in frontal crashes by approximately 20% (for belted occupants). It deploys in 50 milliseconds, half the time of the blink of an eye.
The passenger airbag in Volvo's new convertible is smart. Consequently, the power of the airbag can be tuned to the severity of the crash, using a dual-stage inflator i.e. an airbag inflator with two separate charges.
7. New Airbag
The new Volvo C-70 comes with the world's first door-mounted curtain airbag. In side-impact collisions, standard curtain airbags are estimated to reduce the risk of fatalities by 50% by protecting the head. However, curtain airbags have so far only been installed in vehicles that have roofs from which the curtains can be deployed.
Many convertible vehicles have instead been equipped with combo bags" for side-impact protection. These bags combine chest side airbags with an extension that inflates upwards to protect the head. The head extension does not cover as large of an area as a curtain airbag. In T-bone" side impacts, this difference is less important. However, in oblique side-impact crashes when the occupant is hurled towards the windshield pillar, a larger bag may provide better protection.
The new airbag has an extra-stiff structure. Using a three-layer-weaving technology, it has double rows of cells that partly overlap one another. As a result, the new airbag can stay upright and help protect the head effectively even if the side windows are open. Furthermore, the bags deflate slowly to provide added protection in the event of a rollover accident.
The dual-cell structure is manufactured using Autoliv's patented one-piece weaving technology.
Other important products
Autoliv also produces electronic airbag control units (ACUs), knee airbags, anti-sliding bags, steering wheels (typically integrated with the driver airbag) and child seats as well as integrated booster cushions for children, night vision systems and other active safety systems.