Occupant Restraint Controller: Description

The Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC) (2), sometimes referred to ass the Airbag Control Module (ACM), is secured with three screws to a stamped steel mounting bracket welded onto the top of the floor panel transmission tunnel underneath the instrument panel center stack, beneath the center floor console in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. Concealed within a hollow in the center of the die cast aluminum ORC housing is the electronic circuitry of the ORC which includes a microprocessor, an electronic impact sensor, an electronic safing sensor, and an energy storage capacitor. A stamped metal cover plate is secured to the bottom of the ORC housing with four screws to enclose and protect the internal electronic circuitry and components.

The ORC housing has integral mounting flanges in three locations. Two molded plastic electrical connectors (1 and 2) exit the rearward facing side of the ORC housing. These terminal pins connect the ORC to the vehicle electrical system through two connectors.

The impact sensor and safing sensor internal to the ORC are calibrated for the specific vehicle, and are only serviced as a unit with the ORC. The ORC cannot be repaired or adjusted and, if damaged or faulty, it must be replaced.