Which invention principle is used in automotive airbags?
2 Answers
The principle involves the airbag control module transmitting an electrical current to deploy the airbag. Below are relevant details about airbags:1. Concept: The airbag system is a passive safety protection system (see automotive safety performance), designed to work in conjunction with seat belts. During a collision, automotive airbags can reduce head injuries by 25% and facial injuries by approximately 80%.2. Advantages: Airbags distribute the impact force evenly across the head and chest, preventing fragile passengers from direct contact with the vehicle body, thereby significantly reducing the likelihood of injury. Airbags are indeed effective in protecting passengers during frontal collisions, and even without seat belts, they can sufficiently mitigate injuries.
From the perspective of a car enthusiast, the invention principle of airbags utilizes collision sensing and rapid inflation technology. Simply put, sensors installed in the car detect sudden deceleration or a crash and immediately send signals to the control unit. The control unit ignites a chemical substance in a small explosive charge, usually sodium azide, which reacts instantly to produce a large amount of nitrogen gas, inflating the airbag material and deploying it in the blink of an eye to cushion the human body. This not only protects the head and chest but also works in conjunction with seat belts to reduce the risk of severe injuries. Nowadays, many cars use multi-stage airbags that adjust the inflation speed based on the severity of the collision, making them more precise and safer. These mechanisms originated from engineers' creativity in the 1950s but have been continuously optimized to this day, ingeniously combining physics and chemistry to make airbags a life-saving tool. I think this design is truly reliable, as it has reduced traffic accident fatalities.
