Method and device for detecting people

The device consists of a transmitter that emits electromagnetic or mechanical radiation or ultrasonic waves, a receiver that receives electromagnetic or mechanical radiation or ultrasonic waves, and an evaluation unit. The evaluation unit comprises a pattern recognition unit which includes a module for analysis of signals and a comparison unit which compares the pattern recognition data with the reference data and generates a comparison result used for detecting the pedestrians. An independent claim is included for method for detecting pedestrians.