Deutsch
EnglishAdvanced technology for your BMW 5 Series 1995-2003
175n
Airbags 176
Overview
Radio reception 176
BMW active seat 177
Dynamic Stability Control
(DSC) 178
Controls and features
Safety belt tensioner 178
HiFi system DSP 179
Mirrors with automatic
dimmer 179
Integrated rear suspension 180
Rain sensor 180
Xenon lamps 181
Operation, care
and maintenance
Owner service procedures
Advanced technology
Technical data
Index
Technol-
176nAirbags
Radio reception
The airbags located under the marked
covers inflate and unfold in a matter of
a few milliseconds. In this process, they
tear through the designed breaking
points of the upholstered covers or
press them out.
Because the inflation process must be
virtually instantaneous, it is necessarily
accompanied by a certain amount of
ignition and inflation noise. The gas
required to inflate the airbags is not
dangerous, and the associated smoke
then dissipates.
Deceleration sensors continuously
The AM frequency bands (medium-
wave, long-wave and short-wave) make
it possible to receive stations from a
great distance, because the broadcast
signals travel not only along the ground
as surface waves, but also as waves
bounced back to earth from the iono-
sphere.
monitor the physical forces acting upon
the vehicle. If, as the result of a frontal
collision, a deceleration is reached at
which the protection of the safety belts
alone is no longer adequate, the gas
generators of the front airbag will be
simultaneously ignited on both the
driver and passenger sides. However,
the front airbag on the passenger-side
is only triggered if an additional sensor
has recognized that the passenger seat
is occupied.
The entire process is completed within
fractions of a second.
Frequency-modulation (FM) provides
substantially better sound quality than
AM. However, because FM transmis-
sions rely on line-of-sight broadcast
waves, their effective reception range is
limited.
Depending on which side the vehicle is
involved in a side collision, the head
protection and side airbags in the front
and rear* are triggered if necessary.
Radio reception
BMW active seat*
177n
ceptible, resulting in an improved flow
Although numerous factors combine to
impose inherent limitations on the
of blood to the vertebral discs and the
muscles in the area of the spinal
column. Vehicle occupants can experi-
ence less muscle cramping, back pain
in the spine's lumbar region and
fatigue. The active seat thus provides a
significant contribution to your driving
comfort and safety.
reception quality available from mobile
radios, specially designed systems can
be employed to minimize their effects:
The "Radio Data System" (RDS) makes
sure that, for broadcast stations
sending on several frequencies, the
radio automatically tunes to the
frequency with the best reception
quality.
The Diversity Antenna system employs
several FM antennas integrated within
the rear window. An integral processor
automatically selects the antenna with
the best FM reception quality at any
given time. The selection of the antenna
takes place within milliseconds, and
is therefore not noticed by the radio
listener.
BMW seats are configured for your
orthopedic well-being. The active seat
is an engineering enhancement of
BMW's seats, designed to ensure less
fatigue during extended trips while
sitting with little movement. The seat is
no longer a passive element between
the road, the running gear and the
passenger. Instead, it creates minor
and imperceptible shifts in your weight
by an active change in the contour of
the seat surface. The basic seat posi-
tion is not changed as this occurs.
Fluid cushions are located below the
surface of the seat in the seat's uphol-
stery on the left and right. The fluid is
circulated slowly back and forth
between the two cushions by means of
a pump. This causes a movement of the
spinal column which is virtually imper-
178nDynamic Stability Control (DSC)
Safety belt tensioner
Highly sensors monitor the number of
revolutions of the wheels, the steering
angle, lateral acceleration, brake pres-
sure and the movement of the vehicle
around its vertical axis.
You may need some time to become
accustomed to this system intervention.
However, it provides optimum drive
force and vehicle stability.
The braking intervention is accompa-
nied by sounds specific to the system.
If differences in the wheel speeds
occur, the system counteracts the
danger of wheelspin by reducing engine
torque. If necessary, the system also
responds with additional braking inter-
vention at all four wheels.
In addition, DSC permanently monitors
the vehicle's current operating condi-
tion and compares it with an ideal
condition that is calculated from the
sensor's signals. If deviations from this
occur (understeering or oversteering,
for instance), DSC can stabilize the
vehicle in fractions of a second by
reducing engine output and with the
assistance of braking intervention at
individual wheels. As a result,
The safety belt tensioner responds to
severe frontal collisions by tightening
the belts to ensure that occupants
remain firmly positioned in their seats.
A gas-pressure system retracts the
buckle assembly to tension the
shoulder and lap belts within fractions
of a second. This reduces the tendency
to slide under the lap belt.
dangerous skids can be prevented even
as they are just beginning.
DSP sound system*
Mirrors with automatic dimmer
179n
The electronic control system operates
by comparing the respective levels of
luminous intensity in front of and behind
the car. The difference provides the
basic parameter used to modulate an
electrical current and induce chemical
changes in a semisolid layer incorpo-
rated in the lens.
The semisolid reacts chemically to this
electrical current, thus providing infi-
nitely-variable dimming of the mirror
(electrochromic technology).
As a result, it is no longer necessary
to dim the mirror manually, and the
driver can maintain full concentration
on traffic.
The DSP Professional premium sound
system features a special amplifier
combined with Digital Sound
The interior and exterior mirrors with
automatic dimming feature reduce the
glare from following traffic by adapting
the intensity of the reflected images to
correspond to levels of light registered
by the unit's sensors. The mirrors revert
Processing (DSP) and integrated
speakers to surround you with crisp,
true-to-life sound reproduction. The
speaker system's subwoofers, woofers, to their undimmed setting as soon as
midrange speakers and tweeters
the light source disappears.
furnish you with an impressively full-
bodied listening experience. The loud-
speakers are oriented in such a manner
that they produce the aural sensation
that you would experience facing the
stage in a concert hall. The system also
automatically adjusts the bass and
treble settings to compensate for
One sensor is mounted on the front
of the interior mirror housing and is
designed to monitor light levels in the
area immediately forward of the vehicle.
A second sensor is integrated within
the mirror's glass.
changes in volume and vehicle speed.
180nIntegrated rearsuspension
Rain sensor*
When the "Intermittent" wiper speed
position is selected, the wiper reacts
immediately if water is splashed onto
the windshield from vehicles traveling
ahead, for example. As a result, the
rain sensor provides a contribution to
driving safety and comfort.
The control arms on the patented inte-
The rain sensor controls windshield
grated aluminum rear axle assembly are wiper operation, depending on how wet
not mounted directly on the body. They the windshield is.
are mounted elastically on a chassis
Infrared light is carried along the surface
sub-frame which is joined in turn with
of the windshield in an optical
elasticity to the vehicle body. The
conductor in such a manner that it is
resulting double elastic suspension
reflected completely when the wind-
system effectively absorbs the forces
shield is dry. The quantity of reflected
resulting from bumps and road surface
light is measured.
irregularities.
If there is moisture on the glass, the
The compliance rates of the integrated
rear axle assembly's control arm
mounts have been precisely calibrated
amount of light reflected is reduced
since the infrared light at the surface
of the windshield can escape. The
to help provide supplementary adjust-
quantity of reflected light is thus a
ment in the tracking angle of the rear
means of gauging the degree of
wheels (programmed self-steer effect).
wetness on the windshield.
The ultimate result is enhanced safety
and control under all conditions.
Xenon lamps
181n
Xenon lamps improve the driver's
visibility and orientation to the road,
especially in adverse weather condi-
tions and driving situations (driving at
night in heavy rain or through road
repair areas where there are no lane
markers, for instance).
Vehicles with xenon lamps are
equipped with automatic headlamp
range control. As a result, the highway
is always optimally lighted, regardless
of load conditions, and drivers in
oncoming traffic are not blinded.
Xenon lamps illuminate the side and
front areas of the vehicle with signifi-
cantly more brightness and uniformity
than traditional halogen lamps.
Xenon lamps make a significant contri-
bution to highway safety since other
highway users, or bicyclists and motor-
cyclists in the right lane, and pedes-
trians are more easily detected.
In a xenon lamp, an electric arc replaces
the filament in order to generate intense
illumination. A gas mixture in a quartz
glass tube with metal vapor is ignited by
a high electric voltage. The arc that is
generated is then sustained by a lower
voltage. When the lamp is turned on
there is a brief warm-up period.
Maximum brightness is attained in
approx. 15 seconds.
182n
