A pedestrian protection airbag system includes a control unit, an airbag, an
inflator,
a movement unit for moving a cover member to thereby allow the airbag to thrust
out from an airbag storage portion smoothly, and a drawing unit for drawing out
the airbag. The control unit receives signals from sensors, and can perform detection
in two stages. In one of the stages the control unit performs touch detection such
that the control unit can anticipate that a vehicle will touch a pedestrian, while
in the other stage the control unit performs approach detection before the touch
detection such that the control unit detects the pedestrian approaching the vehicle.
The movement unit and the drawing unit are actuated by the control unit detecting
a pedestrian approaching the vehicle. The inflator is actuated by the control unit
detecting calculated touch to the pedestrian.
