ITT Announces Electronic Stability Program
8 January 1998
Electronic Stability Program From ITT Automotive Provides Drivers Extra Accident Avoidance Opportunities
DETROIT, Jan. 8 -- The 1998 North American International Auto
Show and Los Angeles Auto Show are upon us and showgoers will be treated to
new cars and new technologies. Chief among these will be a revolutionary new
safety technology developed by ITT Automotive that provides drivers with extra
tools that help them in accident avoidance maneuvers. Called the Electronic
Stability Program or ESP, the system can enhance overall vehicle control --
within physical limits -- in all three areas of vehicle performance:
accelerating, cornering and braking. ITT Automotive's Electronic Stability
Program (ESP) will soon be available on some cars and sport utility vehicles.
ESP effectively senses when a driver might lose control of the vehicle and
activates individual wheel brakes and reduces engine torque to help the driver
maintain stability. ITT Automotive's ESP combines wheel-speed, steering-wheel
angle, yaw-rate and lateral acceleration sensors with a special brake booster
and a high performance computer to compare the intention of the driver with
directional reality and actively help the driver respond in critical
situations. The system will function even if the brake is not applied. The
yaw-rate sensor monitors whether the vehicle is turning and together with data
from other sensors, recognizes both the driver's intention and actual vehicle
motion in order to activate corrective measures that help counteract oversteer
and understeer.
ITT Automotive's ESP is applicable for both front-wheel drive, rear-wheel
drive and four-wheel drive vehicles. For instance, front-wheel drive vehicles
can commonly encounter understeering in cornering at high speeds or in
emergency steering maneuvers to avoid accidents. With understeering, the
front wheels push the vehicle toward the outer edge of a turn. By contrast,
at higher speeds rear-wheel drive vehicles typically can be oversteered, which
means the vehicle responds to the driver's steering and the rear wheels slide
outward.
With ITT Automotive's ESP, sensors control braking separately at all four
wheels and can also reduce engine torque to lower the speed and help maintain
stability. For example, if the driver oversteers and the rear wheels begin to
slide outward, ESP's computer counteracts by braking the outer front wheel,
creating an opposing and stabilizing yaw force and by reducing engine power,
if necessary. If the driver already has applied the brakes while cornering,
the ESP control computer will boost the brake pressure at the front wheel that
is on the outside of the turn and reduce brake pressure on the inner front
wheel. If the driver encounters understeer, ESP brakes the rear wheel on the
inside and helps bring the car onto the required course.
"ESP is our latest advance in equipping drivers with technology that helps
keep them and their families secure in emergency driving situations and helps
them avoid accidents in everyday driving," said Frank Macher, president, ITT
Automotive. "It continues ITT Automotive's rich heritage of bringing new,
technologically superior products to the global market."
ITT Automotive is a unit of ITT Industries, Inc. (http://www.ittind.com) a
leading worldwide diversified manufacturing company, with 1996 sales of $8.4
billion from its three primary business segments: Automotive, Defense &
Electronics, and Fluid Technology. ITT Automotive is one of the world's
largest independent suppliers of systems and components to automotive
manufacturers. ITT Defense & Electronics is a world leader in the design,
manufacture and support of high technology electronic systems and components
for defense and commercial markets. ITT Fluid Technology is one of the
world's leading manufacturers of products, systems and services for the
movement, measurement, and control of fluids.
In addition to the New York Stock Exchange, ITT Industries' stock is
traded under the symbol ("IIN") on the Midwest, Pacific, London, Frankfurt and
Paris exchanges.
SOURCE ITT Automotive
