Patent ID: 8924086

Claim:
A method for controlling an airbag mounted in a seat back of a vehicle seating system having both the airbag and a pivoting armrest mounted on the seat back on a same side of an occupant seating position defined by the seat back, and the pivoting armrest pivots relative the seat back and the airbag between a vertical position of the armrest interfering with a deployment of the airbag mounted on the seat back and a horizontal position of the armrest permitting unobstructed deployment of the airbag, comprising: sensing a position of the pivoting armrest mounted on the seat back to determine the vertical position or the horizontal position; sensing vehicle conditions indicative of a need to deploy the airbag; and not deploying the airbag if the pivoting armrest mounted on the seat back is in the vertical position interfering with the deployment of the airbag mounted on the seat back.