Patent ID: 8442724

Claim:
A passenger protection system for a vehicle comprising: a sensor for detecting an impact of collision when the vehicle collides with an object and for outputting a detection digital data corresponding to a magnitude of the impact; a passenger protection device for protecting a passenger from the collision; and an electric control unit for determining based on the detection digital data whether it is necessary to protect the passenger from the collision and for activating the passenger protection device when the electric control unit determines that it is necessary to protect the passenger from the collision, wherein the sensor outputs a bit sequence together with the detection digital data to the electric control unit, wherein the bit sequence includes a plurality of bits, which provide an important bit group, wherein the important bit group is defined in such a manner that difference of the magnitude of the impact between an instance of impact where one bit of the detection digital data is “1” and another instance of impact where the one bit of the detection digital data is “0” is equal to or larger than a predetermined value, wherein the detection digital data includes the plurality of bits for providing the important bit group, wherein the electric control unit includes a memory, wherein the memory stores the detection digital data doubly so that a first detection digital data and a second detection digital data are stored in the memory, wherein the memory stores the bit sequence doubly so that a first bit sequence and a second bit sequence are stored in the memory, wherein the electric control unit determines based on the first or second detection digital data whether it is necessary to protect the passenger from the collision when the first detection digital data is equal to the second detection digital data, wherein, when the first detection digital data is different from the second detection digital data, the electric control unit compares the first bit sequence with the second bit sequence, wherein, when the first detection digital data is different from the second detection digital data, and the first bit sequence is different from the second bit sequence, the electric control unit does not determine whether it is necessary to protect the passenger from the collision, and wherein, when the first detection digital data is different from the second detection digital data, and the first bit sequence is equal to the second bit sequence, the electric control unit replaces the important bit group in the first or second detection digital data with the first or second bit sequence, and the electric control unit determines based on the first or second detection digital data after replacement whether it is necessary to protect the passenger from the collision.