Pedestrian Flow Simulation Using Pre-computed Scenarios

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current people flow simulations are inefficient for real-time applications due to the high time required to calculate simulation results, making it difficult to react promptly to current scenarios, such as evacuations or crowd management, as they often take hours to produce results that are available only minutes too late for timely interventions.

Innovation Solution

The method involves pre-simulating people flow scenarios for various parameters and saving the results, allowing for the selection of the best matching simulation based on real-time sensor data, enabling quick access to relevant results for directing crowd movements and reducing the need for continuous recalculations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If pedestrian flow simulations are conducted in real-time for current scenarios, then the simulation results can provide timely guidance for crowd management and evacuation, but the calculation time required is too long (hours) to enable prompt interventions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetime delay between scenario occurrence and simulation result availabilityVSAvoidspeed of providing simulation results for real-time decision making
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent pre-calculates and stores simulation results for multiple scenarios before they are needed. During real-time operation, the system selects from these pre-computed results based on current sensor data, eliminating the need for time-consuming real-time calculations and enabling immediate decision-making

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates and stores copies of simulation results for various predefined scenarios. When a real-world scenario occurs, the system finds and uses the matching pre-computed copy instead of recalculating, dramatically reducing the time from scenario detection to result delivery

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

2Productivity

If multiple pedestrian flow simulations are pre-calculated for various parameters and scenarios, then quick access to relevant results is enabled for real-time applications, but the device complexity and data management requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespeed of accessing simulation results for real-time crowd managementVSAvoidcomplexity of storing and managing multiple simulation results
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system designs simulation results with a unified structure that can represent multiple scenarios and parameters. This universal format allows the same data structure to serve multiple purposes, reducing the complexity of managing diverse simulation outputs while maintaining quick access capabilities

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

Rather than storing complex simulation models and recalculating them, the system stores simplified copies of simulation results in a standardized format. These copies contain the essential information needed for decision-making without the computational complexity of the original simulations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentEP4428778A1Person flow simulation using real data for a real-time application
Publication Date: 2024.09.11 SIEMENS SCHWEIZ AG
  • EP4428778A1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP4428778A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4428778A1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for simulating pedestrian flows in an area (AREA), wherein the results of several pedestrian flow simulations performed for the area (AREA) are available, each result indicating a distribution of people within the area (AREA) for several time points. For a real-time application, pedestrian information is acquired in at least a part (MK) of the area (AREA) by means of at least one sensor. Using this pedestrian information, one of the available results is determined as best corresponding to the acquired pedestrian information. This determined result is used as the simulation result for the area (AREA). The invention further relates to a corresponding device or system for data processing, a computer program, a computer-readable data carrier, and a transmission signal.