IS THE STEERING-WHEEL AIRBAG THE BEST SOLUTION FOR PROTECTING THE DRIVER IN FRONTAL IMPACTS?

摘要

"E sbagliato partire cercando immediatamente una soluzione. E necessario prima definire completamente il problema." (Bruno Munari, Italian designer). When considering future airbags it can be argued that their performance should be tailored considering occupant, vehicles and crash characteristics. Yet, this will increase the automobile weight, affecting in a negative way fuel economy and Ecology. Furthermore, to accomplish the target of tailoring the airbag performance, a variety of sensors and actuators should be developed and installed, as so new software to control the embedded control units. These elements add complexity and costs to an already complex and expensive solution. Therefore, this paper explores the problem of protecting the driver from the very beginning. The purpose of the steering-wheel airbag is to prevent the driver's head hitting the steering-wheel (which is inevitable since the head will continue its movement, unrestrained). Yet, and taking into consideration the problem from a different point of view it can be argued that another way of performing this protective action is to move away the steering-wheel from the driver. On the one hand, this proposed solution needs drive-by-wire technology to be implemented. On the other, fewer sensors and actuators, and simpler software and embedded control units will be needed. The feasibility of both solutions will be analyzed from a general and synergistic point of view, taking into consideration both the cost and the effectiveness of each system. A theoretical approach will be predominant, pointing out some aspects that should be developed thoroughly within the corresponding settings and using appropriate resources.