Patent ID: 8684402
Filing Date: 2014-04-01
Classification: B60R

Abstract:
1. An airbag control apparatus of a vehicle, comprising: an occupant determination device configured to detect an occupant sitting on a seat in the vehicle, the occupant determination device including at least one antenna electrode and a weight sensor; a deployment determination device configured to determine deployment/non-deployment of an airbag based on a detection result of the occupant determination device, the deployment determination device being configured to output a result of determination including one of deployment information and non-deployment information; a storage device configured to store deployment/non-deployment information made by the deployment determination device, the deployment/non-deployment information including one of the deployment information and the non-deployment information; an airbag controller configured to control deployment of the airbag based on the deployment/non-deployment information; and a voltage variation detector configured to detect a variation in a voltage of an in-vehicle battery when the voltage of the in-vehicle battery decreases to a predetermined voltage value and configured to output voltage variation information to the airbag controller, the in-vehicle battery being configured to supply power to the deployment determination device, wherein if the voltage variation information indicates that the voltage detected by the voltage variation detector varies, the airbag controller controls the airbag during occurrence of the voltage variation based on the deployment/non-deployment information stored in the storage device immediately before the airbag controller receives the voltage variation information indicating that the voltage detected by voltage variation detector varies, if the voltage variation information indicates that the voltage detected by voltage variation detector varies, the airbag controller maintains one of a deployment control and a non-deployment control of the airbag until the deployment/non-deployment information is re-input from the deployment determination device to the airbag controller, and the predetermined voltage value comprises a voltage value at which normal detection results from the at least one antenna electrode and the weight sensor cannot be retrieved and at which the occupant determination device is at least partially operable.