Motion tracking

• US 9,671,121 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2014
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Building Robotics, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Enlighted, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Ericsson, Bo E., Mohan, Tanuj, Hyman, Nick
• Primary Examiner(s): CAO, DIEM K
• Application Number:
  US14/183,747
• Publication Number:
  US 20150234366A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,203 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 11/46 Improving electric energy efficiency or saving
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/10 Occupancy
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 2120/14 Activity of occupants
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 9/00 Prospecting or detecting by methods not provided for in groups G01V1/00 - G01V8/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/115 by determining the presence or movement of objects or living beings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/40 Control techniques providing energy savings, e.g. smart controller or presence detection

Abstract

Apparatuses, methods, apparatuses and systems for tracking motion are disclosed. One method includes identifying a group of sensors that includes a plurality of neighboring sensors sensing motion greater than a threshold during a time interval, and tracking motion, comprising linking the group to at least one past group of at least one past time interval.

Claims

1. A method of tracking motion, comprising:

sensing, by a plurality of sensors of a plurality of fixtures, motion;

identifying, by a controller that receives sense information from the plurality of sensors, a group of sensors that includes a plurality of neighboring sensors sensing motion greater than a motion threshold during a time interval;

tracking motion, by the controller, comprising;

linking the group to at least one past group of at least one past time interval, wherein the at least one past group includes a group of sensors that sensed motion during the at least one past time interval; and

confirming, by the controller, that the group originated from the at least one past group of the at least one past time interval, comprising confirming that the group is located within a common area as the at least one past group, and confirming that the group includes at least one neighboring sensors of the at least one past group; and

controlling an environmental parameter of at least the common area based on the tracked motion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein tracked motion of the group includes at least one of the plurality of neighboring sensors within the group being different than a plurality of sensors of the at least one past group.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the group of sensors is a subset of a larger set of sensors, and further comprising obtaining location data of each of the larger set of sensors, thereby allowing a determination of which of the larger set of sensors are neighboring sensors.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining location data of obstructions located within the larger set of sensors.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining whether the group has a proper shape, comprising analyzing the plurality of sensors of the group to determine that locations of each of the sensors of the plurality of sensors indicates maintaining the sensor within the group.

6. The method of claim 5, determining whether the group has a proper shape includes identifying whether the group includes inactive interior sensors.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the group of sensors that includes the plurality of neighboring sensors sensing motion greater than the threshold during a time interval comprises identifying a sensor that senses motion greater than the threshold, and then searching identified neighboring sensors of the sensor that also sense motion greater than the motion threshold during the time interval.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising refining the group of sensors, comprising checking locations of each of the plurality of sensors of the group and comparing the locations within locations of known obstructions, and eliminating sensor of the group that cannot be included within the group due to the location of the obstruction.

9. The method of claim 7, further refining the group of sensors, comprising determining whether the group is too large.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein if the group is determined to be too large, then splitting the group into multiple groups or eliminating one or more sensors from the group.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein if the group is split, determining whether one of more of multiple split groups should be combined with another group.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking motion of the group comprises matching the group of a current time interval with groups of prior time intervals to determine whether a trail of motion of the group is formed over a plurality of the time intervals.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising confirming that changes of the group are large enough to constitute motion of the group.

14. A method of tracking motion, comprising:

sensing, by a plurality of sensors, motion;

identifying, by a controller that receives sense information from the plurality of sensors, a group of sensors that includes a plurality of neighboring sensors sensing motion greater than a motion threshold during a time interval;

tracking motion, by the controller, comprising;

linking the group to at least one past group of at least one past time interval, wherein the at least one past group includes a group of sensors that sensed motion during the at least one past time interval;

confirming, by the controller, that the group originated from the at least one past group of at least one past time interval, comprising confirming that the group is located within a common area as the at least one past group, confirming that the group includes at least one neighboring sensors that is a neighboring sensor of at least one sensor of the at least one past group; and

controlling an environmental parameter of at least the common area based on the tracked motion.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising designating the group as a child of the at least one prior group upon confirmation of origination.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising evaluating all child groups of a prior group to determine which of the child groups provides a most likely trail of the prior group.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising ranking each of the child groups based on at least one of a number of shared sensors, a quantity of sensors within the child group, a direction of travel between the prior group and the child group, and selecting the child group with the highest rank as the most likely trail of the prior group.

18. A system for tracking motion, comprising:

a plurality of sensors;

a controller that receives sense information from the plurality of sensors, wherein the controller is operative to;

identify a group of sensors that includes a plurality of neighboring sensors sensing motion greater than a threshold during a time interval;

track motion of the group, comprising;

linking the group to at least one past group of at least one past time interval;

confirming that the group originated from the at least one past group of the at least one past time interval, comprising confirming that the group is located within a common area as the at least one past group, confirming that the group includes at least one neighboring sensors of the at least one past group; and

control an environmental parameter of at least the common area based on the tracked motion.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein tracked motion of the group includes at least one of the plurality of neighboring sensors within the group being different than a plurality of sensors of the at least one past group.