OCCUPANT PROTECTION APPARATUS

An occupant protection apparatus, to be applied to a vehicle, includes a contact estimator, a contact detector, an irreversible restrainer, and a control processor. The irreversible restrainer irreversibly restrains an occupant of the vehicle. The control processor controls an operation of the irreversible restrainer based on a signal from the contact estimator or the contact detector. The contact detector includes first and second contact detection units that detect the contact in a pre-crush zone and in a crushable zone, respectively. The control processor causes, when an estimation signal from the contact estimator is acquirable, the irreversible restrainer to operate based on a detection signal from the first contact detection unit. The control processor causes, when the estimation signal from the contact estimator is unacquirable, the irreversible restrainer to operate based on a detection signal from the second contact detection unit while referring to the estimation signal.