EXISTENT PERSON COUNT ESTIMATION APPARATUS

• US 20120209567A1
• Filed: 03/02/2012
• Published: 08/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: IMAHARA, Shuichiro, KUBOTA, Kazuto, HONDO, Yoshiyuki, KUMAZAWA, Toshimitsu
• Granted Patent: US 9,445,164 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/181
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/30 for purposes related to the operation of the system, e.g. for safety or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/62 characterised by the type of control or by internal processing, e.g. using fuzzy logic, adaptive control or estimation of values
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 11/64 using pre-stored data
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/10 Occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/823 where the data is sent when the measured values exceed a threshold, e.g. sending an alarm
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/845 where the measuring is synchronized between sensing devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an existent person count estimation apparatus includes motion sensors and following units. The collection unit generates human sensing information. The instance prediction unit predicts second instances from the first instances by using the transition matrix. The likelihood calculation unit calculates likelihoods of the second instances using the time information items. The instance selection unit selects one or more third instances having likelihoods higher than a threshold. The output unit generates output information including estimate values of existent person counts for the first areas included in the third instances.

Claims

1. An existent person count estimation apparatus comprising:

a plurality of motion sensors having a plurality of sensing areas, the sensing areas being provided in first areas in which existent person counts are to be estimated, the motion sensors each configured to sense presence or absence of a human or a human motion in a corresponding sensing area of the sensing areas to generate a sensing signal, the motion sensors generating sensing signals corresponding to the sensing areas, the sensing signals including the sensing signal;

a collection unit configured to collect the sensing signals from the motion sensors to generate human sensing information;

a storage configured to store first instances and connection relationship information, each of the first instances including estimate values of existent person counts for the first areas, the connection relationship information including one or more first connection relationships between the first areas and second connection relationships between the first areas and a second area different from the first areas;

a transition matrix generation unit configured to calculate first transition probabilities, each of the first transition probabilities indicating a probability that a person moves from each of the first areas to another first area, and to generate a transition matrix having the first transition probabilities as matrix elements;

an instance prediction unit configured to predict second instances at present time from the first instances by using the transition matrix, and to store, as new first instances, the second instances in the storage;

a likelihood calculation unit configured to calculate likelihoods of the second instances using the human sensing information;

an instance selection unit configured to select one or more third instances from the second instances, each of the third instances having a likelihood higher than a predetermined threshold; and

an output unit configured to calculate a number of identical third instances from the third instances to generate output information, the output information including estimate values of existent person counts for the first areas included in the third instances, in association with the calculated number of the identical third instances.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transition matrix generation unit further calculates second transition probabilities using the connection relationship information, each of the second transition probabilities indicating a probability that a person moves from each of the first areas to the second area, and calculates third probabilities from the first transition probabilities and the second transition probabilities, each of the third probabilities indicating a probability that a person stays in a same first area of the first areas, and the transition matrix has the second probabilities and the third probabilities as the other matrix elements.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the likelihood calculation unit calculates first presence-or-absence values of the first areas from the second instances, calculates second presence-or-absence values of the first areas based on the human sensing information, and calculates the likelihoods by using the first presence-or-absence values and the second presence-or-absence values.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output information includes average existent person counts for the first areas average, the average existent person counts being obtained by average the third instances.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the output information is used for at least one of on-and-off control, operation mode control, and operation level control of a device communicably connected to the apparatus.