Concept
People Counting
The Insight-Sensor supports people counting through a thermal image sensor.
Thermal Image Sensor
The sensor is designed to detect and count people in an area inside a building. The people counting function can be used, for example, for space (occupancy) management and control of HVAC.
Based on innovative image processing and thermal infrared imager technology, the sensor detects people and counts anonymously each person in a specific area.
The thermal image sensor is of type longwave infrared (LWIR) microbolometer, without any mechanical shutter. The sensor has a wide field of view of 120 degrees. The sensor is light-independent and works even in total darkness. The thermal images captured by the sensor are of low resolution (80 x 80 pixels).
The thermal image sensor senses the heat radiation from each individual. The device applies advanced image processing to the thermal images, and the result is a people count number, which is periodically transmitted to the RP controller. The information from the device cannot be used to identify people.
Example of a thermal image of 11 people sitting around a table
To enable the people count calculations, the thermal image captured by the sensor is compared to a background image. The background image is an image without any people present in the area. The background image can be refreshed by executing a command in the EcoStruxure Building Operation software. The command can be executed either automatically, once a day at a configurable time, or manually. Depending on the configuration, the background image is not refreshed (captured) immediately, but only when the passive infrared (PIR) sensor indicates that no one has moved in the area recently, for example, the last 10 minutes. For more information, see Segment People Count Inputs .
The Insight-Sensor must be installed with the thermal image sensor facing down. If the device is installed on a wall, the thermal image sensor will not work properly.
The Insight-Sensor supports mounting heights from 2.5 to 3 m (8.2 to 10 ft). Installing the device higher than 3 m (10 ft) or lower than 2.5 m (8.2 ft) from the floor can significantly impair the performance of the people counting function. The height at which the device is installed must be configured in the EcoStruxure Building Operation software during commissioning. If the installed height is not correctly configured in the software, the counting accuracy may be degraded. For more information, see Configuring an Insight-Sensor .
The sensor detection range depends on which height the sensor is mounted, as shown in the following figure and table. The detection range is measured at the level of 1 m (3.3 ft) above the floor.
People counting detection range (diameter)
|
Sensor mounting height |
Sensor detection range (diameter) |
|
3.0 m (10 ft) |
7.0 m (22 ft) |
|
2.7 m (9 ft) |
5.8 m (19 ft) |
|
2.5 m (8 ft) |
5.2 m (17 ft) |
The accuracy of the people counting function is specified below. The value specified is an average and not the accuracy of each measurement. As described, the counting accuracy depends on several different conditions that must be met.
|
Average counting accuracy |
Conditions |
|
Up to 90%
|
The conditions that must be met to achieve the specified counting accuracy primarily include, but is not limited to, a correctly installed and configured device. Examples of additional conditions that affect the counting accuracy and therefore need to be considered:
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The sensor itself does not need to be calibrated on site, but as mentioned above, the installed height must be configured in the EcoStruxure Building Operation software during commissioning. Depending on the installation, the properties for refresh of the background image as well as the sensor's detection area may need to be configured.
The EcoStruxure Building Operation software provides the following Insight-Sensor configuration properties:
Installed height (distance from the floor to the device in the ceiling)
Refresh background mode (automatic or manual)
Refresh background time (time of day when the command for automatic refresh of the background image is triggered)
Minimum no motion time (minimum time without any motion detected that must elapse before the refresh background command is executed)
For more information, see Configuring an Insight-Sensor .
Using the EcoStruxure Building Operation software, the thermal image sensor's detection area can be configured to reduce overlapping areas between two devices to minimize the risk of a person being counted twice. The detection area can also be adjusted to exclude heat radiating objects such as radiators and windows heated by solar rays, and to exclude corridors and other adjacent areas through which people just pass by.
For more information, see Insight-Sensor Masks .
RP Controller Expansion Modules
Sensor Modules
RP-C-EXT-IS-BLE
Segment People Count Inputs
Insight-Sensor Masks
Configuring an Insight-Sensor
Motion Detection
RP Controller Expansion Insight-Sensor Device Installation