# US 2021/0170971 A1 · Airbag control apparatus and airbag control method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0170971 A1 - Document ID: US20210170971A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 16/895,368 - Filed: 2020-06-08 - Published: 2021-06-10 - Earliest claimed: 2019-12-06 - Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Motors Corporation - Applicants: Hyundai Motor Company; Kia Motors Corporation - Inventors: Yong Hoon JUNG - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210170971A1 ## CPC - B60R 21/0132: responsive to vehicle motion parameters {, e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value} - B60R 21/0134: responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle {, e.g. using radar systems} - B60W 30/08: {Active safety systems} predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision {or attempting to minimise its consequences} - B60W 40/13: Load or weight - B60R 2021/01322: {comprising variable thresholds, e.g. depending from other collision parameters} - B60W 2520/105: Longitudinal acceleration - B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT ## Abstract An airbag control apparatus includes: an airbag, an airbag driver that deploys the airbag, and a processor that estimates a vehicle momentum and a crash progress degree based on a longitudinal acceleration and a vehicle speed upon a vehicle crash, determines deployment of the airbag based on the vehicle momentum and the crash progress degree and controls the airbag driver when the deployment of the airbag is determined. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An airbag control apparatus comprising: an airbag; an airbag driver configured to deploy the airbag; and a processor configured to: estimate a vehicle momentum and a crash progress degree based on a longitudinal acceleration and a vehicle speed upon a vehicle crash; determine deployment of the airbag based on the vehicle momentum and the crash progress degree; and control the airbag driver when the deployment of the airbag is determined. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The airbag control apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor includes: a signal processor configured to calculate and output a cumulative speed, an initial crash speed, and an estimated current speed by using the longitudinal acceleration and the vehicle speed input from sensors and in-vehicle devices mounted on a vehicle; an estimator configured to: calculate the vehicle momentum and a crash object penetration distance based on the longitudinal acceleration, the initial crash speed, and the estimated current speed, and determine a threshold decrease factor based on the vehicle momentum and the crash object penetration distance; and a controller configured to: determine an airbag deployment threshold based on the threshold decrease factor, and determine whether to deploy the airbag based on the airbag deployment threshold. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The airbag control apparatus of claim 2, wherein the signal processor is configured to calculate a vehicle mass based on at least one of an occupant weight, a load weight measured by a weight sensor, or an empty-vehicle weight. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The airbag control apparatus of claim 3, wherein the estimator is configured to calculate a pre-crash momentum and a current momentum based on the initial crash speed, the estimated current speed, and the vehicle mass. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The airbag control apparatus of claim 4, wherein the estimator is configured to determine the threshold decrease factor based on a difference between the pre-crash momentum and the current momentum. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The airbag control apparatus of claim 4, wherein the estimator is configured to calculate an effective momentum based on the initial crash speed, the estimated current speed, and the vehicle mass when a crash target is a fixed object. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The airbag control apparatus of claim 4, wherein the estimator is configured to calculate an effective momentum based on a relative initial crash speed of a moving object, the estimated current speed, the vehicle mass and a weight of the moving object when a crash target is the moving object. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The airbag control apparatus of claim 4, wherein the estimator is configured to calculate the crash object penetration distance based on a crash time, a current time, the estimated current speed, the initial crash speed, and the longitudinal acceleration. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The airbag control apparatus of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to determine the deployment of the airbag when the longitudinal acceleration is greater than or equal to an acceleration threshold and the cumulative speed is greater than or equal to the airbag deployment threshold. ### Claim 10 (depends on 2) The airbag control apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to determine the airbag deployment threshold by applying the threshold decrease factor to a default basic airbag deployment threshold. ### Claim 11 An airbag control method, comprising: detecting, by a sensor, a longitudinal acceleration and a vehicle speed upon a vehicle crash; estimating, by a processor, a vehicle momentum and a crash progress degree based on the longitudinal acceleration and the vehicle speed; determining, by the processor, deployment of an airbag based on the vehicle momentum and the crash progress degree; and deploying, by an airbag driver, the airbag when the deployment of the airbag is determined. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The airbag control method of claim 11, wherein estimating the vehicle momentum and the crash progress degree includes: calculating a cumulative speed, an initial crash speed, and an estimated current speed using the longitudinal acceleration and the vehicle speed, calculating a pre-crash momentum, a current momentum and an effective momentum based on the longitudinal acceleration, the initial crash speed and the estimated current speed, and calculating a crash object penetration distance using the longitudinal acceleration and the estimated current speed. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The airbag control method of claim 12, further comprising: calculating a vehicle mass based on at least one of a passenger weight, a load weight measured by a weight sensor, or an empty-vehicle weight when calculating the cumulative speed, the initial crash speed, and the estimated current speed. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The airbag control method of claim 13, wherein the pre-crash momentum and the current momentum are calculated using the initial crash speed, the estimated current speed, and the vehicle mass. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The airbag control method of claim 14, wherein a threshold decrease factor is determined based on a difference between the pre-crash momentum and the current momentum. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The airbag control method of claim 13, wherein the effective momentum is calculated using the initial crash speed, the estimated current speed, and the vehicle mass when a crash target is a fixed object. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The airbag control method of claim 13, wherein the effective momentum is calculated using a relative initial crash speed of a moving object, an estimated current speed, the vehicle mass and a weight of the moving object when a crash target is the moving object. ### Claim 18 (depends on 12) The airbag control method of claim 12, wherein determining the deployment of the airbag includes: determining a threshold decrease factor based on the vehicle momentum and the crash object penetration distance, determining an airbag deployment threshold based on the threshold decrease factor, and determining whether to deploy the airbag based on the airbag deployment threshold. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The airbag control method of claim 18, wherein determining the airbag deployment threshold includes: determining the airbag deployment threshold by applying the threshold decrease factor to a default basic airbag deployment threshold. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The airbag control method of claim 18, wherein determining whether to deploy the airbag includes: determining the deployment of the airbag when the longitudinal acceleration is greater than or equal to an acceleration threshold and the cumulative speed is greater than or equal to the airbag deployment threshold.