Occupant Counting Sensor Using Motion Detection Patterns
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing occupant counting methods and devices suffer from poor accuracy and high costs, and often raise privacy concerns.
Innovation Solution
The development of sensor devices installed near spaces to detect movements and determine occupant counts by increasing or decreasing counts based on entry and exit movements, with communication circuits to transmit signals to system controllers for maintaining accurate counts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If prior art occupant counting methods are used, then occupancy information can be obtained, but accuracy is poor and costs are high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical or electronic counting devices with motion detection technology. The system uses motion sensors to detect movement patterns and infer occupancy changes, substituting expensive specialized equipment with more affordable motion detection mechanisms that achieve accurate counting through intelligent algorithm processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces motion detection signals as an intermediary between physical occupancy and counting information. Rather than directly counting occupants, the system detects motion events and uses these intermediate signals to infer occupancy changes, enabling accurate counting through indirect measurement and reducing hardware complexity.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If motion detection is used to track occupancy, then privacy concerns are reduced, but measurement precision must be maintained
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary occupancy count information from motion detection data without capturing or storing identifiable personal information. The system processes motion signals to derive occupancy changes while deliberately excluding detailed movement patterns or identity data, thereby maintaining accuracy for facility management purposes while protecting occupant privacy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses anonymized motion detection copies rather than direct observation of occupants. The system creates abstracted representations of occupancy through motion event processing, generating occupancy information that reflects actual presence without replicating identifiable personal data, thus balancing measurement precision with privacy protection.
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
The solution provides accurate and cost-effective occupant counting, addressing privacy concerns by ensuring precise tracking of occupant movements and counts, thereby enhancing energy control, air quality management, and scheduling efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
The PIR detection circuit may comprise a plurality of PIR elements connected in an anti-series configuration. The PIR elements may be responsive to a person's movement in a detection zone and the PIR detection circuit may generate output signals with different patterns corresponding to different directions of the movement.
Implementation Method 2
A sensor device may include a thermopile array (e.g., a plurality of heat-sensitive elements arranged in an N×N array). The heat-sensitive elements may be responsive to thermal energy in a two-dimensional area and may produce signals representing a heat map or two-dimensional (2D) thermal image of the area.
Implementation Method 3
A sensor device may include a radar sensing circuit, a visible light sensing circuit, and/or a time-of-flight sensing circuit
Implementation Method 4
A sensor device may include a radar sensing circuit, a visible light sensing circuit, and/or a time-of-flight sensing circuit
Implementation Method 5
A sensor device may include a radar sensing circuit, a visible light sensing circuit, and/or a time-of-flight sensing circuit
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor may be configured to determine how many people that have entered or exited a space. The sensor may comprise a pyroelectric infrared (PIR) detection circuit capable of generating different output signal patterns in response to a person entering or exiting the space. The sensor may determine whether the person has entered or exited the space based on the output signal pattern. The sensor may include a thermopile array, a radar detection circuit, or a visible light sensing circuit. The thermopile array, radar detection circuit, or visible light sensing circuit may be capable of detecting a person's location and/or movements within an area monitored by the sensor and determining, based on the detected movements, whether the person has entered or left the space. An occupant count of the space may then be determined accordingly by the sensor or by a system controller.