Vehicle Passenger Counting With Threshold-Based Method Switching
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing passenger counting systems in vehicles face inaccuracies due to overlapping boarding and alighting passengers, restricted movement of passengers within the vehicle, and standing passengers obstructing seated passengers, leading to errors in passenger counting.
Innovation Solution
An information processing apparatus that determines the number of standing passengers using a threshold, switching between cabin count and entrance/exit count processes based on the threshold to accurately identify the total number of passengers, ensuring precise passenger counting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If moving image analysis is performed at the entrance/exit to count boarding and alighting passengers, then the number of passengers can be tracked through transitions, but accuracy deteriorates due to overlapping passengers and restricted movement
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between two counting methods (cabin-based and entrance/exit-based) depending on the detected number of standing passengers. When standing passengers exceed the threshold, the system transitions to using entrance/exit transition data; otherwise, it uses direct cabin analysis, thereby adapting the counting approach to current vehicle conditions to maintain accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter being measured based on conditions: it switches from directly counting passengers in the cabin to calculating passengers through boarding/alighting transitions when standing passengers exceed the threshold. This parameter change allows the system to avoid accuracy degradation caused by overlapping passengers in crowded conditions.
2Measurement precision
If moving image analysis is performed in the cabin to count passengers directly, then the count can be obtained immediately, but accuracy deteriorates when standing passengers obstruct seated passengers
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis to detect the number of standing passengers and compares it against a threshold before selecting the counting method. This preliminary action allows the system to proactively choose the appropriate counting approach, avoiding accuracy degradation from obstructed views while minimizing processing time by not performing unnecessary analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of directly counting passengers in the cabin when standing passengers obstruct the view, the system uses a alternative approach by analyzing boarding and alighting transitions at the entrance/exit. This copying of the counting function to a different location (entrance/exit rather than cabin interior) allows accurate passenger tracking without the obstruction problem.
3Measurement precision
If a single passenger counting method is used, then the system is simple to operate, but accuracy deteriorates under varying vehicle conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts its operation by automatically selecting between two counting methods based on the detected number of standing passengers. This dynamic adaptation maintains accuracy across varying vehicle conditions (crowded vs. uncrowded) while preserving ease of operation, as the switching logic is automated and transparent to users.
Data Source
AI summary
A controller including at least one processor of an information processing apparatus determines whether a number of standing passengers in a vehicle exceeds a threshold or not. The controller identifies a number of passengers in the vehicle based on the moving image analysis of a cabin of the vehicle when the number of standing passengers is less than the threshold. The controller identifies the number of passengers in the vehicle based on a transition of the number of passengers boarding and alighting the vehicle determined by the moving image analysis at an entrance/exit of the vehicle when the number of standing passengers exceeds the threshold. The controller outputs identified information about the number of passengers in the vehicle.