Volvo unveiled its all-new 2013 V40 five-door hatchback this month at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. The five-door hatchback also introduced the world’s first pedestrian airbag system that helps reduce the severity of pedestrian injuries.
Sensors in the front bumper register the physical contact between the car and the pedestrian. The rear end of the hood is released and at the same time elevated by the deploying airbag. The inflated airbag covers the area under the raised hood plus approximately one third of the windscreen area and the lower part of the A-pillar.
Fortunately before the V40 comes in contact with a pedestrian, the V40 also features a Pedestrian Detection system that can warn the driver if a pedestrian steps out into the road in front of the car and automatically activate the brakes if the driver does not respond in time.
Pedestrian Detection with full auto brake consists of a radar unit integrated into the car’s grille, a camera fitted in front of the interior rear-view mirror, and a central control unit. The radar’s task is to detect a pedestrian or vehicle in front of the car and to determine the distance to it. The camera determines what type of object it is.
