Method for classifying an occupant and providing the occupant classification for a safety device in a motor vehicle

A device for classifying an occupant in a passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, using an interior sensor system for monitoring the passenger compartment, comprising:

• a processing device configured to perform the following:
• reading in a first piece of information that indirectly describes the occupant;
• reading in a second piece of information that directly describes the occupant;
• classifying the occupant, taking the indirect and direct information into account;
• providing the occupant classification to an interface to the safety device for the vehicle, wherein a rough classification of the occupant takes place based on the ascertained first piece of information, and wherein a fine classification of the occupant takes place based on the ascertained second piece of information;
• ascertaining the first piece of information that indirectly describes the occupant;
• ascertaining the second piece of information that directly describes the occupant;
• and
• adapting the safety device based on the provided classification;
• wherein the second piece of information describes data concerning a body part which is an upper body or a head of the occupant,
• wherein the first piece of information is information that is not directly collectable by measuring the occupant or evaluating direct pieces of information by recording the occupant, and
• wherein the second piece of information includes pieces of information that are collected directly from the occupant, by recording and evaluating the recording of the occupant, or with the aid of direct measuring data of the body of the occupant.

A non-transitory machine-readable medium on which the is stored a computer program, which is executable by a processor, comprising:

• a program code arrangement having program code for classifying an occupant and providing the occupant classification for a safety device in a motor vehicle, the computer program, by performing the following:
• reading in a first piece of information that indirectly describes the occupant;
• reading in a second piece of information that directly describes the occupant;
• classifying the occupant, taking the indirect and direct information into account;
• providing the occupant classification to an interface to the safety device for the vehicle, wherein a rough classification of the occupant takes place based on the ascertained first piece of information, and wherein a fine classification of the occupant takes place based on the ascertained second piece of information;
• ascertaining the first piece of information that indirectly describes the occupant;
• ascertaining the second piece of information that directly describes the occupant;
• and
• adapting the safety device based on the provided classification;
• wherein the second piece of information describes data concerning a body part, which is an upper body or a head of the occupant,
• wherein the first piece of information is information that is not directly collectable by measuring the occupant or evaluating direct pieces of information by recording the occupant, and
• wherein the second piece of information includes pieces of information that are collected directly from the occupant, by recording and evaluating the recording of the occupant, or with the aid of direct measuring data of the body of the occupant.