At the moment, the perhaps most well-known ZF product is the 8-speed automatic transmission. It is currently used by several automotive manufacturers who can thus dispense with their own in-house development – with good reason. ZF is also a pioneer in safety and assistance systems – something that many people are not aware of. Only recently ZF introduced a
weight-optimized knee airbag
that will be used by a European automobile manufacturer in the coming year.
Technology
The Active Buckle Lifter by ZF
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More than just convenience: ZF's Active Buckle Lifter isn't new. All the same, hardly anyone has heard of it. One reason could be that this useful safety and convenience feature so far has only been installed in one vehicle model.
The Active Buckle Lifter whilst extending
Often, it's seemingly little things that increase safety and convenience, such as the Active Buckle Lifter by ZF. An electric motor moves the seat belt buckle up and down vertically. As soon as the car door is opened, the familiar black buckle with the red unlock button rises approximately seven centimeters out of the seat cushion.
The seat belt buckle is now right where the occupant expects it to be. On the one hand, this makes it easy to buckle the belt without straining or breaking fingernails. On the other hand it simplifies securing children's safety seats or booster seats, as it can easily be felt by hand from the outside. Subtle illumination ensures the seat belt buckle is visible even in the dark.
© ZF
The seat belt is tightened
Stabilizing occupants
The Active Buckle Lifter can also assist during dynamic cornering or in evasive maneuvers. By tightening the seat belt it stabilizes the occupants in their seats – regardless of which seat they are in. The persons' backs are better supported so that they have to put less effort into resisting centrifugal forces. It is even technically possible to already tighten the system before reaching the curve or braking abruptly. By means of analyzing GPS, camera and vehicle data it is possible to calculate whether the stretch of road ahead will require hard braking or steering.
In addition, the seat belt spans the pelvis optimally, which again results in a decreased risk of injury in a crash. Speaking of which: The Active Buckle Lifter loosens after a crash and extends by the previously mentioned length to make unbuckling faster and easier.
Until now the system has been integrated exclusively in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class according to the automotive manufacturer's specifications. And only in the rear. In the front the previously mentioned retractor tightens the seat belts. Mercedes says that the development of Active Buckle Lifters was mainly aimed at Asian markets, where only around 30 percent of the rear passenger compartments of Mercedes-Benz S-Class models are occupied during travel. However, due to the seating capacity, occupants don't always sit exactly in spots that would be ideal from a safety point of view. Here the Active Buckle Lifter also helps by gently guiding people into a better seating position.
© ZF