Virtual Tracker Building Control Using Time-of-Flight Depth Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for controlling building installations based on person-related situations in a monitoring area are not suitable for monitoring multiple people or larger areas, requiring significant evaluation effort and lacking reproducibility.
Innovation Solution
A method that uses a situation detector to assign a virtual tracker with simplified geometry to each person, monitoring their status changes and controlling building installations based on predefined situations, with depth information from sensors like time-of-flight cameras for efficient and reproducible tracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If detailed location-resolved detection is implemented using area sensors, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and evaluation effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring area is segmented into multiple sub-areas that can be evaluated independently. This allows the system to achieve location-resolved detection without requiring complex sensor setups, as each sub-area can be processed separately with simplified evaluation logic.
Solution Approach 2:
Virtual trackers are created as simplified geometric copies of detected persons. These trackers replicate the essential spatial information needed for monitoring while using significantly less computational resources than detailed image data, reducing evaluation effort while maintaining measurement precision.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple people are monitored simultaneously in a larger area, then adaptability is improved, but evaluation effort and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
Each detected person is assigned a separate virtual tracker, dividing the monitoring task into independent parallel processes. This segmentation allows simultaneous monitoring of multiple people without exponentially increasing evaluation effort, as each tracker can be processed independently.
Solution Approach 2:
Virtual trackers serve as simplified representations that copy only the essential attributes needed for monitoring (position, movement patterns). This copying approach enables efficient parallel processing of multiple persons while maintaining adaptability to monitor their individual behaviors and interactions.
3Device complexity
If virtual trackers with simplified geometry are used, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The virtual trackers use simplified geometry with sufficient local detail to detect person-related situations. Rather than requiring complete geometric accuracy, the trackers include only the essential local features needed for detecting status changes such as sitting, standing, or movement patterns, achieving adequate measurement precision with reduced complexity.
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 efficient and reproducible monitoring of multiple people in a larger area, reducing evaluation effort and allowing for anticipatory control of building installations based on learned movement patterns and status changes, enhancing comfort and safety.
Implementation Method 1
depth information from sensors like time-of-flight cameras for efficient and reproducible tracking
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
A method for controlling a building installation depending on at least one predefined personal situation detected in the monitoring area of a situation detector, with which method - in a first step access detection is carried out to record whether a person will enter, is entering or has entered the monitoring area, - whereby, in the case of positive access detection and no person being present in the monitoring area, a building installation influencing the monitoring area can be switched to a first state, - after detection of person entry into the monitoring area, in a second step the monitoring area is monitored with regard to the occurrence of the at least one personal situation by - assigning a tracker 4 to each person entering the monitoring area, which is derived from data recorded by the situation detector,are assigned person-specific state data, and - subsequently, the monitoring of this person with regard to their state changes is carried out via the associated changes in the tracker's state data, and - at least one building installation is controlled when the person-specific state data assigned to tracker 4 corresponds to that of a predetermined situation.