Automotive Safety Sensing

Protecto™

Protecto™ is a sensor for deployable hoods designed to protect pedestrians hit by a vehicle. By means of a sensor system placed in the front bumper of the car, Protecto™ determines if the vehicle is colliding with an object or a person. In the event of a collision with a pedestrian, the hood lifts, creating a life-saving safety margin – a “crumple zone” – between the pedestrian’s head and the rock-solid engine block underneath the hood.

Deployable or “pop-up” hoods offer flexibility and freedom for car design since the system does not require an unfashionably high hoodline. Protecto^TM helps car manufacturers comply with increasingly stricter international pedestrian protection regulations without compromising aesthetic appeal.

The Protecto^TM sensing system can also be used for frontal crash sensing and activating occupant safety measures, as well as for other impact sensing applications (e.g. side or rear crash).