Honda applies for patent for pedestrian protection system to reduce accident damage

When it comes to car safety, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the safety of the drivers and passengers, including the safety belts, airbags and other devices installed in the car. The car collision tests we often hear about in daily life also focus more on the degree of damage to the vehicle and the degree of injury to the people in the car. In fact, car safety not only involves the safety of the people in the car, but also includes the safety of pedestrians outside the car, which is the so-called "pedestrian protection".

Recently, overseas media reported that Honda Motor Company has applied for a new patent for airbags to protect pedestrians. This technology can reduce the degree of damage to pedestrians, bicycles, and motorcycles when a car hits them.

Judging from the patent drawings, Honda's pedestrian protection system is equipped with airbags that can be deployed outside the front of the vehicle. When a collision occurs, the sensors equipped on the vehicle can measure the distance and size of the pedestrian or object that collides with the vehicle, thereby determining the deployment strength and deployment speed of the external airbags.

In many cases, pedestrians will be bounced up immediately after colliding with the front bumper of the vehicle, and then fall onto the hood or even the roof, which can easily cause secondary injuries after sliding down. Therefore, Honda's pedestrian protection system is also equipped with a mechanism to prevent pedestrians from sliding down from the hood or roof. If a pedestrian is hit, it can prevent him from rolling under the front wheels of the car to avoid further injuries.

In addition to Honda, many automakers and parts companies are constantly developing pedestrian safety protection technologies. ZF has developed an external side airbag that can be activated within milliseconds before a vehicle impact. The working principle of this airbag product is to add a collision buffer zone to reduce the impact of a side collision by up to 40%, thereby effectively protecting the safety of passengers. Lexus also developed a pop-up hood a long time ago. When the sensor at the front of the car senses pressure, the hood will automatically pop up to protect pedestrians.

At present, the world is paying more and more attention to pedestrian protection, which also reflects the equal relationship between drivers and pedestrians. The pedestrian protection system of vehicles protects vulnerable groups on the road to a large extent. In the European new car test and evaluation standards, strict regulations are made on the four aspects of in-car adult protection, in-car child protection, outside pedestrian protection and safety assistance functions. The EU also stated that it will put more pressure on automakers in 2020 to protect vulnerable groups on the road, which will promote more and more advanced pedestrian protection technologies to appear on new cars.