Aisle Pressure Sensor Occupancy Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for monitoring the occupancy of passenger transport vehicles only determine the number of people entering or leaving and cannot accurately assess the distribution of people within the vehicle, making it difficult to optimize seating arrangements and passenger guidance.
Innovation Solution
A method using pressure sensors in the aisle of the vehicle to track the movement and position of individuals, allowing for continuous monitoring and assignment of passengers to specific lounge areas based on their movement patterns, with data processed by an evaluation algorithm to determine occupancy levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If pressure sensors are installed in the aisle to track individual movement and position, then continuous monitoring of occupancy distribution is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The passenger transport vehicle interior is divided into multiple detection zones along the aisle, with each zone containing pressure sensors that independently detect passenger presence and movement. This segmentation allows the system to monitor occupancy distribution across different areas without requiring a single complex sensor array, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining precise measurement capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
Pressure sensors serve as an intermediary detection mechanism between the physical presence of passengers and the digital occupancy data. The sensors detect pressure changes in the aisle floor, converting physical passenger movement into measurable signals that can be processed to determine occupancy distribution, thus enabling continuous monitoring without direct observation or complex tracking systems.
2Productivity
If pressure sensors are installed in the aisle to detect passenger movement, then continuous occupancy monitoring is improved, but loss of information increases due to inability to identify individuals
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the necessary information for occupancy monitoring - namely, the presence, position, and movement of passengers - while deliberately excluding identifying characteristics such as facial features, clothing details, or personal attributes. The pressure sensor system detects solely the mechanical impact of passengers on the floor, providing continuous occupancy data without capturing or storing any information that could identify individuals, thus balancing monitoring efficiency with privacy protection.
3Ease of operation
If pressure sensors are installed in the aisle to track passenger position, then passenger guidance optimization is improved, but ease of operation decreases due to automated processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure sensor system automatically processes occupancy data and generates guidance information without requiring manual intervention or complex operational procedures. The system self-processes the raw pressure data to identify passenger positions and movements, automatically determines optimal guidance directions, and outputs actionable information for passenger flow management, thereby maintaining ease of operation while implementing automated functionality.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate and continuous monitoring of occupancy in individual lounge areas, optimizing the attachment or detachment of train cars and improving passenger guidance by directing individuals to less occupied areas without requiring their participation or personal data collection.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor device (7) arranged in the aisle (5) which has a multitude of pressure measuring points (10) distributed across the aisle (5), wherein pressure data relating to pressure forces oriented at least perpendicular to the floor are recorded at these points
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for continuously monitoring the occupancy of a passenger transport vehicle, in particular a railway carriage, the passenger transport vehicle comprising an access point for entering an interior of the passenger transport vehicle, a plurality of separate seating areas located in the interior, a corridor connecting the access point with the seating areas in such a way that a person can directly enter any one of the seating areas from the corridor, and a sensor device arranged on or in a floor of the corridor, which has a plurality of pressure measuring points distributed over the area of the corridor at which pressure data can be recorded, wherein the pressure data are transmitted to a data processing device by means of which the pressure data are evaluated by means of an evaluation algorithm.wherein, by means of the evaluation algorithm, pressure data resulting from a multitude of adjacent pressure measuring points, which result from at least one foot of a person standing in the aisle, are recognized as human footprints, the pressure data are analyzed historically and recognized footprints are registered as belonging together, and thereby the person located in the aisle is identified, the identified person is assigned to one of the occupancy areas as soon as they leave the aisle, the assignment being made depending on at least one position and/or direction of movement of the person in the aisle immediately before leaving the aisle, and when a person enters the aisle, this person is assigned to originate from one of the occupancy areas, the assignment being dependent on at least one position and/or direction of movement of the person in the aisle,the person had immediately upon entering the corridor, whereby a number of people occupying at least one waiting area is recorded and continuously updated, so that it is possible to determine how many people are currently in the waiting area.