Clockspring Assembly / Spiral Cable: Description and Operation

The air bag sliding contact is designed to carry signals between the air bag control module and the driver air bag module. The sliding contact is attached to the steering column switch mounting bracket and consists of fixed and moving parts connected by a coiled Mylar tape with integral conducting tracks. The Mylar tape is able to 'wind up' and 'unwind' as the steering wheel (to which the moving part is attached) is turned, maintaining electrical contact at all times between the air bag control module and the driver air bag module. The sliding contact is used in order to achieve the high degree of circuit integrity required by the Supplementary Restraint System (SRS).