• • • SMART BUILDINGS & IOT • • •
How reliable and affordable presence detection can change the space
management of the future Christoph Kämmerer, emerging business manager, Analog Devices, looks at the growing role of presence detection and, considers current market detection systems, and the advantages of active infrared sensors versus passive infrared sensors
P
resence detection, which is also referred to as human presence detection, is the ability to identify or locate the existence of people in a specific area or physical space. Presence detection in interior spaces is becoming more and more important – and especially accelerated by the recent developments of Covid-19. Interesting use cases of presence detection can range throughout interior spaces such as offices, elevator cabins, corridors, and retail space.
In elevators, for example, detection can be a helpful and even life-saving tool in case of emergency situations. In retail applications, presence detection can be used to monitor behavioural patterns, and this data can help optimise product placement and in turn benefit both retailers and consumers. Additionally, presence detection can be used to detect the utility of an office space. For example, if offices are underutilised due to travel or work-from-home, a company can use presence detection to assess usage and reduce the number of office desks where/if applicable.
30 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • APRIL 2023
Presence detection can also be applied in applications such as mobile offices, where in some locations a remote worker may not have a designated work desk but would need to locate an available workspace through a mobile office provider. These applications require intelligent, cost-effective solutions that are easy to integrate into current designs.
Current market presence detection systems
There are multiple solutions for presence detection on the market, such as time of flight, radar, 2D cameras, and passive or active infrared presence detectors. The price range, but also accuracy, of these can differ significantly.
While a high-end time of flight sensor provides the highest accuracy in presence detection, it is on the upper end of the cost scale. Thus, it is used for critical solutions such as human-robot interactions. Infrared presence detectors, on the other hand, can offer a desirable level of accuracy for less critical applications at a much lower cost.
Active infrared sensor
advantages over passive sensors While both active and passive sensors can provide a cost-effective solution, active sensors can be used in high accuracy counting mode. Additionally, it is mandatory for a presence detection sensor to recognise even the smallest movements in a variety of lighting scenarios. The active infrared sensor is much more effective as it actively emits infrared light in order to detect people. This is in contrast to passive sensing, which relies only on reflections of infrared light from the human body.
An active infrared solution also can contain an active infrared sensor (IR) that can not only be used to detect moving, but also non-moving people, thus preventing false negatives. Due to its optical principle, the sensor can be hidden behind toned plastic or glass, which is IR transparent and can therefore be conveniently incorporated into the design of the product and the interior environment.
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk
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