Pre-crash Safety ECU		Pre-crash Seatbelt ECU		Millimeter-wave Rader		Pre-crash Safety System(Fig.1)

In the area of passive safety, DENSO developed the world's first pre-crash safety system with Toyota Motor Corporation for the Toyota Harrier, launched in February 2003. The pre-crash safety system identifies inevitable obstacles a split second prior to collision, automatically tightens passenger seatbelts, and activates a pre-crash brake system to reduce vehicle speed.

DENSO developed three key components for the system -a millimeter-wave radar; a pre-crash safety electronic control unit (ECU); and a seatbelt ECU (shown in Fig. 1). The millimeter-wave radar detects vehicles and obstacles ahead. The pre-crash safety ECU processes information gathered by the radar to determine if the vehicle will hit on the obstacle, and then sends information regarding distance and relative speed of the obstacle in the form of signals to the seatbelt ECU and the brake system. Based on those signals, the seatbelt ECU retracts the seatbelt mechanism, and the brake system assists the braking mechanism. As a result, this system can reduce damages from a collision.

DENSO's millimeter-wave radar can detect obstacles over a horizontal plane with the world's widest angle, 20 degrees, and excellent detection accuracy of 0.5 degrees.

These components incorporate proprietary DENSO technologies from other systems and components. For example, the algorithm that DENSO developed for adaptive cruise control (ACC) systems is used to achieve the detecting capabilities of the millimeter-wave radar. The pre-crash safety ECU also incorporates proprietary expertise and technologies from the ACC systems to process information from the millimeter-wave radar. And the seatbelt ECU incorporates DENSO technologies from the electric power steering systems to control the motor that tightens the seatbelt.

Applying technologies in this way results in DENSO strength in the area of automotive safety.