A method of controlling an airbag inflator, may include determining, when an occupant is accommodated on a seat, whether the weight of the occupant is in which of first to fourth weight ranges sequentially allocated by a controller, performing a first logic for operating an inflator at the lowest one of three intensities by the controller when it is determined that the weight of the occupant is in the lightest first weight range, and performing a second logic for operating the inflator at the intermediate intensity or a third logic for operating the inflator at the highest intensity by the controller, according to conditions such as a position of a seat, a state of operation of a recliner, a collision condition, a collision pulse, and wearing of a belt, when it is determined that the weight of the occupant is in the third or fourth weight range.

An air-bag apparatus includes: a bag body that is provided on a vehicle seat and that is inflated and expanded at a time of an impact input and prevents at least an upper part of a body of an occupant seated on the vehicle seat from being separated from a seat back of the vehicle seat; an inflator that supplies a gas to the bag body at a time of an impact input; a body size detection part that detects a body size of the occupant seated on the vehicle seat; and an expansion degree adjustment part that adjusts a degree of an inflation expansion of the bag body in accordance with the body size of the occupant detected by the body size detection part.

A computer-implemented method for checking the correct deployment of an airbag device comprises, in a vehicle or test vehicle model, optionally arranging a dummy or model of a vehicle occupant in the vicinity of the airbag device, triggering the deployment of the air chamber of the airbag device, taking at least one image of a scene including the air chamber at a plurality of discrete times following the triggering of its deployment and verifying the volume of inflation and/or deployment of the air chamber at the plurality of discrete times following the triggering of its deployment on the basis of the at least one image.

Proposed is an automotive side airbag including: an inflator ejecting gas when operating; an air cushion expanded and unfolded forward from a side of a passenger by the gas ejected from the inflator; and a diffuser disposed in the air cushion, supplying the gas ejected from the inflator to the air cushion, and having a discharge hole formed across a direction in which the air cushion is unfolded by the supplied gas.

An airbag device includes a movement obtaining unit, an airbag, and an airbag controller. The movement obtaining unit is configured to obtain a movement of an occupant in an automobile. The airbag is deployable with different thicknesses into a gap between the occupant and a side portion of the automobile. The airbag controller is configured to restrict the thickness of the airbag that deploys toward the gap so that the airbag is inserted into the gap, if the airbag controller determines that the gap is smaller than a predetermined value on the basis of the movement of the occupant obtained by the movement obtaining unit.

A passenger protection apparatus for a vehicle includes first and second airbags, an airbag deployment device, a collision speed detector, a passenger's position detector, a seat moving unit, an airbag deployment determination unit, and a deployment controller. The first airbag is deployable in different sizes. The second airbag is deployable between the first airbag and vehicle equipment. The airbag deployment device deploys the airbags. The collision speed detector detects a collision or collision possibility of a vehicle, and calculates a collision speed. The passenger position detector detects a position of a passenger sitting on a seat. The seat moving unit moves the seat. The airbag deployment determination unit determines a size of the deployed first airbag. The deployment controller determines an amount of movement of the seat, causes the seat moving unit to move the seat, and causes the airbag deployment device to deploy the airbags.

A frontal airbag for vehicle occupants comprises a contact panel (26) facing the vehicle occupant in the inflated state. Inside the airbag tension means (30, 30′) which restrain portions of the contact panel (26) in the inflated state of the frontal airbag (10) are arranged on the contact panel (26) so that, in the mounted and inflated state, the contact panel (26) forms plural indentations (32) extending vertically from the view of the associated occupant. The frontal airbag (10) optionally may take a first completely inflated state and a second completely inflated state with a larger airbag volume than in the first state, wherein a release device (40) is assigned to at least several of the tension means (30, 30′) and, when the release device is not activated, the frontal airbag (10) only reaches the first state and, when the release device (40) is activated, the contact panel (26) bulges in the area of the released tension means (30, 30′) further toward the occupant so as to enable the second state.

Airbag systems for use in a vehicle that is operable in a manual-steering mode or an automated-steering mode are provided. In one embodiment, an airbag system includes a primary airbag installed in a dashboard of a vehicle. The primary airbag is configured to be deployed when a collision event is detected, and, when deployed, the primary airbag is configured to protect a person seated in a driver seat of the vehicle. the airbag system also includes an auxiliary airbag configured to be deployed when the collision event is detected. During operation of the vehicle in a manual-steering mode, the deployment of the auxiliary airbag is configured to reduce contact between the primary airbag and a steering wheel of the vehicle when the primary airbag is deployed from the dashboard.

A method is disclosed in which sensor information is obtained that is captured by at least one environment sensor of an unmanned vehicle. The sensor information represents at least one object parameter of an object that is moving relative to the unmanned vehicle. At least partly based on the at least one object parameter, it is determined whether a collision between the unmanned vehicle and the object is imminent. If it is determined that a collision between the unmanned vehicle and the object is imminent, at least partly based on the at least one object parameter, at least one triggering parameter is determined for triggering at least one crash cushion of the unmanned vehicle. The at least one crash cushion is triggered according to the at least one triggering parameter. The at least one crash cushion is triggered before the imminent collision.

A method for monitoring the interior of a vehicle including emitting electromagnetic waves of at least one frequency or at least one frequency band towards at least one seat arranged in the interior of the vehicle by means of an electromagnetic radiator, receiving reflected electromagnetic waves by means of a sensor, detecting a living object on the seat from the received reflected electromagnetic waves by means of a detection device, determining a volume of the detected object from the received reflected electromagnetic waves by means of the detection device, determining a weight characteristic of the detected object on the basis of the determined volume of the object by means of the detection device, outputting a detection signal representing the weight characteristic by way of the detection device, and actuating a safety system to make the interior safe in accordance with the detection signal.