Sep. 15, 2009 (PR Newswire) --
FRANKFURT, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. (NYSE: TRW) will demonstrate how it can offer customers greater value through sensor integration and simplifying electronics architecture within vehicles at the 2009 IAA Exhibition.
Martin Thoone, vice president engineering, Electronics said: "Integration is a core part of TRW's strategy and we are continually working to develop smarter products which will help to reduce complexity, installation effort, weight, packaging and ultimately cost for our customers - in addition to improving functionality in some instances. With the broadest portfolio of active and passive safety products in the industry, TRW is well placed to maximize all integration opportunities.
"Today's electronic architecture is highly distributed and complexity is ever increasing with up to 70 ECUs in some vehicles. The industry needs to find smarter ways to further integrate active and passive systems and add value to vehicle manufacturers as the rate of electronics growth continues to accelerate."
The Company is highlighting a number of new technologies that support its integration strategy within three paths: Airbag Control Unit (ACU)-centric, Electronic Stability Control (ESC)-centric integration and Data Fusion. These concepts can be extended with driver assistance sensors, such as radar and cameras, to augment both performance and functionality.
ACU Integration
TRW has launched its next generation integrated ACU, which allows for the integration of the inertial sensors in addition to frontal, side and rollover airbag sensors. This technology is due to start production with a major vehicle manufacturer in 2012.
Hans-Gerd Krekels, global portfolio director, TRW Integrated Electronics added: "Traditionally, ESC systems have been introduced with stand alone inertial sensing units. To enhance value, our integrated ACU product presents a viable way to reduce the number of ECUs in the vehicle while retaining the performance of the ESC system."
In addition, TRW has also developed a value line version of its second generation active seatbelt retractor product, 'Active Control Retractor 2 Basic' (ACR2 Basic). ACR2 Basic offers a simplified electronic architecture due to its integration with the ACU.
Finally, within its ACU integration strategy, TRW is developing its 'initial Safety Domain ECU' (i-SDE) concept which is based on TRW's next airbag platform - designed with maximum flexibility to allow for the integration of a range of electronic control functions for active and passive safety.
