DJ Autoliv: Torricelli brake reduces stopping distance by up to 40%
- Autoliv showcases future safety solution for urban environments (Stockholm, Sweden, June 11, 2015) - - - Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE: ALV and SSE: ALIVsdb), is showcasing a totally new vacuum braking system - the Torricelli brake - developed for significantly reducing stopping
distance for Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB). Autoliv states the innovation could revolutionize traffic safety in urban environments.
Tests have proven the so-called Torricelli brake - a vacuum induced
plate below a vehicle which sucks down into the track during emergency braking situation - decreases braking distances with 40 % in speeds up
to 70 kph.
The technology, developed at Autoliv's research plant in Vårgårda, Sweden., is named after 17th century Italian physicist Evangelista Torricelli, known for clinically accounting the vacuum and for inventing the barometer.
Many car accidents are caused by late braking with insufficient force. A driver may brake too late for several reasons: He or she is distracted
or inattentive; visibility is poor or a pedestrian crosses the street without paying attention. Therefore, several car manufacturers today offer Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) systems. Autoliv's
revolutionary Torricelli Brake will radically enhance the efficiency of AEB systems by dramatically reducing the braking distances.
Technically, the Torricelli brake is connected to the automatic breaking system, which in turn is rigged to detect hazards ahead. The patented solution uses a 0.3 m2 vacuum plate below the vehicle that activates in merely 0.1 sec and produces a downforce of 15 000 N - independently from the tire-to-track friction.
This reduces stopping distances with up to 40% on wet and dry asphalt,
as well as ice surfaces.
Autoliv has put a maximum speed limit for activating the system at 70 kph, due to the effectiveness and force of the system. This in turn
means that the Torricelli brake will mainly be applicable in urban environments, where for instance inattentive children and cyclists could be avoided.
"Even if there are several steps ahead before the Torricelli brake can be put into full-scale production, this is undoubtedly an example of how future innovations can revolutionize traffic safety and save more lives, in particular in urban environments," says Ola Boström, head of Autoliv Research.