Air bag apparatus for passenger seat

An air bag apparatus for a passenger seat, comprising:

• a first sensor for detecting an occupant seated in a passenger seat, said first sensor being an ultrasonic sensor which is disposed at a portion of a roof of a vehicle in a range of positions between a position above the instrument panel and a position above a seat back of the passenger seat, a detecting region of said first sensor being oriented downward and a lower end of the detecting region being located near a position of leg portions of the occupant in a seated state;
• a second sensor for detecting a state in which the occupant is approaching an instrument panel excluding a state in which the occupant put out his or her hand(s) on the instrument panel;
• and
• a deployment controller for changing the control of deployment of an air bag when the occupant is detected by said first sensor and the state in which the occupant is approaching the instrument panel is detected by said second sensor.

An air bag apparatus for a passenger seat, comprising:

• a first sensor for detecting an occupant seated in a passenger seat and for detecting a position of the head of the occupant;
• and
• a deployment controller for changing the control of deployment of an air bag when the occupant and the position of the head of the occupant are detected by said first sensor,
• wherein said first sensor is an ultrasonic sensor which is disposed at a portion of a roof of a vehicle in a range of positions between a position above the instrument panel and a position above the seat back of the passenger seat, said first sensor being provided with two detecting regions oriented downward, one of the two detecting regions extending to a position in the vehicle corresponding to a position of leg portions of the occupant in a seated state, another one thereof extending to a position in the vehicle corresponding to a position of the head of the occupant when the passenger seat is at its frontmost position.

An air bag apparatus for a passenger seat, comprising:

• a first sensor for detecting an occupant seated in a passenger seat;
• a second sensor for detecting a state in which the occupant is approaching an instrument panel excluding a state in which the occupant puts out his or her hand(s) on the instrument panel;
• and
• a deployment controller for changing the control of deployment of an air bag when the occupant is detected by said first sensor and the state in which the occupant is approaching the instrument panel is detected by said second sensor,
• wherein said second sensor is an ultrasonic sensor which is disposed at a portion of a roof of a vehicle in a range of positions between a position above the instrument panel and a position above the seat back of the passenger seat, a detecting region of said second sensor being oriented toward the instrument panel and a distant end of the detecting region being located at a position in the vehicle corresponding to a position spaced apart a predetermined distance upwardly from the instrument panel.

An air bag apparatus for a passenger seat, comprising:

• a first sensor that detects whether an occupant is seated in a passenger seat;
• a second sensor that detects and differentiates between a first state in which the occupant is approaching an instrument panel and a second state in which the occupant is putting out his or her hand(s) on the instrument panel;
• and
• a deployment controller that controls deployment of an air bag when the occupant is detected by said first sensor and in accordance with the first and second states detected by said second sensor.