Dynamic Geofence Adjustment for Building Occupancy Detection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Building automation systems face challenges in accurately determining occupancy and unoccupancy to optimize energy efficiency and comfort, as existing geofencing technologies can be unreliable due to location variability and lack of user verification.
Innovation Solution
A mobile device with location services detects geofence crossings and transmits events to a remote server, which analyzes them for abnormalities; the geofence size is automatically adjusted or verified by user input to improve accuracy and robustness, allowing for more precise control of building systems based on occupancy status.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If geofence size is fixed, then system simplicity is maintained, but geofencing accuracy deteriorates due to location variability
Solution Approach 1:
The geofence size is made dynamic rather than fixed. The system automatically adjusts the geofence radius based on detected location variability and abnormal crossing events. When location jitter is detected, the system expands the geofence boundary to accommodate the variability, thereby maintaining accurate occupancy detection despite location fluctuations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms by monitoring geofence crossing events and location data continuously. When abnormal patterns are detected (such as frequent false crossings due to location variability), the system responds by adjusting the geofence size and notifying the user for verification, creating a closed-loop control system that improves accuracy over time.
2Reliability
If geofence size is automatically adjusted, then geofencing robustness is improved, but user verification requirement increases system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-diagnosis and self-adjustment by automatically detecting abnormal geofence crossing patterns and adjusting the geofence size accordingly. The system only requires user verification when anomalies are detected, rather than requiring continuous user input, allowing the system to mostly operate autonomously while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from detected abnormalities to trigger selective user verification. When the system detects unusual crossing patterns, it notifies the user and waits for confirmation before making adjustments. This feedback-driven approach maintains robustness while minimizing unnecessary user interactions.
3Measurement precision
If geofence crossing detection is continuous, then occupancy detection accuracy is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous monitoring, the system uses periodic location checks combined with event-triggered updates. The mobile device checks location at regular intervals and only processes geofence crossing events when actual boundary crossings are detected, reducing unnecessary processing and energy consumption while maintaining accurate occupancy detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary layer of abnormality detection that filters and processes location data before triggering full geofence crossing processing. This intermediary step reduces the frequency of high-energy operations by only activating full processing when anomalies or actual crossings are detected, rather than continuously.
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile device with a display and location services may store information pertaining to a geofence. With the aid of the location services of the mobile device, a geofence crossing may be detected when the mobile device crosses the stored geofence and, if a geofence crossing is detected, the mobile device may transmit a corresponding geofence crossing event to a remote location via a transmitter of the mobile device. The size of the geofence may be automatically adjusted when a predetermined abnormality is suspected in the detected geofence crossing events. In some cases, a query is provided to the user to verify the presence of the predetermined abnormality before the size of the geofence is automatically adjusted, or a user-initiated menu may be employed to verify the presence of the predetermined abnormality and/or to adjust the size of the geofence.