Deployable Bonnet System
All-new Jaguar XK Premiers World - First Deployable Bonnet System
- Jaguar Pyrotechnic Pedestrian Deployable Bonnet is a world first
- System operates in less time than it takes to blink
- Advanced Sensing system can distinguish between different impacts
- Over 120 man years dedicated to system development
- Bonnet is raised in around 30 milliseconds using forces up to 50 times the force of gravity
In an era of safety conscious motoring, Jaguar has managed to combine beautiful, fast sports car design with the latest pedestrian impact technology to create a world first with the all-new XK. Today at the Frankfurt motorshow Jaguar engineers premiered the Pyrotechnic Pedestrian Deployable Bonnet System (PDBS) a state-of-the-art advanced safety feature.
Within the 'blink of an eye' In the unfortunate event of a pedestrian impact, the deployable bonnet on the new XK automatically 'pops' up a few inches, to create a cushioning effect between the engine and the bonnet. This helps to isolate the pedestrian from hard points in the engine compartment - and takes place in less than a tenth of the time it takes to blink an eye.
Jaguar is one of the first manufacturers to meet Phase One of new European safety legislation using an active deployable bonnet system. The new standards are designed to help mitigate the severity of injuries to pedestrians in the event of a collision with a car.
Legislation in the European market requires manufacturers to commit to a two-phase introduction of a range of active and passive safety improvements on all new cars to improve the protection of pedestrians in case of accident.
'The Jaguar design team embraced the idea of using a deployable bonnet when it was first considered during early concept discussions on the new XK. This clever feature saves between 50 and 65mm in height off the bonnet surface and a similar amount off the roofline, allowing the design team to maintain a very low, sleek Jaguar sports car profile on the new XK.' said Ian Callum, Jaguar Cars Design Director.
Jaguar Pyrotechnic Pedestrian Deployable Bonnet provides an innovative solution to these legislative requirements whilst ensuring that the sleek lines that customers expect from Jaguar sports cars can be retained. The active system fitted to the all-new XK is complemented by a passive bumper system, the design of which helps to mitigate leg injury through the use of crushable foam and plastic covering. An advanced sensing system is mounted in the front bumper to help discriminate between a pedestrian collision and any other possible front-end collisions. The speed of the sensing time in the system is around one tenth of the time it takes to blink an eye.
Phil Hodgkinson Jaguar Programmes Director said: 'I take technology development at our product development centres very seriously and I am proud to be working with Jaguar engineers that can deliver this kind of safety system, which we believe to be a world-first. The fact that it also allows us to stay true to Ian Callum's core Jaguar design values is equally satisfying.'
go to page 2 | 
