Products and Technology
Lifesaver on Board
If an accident is unavoidable, we help to keep the consequences of the accident for the occupants and other road users as low as possible and, ideally, completely avoid personal injury. Seat belts and airbags act as a coordinated system in modern vehicles: the belts help to keep the occupants in the correct sitting position; the airbag acts as a life-saving cushion, for example between the driver and the steering wheel.
Our Products
Seat Belts
Our seat belts are designed to protect occupants from serious injury in an accident and to "hand them over" to the airbag in a targeted manner. They are used as a fundamental element of the passive safety system in modern cars. The primary function of a safety belt is to keep occupants securely in their seats while driving and to prevent uncontrolled movement in the event of a sudden impact.
Properly wearing the seat belt keeps the occupants securely attached to the vehicle so that they are not ejected from the vehicle in the event of sudden braking, a collision, or a rollover. The seat belt consists of a webbing that goes across the occupant's hips and shoulders. In the event of an accident, the belt acts as a restraint system, evenly distributing the forces acting on the body, significantly reducing the risk of injury.
Airbags
The main function of an airbag is to absorb impact energy in the event of a sudden impact and protect the occupant from hard impacts against the dashboard, steering wheel or side panels of the vehicle. Due to the rapid deployment, the airbag can position itself between the occupant and the vehicle and dissipate the occupant's energy through targeted bleeding, thereby reducing the load values. In the event of an accident, sensors in the vehicle are activated to determine whether the impact has been sufficiently severe.
When this occurs, the airbags inflate at lightning speed, creating a protective barrier between the occupants and the vehicle's hard surfaces.
ZF Passive Safety Systems manufactures different types of airbags that can be placed in different areas of the vehicle. The most common are front airbags, located in the steering wheel and on the passenger side. In addition, there are side airbags that offer side protection and curtain airbags that protect the head in the event of a side impact. The range of airbags used is constantly expanding and ZF Passive Safety Systems is a driving force that brings innovations to the market through the development of new concepts such as the "bag in roof" or airbag models for the rear seat.
Steering Wheels
In modern vehicles, steering wheels are increasingly becoming a functional element that goes beyond the conventional steering function. They are increasingly used as Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI), i.e. as an interface between the driver and the various functions of the vehicle. Today, steering wheels are equipped with a variety of controls that allow the driver to control various functions of the vehicle without having to take their hands off the wheel.
With its steering wheels, ZF Passive Safety Systems offers all the options that the market demands to integrate additional safety, comfort and infotainment functions. They offer space for buttons, switches or even touchscreens that are integrated into the steering wheel. They enable the various functions to be operated quickly and easily without the driver having to look for other controls in the vehicle. In addition, steering wheels can also be equipped with sensors that can, for example, recognize the position of the hand or touch to make operation even more convenient and the vehicle even safer.
Advanced Occupant Safety
Modern vehicle interior designs require comprehensive advances in the field of occupant protection. The growing number of intelligent cockpits with large screens, advanced driver assistance systems and the changed safety requirements in e-vehicles pose challenges for manufacturers.
