JPH07223505A - Operation control device for occupant protective device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an operating device for occupant protective device which can accurately detect the unavoidance of collision and also transmits operating signals at appropriate timing. CONSTITUTION:In a device in which an obstacle 9 present around a vehicle 1 is detected by obstacle detection sensors 2, 3, and 5 and, based on their signals, an occupant protective device 8 is operated, the obstacle detection sensors 2, 3, and 5 detect the obstacle within 3m, preferably within 1m, from around the vehicle. When frontal collision is detected, a collision detection sensor 7 to detect actual collision is provided and, based on that signal and the signals from the obstacle detection sensors 2, 3, and 5, the occupant protective device 8 is operated. Also, in side collision, a speed measurement means to obtain a speed relative to the obstacle based on the signals from the obstacle detection sensors 2, 3, and 5 is provided and, based on the relative speed thus obtained and the signals from the obstacle detection sensors 2, 3, and 5, the occupant protective device 8 is operated.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an actuation control device for actuating an airbag device as an occupant protection device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to operate an airbag device mounted on a passenger car, a collision detection sensor using a piezoelectric element or the like is installed at an appropriate position of the passenger car. It is usual that the collision detection sensor measures the acceleration generated at the time of the collision to determine whether or not the airbag device is to be operated. The timing for determining this collision is 30 ms before the occupant's head moves 5 inches. This is because it takes about 30 ms for the airbag to deploy, and the head moved by 5 inches hits the deployed airbag to absorb the shock appropriately.

As described above, it is necessary for the collision detection sensor to judge a collision within an extremely short time. However, there are various types of actual collisions, and in order to distinguish an oblique collision or a pole collision in which the airbag should be operated and a low-speed frontal collision or rough road traveling in which the airbag should not be operated, an altitude signal should be used. Processing is required. In order to accurately perform advanced signal processing, it is necessary to tune each vehicle model, and this tuning is expensive.

Therefore, there has been a demand for a tuningless operation control device which does not require tuning for each vehicle type. As for the idea of tuningless, firstly, the movement of the occupant's head is calculated from the acceleration, and when the traveling speed of the occupant's head exceeds a certain value, it is determined that the operation is necessary, and the occupant's head moves a certain distance. An operation control device that determines the timing of operating the airbag at that time has been proposed. But,
It is not easy to calculate the movement of the occupant's head.

Secondly, when an obstacle located in front of the vehicle is detected and a collision with the obstacle is inevitable, it is necessary to operate the airbag when the collision is actually detected. There has been proposed an operation control device that determines that there is (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-361163). If the obstacle is, for example, a cardboard box, a collision does not occur, and the airbag is not operated. The present invention belongs to this second category.

In this second operation control device, the point is how to detect an obstacle. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-
No. 361163 proposes predicting a collision from the rate of change of the distance to a front obstacle. Specifically, means for detecting the distance to the front obstacle, means for differentiating the distance with respect to time to obtain a rate of change in distance, and distance D after t hours based on the distance and the rate of change in the distance. Is the function D of t
Calculate as (t) and D within the preset time T
When (t) = 0, an arithmetic means for outputting a collision unavoidable signal is provided.

[0007]

However, in the case of predicting a collision from the rate of change in the distance to the front obstacle, the vehicle approaching the curve starts to bend.
If the front guardrail is detected as an obstacle and it happens to be a rough road and an impact is generated, the airbag malfunctions. Also, since the same distance sensor measures from a distant obstacle to an obstacle suddenly jumping in nearby, the resolution becomes poor, the error in the speed calculated by differentiation is large, and the collision unavoidable judgment becomes inaccurate. There is also a problem that it becomes difficult to issue an operation signal at an appropriate timing.

Although the above-mentioned operation control device is for a frontal collision, recently there is a tendency to provide an occupant protection device for a side collision or a rearward collision from the viewpoint of placing importance on the safety of the occupant. In this case, for example, in a side collision, a normal vehicle travels close to each other, and the usage conditions are different from those in the front collision. Therefore, an operation control device according to the usage conditions is required.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the prior art. The object of the present invention is to be able to detect collision inevitability with high accuracy, and to operate signals at appropriate timings. An object of the present invention is to provide an operation control device for an occupant protection device.

[0010]

An operation control device of the present invention for solving the above problems detects an obstacle existing around a vehicle by an obstacle detection sensor, and detects an occupant based on a signal from the obstacle detection sensor. In the occupant protection device actuating device for activating the protection device, the obstacle detection sensor detects an obstacle within 3 meters around the vehicle, and uses, for example, an ultrasonic transducer.

For a frontal collision, a collision detection sensor for detecting an actual collision is provided, and the occupant protection device is operated based on the signal from the collision detection sensor and the signal from the obstacle detection sensor. To do so. Further, a speed measuring means for obtaining a relative speed with respect to the obstacle based on a signal from the obstacle detection sensor and a means for determining a timing for operating the occupant protection device based on the relative speed obtained by the speed measuring means. It is preferably provided.

Further, in the case of a side collision, speed measuring means for determining the relative speed with respect to the obstacle based on the signal from the obstacle detecting sensor is provided, and the relative speed calculated by the speed measuring means and the obstacle detection are provided. The occupant protection device is activated based on the signal from the sensor. Furthermore, a collision detection sensor for detecting an actual collision is provided, and the occupant protection device is operated based on the signal from the collision detection sensor, the signal from the obstacle detection sensor, and the relative speed obtained by the speed measuring means. It is preferable to do so.

Further, the speed measuring means may detect the relative speed with respect to the obstacle also from the frequency change due to the Doppler effect.

[0014]

In order to detect an obstacle within the range of 3 mt of the vehicle, preferably 1 mt, it is to measure only the state immediately before the collision. For example, when detecting a front collision, It is normal that there are vehicles that do not malfunction due to distant obstacles that can be avoided, such as the guardrail in the above, and that there are vehicles running side by side in close proximity when detecting a side collision. In this case, it is optimal because it is necessary not to detect a distant vehicle. Further, since the measurement distance is constant, the measurement accuracy is set optimally. An ultrasonic wave transmitter / receiver that transmits an ultrasonic wave and receives a reflected wave within a predetermined time is suitable for such measurement within a predetermined distance immediately before a collision.

Further, if the above-mentioned obstacle detection sensor is combined with a collision sensor for detecting an actual collision to operate the occupant protection device, when a frontal collision is detected, a corrugated cardboard or the like does not operate, and the collision occurs. Since the obstacle is detected before, there is a time margin until the occupant protection device is activated, and the means for deciding the timing for activating the occupant protection device based on the relative speed obtained by the speed measurement means is used. If the vehicle is operated at a high speed at a high speed and the vehicle at a low speed at a low speed, the occupant protection device is optimally operated in a collision.

Further, when the above-mentioned obstacle detection sensor is combined with the relative speed obtained by the speed measuring means to operate the occupant protection device, there are fewer crashed parts than in a frontal collision, so that ignition judgment can be made in a short time. When a side collision is required to be detected, it is possible to secure a time margin until the occupant protection device is activated, and the vehicle running in parallel does not operate if it approaches within 1 meter.
In this case, if the occupant protection device is operated in combination with the collision sensor, the occupant protection device will not operate if the vehicle spins and hits a soft object, and malfunctions due to a circuit failure can be prevented. it can.

If the speed measuring means detects the relative speed with respect to the obstacle also from the frequency change due to the Doppler effect, the relative speed can be easily measured.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, a first embodiment showing a case where the present invention is applied to an operation control device of an occupant protection device for a frontal collision will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a top view of a vehicle equipped with the operation control device of the present invention.

On the left and right sides of the front part of the vehicle 1, ultrasonic wave transmitters / receivers consisting of a wave transmitter 2 and a wave receiver 3 are attached. The transmission / reception of this ultrasonic wave transmitter / receiver is controlled by the controller 5, and the controller 5 is connected to the operation controller 6. Further, a collision detection sensor 7 is attached at a proper position in front of the vehicle and is connected to the operation controller 6. The operation controller 6 receives signals from the controller 5 and the collision detection sensor 7 and operates the airbag device (occupant protection device) 8. The occupant protection device is not limited to the airbag device but may be of a type that operates to close the seat belt.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ultrasonic wave transmitter / receiver controller 5 transmits a pulsed ultrasonic wave a at a period T from the wave transmitter 2.
And the wave receiver 3 transmits the time t1 after the time t1 in the cycle T elapses.
Gate means is built in so as to receive the reflected waves b up to 2. As a result, as shown in FIG.
And the range X of the transmission / reception path of the reflected wave b determined by the time t2
1 is the detection range. That is, this range X1 is within an ellipse whose focal points are the transmitter 2 and the receiver 3. Especially this range X
1 is set within a range of 3 meters in front of the vehicle 1, and preferably within 1 meter. The detection range is an ellipse having the same ultrasonic wave transmission / reception path length, so the detection distance is short on the left and right of the front of the vehicle, but this distance is set to be 1 meter in front of the center of the front of the vehicle. This range X1
When the obstacle 9 enters, the reflected wave b is detected as shown in FIG. 2, and the obstacle detection circuit in the controller 5 detects the collision-unavoidable obstacle. If the vehicle is within 3 meters in front of the vehicle, it is less likely to detect a guardrail, etc., and if it is within 1 meter in front of the vehicle, no matter what the situation of the vehicle, only the presence of an obstacle that cannot avoid a collision is reliably detected. it can. It should be noted that the transducer may be one in which one element is electrically switched, but since the detection range is a circle, in order to detect the front of the vehicle in a wide range, the elliptical detection range described above is used. Is preferred.

When the ultrasonic wave a in FIG. 2 is reflected by an obstacle 9 and received as a reflected wave b, a Doppler effect is produced in which the frequency of the reflected wave b changes depending on the relative speed between the vehicle 1 and the obstacle 9. . The relative speed between the vehicle 1 and the obstacle 9 can be measured by the degree of the Doppler effect, and a speed measuring circuit for that purpose is incorporated in the controller 5 of FIG.

The collision detection sensor 7 shown in FIG. 1 urges a mass moving due to a change in acceleration due to a collision in the anti-collision direction by a spring, a magnet, or gravity, and when the degree of collision is 2-3 G,
A simple one is used in which the mass moves against the biasing force and closes the contacts. The obstacle 9 may be soft like a cardboard box, but the collision detection sensor 7 does not detect the collision even if it is determined that the collision cannot be avoided. in this way,
The collision detection sensor 7 is used to issue a permission signal for actually operating the occupant protection device.

As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 3, the controller 5 of the ultrasonic transmitter / receiver 4 has an obstacle detection circuit 11 and a speed measuring circuit 12, and the operation controller 6 is a speed measuring circuit. An operation timing determination circuit 13 that determines the operation timing of the occupant protection device based on the speed signal from 12 and an occupant protection device 8 that is operated based on the signals of the collision detection sensor 7, the obstacle detection circuit 11, and the operation timing determination circuit 13. And an operating circuit 14 for

As shown in the table of FIG. 4, the operation timing determination circuit 13 of FIG. 3 determines the timing at which the occupant protection device is activated by the relative speed of the vehicle and the obstacle. When the relative speed is 50 km / hr, which is a high speed close to the limit at which the occupant protection device is effective, the head movement of the occupant in the vehicle is rapid, and the occupant protection device needs to be activated immediately. Therefore, the occupant protection device 8 is activated after 5 ms, which is the shortest time from when the obstacle detection circuit 11 of FIG. 3 determines that the collision is unavoidable until the signal of the collision detection sensor 7 is input.

When the relative speed is 20 km / hr and the low speed is close to the lower limit speed for operating the occupant protection device (for example, 15 km / hr), the head of the occupant does not move quickly in the vehicle and the obstacle detection circuit 11 of FIG. If the occupant protection device 8 is actuated 100 ms after the vehicle determines that the collision is unavoidable, the occupant's head just hits the airbag when the airbag is inflated, for example. Further, since the time from the detection of the obstacle to the activation of the occupant protection device 8 can be minimized, the occupant can be operated as compared with the occupant protection device which is activated after signal processing of the acceleration waveform of the collision detection sensor. The protection device 8 can be operated with a margin, and the size can be reduced.

The operation of the operation control device shown in FIG. 3 will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. When the key of the vehicle is inserted and the vehicle is brought into the ON state for starting, the check of the operation control device is started (step # 1). The obstacle detection circuit 11 in FIG. 3 detects whether or not an object (obstacle) exists within a distance of 1 meter in front of the vehicle (step # 2). When an object is detected (YES), speed measurement is performed by the speed measurement circuit 5 of FIG. 3 (step #
3). The operating circuit 14 of FIG. 3 has a relative speed of 15 k.
It is determined whether or not m / hr or more (step #
4). If it is 15 km / hr or more (YES), the operation timing determination circuit 13 of FIG. 3 determines the deployment time of the airbag from the relative speed with the object (step # 5).

When the collision detection sensor 7 of FIG. 3 detects a collision (step # 6), after the expansion output time determined by the operation timing determination circuit 13 of FIG. 3 has elapsed (step # 7), the operation of FIG. The operating circuit 14 outputs an airbag deployment command.

When the impact is not detected in step # 6 (NO), the process waits until the impact is detected until a fixed time elapses (step # 9). When a certain time has elapsed in step # 9 (YES), the process returns to step # 2 without inflating the airbag. Similarly, if there is no object within a distance of 1 meter in step # 2 (NO) and if the relative speed is low speed less than 15 km / hr in step # 4 (NO), the step is performed without deploying the airbag. Return to # 2. The flow of steps # 1 to # 9 is repeated at a constant cycle as long as the key is turned on.

Next, a second embodiment showing a case where the present invention is applied to an operation control device of an occupant protection device for a side collision will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a top view of a vehicle equipped with the operation control device of the present invention. In the following, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, a case where the occupant protection device and its operation control device are provided on one side of the vehicle will be described. Is enough.

In FIG. 6, the main difference from FIG.
Ultrasonic wave transmitters / receivers consisting of a pair of wave transmitters 22 and wave receivers 23 are attached to the front and rear of the side surface of the vehicle 1, and a collision detection sensor 27 for detecting a side collision is attached to an appropriate position on the side surface of the vehicle. In addition, the side collision airbag device 28 is attached to the side door or the seat. As in FIG. 1, a controller 25 to which an ultrasonic wave transmitter / receiver is connected, an operation controller 26 to which the controller 25, a collision detection sensor 27, and a side collision airbag device 28 are connected are provided. .

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the above-mentioned operation control device. In FIG. 7, a controller 25 (obstacle detection circuit 2
1. In the speed measurement circuit 32), the detection range X2 of FIG. 6 is set within 1 meter. This is because when a side collision is detected, there are usually vehicles that run in parallel,
This is because it is necessary not to detect a distant vehicle. Further, in the present embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, collision unavoidability is determined by the relative speed described later, obstacle detection predicts the possibility of a collision and starts the operation control device in advance, and after collision inevitability determination, This is because the purpose is to shorten the time until the passenger protection is actually activated. The other points are shown in Figure 3.
The controller 5 is the same as the controller 5. Moreover, the collision detection sensor 27 of FIG. 6 is the same as that of FIG.

The actuation circuit 24 receives the signals from the collision detection sensor 27 and the obstacle detection circuit 21 as in the case of FIG. 3, and unlike the case of FIG. 3, the relative speed to the obstacle measured by the speed measurement circuit 25. Has been entered. Then, the operating circuit 24 uses this relative speed as a threshold value V1 set in advance.
In comparison with (block 29), the relative speed is the threshold value V
When the number exceeds 1, and the detection signals from the collision detection sensor 27 and the obstacle detection circuit 21 are input, the side collision airbag 28, which is an occupant protection device, is activated. Therefore, even if the obstacle detection circuit 21 detects a vehicle running in parallel, the occupant protection device 28 does not operate unless the relative speed exceeds the threshold value V1. In a frontal collision, there are some parts such as the bumper and engine that crash, so there is some time between the start of the collision and the activation of the occupant protection device. Since there is only a side door between them and there are few crashed parts, there is little time margin from the start of the collision to the activation of the occupant protection device, and the operation control device is required to judge whether or not the operation is necessary for an extremely short time. . Therefore, it may not be enough in time to detect the actual collision and then calculate the collision waveform to make the operation determination. Thus, in this way, the collision is predicted by detecting the obstacle, the operation control device is started in advance, the collision unavoidable is judged at the relative speed, and the occupant protection device is operated after confirming the actual collision occurrence with the collision sensor. Then, it is possible to shorten the time until the occupant protection is activated after a collision occurs, which is optimal for side collision detection. The collision sensor 27 may be omitted from the viewpoint of operating the occupant protection device in a short time, and since it is not necessary to consider the malfunction due to the cardboard or the like as in the case of a frontal collision. However, it is preferable to provide the collision sensor 27 as in the present embodiment in consideration of a malfunction due to a failure of the circuit, for example, a malfunction when the vehicle spins and hits a soft object. The threshold value V1 is set to, for example, 15 km / hr.

Next, the operation of the operation control device shown in FIG. 7 will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. When the key of the vehicle is inserted and the vehicle is brought into the ON state for starting, the check of the operation control device is started (step # 11). The obstacle detection circuit 21 of FIG. 7 detects whether or not an object (obstacle) exists within a distance of 1 meter on the side surface of the vehicle (step # 12). When an object is detected (YES), the speed measurement circuit 32 of FIG. 7 measures the speed (step # 13). Then, the operating circuit 24 of FIG. 7 determines whether or not the relative speed is V1 km / hr or more (step # 14). If V1 km / hr or more (YES),
It is determined whether or not the collision detection sensor 27 of FIG. 7 has detected a collision (step # 15). And the collision detection sensor 7
7 detects a collision, the operating circuit 14 of FIG. 7 outputs an airbag deployment command (step # 16).

When the impact is not detected in step # 15 (NO), the process waits until the impact is detected for a certain period of time (step # 17). When a certain time has elapsed in step # 17 (YES), the process returns to step # 12 without inflating the airbag. Similarly, step # 1
When there is no object within a distance of 1 meter at 2 (N
O) and if the relative speed is lower than V1 km / hr in step # 14 (NO), the process returns to step # 12 without deploying the airbag. This step # 11
The flow of step # 17 is repeated at a constant cycle as long as the key is turned on.

Next, a third embodiment showing a case where the present invention is applied to an operation control device of an occupant protection device for frontal collision and side collision will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10.
FIG. 9 is a top view of a vehicle equipped with the operation control device of the present invention,
FIG. 10 is a block diagram thereof.

In FIG. 9, the vehicle 1 is provided with devices for the respective operation control devices for the frontal collision of FIG. 1 and the side collision of FIG. 6, and only one operation controller 36 is provided in common. There is. Further, in FIG. 10, the control system is shown in FIG.
6 and the side collision detection block B corresponding to FIG. 6, and the common actuation circuit 34 controls both blocks A and B. Then, the operation circuit 34 alternately executes the flow for frontal collision shown in FIG. 5 and the flow for side collision shown in FIG. In this way, by combining the configuration for frontal collision and the configuration for side collision described above,
The present invention can be applied by easily configuring an operation control device for both collisions.

Further, as a modification, in FIG. 9, a pair of wave transmitters and wave receivers are provided at the front and side of the vehicle so as to detect diagonally forward of the vehicle. You can also It may also be provided on both sides of the vehicle.

Further, the present invention can be applied to a rear-end collision by providing a pair of a wave transmitter and a wave receiver at the rear part of the vehicle and providing an airbag device for a rear-end collision on a headrest of a seat. . In addition, all of the above around the vehicle,
That is, the present invention can be applied to a collision from all directions of the vehicle by providing the front, both side surfaces, the rear, and the diagonal operation control devices in combination.

[0039]

The operation control device of the present invention measures an obstacle in front of the vehicle immediately before the collision, so that it is not necessary to judge whether or not the obstacle can be avoided, and the collision is sure. Since only the case is measured, it is possible to easily and surely prevent malfunction, which is the greatest drawback. In addition, in the case where it is usual that there are vehicles running side by side as in the case of detecting a side collision,
It is optimal because it is necessary not to detect distant vehicles. Further, since the measuring range of the obstacle is limited to 3 meters, the obstacle within this limited range can be accurately measured and the resolution can be easily increased. Inexpensive sensors can be used. Since this ultrasonic wave transmitter / receiver can easily measure the relative velocity by the Doppler effect, it is preferable for simplifying the configuration of the operation control device.

Further, when a timing determining means for activating the occupant protection device based on the relative speed obtained by the speed measuring means is provided, when a frontal collision is detected, the occupant protection device is activated when the vehicle speed is high and the vehicle speed is high. If the vehicle is operated at a low speed or a slow speed, the operating state of the occupant protection device at the time of a collision will be optimized, so for example, in an occupant protection device that uses an airbag, it is possible to match the deployment of the airbag with the movement of the occupant. It is not necessary to deploy the bag more quickly than necessary, and the passenger protection device can be downsized.

Further, when the passenger protection device is operated in combination with the relative speed obtained by the speed measuring means, the passenger protection device does not operate only when there is a vehicle running in parallel in proximity, and the passenger protection device operates. Since it is possible to secure a time margin up to, it is optimal for detecting a side collision. In this case, if the occupant protection device is operated in combination with the collision sensor, the occupant protection device will not operate if the vehicle spins and hits a soft object, and malfunctions due to a circuit failure can be prevented. it can.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a top view of a vehicle equipped with an operation control device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a timing chart of transmission and reception of an ultrasonic wave transmitter / receiver.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an operation control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a table diagram of relative speeds and timings in timing determining means.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the operation control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a top view of a vehicle equipped with the operation control device according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an operation control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an operation control device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a top view of a vehicle equipped with the operation control device according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an operation control device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 vehicle 2, 22 wave transmitter (obstacle detection sensor) 3, 23 wave receiver (obstacle detection sensor) 4 ultrasonic wave transmitter / receiver 5, 25 controller (obstacle detection sensor) 6, 26, 36 operation control Container 7,27 Collision detection sensor 8,28 Occupant protection device 9 Obstacle 11,21 Obstacle detection circuit (obstacle detection sensor) 12,32 Speed measurement circuit 13 Operation timing determination circuit 14,24 Operation circuit X1, X2 Detection range a ultrasonic wave b reflected wave

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code Internal reference number FI Technical indication location G01S 15/50 7719-5J 15/93 (72) Inventor Katsu Takeda 1 Takatsukadai, Nishi-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo 5th-5th Kobe Steel Building 5 Sensor Technology Co., Ltd. Kobe Technical Center Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Etsujiro Imanishi 1-5-5 Takatsukadai Nishi-ku, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture Kobe Steel 5 Technology Center Kobe Steel Technology Center (72) Inventor Mitsuru Ono 1-5-5 Takatsukadai, Nishi-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo Pref.Kobe Steel Building No. 5 Sensor Technology Co., Ltd.Kobe Technical Center (72) Inventor Yasushi Tsuji, Takatsukadai, Nishi-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo No. 5 No. 5 Kobe Steel Building No. 5 Sensor Technology Co., Ltd. Company Kobe Technical Center in

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. An obstacle (9) existing around a vehicle (1) is detected by an obstacle detection sensor (2, 3, 5), and an occupant protection device is operated based on a signal from the obstacle detection sensor. In the occupant protection device operating device, the obstacle detection sensor (2, 3, 5) detects an obstacle within 3 meters around the vehicle. Actuation control device. 2. The obstacle detection sensor (2, 3, 5)
Is an ultrasonic wave transmitter / receiver including a wave transmitter (2) and a wave receiver (3) provided in a pair around the vehicle. The wave transmitter (2) and the wave receiver (3) are connected to each other. The operation control device for an occupant protection device according to claim 1, which detects an obstacle within a focus ellipse (X1) and within 1 meter around the vehicle. 3. A collision detection sensor (7) for detecting an actual collision is provided, and based on a signal from the collision detection sensor (7) and a signal from the obstacle detection sensor (2, 3, 5). The actuating device for an occupant protection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the occupant protection device is actuated. 4. An obstacle detection sensor (2, 3, 5) for detecting an obstacle existing in front of the vehicle (1), a collision detection sensor (7) for detecting an actual collision, and the obstacle detection. Speed measuring means (12) for obtaining a relative speed with respect to an obstacle based on a signal from the sensor, and means (13) for deciding a timing for operating the occupant protection device based on the relative speed obtained by the speed measuring means. An operation control device for an occupant protection device, comprising: an actuation means (14) for activating the occupant protection device at the timing according to a collision detection signal from the collision detection sensor. 5. The obstacle detection sensor (22, 23, 2)
5) A speed measuring means (32) for obtaining a relative speed with respect to the obstacle based on the signal from the obstacle is provided, and the occupant protection device is based on the relative speed obtained by the speed measuring means and the signal from the obstacle detecting sensor. The actuation device for an occupant protection device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the actuation device is actuated. 6. A collision detection sensor (27) for detecting an actual collision is provided, and a signal from the collision detection sensor, a signal from the obstacle detection sensor (22, 23, 25) and the speed measuring means (32). The occupant protection device actuating device according to claim 5, wherein the occupant protection device is actuated based on the relative speed obtained in (4). 7. The operation control device for an occupant protection system according to claim 4, wherein the speed measuring means (32) detects the relative speed with respect to the obstacle also from a frequency change due to the Doppler effect.