Impact Sensor: Description and Operation

DESCRIPTION
The Driver and Passenger Airbag System is a supplemental safety device designed to help protect the driver and passenger from serious injury, caused by a frontal impact of the vehicle. The two front impact sensors provide verification of the direction and severity of the impact. The sensors are mounted on the headlamp carrier surface on the left and right side of the vehicle under the hood.

OPERATION
The impact sensors are threshold sensitive switches that complete an electrical circuit when an impact provides a sufficient acceleration to close the switch. The sensors are calibrated for the specific vehicle and react to the severity and direction of the impact.
- Threshold sensitive switches that complete an electrical circuit when an impact of sufficient G force closes the switch.
- Calibrated for a specific vehicle, and are therefore not interchangeable.

CIRCUIT OPERATION
The airbag impact sensors provide input to the Air-bag Control Module (ACM). Each sensor has two circuits that connect to the (ACM).

From the left impact sensor, Circuit R47 connects to the ACM at cavity 1 of the 13-way connector. Circuit R49 connects to cavity 2 of the 13-way connector.

From the right impact sensor, Circuit R46 connects to the ACM at cavity 11 of the 13-way connector. Circuit R48 connects to cavity 12 of the 13-way connector.