Advanced Occupancy System
Mitch Williams
Adam Winter
Shane Woolwine
Introduction
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It is our goal to develop a new sensory system that
will allow a system operator to determine the
availability of an area of interest. Sensor results are
conveyed to a remotely located system display.
This new system is based on a collection of existing
technology that will be used to collect real time data
within a perimeter of operation.
Three situations concerning area of interest
availability have been identified.
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An individual is located in an AOI.
Objects or possessions have been left in an AOI.
The AOI is unoccupied.
Motivation
Our motivation for this product is to
increase consumer efficiency by
developing a product that improves time
management through the use of a more
advanced organizational system.
 Currently methods for determining and
monitoring the availability of an area of
interest require large amounts of wasted
time and effort.
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Possible Applications
Library Tables & Study Areas
 Classrooms & Conference Rooms
 Energy Conservation
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Heating and air systems configured to adapt
to information collected by the occupancy
system.
Sociology
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What areas do individuals tend to occupy?
Current Competition
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People Counters
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Technology that uses motion detectors to
count the number of people in an area of
interest to determine occupancy levels
Surveillance & Security Companies
 Energy Efficiency Companies
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Systems that perform tasks such as turning
off lights or appliances when they are not in
use
Customer Needs
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Display
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Privacy
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The system does not invade consumer privacy, i.e.
no cameras
Appearance
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The ability to view information from a remote
location
Does not interfere with normal activity
Reliability
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The system requires minimal user intervention
Customer Needs - 2
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Versatility
System is extensible and expandable
 Can be implemented in a variety of locations
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Accuracy
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Can adjust for different occupancy scenarios
Cost
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The system is priced affordably
Key Sub Problems
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Sense Presence in Area of Interest
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What sensor(s) can give us the best
information regarding occupancy while still
maintaining power and privacy restrictions?
Process Sensor Data
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What is the best method to accurately
process sensor data and efficiently relay
necessary occupant information?
Interesting Sub-Solutions
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Sense Presence
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Motion Sensor
• Accuracy concern
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Thermal Sensor
• Unable to adjust to different occupancy scenarios
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Camera
• Privacy Invasion
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Combination Sonar & Thermal (selected)
• Satisfies level of accuracy, desired information,
and most customer needs
Interesting Sub-Solutions - 2
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Process Sensor Data
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FPGA
• Not in our skill set
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PC
• Not Versatile
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Sensor Node (selected)
• Versatility & Ease of use
Final Concept
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A combination sensor scheme
Thermal & Sonar
 Possibly aggregated in one box or a multipart design
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Sensor Node
A microcontroller with radio
 Used to analyze sensor data and transmit
relative information
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Diagram - Aggregate Model
Diagram - Multi-part Model
Proto-type
Detect people, object, both, or neither in a
given area represented by a table
 Break occupancy area (table) into a
quadrant to show region occupancy
 Transmit the data wirelessly to a gateway
mote connected to a PC and display
information on PC
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