Object struck discrimination system and protection system

An object struck discrimination system 100 to be installed in a vehicle comprises an impact receiving member 120 for receiving an impact from an object struck which extends lengthwise along the width of the vehicle, a detection sensor 130 for detecting the moving speed or the acceleration of the impact receiving member 120 during a vehicle collision, and a control unit 160 for discriminating the object struck based on the rate of change in the moving speed per unit time or the acceleration based on information detected by the detection sensor 130.