External airbag deployment method and system

An external airbag deployment system, comprising:

• a controller configured to:
• set a detection area located in front of a vehicle;
• select an object having a shortest Time to External Airbag (EAB)(TTE), from a plurality of objects detected in the detection area, as a dangerous object, wherein the TTE is a remaining time until the object collides with an airbag cushion when an external airbag is predicted to be deployed;
• select the dangerous object as a target object, when the dangerous object has a relative velocity greater than a first reference, an overlap greater than a second reference, and a TTE less than a third reference;
• and
• deploy the external airbag after the dangerous object has been selected as the target object.

A non-transitory computer readable medium containing program instructions executed by a processor or controller, the computer readable medium comprising:

• program instructions that set a detection area located in front of a vehicle;
• program instructions that select an object having a shortest Time to External Airbag (EAB)(TTE), from a plurality of objects detected in the detection area, as a dangerous object, wherein the TTE is a remaining time until the object collides with an airbag cushion when an external airbag is predicted to be deployed;
• program instructions that select the dangerous object as a target object, when the dangerous object has a relative velocity greater than a first reference, an overlap greater than a second reference, and a TTE less than a third reference;
• and
• program instructions that deploy the external airbag after the dangerous object has been selected as the target object.