Airbag: Difference between revisions

{{About|a car safety device}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}

[[File:Peugeot 306 airbags deployed.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|The driver and passenger front airbag modules, after having been deployed, in a [[Peugeot 306]]]]

 

 

The airbag provides an energy-absorbing surface between the vehicle's occupants and a steering wheel, instrument panel, [[Pillar (car)|body pillar]], headliner, and [[windshield]]. Modern [[vehicle]]s may contain up to ten airbag modules in various configurations, including driver, passenger, side-curtain, seat-mounted, door-mounted, B and C-pillar mounted side-impact, knee bolster, inflatable seat belt, and pedestrian airbag modules.

Airbags are considered "passive" restraints and act as a supplement to "active" restraints. Because no action by a vehicle occupant is required to activate or use the airbag, it is considered a "passive" device. This is in contrast to [[seat belt]]s, which are considered "active" devices because the vehicle occupant must act to enable them.<ref>{{cite journal|first=Kenneth E. |last=Warner |title=Bags, Buckles, and Belts: The Debate over Mandatory Passive Restraints in Automobiles |doi=10.1215/03616878-8-1-44 |pmid=6863874 |journal=Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law |year=1983 |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=44–75 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.motorvista.com/airhist.htm |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20010222142601/http://motorvista.com/airhist.htm |url-status= dead |archive-date= 22 February 2001 |title=U.S. air bag history |website=motorvista.com |year=2000 |access-date=16 March 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6272412/description.html |title=U.S. patent 6272412 – Passive restraint control system for vehicles |website=patentstorm.us |access-date=17 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110612202945/http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/6272412/description.html |archive-date=12 June 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.dfs.ny.gov/insurance/circltr/1991/cl1991_10.htm |title=Circular Letter No. 10 (1991): Auto Insurance Premium Discounts For Passive Restraints |publisher=New York State Department of Financial Services |date=12 April 1991 |access-date=16 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140316220229/http://www.dfs.ny.gov/insurance/circltr/1991/cl1991_10.htm |archive-date=16 March 2014 }}</ref>

 

 

== History ==

[[File:Original Airbag Design Blueprint 1953.png|thumb|upright|John W. Hetrick's 1953 safety cushion patent drawing<ref>{{cite patent|title=Safety cushion assembly for automotive vehicles |pubdate=18 August 1953 |country=US |number=2649311 |inventor1-first=John W. |inventor1-last=Hetrick |inventor1-link=John_W._Hetrick}}</ref>]]

[[File:Interior of 1975 Buick Electra.jpg|thumb|1975 [[Buick Electra]] with ACRS]]

 

=== Origins ===

In 1964, a Japanese automobile engineer, [[:ja:小堀保三郎|Yasuzaburou Kobori]] (小堀保三郎), started developing an airbag "safety net" system. His design harnessed an explosive to inflate an airbag, for which he was later awarded patents in 14 countries. He died in 1975, before seeing the widespread adoption of airbag systems.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.jahfa.jp/jahfa6/pala/person5-1.htm |title=Achievements of Yasuzaburou Kobori |publisher=Japan Automotive Hall of Fame |language=ja |quote=Source of creative ideas, [he] started the development of the air bag as a starting point to develop a safety net of motor vehicles in 1964. |access-date=16 March 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130802085217/http://www.jahfa.jp/jahfa6/pala/person5-1.htm |archive-date=2 August 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url= http://zasshi.news.yahoo.co.jp/article?a=20150321-00818815-sspa-soci |title=「エアバッグ」生みの親は日本人だった （週刊SPA!）|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150519022006/http://zasshi.news.yahoo.co.jp/article?a=20150321-00818815-sspa-soci |archive-date=19 May 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= http://nikkan-spa.jp/818815/airbag |title=エアバッグ - airbag.jpg – 日刊SPA! |work=日刊SPA! |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150323145459/http://nikkan-spa.jp/818815/airbag |archive-date=23 March 2015 |date=21 March 2015 |access-date=13 October 2017 }}</ref>

 

 

In the early 1970s, [[General Motors]] began offering cars equipped with airbags, initially in government [[fleet vehicle|fleet-purchased]] 1973 Chevrolet Impala sedans. These cars came with a 1974-style Oldsmobile instrument panel and a unique steering wheel that contained the driver-side airbag. Two of these cars were crash tested after 20 years and the airbags deployed perfectly.<ref>{{cite web |last=Phillips |first=David |title=Impalas' 1973 experimental airbags held up |url= https://www.autonews.com/article/20111031/CHEVY100/310319928/impalas-1973-experimental-airbags-held-up |publisher=Automotive News |date=31 October 2011 |access-date=1 August 2020}}</ref> An early example of the airbag cars survives as of 2009.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Lorio |first=Joe |title=Whats this 73 Chevrolet Impala doing at a classic car auction? |url= https://www.automobilemag.com/news/whats-this-73-chevrolet-impala-doing-at-a-classic-car-auction-2-135242/ |magazine=Automobile Magazine |date=15 June 2009 |access-date=1 August 2020}}</ref> GM's [[Oldsmobile Toronado]] was the first domestic U.S. vehicle to include a passenger airbag in 1973.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Phillips |first1=David |title=Impalas' 1973 experimental airbags held up: Fleet customers tested 1,000 vehicles with cutting-edge technology |url= http://www.autonews.com/article/20111031/CHEVY100/310319928/impalas-1973-experimental-airbags-held-up |access-date=16 November 2017 |work=Automotive News |date=31 October 2011}}</ref> General Motors marketed its first airbag modules under the "Air Cushion Restraint System" name, or ACRS. The automaker discontinued the option for its 1977 [[model year]], citing a lack of consumer interest. Ford and GM then spent years [[lobbying]] against air-bag requirements, claiming that the devices were unfeasible and inappropriate. Chrysler made driver-side airbags standard on 1988 and 1989 models, but airbags did not become widespread in American cars until the early 1990s.<ref>{{cite news|first=Paul |last=Tullis |url= https://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/magazine/2013/innovations-issue/#/?part=airbag |title=Air Bag – Who Made That? The Magazine's 2013 Innovations Issue |newspaper=The New York Times |date=7 June 2013|url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140215212225/http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/magazine/2013/innovations-issue/ |archive-date=15 February 2014}}</ref>

In 1988, [[Chrysler]] became the first United States automaker to fit a driver-side airbag as standard equipment, which was offered in six different models.<ref name="Godshall">{{cite journal|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=duNp3hLLlkUC&pg=PA71|first=Jeffery|last=Godshall |title=Form, Function, and Fantasy – seventy years of Chrysler design |journal=Automobile Quarterly |volume=32 |issue=4 |pages=70–71 |access-date=27 April 2019 |isbn=9781596139275}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url= http://www.automotive-fleet.com/article/story/1988/07/chrysler-introduces-driver-side-air-bags.aspx |title=Chrysler Introduces Driver-Side Air Bags |date=July 1988 |magazine=Automotive Fleet |access-date=27 April 2019 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140316195140/http://www.automotive-fleet.com/article/story/1988/07/chrysler-introduces-driver-side-air-bags.aspx |archive-date=16 March 2014 }}</ref> The following year, Chrysler became the first US auto manufacturer to offer driver-side airbags in all its new passenger models.<ref>{{cite web |title=Automobile Safety |url= https://americanhistory.si.edu/america-on-the-move/essays/automobile-safety |work=National Museum of American History |date=24 July 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=K0Le2urkC0cC&pg=PA220|page=220 |title=Business ethics|first=William H. |last=Shaw |publisher=Wadsworth/Cengage |year=2011 |isbn=9780495808763 |access-date=16 March 2014}}</ref> Chrysler also began featuring the airbags in advertisements showing how the devices had saved lives that helped the public know the value of them and safety became a selling advantage in the late 1980s.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=1990 Government Mandates Safety |magazine=Popular Mechanics |date=May 1996 |volume=173 |issue=5 |page=59 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=MWUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA59 |access-date=5 November 2019}}</ref> All versions of the [[Chrysler minivans (AS)|Chrysler minivans]] came with airbags starting for the 1991 model year.<ref name="Godshall"/> In 1993, The Lincoln Motor Company boasted that all vehicles in their model line were equipped with dual airbags, one for the driver's side and another for the passenger's side.<ref>{{cite AV media |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMJSXyTnOhI |title=1993 Lincoln safety ad |via=YouTube}}</ref> The [[Jeep Grand Cherokee (ZJ)|1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee]] became the first SUV to offer a driver-side airbag when it was launched in 1992.<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=pOMDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA25|pages=25–27 |date=July 1993 |magazine=Popular Mechanics |title=Jeep Grand Cherokee – another home run for the home team |first=Michael |last=Lamm |volume=170 |issue=7 |access-date=16 March 2014}}</ref> Driver and passenger airbags became standard equipment in all [[Dodge Intrepid]], [[Eagle Vision]], and [[Chrysler Concorde]] sedans ahead of any safety regulations.<ref>{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=mAZeW0y7h5sC&pg=PA147|page=147 |title=Air Bag Safety: Hearing Before the Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation, U.S. Senate |year=1996 |editor-first=Larry |editor-last=Pressler |publisher=Dianne Publishing |access-date=16 March 2014|isbn=9780788170676 }}</ref><ref>Legislation passed in 1991 required driver and front passenger airbags for passenger vehicles offered for sale in the US after September 1997 and for other vehicles after September 1998.{{cite book |title=Air Bag Safety: Hearing Before the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportations US Senate 104 Congress 2nd session |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=R-bXBSwvBO8C&pg=PA3 |date=2 March 1996 |isbn=9780788170676 |last1=Pressler|first1=Larry| publisher=DIANE }}</ref> Early 1993 saw the 4-millionth airbag-equipped Chrysler vehicle roll off the assembly line.<ref>{{cite press release|url= http://www.thefreelibrary.com/CHRYSLER+AIR+BAG+PRODUCTION+HITS+4+MILLION+UNITS-a013141245 |title=Chrysler air bag production hits 4 million units |date=19 April 1993 |agency=PRNewswire |website=thefreelibrary.com |access-date=16 March 2014}}</ref> In October 1993, the [[Dodge Ram]] became the first [[pickup truck]] with a standard driver-side airbag.<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=5-MDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA24|page=24 |title=Design and Engineering Awards |magazine=Popular Mechanics |date=January 1994 |volume=171 |issue=1 |access-date=16 March 2014}}</ref>

 

 

The United States [[Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act]] of 1991 required passenger cars and light trucks built after 1 September 1998 to have airbags for the driver and the front passenger.<ref name="AirBagTechnology">{{cite web|url= http://www.nhtsa.gov.edgesuite-staging.net/DOT/NHTSA/NRD/Multimedia/PDFs/Crashworthiness/Air%20Bags/rev_report.pdf |page=1 |date=21 June 2001 |title=Air Bag Technology in Light Passenger Vehicles |author=((Office of Research and Development)) |publisher=U.S. NHTSA |access-date=16 March 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141215001813/http://www.nhtsa.gov.edgesuite-staging.net/DOT/NHTSA/NRD/Multimedia/PDFs/Crashworthiness/Air%20Bags/rev_report.pdf |archive-date=15 December 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/federal-legislation-makes-airbags-mandatory |title=Sep 1, 1998: Federal legislation makes airbags mandatory |website=history.com |access-date=16 March 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140316195048/http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/federal-legislation-makes-airbags-mandatory |archive-date=16 March 2014 }}</ref> In the United States, NHTSA estimated that airbags had saved over 4,600 lives by 1 September 1999; however, the crash deployment experience of the early 1990s installations indicated that some fatalities and serious injuries were in fact caused by airbags.<ref name="AirBagTechnology"/> In 1998, NHTSA initiated new rules for advanced airbags that gave automakers more flexibility in devising effective technological solutions. The revised rules also required improved protection for occupants of different sizes regardless of whether they use seat belts, while minimizing the risk to infants, children, and other occupants caused by airbags.<ref name="AirBagTechnology"/>

The emergence of the airbag has contributed to a sharp decline in the number of deaths and serious injuries on the roads of Europe since 1990, and by 2010, the number of cars on European roads lacking an airbag represented a very small percentage of cars, mostly the remaining cars dating from the mid-1990s or earlier.

 

 

===== Shape of airbags =====

The [[Polestar 2]] also includes a center airbag.

 

 

==== Knee airbag ====

 

[[File:V08589P076.jpg|thumb|Deployed passenger knee airbag in a [[Toyota Tundra]] after a frontal collision test, the driver-side knee airbag was also deployed. Blue and yellow markings indicate the dummy's knees.]]

 

====Manufacturers====

 

== Operation ==

=== Triggering conditions ===

[[File:Peugeot 206 1999 Hatchback 1.1 TU1JP(HFZ) 05.JPG|thumb|Some cars provide the option to turn off the passenger airbag]]

 

Unlike [[crash test]]s into barriers, real-world crashes typically occur at angles other than directly into the front of the vehicle, and the crash forces usually are not evenly distributed across the front of the vehicle. Consequently, the relative speed between a striking and struck vehicle required to deploy the airbag in a real-world crash can be much higher than an equivalent barrier crash. Because airbag sensors measure deceleration, the vehicle speed is not a good indicator of whether an airbag should be deployed. Airbags can deploy due to the vehicle's undercarriage striking a low object protruding above the roadway due to the resulting deceleration.

Initial attempts using [[mercury switch]]es did not work well. Before MEMS, the primary system used to deploy airbags was called a "[[rolamite]]". A rolamite is a mechanical device, consisting of a roller suspended within a tensioned band. As a result of the particular geometry and material properties used, the roller is free to translate with little [[friction]] or [[hysteresis]]. This device was developed at [[Sandia National Laboratories]]. Rolamite and similar macro-mechanical devices were used in airbags until the mid-1990s after which they were universally replaced with MEMS.

 

 

Today{{when|date=January 2023}}, airbag triggering [[algorithms]] are much more complex, being able to adapt the deployment speed to the crash conditions, and prevent unnecessary deployments. The algorithms are considered valuable [[intellectual property]]. Experimental algorithms may take into account such factors as the weight of the occupant, the seat location, and seat belt use, as well as even attempt to determine if a [[baby seat]] is present.

Since January 2014, except for micro vehicles, all new cars made or imported in Argentina must have front airbags.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.lacapital.com.ar/edicion-impresa/airbags-y-abs-sistemas-obligatorios-argentina-n605371.html |title=Airbags y ABS, sistemas obligatorios en Argentina |work=La Capital |language=es |access-date=July 18, 2022}}</ref>

 

 

Since July 2014, all new cars sold in Uruguay must have dual front airbags.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.autoblog.com.uy/2014/07/todo-lo-que-hay-que-saber-de-la-ley-n.html |title=Todo lo que hay que saber de la ley Nº 19.061 |website=autoblog.com.uy}}</ref>

Airbags are designed to deploy once only, so are ineffective if any further collisions occur after an initial impact. Multiple impacts may occur during rollovers or other incidents involving multiple collisions, such as many [[multi-vehicle collision|multivehicle collision]]s.<ref name=Hyundai>{{cite web |url= http://www.hsguide.net/curtain_air_bag-698.html |title=Curtain air bag Hyundai Sonata: Manuals and Car Information |website=hsguide.net |access-date=7 June 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140714152107/http://www.hsguide.net/curtain_air_bag-698.html |archive-date=14 July 2014 }}</ref>

 

 

Typical airbag systems are completely disabled by turning off the [[ignition key]]. Unexpected turnoffs usually also disable the engine, [[power steering]], and [[power brakes]], and can be the direct cause of a collision. If a violent collision occurs, the disabled airbags will not deploy to protect vehicle occupants. In 2014, [[2014 General Motors recall|General Motors admitted to concealing information]] about fatal collisions caused by defective ignition switches that would abruptly shut down a car (including its airbags). Between 13 and 74 deaths have been directly attributed to this defect, depending on how the fatalities are classified.<ref>{{cite magazine|url= http://time.com/2819690/gm-recall-deaths-ignition-switch/ |title=GM Disputes Report Tying Ignition Switch Problem to 74 Deaths |magazine=Time |date=3 June 2014 |access-date=4 June 2014 |last=Feeney |first=Nolan |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140603232322/http://time.com/2819690/gm-recall-deaths-ignition-switch/ |archive-date=3 June 2014}}</ref>

[[File:Pathfinder Air Bags - GPN-2000-000484.jpg|thumb|NASA engineers test the [[Mars Pathfinder]] airbag [[landing]] system on simulated Martian terrain]]

The first use of airbags for [[landing]] were [[Luna 9]] and [[Luna 13]]. As with later missions, these would use the airbags to bounce along the surface, absorbing landing energy. The [[Mars Pathfinder]] lander employed an innovative airbag landing system, supplemented with [[aerobraking]], [[parachute]], and [[solid rocket]] landing thrusters. This prototype successfully tested the concept, and the two [[Mars Exploration Rover Mission]] landers employed similar landing systems. The [[Beagle 2]] Mars lander also tried to use airbags for landing; the landing was successful, and the lander touched down safely, but several of the spacecraft's solar panels failed to deploy, thereby disabling the spacecraft.

 

=== Aircraft airbag landing systems ===

More commonly, [[air bag vest]]s – either integrated into the motorcyclist's jacket or worn over it – have started to become used by regular riders on the street.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.motorcyclenews.com/news/new-tech/motorbike-airbag-vests/|title = Exploding the myths: Everything you need to know about motorbike airbag vests |first=Emma |last=Franklin |work=Motorcycle News |location=UK |date=2021-10-08 |access-date=2023-07-24}}</ref> [[MotoGP]] has made it compulsory since 2018 for riders to wear suits with integrated airbags.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.motogp.com/en/news/2017/12/21/airbags-compulsory-from-2018/247973 |title=Airbags: Compulsory from 2018 |work=MotoGP |date=2017-12-21 |access-date=2023-07-24}}</ref>

 

 

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