Automotive Safety Sensing

Protecto™

Protecto™ is a front-end sensing system that detects impact location, geometry, strength and characteristics, allowing fast and reliable classification of impacting objects, whether they are pedestrians, trees, street lights, footballs or other vehicles.

Protecto™ consists of a sensor installed in the front bumper that uses a proprietary algorithm to analyze multiple aspects of the impacting object. In the event of a collision with a pedestrian, Protecto™ triggers actuators that lift the hood by a few centimeters, creating a life-saving safety margin – a “crumple zone” – between the pedestrian’s head and the rock-solid engine block underneath the hood.

The Protecto™ sensing system can also be used for frontal crash sensing, and especially for difficult to recognize crashes with small overlap objects such as poles and traffic lights. In this case, Protecto™ is implemented to ensure optimal restraint system activation, thereby enhancing the safety of all vehicle occupants.