Impact Sensor: Description and Operation

This vehicle has a single point sensing system. The diagnostic monitor, crash sensors and safing sensor are incorporated into an electronic air bag control module mounted centrally in the vehicle. The air bag control module retains full control of the complete air bag system.

The air bag control module contains a micro controller to evaluate and process impact data an electronic accelerometer, which measures the actual acceleration and deceleration along the vehicle's longitudinal axis and an electro-mechanical safing sensor. When both these sensors detect an impact in excess of a predetermined limit, the deployment sequence will be initiated by the air bag control module to deploy the frontal air bag(s). The two sensors working together prevent unintentional deployment of the frontal air bag(s).