Hyock In Kwon, research engineer from Crash Safety System Engineering Design Team of Hyundai Motor Group said: “We will continue striving to further improve passenger safety by being ready for all kinds of accidents”.
This was when Hyundai announced new centre side airbag late last year. The airbag works to separate the space between driver and passenger and will appear in all models over time.
This new, additional airbag expands into the space between driver and passenger seats to prevent head injuries of passengers in the front row. If there is no one in the front passenger seat, the airbag will protect the driver from side collision coming from the right side. The centre side airbag is installed inside the driver’s seat and will deploy once the impact is sensed.
The new centre side airbag is expected to diminish head injuries caused by passengers colliding with each other by 80%.
New crash testing criteria will begin incorporating side impact outcomes in testing.
In addition the company also announced the world’s first multi-collision airbag system that significantly improves airbag performance in multi-collision accidents. Three out of every 10 accidents see the vehicle involved in a secondary with objects such as trees, electrical posts or other vehicles.
Current airbag systems do not offer secondary protection when the initial impact is insufficient to cause them to deploy. However, the multi-collision airbag system allows airbags to deploy effectively upon a secondary impact by calibrating the status of the vehicle and the occupants.
Hyundai’s new technology detects occupant position in the cabin following an initial collision. When occupants are forced into unusual positions, the effectiveness of existing safety technology may be compromised.
Multi-collision airbag systems are designed to deploy even faster when initial safety systems may not be effective, providing additional safety when drivers and passengers are most vulnerable. By recalibrating the collision intensity required for deployment, the airbag system responds more promptly during the secondary impact, thereby improving the safety of multi-collision vehicle occupants.
Rear occupant alert
Hyundai’s rear occupant alert (ROA) door-logic system will be standard on most new models by 2022. The ROA system detects if a rear door was opened or closed before the car was started, then reminds the driver to check the rear seat. It will also make its optional Ultrasonic Rear Occupant Alert, or a similar sensor-based system, available on more of its models in the future. Every year in Australia, over 5,000 children are rescued after being left unattended in a car.
This system monitors the rear seats using an ultrasonic sensor that helps to detect the movements of children. The system first reminds drivers to check the rear seats when exiting the vehicle with a message on the centre instrument cluster display. If the system detects movement in the rear seats after the driver leaves the vehicle it will honk the horn, flash the lights and send a Blue Link alert to the driver’s smartphone via Hyundai’s Blue Link connected car system.
AR Navigation system
Hyundai has also showcased the world’s first holographic augmented reality (AR) navigation system.
Yunseong Hwang, Director of Open Innovation Business Group from Hyundai Motor Group said: “Future mobility windshields will be more than just a piece of glass. AR holographic powered glass will serve as a platform to provide new services and open up new in-vehicle experiences.”
The biggest advantage of a holographic AR navigation system is that the stereoscopic image is displayed on the actual road and appropriately adjusted in accordance with the specific viewing angle of the driver, thereby delivering accurate driving guidance. The driver can enjoy vivid and precise holographic images without wearing a headset. The direction of movement is kept precise through the vehicle speed in real-time, and projecting navigational alerts through the windshield onto the road allows drivers to navigate safely while looking ahead undistracted.
Additionally, while conventional head-up display (HUD) units project a reflected image indirectly through an LCD screen mounted on the dashboard, the holographic AR display projects an image through the windshield.
WayRay’s display shows not only navigational features — such as lane guidance, destination points, and current speed — in augmented reality, but also incorporates ADAS features like lane departure warnings and forward collision warnings.
This article was first published in Paint & Panel magazine.