2013 · 17 citations · 0 references
Knowing the presence or the actual number of occupants in a space at any given time is essential for the effective management of various building operation functions such as security and environmental control (e.g., lighting, HVAC). In the past, motion detection using Passive Infrared (PIR) sensors has been widely deployed in commercial buildings and can provide data on “presence ” status. However, there are known limitations with PIR sensors, even for occupant presence detection, in that detection error can occur when the occupant is stationary or performing common tasks in the office space involving small movement such as typing or reading. Moreever, PIR can not detect the number of the occupants in the space. As occupants “interact ” with the indoor environment, they