TRW Exhibits Technology for a New Century at IAA
FRANKFURT, Germany, Sept. 11 TRW Inc. is
embarking on its second century much like it did its first: with a focus on
technology and performance. At the 2001 Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung
(IAA), September 11-23 in Frankfurt, TRW is demonstrating technologies for
global vehicle makers that ultimately will simplify vehicle production and
assembly, and increase driver, passenger, and pedestrian safety.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010824/TRWLOGO )
On display at the TRW booth, located in the Frankfurt Messe, hall 8, stand
E12, are products and systems from the company's major automotive business
lines: chassis systems, occupant safety systems, and electronics. For
example, visitors can learn how TRW is:
* making steer-by-wire a reality,
* advancing brake-by-wire technology,
* demonstrating its capability to provide electric steering integrated
with Vehicle Stability Control systems for more Integrated Vehicle
Control Systems,
* offering an electric seat belt retractor with reversible pretensioning,
* providing increased frontal, side impact, and rollover protection,
* partnering with Michelin to offer a state-of-the-art tire pressure
monitoring system,
* developing weight and vision systems to detect a child or small adult in
the passenger seat, and
* producing systems to help make vehicles safer and more pedestrian
friendly.
Visitors to the TRW booth also can experience a test drive on TRW's
virtual track, where a full anti-lock braking, traction control, and yaw
stability hardware-in-the-loop system is being simulated. The technology is
another example of how TRW engineers are saving time and money when developing
software and hardware products for vehicle makers.
"We are leveraging our technology and systems knowledge to expand market
leadership and grow," says David M. Cote, TRW chairman, president and chief
executive officer. "We are building a culture of high performance focused on
outstanding execution and a bias for action."
Exhibit highlights
At the TRW booth, Chassis Systems is demonstrating how its leading
electrically assisted steering technologies will develop through to steer-by-
wire (SBW) systems for all classes of vehicles. SBW signals the end of the
mechanical connection between the steering wheel and the road wheels, and the
technology will be the enabler for fully integrated vehicle stability control
systems and collision avoidance systems.
In addition, Chassis Systems is showcasing its brake-by-wire technology,
which has earned TRW production contracts with two major European vehicle
manufacturers, launching in 2003, for Electro-Hydraulic Braking (EHB). This
first generation of EHB will complement today's hydraulic braking systems
while final generations will feature systems with no hydraulic connections.
The TRW booth will feature an EHB simulation module.
Chassis Systems also is featuring:
* Steering and suspension technologies, including Electrically Assisted
Steering (EAS) products for which TRW recently announced contract wins
totaling more than $900 million.
* Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) systems, a combined advanced steering
and braking technology that is a further step in the evolution to
Integrated Vehicle Control Systems. In addition, the booth features a
TRW vehicle simulator that demonstrates interactive anti-lock braking
system, traction control, and VSC driving experiences. TRW currently is
in advanced discussions with customers for VSC production contracts for
MY2004 vehicles.
* Active Roll Control (ARC) systems, a safety feature that improves
stability and enhances ride and handling. TRW's ARC systems help reduce
the risk of rollover accidents.
* Electric Park Brake (EPB), which will be introduced on a European
customer platform by the end of this year. TRW's EPB eliminates the
need for a park brake lever, freeing up interior vehicle space, and
offers additional features beyond a conventional park brake. The TRW
booth is showcasing an EPB simulation model.
TRW Occupant Safety Systems (OSS) is the world's leading supplier of
integrated safety systems and is demonstrating a number of enhanced restraint
components at IAA, including:
* The active control retractor (ACR), a seat belt product that offers
reversible pretensioning via an electrical retractor with a motor. The
ACR may enhance seat belt performance as an active safety device through
better driver stabilization, improved occupant position before a
collision, and increased rollover protection.
* The donut air bag, named for its shape during deployment, which deploys
radially and helps provide added out-of-position driver protection.
* The first rollover protection air bags, designed to provide increased
protection of occupants in both side and rollover accidents. They will
be produced for some sport utility vehicles in the United States early
next year.
The company's Automotive Electronics business is highlighting technologies
that make vehicles safer for passengers and pedestrians.
For example, the booth is showcasing EnTire Solution, a state-of-the-art
tire pressure monitoring system that is a joint effort between TRW and
Michelin. The system supplies all the hardware components of a tire pressure
monitoring system as well as a proprietary tire monitoring and warning logic
that provides early warnings to drivers when a problem is developing in one or
more tires.
In addition, TRW is displaying two Passenger Detection Systems that
underscore the company's commitment to designing and developing state-of-the-
art technologies that enhance occupant protection. TRW's Weight Sensing
System has been designed to detect the presence of a child or child seat in a
vehicle's passenger seat. The system's electronic sensor and associated
control module cooperate to measure the occupant-seated weight and weight
distribution and digitally communicate the results to the vehicle's restraint
system controller, which disables air bag deployment if necessary. Likewise,
TRW's Vision System includes a camera arrangement in the vehicle that captures
and processes images and uses a unique algorithm to classify passengers and
determine when a passenger is seated out-of-position relative to the occupant
restraint system.
TRW also is focusing its formidable design resources on developing systems
that meet the need for more "pedestrian friendly" motor vehicles. On display
at IAA is TRW's Active Pedestrian Protection System, which uses sensors to
detect a collision with a pedestrian and change the position of the vehicle
hood, softening the impact on a pedestrian's head and neck as he or she
strikes the hood or windshield. The TRW system is completely reversible and
can be reactivated easily.
