JP7687906B2 - Sensor information aggregating device and method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sensor information aggregation device and method for aggregating information obtained by multiple sensors.

Infrared array sensor systems that estimate the location and number of people in a room have been put to practical use (see Non-Patent Document 1). In this infrared array sensor system, the location of people is identified from information on the surface temperature of the floor surface acquired by multiple infrared array sensors, and the location information is converted into information on the number of people or presence/absence information summarized for each control area, and this information is provided to air conditioning and lighting control devices.

In an infrared array sensor system, if a malfunction occurs in at least one of the multiple infrared array sensors, the location information of people in the area measured by that infrared array sensor becomes unreliable. For this reason, it is necessary to be able to detect abnormalities in each sensor belonging to the control area and to enable the control device to determine the reliability of the location information. Furthermore, if there is an abnormality in the infrared array sensor, it is desirable to process the number of people occupying the room and the presence/absence information estimated from the measurement results of the infrared array sensor in accordance with the on-site operational policy.

In conventional infrared array sensor systems, information from each sensor is integrated by a sensor information aggregation device, but conventional sensor information aggregation devices do not have the reliability judgment function or information processing function to respond to the anomaly detection results of the infrared array sensor as described above.

"Infrared Array Sensor System", Azbil Corporation, 2020, <https://www.azbil.com/jp/product/building/document/catalog/AC-984-R0.0.pdf>

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a sensor information aggregation device and method that can realize a reliability judgment function and an information processing function according to the abnormality detection results of the sensor.

The sensor information aggregating device of the present invention includes a sensor information storage unit configured to store in advance information on a correspondence relationship between a measurement range of each sensor that acquires information related to the presence/absence of a person in a target space and an area that divides the target space, a human detection unit configured to detect a position of a person based on information on the target space acquired by the plurality of sensors and generate human detection information for each area, a sensor anomaly detection unit configured to detect an anomaly of each sensor, a status information output unit configured to output sensor status information for each area and for each sensor based on a detection result by the sensor anomaly detection unit , and an information processing unit configured to perform a predetermined process on the human detection information in accordance with the sensor status information, When the information processing type is set to corrected output, human detection information from only sensors in the area where no abnormalities have occurred is output as human detection information for the area to which the sensor in which an abnormality has occurred belongs, and when the sensor status information indicates an abnormality of the sensor and the information processing type is set to fixed output, predetermined information is output as human detection information for the area to which the sensor in which an abnormality has occurred belongs, and when the sensor status information indicates an abnormality of the sensor and the information processing type is set to non-output, human detection information for the area to which the sensor in which an abnormality has occurred belongs is not output, and when the sensor status information indicates an abnormality of the sensor and the information processing type is set to hold previous value, the human detection information output most recently is output as human detection information for the area to which the sensor in which an abnormality has occurred belongs .

In addition, the sensor information aggregation device of the present invention comprises a sensor information storage unit configured to pre-store information on the correspondence between the measurement range of each sensor that acquires information related to the presence/absence of people in the target space and the areas that divide the target space, a human detection unit configured to detect the position of a person based on information of the target space obtained by the multiple sensors and generate human detection information for each area, a sensor anomaly detection unit configured to detect abnormalities in each sensor, a status information output unit configured to output sensor status information for each area and for each sensor based on the detection results by the sensor anomaly detection unit, and an information processing unit configured to apply predetermined processing to the human detection information according to the sensor status information, wherein the status information output unit calculates the sum of the influence of sensors in which an abnormality has occurred on the human detection information for each area, and outputs the sensor status information indicating a sensor abnormality when the calculated value exceeds a predetermined threshold.
In one configuration example of the sensor information aggregating device of the present invention, each of the plurality of sensors is an infrared array sensor configured to detect a temperature of the target space.

Further, the sensor information aggregation method of the present invention includes a first step of detecting a position of a person based on information obtained by a plurality of sensors that acquire information related to the presence/absence of people in a target space, and generating human detection information for each area that divides the target space, a second step of detecting an abnormality in each sensor, a third step of outputting sensor status information for each area and for each sensor based on the detection results of the second step, and a fourth step of performing predetermined processing on the human detection information in accordance with the sensor status information, and the fourth step includes, when the sensor status information indicates an abnormality in the sensor and a preset information processing type is set to corrected output, performing human detection information for an area to which the sensor in which the abnormality occurs belongs. The method includes the steps of outputting, as information, human detection information from only sensors in the area where no abnormalities have occurred, and if the sensor status information indicates an abnormality in the sensor and the information processing type is set to fixed output, outputting predetermined information as human detection information for the area to which the sensor in which the abnormality has occurred belongs, and if the sensor status information indicates an abnormality in the sensor and the information processing type is set to non-output, not outputting human detection information for the area to which the sensor in which the abnormality has occurred belongs, and if the sensor status information indicates an abnormality in the sensor and the information processing type is set to hold previous value, outputting the human detection information output most recently as human detection information for the area to which the sensor in which the abnormality has occurred belongs .

In addition, the sensor information aggregation method of the present invention includes a first step of detecting the position of a person based on information obtained by a plurality of sensors that acquire information related to the presence/absence of people in a target space, and generating human detection information for each area that divides the target space, a second step of detecting abnormalities in each sensor, a third step of outputting sensor status information for each area and for each sensor based on the detection results of the second step, and a fourth step of applying predetermined processing to the human detection information according to the sensor status information, wherein the third step includes a step of calculating the sum of the influence of sensors in which abnormalities have occurred on the human detection information for each area, and outputting the sensor status information indicating a sensor abnormality if the calculated value exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

According to the present invention, since sensor abnormalities are detected and sensor status information is output, the reliability of human detection information can be determined based on the sensor status information. Furthermore, with the present invention, if there is an abnormality in the sensor, the human detection information can be processed in accordance with the on-site operational policy.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a sensor information aggregation device of an infrared array sensor system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a measurement range of the infrared array sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the sensor information aggregating device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a computer that realizes a sensor information aggregating device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a sensor information aggregation device of an infrared array sensor system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The sensor information aggregation device 1 includes a temperature acquisition unit 10, a human detection unit 11, a sensor anomaly detection unit 12, a status information output unit 13, an information processing unit 14, and a sensor information storage unit 15.

The sensor information aggregation device 1 is connected to multiple infrared array sensors 2-1 to 2-N (N is an integer equal to or greater than 2) via a communication line 3.

The infrared array sensors 2-1 to 2-N are arranged on the ceiling and walls of the target space 4, and detect the temperature of the floor of the target space 4 as information related to the presence/absence of people in the target space 4. Each of the infrared array sensors 2-1 to 2-N has a structure in which multiple infrared sensor chips are laid out in a flat plane. Each infrared sensor chip measures infrared rays emitted from an object at a distant point, thereby making it possible to determine the temperature.

Figure 2 shows an example of the measurement ranges of the infrared array sensors 2-1 to 2-N. Here, it is assumed that the infrared array sensors 2-1 to 2-8 are installed at equal intervals in a grid pattern on the ceiling 40 of the target space 4. Each of the infrared array sensors 2-1 to 2-8 has a square measurement range 20-1 to 20-8 within the plane of the floor 41 of the target space 4.

The target space 4 is divided into a plurality of areas. For example, in the example of Fig. 2, the target space 4 is divided into an area 5-1 and an area 5-2.
The areas 5-1 and 5-2 are spatial units set as targets for which air conditioning control devices and lighting control devices connected to the sensor information aggregating device of this embodiment perform individual control of air conditioning and lighting.

Each of the infrared array sensors 2-1 to 2-8 belongs to at least one area and measures the temperature of the floor surface of the area to which it belongs. For example, the infrared array sensors 2-1 to 2-3 and 2-5 to 2-7 belong to the area 5-1 (at least a part of the measurement ranges 20-1 to 20-3 and 20-5 to 20-7 is within the area 5-1). The infrared array sensors 2-3, 2-4, 2-7, and 2-8 belong to the area 5-2 (at least a part of the measurement ranges 20-3, 20-4, 20-7, and 20-8 is within the area 5-2).
The sensor information storage unit 15 stores in advance information on the correspondence between the measurement ranges 20-1 to 20-8 of the infrared array sensors 2-1 to 2-8 and the areas 5-1 and 5-2.

Figure 3 is a flowchart explaining the operation of the sensor information aggregating device 1 of this embodiment. The temperature acquisition unit 10 of the sensor information aggregating device 1 acquires the temperature measured by the infrared array sensors 2-1 to 2-8 for each of the infrared array sensors 2-1 to 2-8 and for each sensor chip of the infrared array sensors 2-1 to 2-8 (Figure 3, step S100).

The human detection unit 11 of the sensor information aggregation device 1 detects the position of people based on the temperature distribution on the floor surface of the target space 4 measured by the infrared array sensors 2-1 to 2-8, and generates human detection information for each area 5-1, 5-2 that includes at least one of information on the presence/absence of people and information on the number of people (Figure 3, step S101).

As described above, information on the correspondence between the measurement ranges 20-1 to 20-8 of each infrared array sensor 2-1 to 2-8 and the areas 5-1, 5-2 is stored in the sensor information storage unit 15. Therefore, it is possible to generate human detection information for each area 5-1, 5-2 based on the information stored in the sensor information storage unit 15. Methods for estimating the presence/absence of people and the number of people are disclosed, for example, in JP 2016-80619 A, JP 2018-204922 A, and JP 2019-8692 A.

Meanwhile, the sensor anomaly detection unit 12 of the sensor information aggregation device 1 detects anomalies in each of the infrared array sensors 2-1 to 2-8 (step S102 in FIG. 3). For example, when the temperature detected by the infrared array sensor 2-1 to 2-8 is higher than a predetermined upper limit value or lower than a predetermined lower limit value, the sensor anomaly detection unit 12 determines that the infrared array sensor is abnormal.

Next, the status information output unit 13 of the sensor information aggregation device 1 outputs the sensor status information of each infrared array sensor 2-1 to 2-8 for each area 5-1, 5-2 and for each infrared array sensor 2-1 to 2-8 based on the detection results by the sensor abnormality detection unit 12 (Figure 3, step S103).

For example, the status information output unit 13 outputs the identification number of the infrared array sensor in which an abnormality has occurred as sensor status information for each area 5-1, 5-2, outputs the number of infrared array sensors in which an abnormality has occurred as sensor status information for each area 5-1, 5-2, and outputs the ratio of the number of infrared array sensors in which an abnormality has occurred to the total number of infrared array sensors in the area as sensor status information for each area 5-1, 5-2.

The status information output unit 13 may also calculate, for each area, the sum Σxij of the influence of the infrared array sensor in which an abnormality has occurred on the human detection information for each area. The influence xij (i is the number of the sensor belonging to the area, and j is the area number) of the infrared array sensor on the human detection information for each area is determined in advance. This influence xij is determined, for example, based on the area of the measurement range of the infrared array sensor belonging to the area, and is stored in the sensor information storage unit 15.

2, the influences x11, x21, x51, and x61 of infrared array sensors 2-1, 2-2, 2-5, and 2-6, whose measurement ranges 20-1, 20-2, 20-5, and 20-6 are all within area 5-1, are set to 1. The influences x31 and x71 of infrared array sensors 2-3 and 2-7, whose measurement ranges 20-3 and 20-7 are each 25% within area 5-1, are set to 0.25. The influences x42 and x82 of infrared array sensors 2-4 and 2-8, whose measurement ranges 20-4 and 20-8 are all within area 5-2, are set to 1. In addition, the influences x32 and x72 of the infrared array sensors 2-3 and 2-7, whose measurement ranges 20-3 and 20-7 are each 75% within area 5-2, on the human detection information for area 5-2 are set to 0.75.

The status information output unit 13 adds up the influence degree xij of the infrared array sensor where an abnormality has occurred for each area. Then, the status information output unit 13 determines that an abnormality has occurred when the sum Σxij of the influence degrees xij for each area exceeds a predetermined threshold value y. The status information output unit 13 outputs this determination result as sensor status information for each of areas 5-1 and 5-2.

Next, the information processing unit 14 of the sensor information aggregation device 1 performs a predetermined process on the human detection information according to the sensor state information output from the state information output unit 13 (FIG. 3, step S104).

When the sensor status information indicates an abnormality in the infrared array sensor, the information processing unit 14 performs information processing based on the information processing type setting in advance. Here, information processing may be performed when the number of infrared array sensors in which an abnormality has occurred in the area exceeds a number threshold, information processing may be performed when the ratio of the number of infrared array sensors in which an abnormality has occurred exceeds a ratio threshold, information processing may be performed when an abnormality is determined based on the sum Σxij of the influence degrees xij for each area, or information processing may be performed if the number of infrared array sensors in which an abnormality has occurred in the area is even one.

There are four types of information processing, for example, corrected output, fixed output, no output, and retain previous value. The information processing type is set in advance according to the operational policy for air conditioning and lighting in the target space 4.

When the information processing type is set to correction output, the information processing unit 14 outputs human detection information from only infrared array sensors in which no abnormalities have occurred in the area to the control equipment for facility equipment such as air conditioning and lighting as human detection information for the area to which the infrared array sensor in which an abnormality has occurred belongs. In this case, human detection information can be generated for each of areas 5-1 and 5-2 based on the temperature distribution on the floor surface of the target space 4 measured by the infrared array sensor in which no abnormalities have occurred.

When the information processing type is set to fixed output, the information processing unit 14 outputs predetermined information to the control equipment of facility equipment such as air conditioning and lighting as human detection information for the area to which the infrared array sensor where the abnormality occurs belongs. Specifically, the information processing unit 14 outputs a fixed number of people for the area to which the infrared array sensor where the abnormality occurs belongs, outputs presence/absence information indicating the presence of people, or outputs presence/absence information indicating the absence of people. This makes it possible to control the air conditioning and lighting in the area to which the infrared array sensor where the abnormality occurs belongs to a predetermined state.

When the information processing type is set to non-output, the information processing unit 14 does not output human detection information for the area to which the infrared array sensor in which the abnormality occurred belongs. By not outputting human detection information, it becomes possible for the control equipment of facility equipment such as air conditioning and lighting to detect the abnormality.

When the information processing type is set to hold previous value, the information processing unit 14 outputs the most recently output human detection information to the control device of facility equipment such as air conditioning and lighting as human detection information for the area to which the infrared array sensor where the abnormality occurs belongs. This maintains the previous state of the air conditioning and lighting in the area to which the infrared array sensor where the abnormality occurs belongs.

The sensor information aggregating device 1 performs the processes of steps S100 to S104 at regular time intervals, for example, until the control of air conditioning or lighting is completed (YES in step S105 in FIG. 3).
As described above, in this embodiment, an abnormality in an infrared array sensor belonging to an area is detected and sensor status information is output, so that the reliability of human detection information can be determined based on the sensor status information. Also, in this embodiment, if an abnormality occurs in the infrared array sensor, the human detection information can be processed in accordance with the on-site operation policy.

In this embodiment, an infrared array sensor system has been used as an example, but the present invention is not limited to infrared array sensor systems and can be applied to sensor systems that use other sensors to detect the presence/absence of people.

The sensor information aggregation device 1 described in this embodiment can be realized by a computer equipped with a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a storage device, and an interface, and a program that controls these hardware resources. An example of the configuration of this computer is shown in FIG. 4. The computer is equipped with a CPU 200, a storage device 201, and an interface device (I/F) 202.

For example, an infrared array sensor, a control device, etc. are connected to the I/F 202. In such a computer, a program for implementing the sensor information aggregation method of the present invention is stored in the storage device 201. The CPU 200 executes the processing described in this embodiment according to the program stored in the storage device 201.

This invention can be applied to technology that integrates information from multiple sensors.

1... sensor information aggregation device, 2-1 to 2-N... infrared array sensors, 3... communication line, 10... temperature acquisition unit, 11... human detection unit, 12... sensor abnormality detection unit, 13... status information output unit, 14... information processing unit, 15... sensor information storage unit.

Claims (6)

a sensor information storage unit configured to store in advance information on a correspondence relationship between a measurement range of each sensor that acquires information related to the presence/absence of people in a target space and an area that divides the target space;
A human detection unit configured to detect a position of a person based on information of the target space obtained by the plurality of sensors and generate human detection information for each area;
A sensor abnormality detection unit configured to detect an abnormality in each sensor;
a status information output unit configured to output sensor status information for each area and for each sensor based on a detection result by the sensor abnormality detection unit;
an information processing unit configured to perform a predetermined process on the human detection information in accordance with the sensor state information ;
The information processing unit outputs human detection information from only sensors in the area where no abnormality has occurred as human detection information for the area to which the sensor in which the abnormality has occurred belongs when the sensor status information indicates an abnormality of the sensor and the information processing type set to fixed output, outputs predetermined information as human detection information for the area to which the sensor in which the abnormality has occurred belongs when the sensor status information indicates an abnormality of the sensor and the information processing type is set to fixed output, does not output human detection information for the area to which the sensor in which the abnormality has occurred belongs when the sensor status information indicates an abnormality of the sensor and the information processing type is set to non-output, and outputs the human detection information output most recently as human detection information for the area to which the sensor in which the abnormality has occurred belongs when the sensor status information indicates an abnormality of the sensor and the information processing type is set to hold previous value . a sensor information storage unit configured to store in advance information on a correspondence relationship between a measurement range of each sensor that acquires information related to the presence/absence of people in a target space and an area that divides the target space;
A human detection unit configured to detect a position of a person based on information of the target space obtained by the plurality of sensors and generate human detection information for each area;
A sensor abnormality detection unit configured to detect an abnormality in each sensor;
a status information output unit configured to output sensor status information for each area and for each sensor based on a detection result by the sensor abnormality detection unit;
an information processing unit configured to perform a predetermined process on the human detection information in accordance with the sensor state information;
The sensor information aggregation device is characterized in that the status information output unit calculates the sum of the influence of sensors in which abnormalities have occurred on the human detection information for each area, and outputs the sensor status information indicating a sensor abnormality when the calculated value exceeds a predetermined threshold. 3. The sensor information aggregating device according to claim 1 ,
The sensor information aggregation device, wherein each of the plurality of sensors is an infrared array sensor configured to detect the temperature of the target space. A first step of detecting a position of a person based on information obtained by a plurality of sensors that acquire information related to the presence/absence of a person in a target space, and generating person detection information for each area that divides the target space;
a second step of detecting an abnormality in each sensor;
a third step of outputting sensor state information for each area and for each sensor based on the detection result of the second step;
and a fourth step of performing a predetermined process on the human detection information in accordance with the sensor state information ,
The fourth step includes a step of outputting human detection information from only sensors in the area where no abnormality has occurred as human detection information for the area to which the sensor in which the abnormality has occurred belongs if the sensor status information indicates an abnormality of the sensor and a predetermined information processing type is set to corrected output, outputting predetermined information as human detection information for the area to which the sensor in which the abnormality has occurred belongs if the sensor status information indicates an abnormality of the sensor and the information processing type is set to fixed output, not outputting human detection information for the area to which the sensor in which the abnormality has occurred belongs if the sensor status information indicates an abnormality of the sensor and the information processing type is set to non-output, and outputting the human detection information output most recently as human detection information for the area to which the sensor in which the abnormality has occurred belongs if the sensor status information indicates an abnormality of the sensor and the information processing type is set to hold previous value . A first step of detecting a position of a person based on information obtained by a plurality of sensors that acquire information related to the presence/absence of a person in a target space, and generating person detection information for each area that divides the target space;
a second step of detecting an abnormality in each sensor;
a third step of outputting sensor state information for each area and for each sensor based on the detection result of the second step;
and a fourth step of performing a predetermined process on the human detection information in accordance with the sensor state information,
The third step of the sensor information aggregation method includes a step of calculating the sum of the influence of sensors in which an abnormality has occurred on the human detection information for each area, and outputting the sensor status information indicating a sensor abnormality when the calculated value exceeds a predetermined threshold. The sensor information aggregating method according to claim 4 or 5 ,
The sensor information aggregation method, wherein the plurality of sensors are infrared array sensors configured to detect the temperature of the target space.

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