Continuous restraint control systems: safety improvement for various occupants

Occupant safety can be significantly improved by continuous restraint control systems. These restraint systems adjust their configuration during the impact according to the actual operating conditions, such as occupant size, weight, occupant position, belt usage and crash severity. In this study, the potential of a controlled restraint system is demonstrated. First, an overview is given of the problems concerning the sensors, actuators and control strategy of such a system, and solutions are given. Next, a numerical demonstrator is developed, which includes a dummy and vehicle model, and a realistic implementation of the components of the controlled restraint system. The demonstrator is subjected to different loading conditions, and the results are compared to a reference model. This reference model contains a conventional restraint system with optimized settings, and it has been validated against sled test experiments. Simulation results with the demonstrator indicate that significant injury reduction can be achieved with continuous restraint control systems.