Patent ID: 9561769
Date: 2017-02-07
CPC Classifications: B60R

Claim:
1. An apparatus for controlling an airbag module in a vehicle cabin, the apparatus comprising: a control apparatus connected to a trigger of the airbag module; a plenoptic camera of a camera module, which generates image data having depth information within a prespecifiable region in the vehicle cabin with the prespecifiable region comprising at least a first partial region, a second partial region, and a third partial region of a trigger region of the airbag module; and an evaluation device processing the image data to determine whether an object is located in the first partial region, the second partial region, or the third partial region, wherein the control apparatus controls the airbag module such that if the evaluation device determines the object is in the second partial region at the time of impact, the control apparatus partially deploys the airbag module, if the evaluation device determines the object is in the third partial region at the time of impact, the control apparatus does not trigger the airbag module, wherein the evaluation device calculates if the object will be located in the first partial region, the second partial region, or the third partial region at a later time after the time of impact, such that if the object is located in the first partial region at the time of impact, and the evaluation device calculates that, at the later time after impact, the object will be in the second partial region, then the airbag module is partially deployed by the control apparatus.