Room Occupancy Counters -- Need Help!

[fcwilt]

Does it detect small children?

 

[drozwood90]

Does it detect small children?

I'm guessing no, due to where he states he mounted the sensors.

--Dan

 

[jrs0628]

I'm guessing no, due to where he states he mounted the sensors.

--Dan

It's possible. I mounted mine 43.5" high just because I knew I would never get false positives from swinging hands. I did try it lower and it worked pretty well. The only thing you would have to watch out for is if you swing your hands out when you walk. If on the off chance your hands jetted out (completely skipping the beams) over the sensor, then came back down from the other side swinging back, it would make it appear as if you traveled in the opposite direction when you pass through because your hand would cross the far beam first. I just takes some experimentation to find the right height for you.

 

[drozwood90]

I think the only issue I see for this is, in my house, it's a bit more OPEN, so I would only be able to implement this on upper floor rooms. My bottom floor has too much traffic in too open of a space. I'll have to rely on things like pressure pads on seats in order to tell if people are in the room.

Great idea! Great implementation! Would you be putting a kit together at some point? I'd love to put something like this in my upper floors. Especially the bathrooms!

--Dan

Jon,

Bump?

--Dan

 

[jrs0628]

Jon,

Bump?

--Dan

Sorry, forgot to respond to this one

I think I can. I actually just ordered 3 PCB boards from ExpressPCB last night. I've never made a PCB board before, so hopefully it will go well. I can either give you the PCB board design file and component list, or have more printed and make a kit. The only hesitation I have is that I always tailor my devices to my house and individual design needs, so it might would require some modification for you to use it. For example, if you already have a RS485 network that you use, my network protocol I use for device addressing and commands is probably much different. Although you could probably get around that since the devices don't communicate to each other, just to the central computer. I'll put some thought into it and see what I can come up with.

 

[drozwood90]

Sorry, forgot to respond to this one

I think I can. I actually just ordered 3 PCB boards from ExpressPCB last night. I've never made a PCB board before, so hopefully it will go well. I can either give you the PCB board design file and component list, or have more printed and make a kit. The only hesitation I have is that I always tailor my devices to my house and individual design needs, so it might would require some modification for you to use it. For example, if you already have a RS485 network that you use, my network protocol I use for device addressing and commands is probably much different. Although you could probably get around that since the devices don't communicate to each other, just to the central computer. I'll put some thought into it and see what I can come up with.

Thank you for spending the time with it to help the community!

Me personally, I would be pulling new wires, or using unused existing wire, so I don't really care what protocol it is.

For me, it's a time thing. To do something like this, I don't have the time for it. I've been having to pull back what I know I can and say I will do. To what can I get done in the time I have. The rest I'll have to pay for.

So really, anything you have doesn't matter to me, it would be a fresh install.

--Dan

 

[fwd03]

To actually to get the occupancy accurately, you will have to have a ultrasound transmitter and receiver, the PIC16 has to be smart enought to figure out when will be the empty room, and compare that with any time all the time. IR sensor along will not do it, since if someone sitting there reading for a while, it will turn the light off for you.

Ultrasound measuring the room "space", if someone in it, it will "hear" the room is smaller or larger, because sound bouncing inside the room all the time.

 

[drozwood90]

It's a room counter by counting people entering. If you enter, it counts up. If you exit you count down.

If it goes up, you assume someone is in the room.

--Dan

 

[fwd03]

It's a room counter by counting people entering. If you enter, it counts up. If you exit you count down.

If it goes up, you assume someone is in the room.

--Dan

how can you tell people is enetering or leaving a room? If you have a sensor can reliable tell that people are in it, you might not need any other sensor.

 

[drozwood90]

how can you tell people is enetering or leaving a room? If you have a sensor can reliable tell that people are in it, you might not need any other sensor.

You can see how the sensor is mounted here:
http://www.cocoontech.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18483&view=findpost&p=157593

you trigger one, then the other and it will either count UP or down.

--Dan

 

[jrs0628]

I finally got around to doing a semi-complete writeup. I have pictures of the completed PCBs and a bunch more of me installing it. I still need to add a parts list and all that stuff when I can get some time. I'm worn out from all the door frames I have pulled off the past few weeks Here is the link:

Occupancy Detector & People Counter

 

[TurboSam]

Jon, very impressive. I've been playing with occupancy detection/counting with commercial so-called "occupancy detectors" and, with much more success, a digital direction sensing infrared motion detector from Glolab (the DP-005) (used with counting logic) for almost a year now, but your solution offers a higher WAF for many of my doors and rooms.

Is all of the logic for detecting occupants done in the PIC and all of the counting logic done in the MisterHouse software or do you use the PIC for the counting too....?

 

[jrs0628]

Jon, very impressive. I've been playing with occupancy detection/counting with commercial so-called "occupancy detectors" and, with much more success, a digital direction sensing infrared motion detector from Glolab (the DP-005) (used with counting logic) for almost a year now, but your solution offers a higher WAF for many of my doors and rooms.

Is all of the logic for detecting occupants done in the PIC and all of the counting logic done in the MisterHouse software or do you use the PIC for the counting too....?

Hey Sam,

I'll have to look those up. I do all the detecting in the PIC and all the counting logic in MisterHouse just like you were thinking. The PICs are not smart enough to be a brain, so I just use them as the eyes

 

[drozwood90]

Jon,

The stress sensors (stress sensor)...are they pretty linear?

Was thinking of doing something like this...but I don't have a 485 network. I might just do a 1-wire network with a custom interruptable controller...

--Dan

 

[beaumeri]

Any new or updates on your door node Jon S.??

I'm looking do do something similar and I'm looking for some schematic or guidance on what you've built.

Let me know when you're back around. I've left you messages every where I could.. lol

In the mean time any electronic genius around who can help me to do something similar..

I'm just looking for a single IR beam to connect to the ELK as a contact. I have very basic electronic skills.

Any help is welcome.