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 ATI's technology expertise in the automotive safety industry is broad. Because our focus is on technologies that are 5 or 10 years out, it is not always the case that today's technology provides a market viable solution. However, since the correct solution often requires a host of complex technologies to bring to fruition, getting an early start on prototype creation is important. ATI has an extensive patent portfolio of hundreds of patents all specific to the automotive safety industry. We also have a wide variety of developed technologies, some of which are described in this site. If you or your business is interested in discussing licensing options, please contact us. Below are samples of ATI projects that are market viable today or will be in the near future. Click Other Technologies for a complete list of our current technology efforts and interests.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has mandated through FMVSS208 that all cars have occupant classification systems that can be used for intelligent airbag deployment. As many people have been injured by airbags when deployment was unnecessary or undesirable, these systems are designed to gate deployment based on the characteristics and location of the occupant. ATI has been a pioneer in the use of pattern recognition technologies applied to automotive safety for over a decade. Our first product was the Ultrasonic Occupant Classification system described below. The Optical system represents the next generation approach with improved functionality, reliability, and accuracy. Images of the passenger seat are taken with a high dynamic range camera. These images go through various preprocessing stages, and are then evaluated by our advanced Neural Network Classifier to determine if the seat is empty or if there is an occupant present. If there is an occupant present, it is further classified as an Infant Carrier, a Small Child Seat, a Forward Facing Child Seat, a Child on a Booster, or an Adult. If a child or adult is detected, additional classification determines the occupant's position relative to the airbag module. All of this information is delivered to the Airbag Control Unit so the detected occupant can be optimally protected in the event of a collision, making cars safer for everyone. Ultrasonic Occupant Classification System The Precursor to our optical system uses ultrasonics to gather data instead of a camera. The premise is similar though the technology is different. The reflections from this signal are fed into a specially trained Neural Network for classification. The system is capable of accurately determining if there is an Adult, a Rear Facing Child Seat, or an Infant Carrier in the passenger seat. It can also determine if the occupant is out of position relative to the airbag, indicating that deployment should be suppressed.
Also a recent mandate by NHTSA: soon every car in the United States will have tire pressure monitors. Studies have shown that 70-80% of people are more likely to keep their car washed than to ensure their tires are inflated to safe levels, so this safety advancement will have a significant impact on saving lives and reducing injury. Nearly all Tire Pressure Monitors today require a battery inside the tire. This negatively impacts performance, as systems are limited to sense only when the vehicle is moving (to save on battery power) and also creates a disposal and maintenance issue, as batteries inevitably must be replaced, and the old units must be safely disposed of. To solve these problems, ATI has focused on an entirely passive technology that not only yields a sensor that requires no local power, but also significantly increases the range of the system. Though not market ready today, our system is capable of monitoring pressure and temperature at all times, with no local power, completely wirelessly, and from a centrally mounted interrogator. Expect to see our system in a tire near you in the near future.
Current airbag inflators generate the gas used to inflate the airbag from a pyrotechnic device that emits gas as the propellant burns. This gas is quite hot and contains various chemicals that could be damaging to human health. In addition, since all the gas used to fill the airbag is generated by the device, the pressure in the cabin of the car changes quickly as the expanding airbag displaces air. This sudden pressure change can be dramatic enough to damage eardrums. An Aspirated Inflator is a device that uses air from its environment in addition to gas created by a pyrotechnic propellant to fill an airbag. ATI is currently developing such a device, and has attained aspiration ratios of up to 5 in a prototype passenger frontal aspirated inflator design. As more airbags are used within cars, aspirated inflators will be necessary to reduce the extreme changes in pressure that occur when airbags deploy. In addition, since much of the gas used is from the passenger compartment, the overall temperature of gas in the airbag is significantly less, enabling thinner and less expensive materials to be used for airbags, such as film.
Current airbags are quite complicated to produce. Fabric must be woven, special coatings applied, tethers added, and the bag must be sewn together. The resulting airbag is heavy and can injure occupants due to its momentum. When matched to the right inflator, airbags can be made from thin plastic film. The resulting product is significantly less expensive to produce, has much less weight, has better packing density, is tear resistant and requires no tethers. Though no company is using film airbags yet, the economies and additional safety the technology represents will ensure its adoption over the coming years. Other Technologies The above represents technologies that are market viable today or will be in the near future. Below is a list of other technologies we are currently interested in and have developed to various levels:
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Optical Occupant Classification and Tracking System
Wireless and Powerless Tire Pressure Monitor
Aspirated Inflator
Film Airbags