Traffic Analyzer for Multi-Standard People Counting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for estimating the number of people in a geographical area are either costly, require human intervention, or are limited by dependence on telephone operators and specific cellular standards, lacking flexibility and accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A method that uses a network analyzer to detect indicators of cellular terminal activity across multiple communication standards, estimating the number of people by correlating cellular terminal counts with actual population using a learned correlation law, without requiring access to operator data or decryption of messages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual counting methods are used to assess occupancy, then accuracy is improved, but labor cost and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical counting with automated electronic detection systems. The system uses traffic analyzers to intercept and analyze communication signals from terminals in the target area, automatically extracting presence information without human intervention. This substitution of mechanical manual counting with electronic automated signal analysis resolves the contradiction by maintaining accurate counting while eliminating time consumption and labor requirements.
2Measurement precision
If camera systems or induction loops are deployed for road traffic assessment, then measurement capability is improved, but implementation cost increases and system mobility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs traffic analyzers that can intercept and analyze multiple types of communication signals simultaneously (GSM, UMTS, LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) across different frequency bands. This multi-functional capability allows a single device to perform detection roles that previously required multiple specialized systems (cameras, induction loops, radar), thereby reducing overall system complexity and implementation cost while maintaining comprehensive detection capability.
3Measurement precision
If operator-based terminal counting methods are used, then data accuracy is improved, but implementation cost increases and independence from operators is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces traffic analyzers as intermediary devices that passively intercept and analyze communication signals between terminals and base stations without requiring direct access to operator networks or databases. These analyzers extract terminal identification and presence information from over-the-air signals, enabling accurate terminal counting that is independent of any specific mobile network operator while maintaining data accuracy through standardized signal analysis protocols.
4Ease of manufacture
If LTE-only C-RNTI allocation monitoring is used for urban population monitoring, then implementation simplicity is improved, but measurement coverage and adaptability decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enhances the traffic analyzer to monitor and analyze signals across multiple communication standards including GSM, UMTS, LTE, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth simultaneously. The system maintains implementation simplicity by using a unified signal interception and analysis architecture that handles different protocols through standardized processing stages, thereby achieving multi-standard coverage without significantly increasing implementation complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
Method for estimating the number of people present within a given geographical area (16), at least a portion of said people being equipped with cellular terminals (14) that communicate according to at least two predefined communication standards, the method comprising the steps of: (a) using a traffic analysis on the one or more networks present in the predefined area (16), carried out using at least one traffic analyzer located in the area and with a range chosen according to the area to be covered, detecting, for each of the standards, at least one indicator that represents the activity of a terminal (14) on the network(s) and operating according to at least the same standard, (b) deducing the indicators thus detected, counting the number of cellular terminals (14) present in the area (16), (c) estimating the number of people present in the area, using at least one law of correlation between the number of cellular terminals (14) thus counted and the corresponding number of people present in the area (16).