Early Crash Sensors

In the event of an accident occurring, intelligent sensors are designed to trigger off the occupant restraint systems at the correct moment. At the heart of this system is the airbag control unit which determines whether or not restraint systems should be deployed and ignites the airbags and belt tensioners according to the severity and nature of the collision. Two remote sensors allow the system to determine the pattern and the severity of a head-on collision at a very early stage. Since these sensors, which measure acceleration, are located in the vehicle’s front impact-absorbing zone, they are referred to as ‘early crash sensors’. They supply signals to the control unit that enable it to detect the severity of the impact as early as possible. The rate of vehicle deceleration as measured in the central control unit is used as a further source of information for determining the severity of the impact and checking plausibility.