Pressure Grid Footfall Tracking for Individual Identification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing footfall detection technologies struggle to distinguish between different individuals and products accurately without relying on expensive RFID tags or weight sensing systems, leading to misidentification and inefficiencies in tracking and inventory management.
Innovation Solution
A floor or shelf touchscreen with pressure-sensitive grid layout that detects pressure with high resolution, using pressure detectors to build time-evolving footfall or weight patterns, allowing for individual identification and tracking through unique time evolution analysis.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If pressure detection is used to distinguish between individuals, then identification accuracy improves, but device complexity increases due to need for multiple pressure points and pattern analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The floor is divided into multiple pressure detection points arranged in a grid pattern, with each point capable of detecting pressure independently. This segmentation allows the system to capture detailed pressure distribution patterns across the footfall area, enabling differentiation between individuals based on their unique pressure signatures without requiring a single complex sensor system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from simple presence detection to temporal pattern analysis by adding the time dimension. Pressure detection points capture not only spatial information but also temporal evolution of pressure patterns during footfall, creating a multi-dimensional signature that improves identification accuracy while using relatively simple pressure sensors.
2Measurement precision
If RFID tags are used for product tracking, then tracking accuracy improves, but cost increases due to expensive tags and tagging requirements
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using expensive RFID tags attached to each product, the system creates a digital copy or signature of the product's pressure pattern on the shelf. By analyzing the temporal evolution of pressure at multiple points, the system generates a unique pressure signature that represents the product without requiring physical tags, thereby reducing cost while maintaining tracking accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The products themselves generate the identification signal through their own presence and weight on the shelf, eliminating the need for external tagging systems. The pressure detection system passively captures the natural pressure patterns created by products on shelves, allowing products to self-identify without additional hardware costs.
3Measurement precision
If weight sensing systems are used for shelf detection, then product detection accuracy improves, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The shelf surface is divided into multiple discrete pressure detection points arranged in a grid, with each point providing independent pressure measurement. This segmentation allows the system to capture detailed spatial and temporal pressure patterns across the shelf, enabling accurate product detection and differentiation using simple pressure sensors rather than complex weight sensing systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system utilizes periodic scanning of pressure points over time to detect product presence and movement. By capturing pressure patterns at multiple time points, the system can distinguish between static shelf items and dynamic events such as product removal or replacement, improving detection accuracy through temporal analysis without requiring complex sensing hardware.
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 differentiation between individuals and products, enhancing tracking capabilities and inventory management without the need for tagging systems, while reducing computational and storage requirements through cloud-based processing.
Implementation Method 1
an arrangement of pressure detectors on a horizontal surface; a footfall pattern detector connected to receive a sequence of signals from each pressure detector
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus for detection and identification of footfall, comprises an arrangement of pressure detectors on a horizontal surface; a footfall pattern detector to receive a sequence of signals from each pressure detector in distinguishable manner over a time frame, to build from said signals a time evolution of a footfall event on said horizontal surface; and a tracker to compare different time evolutions, and thereby to connect together different footfall events to track a person or object over said horizontal surface.