US 11,776,260 B2 · Facility occupancy detection with thermal grid sensor

Abstract

Systems, methods and apparatus for providing an availability status associated with a facility. One system includes an illumination indicator, a thermal grid array sensor, and an electronic controller. The thermal grid array sensor is configured to sense an outside region, an entryway region, and an inside region associated with a facility subsystem. The electronic controller is configured to determine the current availability status as unavailable responsive to the thermal grid array sensor detecting a heat signature in the outside region, subsequently in the entryway region, and subsequently in the inside region. The electronic controller is also configured to determine the current availability status as available responsive to the thermal grid array sensor detecting the heat signature in the inside region, subsequently in the entryway region, and subsequently in the outside region. The electronic controller is further configured to control the illumination indicator to indicate the current availability status.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A visual indicator operable to indicate locally an availability status associated with a facility, the visual indicator comprising:

a housing comprising an illumination unit operable to display at least two separate illumination colors indicting the availability status associated with the facility;
an infrared sensor unit configured to detect a heat signature of a person passing through a plurality of detection zones configured for the facility;
and
a controller coupled to the illumination unit and infrared sensor unit and configured to:
receive sensor data from the infrared sensor unit;
process the sensor data to determine the availability status based on the heat signature passing through each of the detection zones, wherein the availability status is determined as unavailable by:
detecting the heat signature in a first zone of the detection zones,
subsequently detecting the heat signature in a second zone of the detection zones, and
subsequently detecting the heat signature in a third zone of the detection zones;
and
control the illumination unit to indicate the availability status.

8 more elements

A visual indication system comprising:

a visual indicator comprising:
an infrared sensor unit configured to detect a heat signature of a person passing through a plurality of detection zones configured for a facility;
and
a housing comprising an illumination unit operable to display at least two separate illumination colors;
a remote display unit;
and
a controller communicatively coupled to the visual indicator and configured to:
receive sensor data from the infrared sensor unit;
process the sensor data to determine an availability status based on the heat signature passing through each of the detection zones, wherein the availability status is determined as unavailable by:
detecting the heat signature in a first zone of the detection zones,
subsequently detecting the heat signature in a second zone of the detection zones, and
subsequently detecting the heat signature in a third zone of the detection zones;
control the illumination unit to indicate the availability status;
and
provide, to the remote display unit, the status of the visual indicator, wherein the remote display unit is configured to display the status of the visual indicator.

12 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facility occupancy detection with thermal grid sensor

Life of this patent

Facility occupancy detection with thermal grid sensor

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18