Siemens VDO Technology Offers New Dimensions in Occupant Sensing

           Optical Passenger Detection From Siemens VDO Automotive

    FRANKFURT, Germany, Sept. 13 The passenger detection
system based on three-dimensional camera images, being presented by Siemens
VDO Automotive AG at the 59th Frankfurt Motor Show, makes restraint systems
more "intelligent" and is capable of more effectively protecting the
passenger.

    Siemens VDO Automotive AG has developed a system which monitors the
interior passenger side of the vehicle using a three-dimensional camera that
signals the passenger's position to the airbag control unit.  The airbag then
is only inflated to the distance between the passenger and the dash board as
measured during the time of impact.

    Conventional video camera technology, producing only a two-dimensional
image, is not sufficient to determine a person's exact position.

    Siemens VDO engineers developed a three-dimensional camera installed
in the passenger side roof lining of the vehicle.  Extensive testing of the
three-dimensional image has proven to be reliable in determining the
occupant's precise position in the seat.  This method already is in the final
development stages for production.

    Siemens VDO is working on further advanced methods of image recording and
processing.  At the Frankfurt Motor Show, the company will present for the
first time a running-time based method of detection, which is being developed
together with the central research division of Siemens AG.  This method
employs a laser to transmit flashes of light which are reflected by the object
surface.  The distance is calculated by the time taken by the light to travel
to the receiver.  This is then measured by the shutter on the receiver, which
opens for just a few nanoseconds as the light enters.  In order to compensate
the differing reflectivities of materials and colors, the shutter is opened a
second time when the whole light pulse has already entered the receiver.  The
software then calculates a three-dimensional image from the measured light
intensities.

    By contrast, infrared or ultrasonic-based systems measure distances of
only a few sensors.  The Siemens VDO image processing method allows a highly
reliable distinction between a person or an object on the passenger seat.  The
head position also can be precisely determined.

    Siemens VDO Automotive's three-dimensional camera is part of an integrated
safety system incorporating a seat occupancy detection system.  This system
includes a mat located under the cushion of the passenger seat measuring the
passenger's weight and weight distribution.  These parameters are transmitted
to the airbag controller where they are processed together with the results of
the camera surveillance and the vehicle acceleration caused by the accident.
Multi-stage gas generated inflators are used in order to vary the volume of
the airbag upon deployment.

    The 3D optical passenger detection system from Siemens VDO offers
automobile manufacturers an effective means of complying with the more
stringent requirements of United States legislation in the future, such as the
Guideline NHTSA (FMV55) 208 due to come into force in 2003.

    Knowledge of a passenger's position also can be used for other purposes.
It is possible, for example, to automatically adjust the headrest to the
correct and safe position according to the position of the head prior to
airbag deployment.

    Siemens VDO's three-dimensional optical system is derived from a
combination of innovative technologies from the fields of electronics, optics
and precision mechanics.  Siemens VDO researches, develops and produces
solutions in these fields of technology in more than 30 countries.

    Siemens VDO Automotive is one of the world's leading suppliers of
electronics, electrical and mechatronic technologies to the automotive
industry.  As a development partner in the automotive industry, the company
manufactures products for powertrain, engine control electronics and fuel
injection technology which improve engine performance and reduce emissions.
The company is a market leader in information and car communication systems
with instrumentation, audio and navigation systems, telematics and multimedia
applications, through to complete cockpits.  Siemens VDO Automotive products
for chassis and carbody contribute to greater vehicle safety and security.
These products include ABS and fuel tank systems and access control systems.

    A separate Trading/After Market division markets products for retrofitting
in cars and commercial vehicles.  The company was created in April 2001 as a
result of the merger between Siemens Automotive and Mannesmann VDO.

    The company's parent organization, Siemens AG, is headquartered in Berlin
and Munich and is a leading global electronics and engineering company,
employing over 447,000 people in 193 countries, with worldwide sales in excess
of $74 billion in fiscal 2000 (10/1/99 - 9/30/00).  The United States is
Siemens' largest market, where it employs over 73,000 and recorded sales of
more than $17 billion in fiscal 2000.