On the Design of a Micro Switch to Use as an Airbag Activator

The object of the present study is to design a micro switch witch activates the airbag of a car when the amplitude of the acceleration of the accident exceeds the critical one. The response time of the micro switch is supposed to be 5 ms. Micro switch consist of a proof mass connected to a clamped-clamped micro beam. The nonlinear partial integro-differential equation of the motion is solved using FEM. According to the results it is recommended to use micro switches instead of accelerometers as airbag activators in car’s safety systems.