Pedestrian Protection System - Description & Operation: Accelerometer
WARNING: This page does not describe the selected car, but rather 6 other vehicles, including the 2009 Jaguar XKR, 2009 Jaguar XK8, 2008 Jaguar XKR, 2008 Jaguar XK8, and 2007 Jaguar XKR. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
Two accelerometers are mounted on the rear of the bumper beam. The accelerometers measure the amount of inertia when an impact occurs and send a signal to the control module. This signal is used by the control module to calculate the firing of the Pedestrian Protection System. The accelerometers are modified crash sensors. The sensors have a lower detection range than front/side crash sensors to enable them to detect lower level impacts and therefore assist in the object discrimination process.