A method for occupancy detection for at least one vehicle seat, using at least one transmit antenna and a plurality of receive antennas, includes: emitting a detection signal with each transmit antenna onto at least one vehicle seat, which detection signal is a frequency-modulated continuous-wave radar signal, and receiving with each receive antenna a reflected signal; recording sample data representing the reflected signal, the sample data having M channels, with M=N1.Math.N2, where N1 is the number of transmit antennas and N2 is the number of receive antennas; for each channel, removing a component from the sample data that corresponds to a reflection from a static object; and applying a frequency estimation method to the sample data to at least implicitly determine at least one angle of arrival θ.sub.i corresponding to a position of an occupant on a vehicle seat.

A seating state detection device includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire a detection signal group in a predetermined period that is output as a result of transmission and reception of waves by a radio wave sensor mounted on a vehicle, a signal extraction unit configured to extract specific-intensity signals in a predetermined reflection intensity range from the detection signal group, and a determination unit configured to determine whether an occupant in the vehicle is in a first riding state in which the occupant is directly seated on a seat or in a second riding state in which the occupant is seated in an infant auxiliary device, based on a distribution mode of the specific-intensity signals.

A plurality of frequency orthogonal signals are transmitted into a person. At least one of the plurality of frequency orthogonal signals is received at a receiving antenna or conductor. The received signal is measured. Characteristics of the received signal are used to establish a result related to that person.

An occupancy detection system for at least one vehicle seat includes: an antenna arrangement having an antenna; a control device that applies a radio-frequency transmission signal to, and receives a response signal from, the antenna arrangement; and a transmit array having a plurality of structured metallic layers disposed above each other and extending laterally, each two neighbouring metallic layers isolated from each other by an intermediate dielectric layer. The antenna arrangement transmits a radio-frequency transmission field through the transmit array onto the vehicle seat in response to the transmission signal and receives a radio-frequency response field through the transmit array to generate the response signal. The transmit array is adapted to refract at least one of the transmission field and the response field. The transmit array has a receive section that focuses a response field from a position of a vehicle seat to a position of a receive antenna.

A computer implemented method for detecting whether a seat belt is used in a vehicle comprises the following steps carried out by computer hardware components: acquiring an image of an interior of the vehicle; determining a plurality of sub-images based on the image; detecting, for at least one of the sub-images, whether a portion of the seat belt is present in the respective sub-image; and determining whether the seat belt is used based on the detecting.

A composite pane for a vehicle with an outer pane and an inner pane that are joined to one another via a thermoplastic intermediate layer and the composite pane is provided for separation of a vehicle interior for occupants from an external environment, wherein at least one radar sensor is integrated into the thermoplastic intermediate layer and is designed and arranged such that the radar sensor emits radar beams into the vehicle interior and receives reflected radar beams, and the radar sensor is connected to an evaluation unit for determining movement and/or presence of persons or animals in the vehicle interior.

A method for monitoring the interior of a vehicle including emitting electromagnetic waves of at least one frequency or at least one frequency band towards at least one seat arranged in the interior of the vehicle by means of an electromagnetic radiator, receiving reflected electromagnetic waves by means of a sensor, detecting a living object on the seat from the received reflected electromagnetic waves by means of a detection device, determining a volume of the detected object from the received reflected electromagnetic waves by means of the detection device, determining a weight characteristic of the detected object on the basis of the determined volume of the object by means of the detection device, outputting a detection signal representing the weight characteristic by way of the detection device, and actuating a safety system to make the interior safe in accordance with the detection signal.

A method for controlling operations of safety devices of a vehicle includes determining whether there is a possibility of a collision with a preceding vehicle on the basis of vehicle driving information, determining occupancy information of a passenger or a type of a passenger or determining whether a passenger has fastened a seat belt using vehicle sensor information, and determining whether to apply, and applying accordingly, full braking, a full braking profile, or an airbag deployment scheme according to the occupancy information of a passenger, the type of the passenger, or whether the passenger has fastened a seat belt when a possibility of a collision is determined, and fully retracting the passenger's seat belt before full braking is applied after partial braking is applied.

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle control apparatus for safety of a vehicle occupant, a vehicle system including the same, and a method thereof. An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a vehicle control apparatus, including: a processor configured to recognize information related to occupants in a vehicle using a radar and to generate information for air conditioning control and airbag control depending on the occupant information; and a communication device configured to transmit the information for the air conditioning control and the airbag control depending on the occupant information to an air conditioning control device and an airbag control device.

A computer implemented method for detecting whether a seat belt is used in a vehicle comprises the following steps carried out by computer hardware components: acquiring an image of an interior of the vehicle; determining a plurality of sub-images based on the image; detecting, for at least one of the sub-images, whether a portion of the seat belt is present in the respective sub-image; and determining whether the seat belt is used based on the detecting.