Dynamic Evacuation Routing via IoT and BIM
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current evacuation systems in buildings lack flexibility and effectiveness in providing real-time, personalized guidance during emergencies, often leading to congestion, delays, and safety issues due to predefined plans that do not account for varying threats or user profiles.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing IoT technologies and digital BIM models to dynamically calculate and update evacuation paths in real-time, optimizing user routes based on current conditions and user profiles, using a directed acyclic graph (DAG) to guide users through personalized interfaces and signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If predefined evacuation plans are used, then system simplicity is maintained, but flexibility and adaptability to real-time conditions deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic evacuation routes that are continuously updated based on real-time sensor data and event detection. The system transitions from static predefined plans to dynamic adaptive routing, where evacuation paths are recalculated as conditions change during an emergency event.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates real-time feedback loops where sensors monitor environmental conditions, user positions, and route status, which then feed back to the route calculation algorithm to dynamically adjust evacuation paths. This closed-loop control enables adaptability while managing complexity through automated decision-making.
2Productivity
If all users are directed to nearest exits, then individual evacuation time is minimized, but congestion at exits increases causing delays
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the evacuation flow by dividing users into different groups and assigning them to different exit routes based on real-time conditions. This segmentation distributes the crowd across multiple exits, preventing congestion at any single exit while maintaining overall evacuation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies local quality optimization by tailoring evacuation routes to specific local conditions at different exits and locations within the building. Each user receives a customized route based on their position, the nearest safe exit, and current congestion levels, rather than a uniform approach for all users.
3Ease of operation
If generic evacuation instructions are provided, then system complexity is reduced, but effectiveness for unfamiliar users deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameters of evacuation guidance from generic static instructions to personalized dynamic instructions. The system adjusts guidance parameters such as route direction, exit selection, and navigation signals based on individual user positions, profiles, and real-time conditions, significantly improving effectiveness for unfamiliar users.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service navigation by providing users with autonomous guidance through mobile devices or wearable technology. Users receive personalized turn-by-turn directions and can independently navigate to safety without requiring external assistance, improving ease of operation while managing complexity through automated personalization algorithms.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for suitably locating and guiding, as a function of an event and in a building, the movements of users following paths leading towards one or more given target locations using connected objects (T, T') in communication link with a remote resources server, which is a control server (S) accessible through a communication network, comprising the following steps: on the basis of a digital model of the building (BIM, CIM), computing nodes (N) and edges (A); assigning, to each passage node, a waiting list of users; automatically computing a directed acyclic graph (DAG) of movement towards the target locations ("E", "S", "W") with the nodes and the edges (A); detecting the actual location of an event; computing the actual position of each user located in the building; as a function of the profile of the user, their real time location in the building that leads to the inaccessibility of certain nodes of the directed acyclic graph (DAG), computing the so-called "updated" directed acyclic graph (DAG'), of movement towards the target locations; and a sub-graph DODAG'.