SYSTEM FOR TRACKING A PRESENCE OF PERSONS IN A BUILDING, A METHOD AND A COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT

• US 20110260871A1
• Filed: 11/05/2009
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno
• Original Assignee: Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno
• Inventors: Karkowski, Ireneusz Piotr
• Application Number:
  US13/127,542
• Publication Number:
  US 20110260871A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0227 System arrangements with a plurality of child units
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/22 responsive to presence or absence of persons

Abstract

A system for tracking a presence of persons in a building, a method and a computer program product Abstract The invention relates to a system for tracking a presence of persons in a building. The system comprises a sensor network a computer system that is communicately connected to the sensor network. The sensor network includes a motion sensor for sensing a person'"'"'s motion in a room of the building, a door sensor for sensing if a door of the room is opened and/or closed, and a localization sensor for sensing if a person is present at a particular location in the room. Further, the computer system includes a processor is arranged for generating a presence state vector indicating a presence probability value of a person in the room, based on sensor information provided by the sensor network.

Claims

1. A system for tracking a presence of persons in a building, comprising:

a sensor network including;

a motion sensor for sensing a person'"'"'s motion in a room of the building,

a localization sensor for sensing if a person is present at a particular location in the room, and

a computer system that is communicately connected to the sensor network, wherein the computer system further includes a processor that is arranged for generating a presence state vector indicating a presence probability value of a person in the room, based on sensor information provided by the sensor network, and wherein the presence state vector is further based on information of interconnection structures between adjacent rooms in a floor plan of the building.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the localization sensor comprises an occupancy sensor and/or wherein the sensor network includes a further sensor providing information of the room.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor network further includes a door sensor for sensing if an external door of the building is opened and/or closed.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor network includes sensors for providing presence information of multiple rooms of the building and wherein the presence state vector indicates a presence probability value of a person in said multiple rooms.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor network is wireless.

16. A system according to claim 2, wherein the sensor network further includes a door sensor for sensing if an external door of the building is opened and/or closed.

19. A system according to claim 2, wherein the sensor network is wireless.

20. A system according to claim 3, wherein the sensor network is wireless.

6. A method of tracking a presence of persons in a building, comprising the steps of:

sensing presence information, including the substeps of;

sensing a person'"'"'s motion in a room of the building, and

sensing if a person is present at a particular location in the room,

generating a presence state vector indicating a presence probability value of a person in the room, based on the sensed presence information, and wherein the presence state vector is further based on information of interconnection structures between adjacent rooms in a floor plan of the building.

7. A method according to claim 6, further comprising collecting data from a sensor that is located in a room or rooms adjacent to a particular room, into which adjacent room a person might enter from said particular room.

8. A method according to claim 6, wherein the presence state vector is further based on a previously generated presence state vector.

9. A method according to claim 6, wherein the presence state vector is based on previous sensor information, a timer and/or a flag.

10. A method according to claim 6, wherein the presence state vector indicates a presence probability value of a multiple number of persons in the room and/or rooms of the building.

11. A method according to claim 6, wherein the step of generating the presence state vector is triggered by a modification of sensed information or by the lapse of a pre-determined time interval starting from the moment of generating the previous presence state vector.

12. A method according to claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

determining fall detection information, and

generating an alarm signal based on the fall detection information.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the determining step comprises checking presence information of the person at the particular location in the room when a person'"'"'s motion is not sensed anymore and a pre-determined motion time interval has lapsed without sensing the person'"'"'s motion again.

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein the determining step comprises checking the presence state vector.

17. A method according to claim 7, wherein the presence state vector is further based on a previously generated presence state vector.

18. A method according to claim 13, wherein the determining step comprises checking the presence state vector.

15. A computer program product comprising computer readable code for causing a processor to perform a method for tracking a presence of persons in a building, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving sensed presence information, the information including;

information of a person'"'"'s motion in a room of the building, and

information if a person is present at a particular location in the room,

generating a presence state vector indicating a presence probability value of a person in the room, based on the sensed presence information, and wherein the presence state vector is further based on information of interconnection structures between adjacent rooms in a floor plan of the building.