FORD RESCUE TECHNOLOGY TO HELP MEDICAL PERSONNEL SAVE LIVES
2002 NAIASDETROIT, Jan. 8, 2002 – One of the most attention-grabbing sounds in the world is an ambulance rushing to the scene of an accident. To help medical personnel arrive at accidents faster and better prepared, Ford Motor Company today announced a technology pilot on Ford Explorer SUVs and other Ford vehicles. Ford engineers and scientists will be installing advanced Rescue technology for the two-year pilot onto more than 300 police vehicles in the Houston area. Those vehicles will be primarily Explorers and Crown Victoria sedans. Law enforcement vehicles are involved in a higher percentage of crashes than other vehicles. The technology uses a series of sensors to provide detailed accident information on a vehicle’s position, direction of travel, position it came to rest (upside down, on its side, etc.), occupancy, belt usage and more. The Rescue technology goes much further than systems available today. For example, with today’s technology, an air bag must be deployed to activate the system. However, Ford's new Rescue system constantly monitors g-forces from three directions and notes extreme changes that take place during an accident to activate the system. “Accident survival rates are directly linked to the speed and accuracy of the victims’ medical care,” said Susan M. Cischke, vice president of Environmental and Safety Engineering at Ford. “Ford looks for opportunities to reduce the risk of injuries before, during and after an accident. The technology Ford is about to test has the potential to enhance post-crash survival rates in the real world.” Today, crashes are reported to authorities an average of 5.2 minutes after the impact. In the United States, approximately 40,000 lives are lost in traffic accidents each year and another 5 million people are injured. Most of the fatalities occur soon after the crash. For example, 30 percent of deaths occur within minutes of the crash. Fifty percent occur before the patient arrives at a hospital. Fully 70 percent of deaths occur within two hours of a crash. “Delays in medical treatment are directly associated with higher fatality rates and worse outcomes from serious injuries in crashes,” said Dr. Stewart Wang, associate professor of Surgery and director of Research at the Trauma Center at the University of Michigan. “This post-crash technology can be especially effective in two cases – rural areas, where a crash is not always quickly seen by passersby and response times are often greater than 1 hour, and urban areas during off-peak driving times.” The Rescue technology is made possible because of Ford’s comprehensive Personal Safety System™. The Personal Safety System™ contains a sensor that help a car or truck “think” through a crash and deploy appropriate safety belt technology and air bags. The advanced Rescue technology uses a sensor that measures deceleration and direction – such as frontal, rear or side – which are important factors in determining injuries. The system also determines whether air bags were deployed, which seats throughout the vehicle are occupied, and if the occupants are wearing their safety belts. Belt usage is another key factor in determining the risk of injury. Vehicle orientation and location are determined with the help of sensors and Global Positioning Satellites (GPS). The system envisioned will automatically send pertinent crash data to emergency rescue dispatchers and trauma centers and establishes a voice link between rescuers and the occupants of the crashed vehicle. The car’s occupants will not have to take any action for the link to be created. The data transmission is what allows quick and well-prepared response to the scene. It also helps to prepare hospital trauma workers to more quickly diagnose and treat the types of injuries they’re likely to see, based on the specific crash. Hardware:
Tri-axial accelerometer: A sensor measures acceleration and deceleration forces in all three planes to determine the force of a crash. Seat occupant sensors: Sensors are used to determine which seats are occupied. Basically, they are contained in a woven mat placed under each seat and an electric field is created. The vehicle senses an occupant is in the seat when the electric field is altered. Buckle switch sensors: Determines the seat belt usage status of all the occupants. GPS receiver: Determines direction of travel and the vehicle’s precise location. On-board microprocessor: Compiles data to compute an accurate portrayal of the crash. Onboard communications: Digital data is transmitted between the different modules using a high-speed communication bus, with advanced “handshaking” to prevent errors. Cellular phone: Automatically calls emergency rescue authorities and transmits vital crash data via cellular modem. Power supply: An independent source assures that all components of the Rescue technology can function if the vehicle’s main battery is damaged.