Facility occupancy detection with thermal grid sensor

A method for providing an availability status associated with a facility, the method comprising:

• determining, with an electronic controller, a current availability status associated with a facility subsystem of the facility as unavailable responsive to a thermal grid array sensor:
• detecting a heat signature in an outside region located outside of the facility subsystem,
• subsequently detecting the heat signature in an entryway region located in an entryway of the facility subsystem, and
• subsequently detecting the heat signature in an inside region located inside of the facility subsystem;
• determining, with the electronic controller, the current availability status associated with the facility subsystem as available responsive to the thermal grid array sensor:
• detecting the heat signature in the inside region,
• subsequently detecting the heat signature in the entryway, and
• subsequently detecting the heat signature in the outside region;
• and
• controlling, with the electronic controller, an illumination indicator associated with the facility subsystem to indicate the current availability status associated with the facility subsystem.

An apparatus for providing an availability status associated with a facility, the apparatus comprising:

• an illumination indicator associated with a facility subsystem of the facility;
• a thermal grid array sensor configured to sense:
• an outside region located outside of the facility subsystem,
• an entryway region located in an entryway of the facility subsystem, and
• an inside region located inside of the facility subsystem;
• and
• an electronic controller communicatively coupled to the illumination indicator and the thermal grid array sensor, the electronic controller configured to:
• determine a current availability status associated with the facility subsystem as unavailable responsive to the thermal grid array sensor:
• detecting a heat signature in the outside region,
• subsequently detecting the heat signature in the entryway region, and
• subsequently detecting the heat signature in the inside region,
• determine the current availability status associated with the facility subsystem as available responsive to the thermal grid array sensor:
• detecting the heat signature in the inside region,
• subsequently detecting the heat signature in the entryway region, and
• subsequently detecting the heat signature in the outside region, and
• control the illumination indicator to indicate the current availability status associated with the facility subsystem.