Air Bag Systems: Description and Operation: Overview

Air Bag Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)

OVERVIEW

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The continued development of the SRS (supplemental restraint system) provides an improved overall level of crash protection for vehicle occupants. The system analyzes the occupancy scenario and crash severity before activating the appropriate safety devices to better protect a range of occupants in a variety of crash situations. Benefits of the system include:
- Optimization of the deployment restraint devices and the reduction in potential for air bag induced injuries.
- The significant reduction in passenger air bag deployments; particularly when passenger seats are unoccupied.
There are seven separate air bags, each designed with a specific protection function:
- Driver and front passenger air bags provide head and chest protection for front occupants.
- Driver and front passenger side air bags provide protection against side impact.
- Side air curtains provide protection against head impact and roll-over ejection for both front and rear occupants.
- A driver lower air bag provides protection to the driver's legs from the steering column support structures.
In order to support the SRS (supplemental restraint system) requirements, restraint control architecture is used comprising the following systems or components:
- All electronic front and side crash sensing and advanced restraints management.
- Driver air bag with twin stage inflator.
- Passenger air bag with twin stage inflator.
- Depending on market, a front passenger seat:
- occupant classification sensing system, or
- occupant detection sensing system.
- Safety belt buckle pretensioners.
- A seat position sensor on the driver seat.
- Depending on market; a pyrotechnic actuator fitted to the steering column to provide increased energy absorption.