Autoliv unveils revolutionary passenger airbag based on Bernoulli's principle

DETROIT: Autoliv today unveiled a patented revolutionary new passenger airbag module that is based on Bernoulli's principle and can inflate larger airbags more efficiently as well as reduce development time and cost.

The Bernoulli Airbag will be commercialised during the third quarter and on display at the Autoliv Investor Day today in Auburn Hills near here

The new Autoliv airbag module is based on Swiss mathematician and physicist Daniel Bernoulli's fundamental principles of fluid dynamics that explain many phenomena such as how airplanes fly.

Bernoulli's principle states that an increase in the speed of a fluid occurs simultaneously with a decrease in static pressure.

Using this principle, Autoliv can leverage pressure differences to add a significant contribution of surrounding air to the inflation of an airbag.

"We have developed a way to inflate very large airbags, like the one's needed in newer electric vehicles with roomier cockpits and comfort seating, with a smaller single stage inflator," said Autoliv chief technical officer Jordi Lombarte.

"Additionally, the Bernoulli Airbag generates less heat, is lighter, and can reduce customer development testing in the United States by more than 30%. Low risk deployment requirements can be met with a single stage inflator."

For the Bernoulli Airbag, the inflator will receive the signal that a crash has begun, and it will propel high pressure gases at supersonic speed through multiple inlet tubes.

As the gases flow through the tubes, it will suck the surrounding ambient air into the chamber with the gases, creating aspiration, and will inflate a much larger airbag with an even smaller inflator than required today.

Airbags are an important safety feature in cars and can reduce the risk of death and serious injury in a crash.

They work by inflating very quickly to create a cushion between the occupant and the vehicle. Airbag systems help to reduce the severity of injuries caused by impact.

Autoliv is the world's largest producer of airbag systems, modules, and components.