Patent ID: 9725061
Date: 2017-08-08
CPC Classifications: B60R,G06K,H04N

Claim:
1. An airbag deployment apparatus, comprising: an airbag deployment device configured to deploy an airbag in a collision event; a sensor device configured to detect an object situated in a vehicle seat; an optical sensor having an emitting portion positioned in front of the vehicle seat at a vertical height less than a maximum vertical height of the vehicle seat, the emitting portion of the optical sensor facing the vehicle seat and the optical sensor being configured to detect height information related to the object situated in the vehicle seat, wherein the emitting portion of the optical sensor emits a light beam over the vehicle seat at a height that corresponds to a height threshold, and wherein the light beam is parallel with a base of the vehicle seat; and a processor device configured to activate the airbag deployment device upon determining, from the optical sensor, that the object situated in the vehicle seat obstructs the light beam emitted over the vehicle seat.