Controlling Airbag Inflation with a Solenoid

TLX Technologies designed a miniature manual reset latching solenoid for a vehicle airbag system.

Customer Problem

Modern vehicle airbag systems deploy the airbag based on a number of criteria, including whether or not a seat is occupied, the weight of the occupant, and the speed of vehicle travel. An airbag that inflates too forcefully can injure a passenger. To properly control the force of inflation, an airbag system OEM needed a solenoid that would open a pressure relief valve to vent unwanted pressure when maximum inflation pressure was not needed.

The TLX Solution

TLX Technologies designed a miniature manual reset latching solenoid for the OEM. The solenoid’s armature was held in the latched, or ready, position by a permanent magnet without drawing any current. When the airbag inflation system needed to vent unwanted pressure, a short current pulse would cancel the magnetic field of the permanent magnet and release the armature, opening the pressure relief valve. To prevent the solenoid from accidentally re-latching during airbag deployment, a technician needed to manually reset the solenoid.

View Design Solution

Miniature Manual Reset Latching Solenoid

Stroke: 2.5 mm
Holding force: > 28 N
Supply voltage: 6 to 16 Vdc
Response time: > 3 ms
Coil resistance at 20°C: 16.5 Ω ± 10%
Spring load: 5 N
Current: 0.7 A

All TLX components are customized to fit system requirements, meaning technical specifications are unique to each customer and design. Examples given on our website are for illustration purposes only.

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Direct access to our design and engineering team
Localized production in USA and China
Dependable single-source solution from design to delivery

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Step 1 / Initial Review

Our engineering team works directly with you to determine the viability of your program and identify the best solution based on your specifications.

Step 2 / Quote

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Step 3 / Design Review & Prototypes

Our engineering team reviews the design with you and makes any adjustments needed. Prototypes are built according to design specifications for testing.