Apparatus for operating airbag of autonomous vehicle and control method thereof

An apparatus for operating an airbag of a vehicle, comprising:

• an interior image sensor configured to capture an image of an interior of a vehicle;
• an autonomous driving system configured to predict a collision of the vehicle and generate collision prediction information;
• an airbag module comprising a plurality of airbags and configured to selectively deploy the plurality of airbags;
• and
• an airbag control unit configured to:
• estimate, based on the captured image, a sitting position of a passenger of the vehicle and a dynamic behavior of the passenger caused by the collision of the vehicle;
• estimate, based on the collision prediction information, a collision status of the vehicle;
• determine, based on the estimated sitting position, (i) a set of the airbags to be deployed, and (ii) a time to deploy the set of the airbags, the set of the airbags comprising at least one of the plurality of airbags;
• and
• transmit, to the airbag module, a deployment signal indicating the determined set of the air bags and the determined time to deploy the set of the air bags,
• wherein, to estimate the dynamic behavior of the passenger caused by the collision of the vehicle, the airbag control unit is further configured to:
• determine, based on the captured image, whether a displacement of the passenger's chest meets a chest displacement threshold;
• and
• in response to determining that the displacement of the passenger's chest meets the chest displacement threshold, determine that the dynamic behavior of the passenger has occurred,
• wherein the chest displacement threshold is varied depending on the estimated sitting position of the passenger.