Inside The Box

Automotive Industries,  Oct, 1999  

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For several years, GM has equipped vehicles with modules that record airbag status and crash severity data for impacts that cause the bags to deploy. Its data recording capability includes:

* Engine rpm (5 seconds before impact)

* Vehicle speed (5 seconds before impact)

* Brake status (5 seconds before impact)

* Throttle position (5 seconds before impact)

* State of `warning indicator' when event occurred (on/off)

* Length of time the warning lamp was illuminated

* State of driver's seat belt switch

* Time between near-deploy and deploy event (if within 5 seconds)

* Passenger's airbag enabled or disabled

* Crash-sensing activation times or sensing criteria met

* Time from vehicle impact to deployment

* Diagnostic trouble codes present at the time of the event

* Ignition cycle count at event time

* Maximum longitudinal vehicle velocity for near-deployment event

* Longitudinal vehicle velocity vs. time for frontal airbag deployment event

* Time from vehicle impact to time of maximum longitudinal vehicle velocity.

COPYRIGHT 1999 Cahners Publishing Company
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group