WO2002041262A1

WO2002041262A1 - System for analysing people's movements

Info

Publication number: WO2002041262A1
Application number: PCT/FR2000/003179
Authority: WO
Inventors: Laurence Haquet
Original assignee: Laurence Haquet
Priority date: 2000-11-16
Filing date: 2000-11-16
Publication date: 2002-05-23
Also published as: EP1337975A1; AU2001220139A1

Abstract

The invention concerns a system for analysing people's movements in public or private places. The inventive system aims at continuously analysing the movements of people's feet in different places by means of devices placed in the floors of said places. Said devices are based, either on non-touch sensitive flat keyboards or optical fibres. Both are activated by the loads exerted by feet on the floors. They are arranged such that they constitute matrix form sensors. A calculator examines the sensors 10 to 20 times per second and continuously monitors all the people moving about in places thus equipped. Said monitoring enables to count the people, control the presence of people in certain places, determine the evolution, the distribution of people in said places and define the boarding points or alighting points of public transport passengers for example.

Description

SYSTEM FOR ANALYZING THE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE

The present invention relates to the movements and displacements of people, in particular in public places. The system is based on the continuous analysis of the movements of people's feet on specially equipped floors; these soils are those of stations, terminals, stations, shops, banks, museums, halls, offices, factories, penal establishments, public transport (metros, buses, coaches, trams, railroad cars, ships and aircraft ...) , sensitive places ... The system according to the invention applies in particular:

- counting people in these places,

- to control the presence of people in these places for either security, acquittal and passage fees. This involves detecting people in an irregular situation and, secondarily, compiling statistics based on various criteria such as the hours of the day, the places ...

- the analysis of the distribution, circulation and frequentation of people in different parts of the same public place and the identification of frequency peaks at certain times and, secondarily, the development of various statistics,

- determining the entry and exit points of each of the people who have used these places,

- the determination of the places and times of ascent and descent of people in public transport, - to the reporting of people starting to run in certain places,

- to the very fine analysis of the imprints and movement of the feet for therapeutic purposes or diagnostic assistance,

- surveillance of the elderly, dangerous or sensitive areas, workplaces or private places, - detection of intruders,

- to the statistical evaluation of the time of presence of people in front of stands or exhibitions,

- to the statistical analysis of the movement of animals in order to count them and determine, for example, their places of passage on a territory. The system according to the invention also makes it possible to establish:

- the correlation, on board aircraft and ships, of the number of people on board with the number of life jackets available,

- correlation with other surveillance systems in particular, in order to allow intruder tracking in the event of failure of these systems or when the fields of view cameras were moved by the intruders themselves before they entered a monitored place.

Today, this type of analysis only really exists with regard to the automatic counting of people in public places. But the subject is not really mastered.

Indeed the current counting systems are essentially based:

* on pattern recognition and image analysis by linear or matrix cameras with markings on the ground,

* on the detection of people by photoelectric cells, * on the detection of people by passive devices sensitive to human radiation in the infrared spectrum.

These methods provide results whose reliability and precision are poor. Indeed the analysis of images in three dimensions is complex, the discrimination of the different people in a crowd is delicate. As for the beam methods, the discontinuity of the measurement points, their positioning and their number pose problems which are difficult to solve on the sites, so that the results are not very reliable. Regarding podiatrists, they now have devices that do not rely on a very fine and above all continuous analysis of foot movements. The object of the invention is to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks. To this end, the invention relates to a system for analyzing the movement of people in public or private places comprising ground equipment fitted with sensors, coupled to a computer in order to detect the presence and monitor the feet of the people on the ground equipment, said system being coupled to means of control and / or toll, characterized in that it comprises separators arranged at the entrances of public places in order to allow the system to discriminate the feet of each person, counting people and locating the feet of people in regular situation or not with regard to the presentation of a badge required by the means of control and tolling or with regard to the payment of a required fee and make it possible to ensure continuous monitoring of the route taken by people in an irregular situation from their entry to their exit on the ground equipment.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description given with reference to the appended drawings, which represent: Figure 1, a structure of a flat keyboard implemented in the invention for the production of floor equipment.

FIG. 2, an embodiment of ground equipment using optical fibers.

Figure 3, an embodiment of a matrix sensor. Figures 4 to 7, an example of a timing diagram showing an evolution of the state of the ground equipment sensors when they are requested by the walking of people.

The present invention is based on a continuous monitoring, in the measurement areas, of the movements of the feet of people using specially equipped floors. Two equipment processes are possible:

1- A carpet incorporates a flat keyboard of very small thickness comprising keys arranged in a matrix manner and the center distance of which is of the order of two centimeters in two dimensions. The flat keyboard is sandwiched in the carpet, which is thus made up of: - a hard, wear-resistant top layer 1 to 2 mm thick,

- a thickness of polyurethane foam of 2 to 3 mm,

- a flat keyboard 1 mm thick, the keys of which have no tactile effect and the structure of which is given below,

- the last layer, resting on the ground, is also a 2mm thick polyurethane foam. The whole carpet having a thickness of about 7 mm.

All this is in the form of 60x60 cm plates that are placed on the ground in the areas to be checked. As shown in Figure 1, the structure of the flat keyboard has the following 7 elements:

1- Polycarbonate front panel 2- Acrylic front adhesive

3- Upper polyester circuit

4- Acrylic interlayer

5- Lower polyester circuit

6- Back adhesive in acrylic 7- Flounder and connector.

Each of the layers (1 to 6) has a thickness of the order of a hundred microns. All 6 elements having a thickness slightly less than a millimeter. The circuits of the flat keyboard of each of the plates come out below via the ribbon cable (7), about 1 mm thick and about ten centimeters wide. The passage of the flounders is done, either in the ground, or under the neighboring plates.

A simpler version would consist in placing said keyboard under a carpet instead of inserting it in its thickness. The carpet with the right composition.

2- Another floor equipment is based on the use of a fiber optic network. The operating principle of optical fiber is based on the fact that when the fiber is curved, a variation in the transmitted light power is created. In the carpet is woven an optical fiber which constitutes the longitudinal mesh by a series of back and forth.

Perpendicular to this fiber, other fiber elements are also woven as shown in Figure 2; the whole constituting a matrix whose nodes are distant from each other, in 2 dimensions, by about 2 cm. The network of fibers thus formed is embedded in a polyurethane-based product which protects it while allowing the transmission of the forces exerted by the feet.

This carpet can be in the form of plates 1 meter wide and long and a few millimeters thick.

The sensor mat incorporates the optoelectronic transmitter and receiver. The connection between the sensor and the electronics is carried out by a continuous 5 N conductor over a distance which can go up to 50 meters.

In both cases, the ground equipment leads to multiplexers and then to a computer of known type, not shown. The latter examines the matrix sensor 10 to 20 times per second by scanning the rows and columns (matrix reading); it thus determines the state of the various nodes of the matrix. Indeed the weight of the body exerts a pressure on the ground which requests a certain number of keys of the flat keyboard or of nodes of the optoelectronic sensor. At a given instant, the pressure is applied on a few points or even only a few zones corresponding to each of the feet. The number of these points or the extent of these zones depend directly on the sensitivity of the system, which results from the thickness of each of the components of the sensitive mat including the thicknesses of the constituents of the flat keyboard or the diameters of the optical fibers. The thicknesses and diameters must be adapted to the different applications of the system and to the role that we want it to play. The frequency of reading of the matrix sensor is important (10 to 20 times per second) compared to the speed of sequence of the movements of a human being, so that one can affirm that the observation of the system constitutes a follow-up continuous movement of each foot; between the sampling instant tn and the sampling instant tn + 1, there is a significant number of points whose state has not changed. This at least for one of the two feet of the same person.

It can be said that the system constantly and securely tracks each foot, with no possible confusion. The different points between tn and tn + 1 (different but contiguous) make it possible to analyze the evolution of the displacement. The numbers of lines solicited by a foot and the numbers of points solicited on each of the lines provide a length, a width and an envelope of the footprints of the shoes; this data is sufficient to identify approximately each of the shoes present, to differentiate them and associate them two by two in order to count travelers. Analysis of this data makes it possible to exclude any parasitic objects such as canes, umbrellas, suitcases or even young children if necessary.

At the entrance to transport vehicles as well as at the entrance to certain public places, in part of the equipped areas, people are channeled thanks to vertical columns or appropriately placed grab bars. These elements act as separation and serve, if necessary, to support payment or passage control devices. In this case, the crossing of these devices implies an action of recognition or payment (remote or not) on the part of the people and an exchange of technical information between the fixed device and a pass or presence shown by each person. These types of separator being known, it does not appear necessary to represent them. The proposed system, linked to the payment or control system, follows the feet in the measurement area and in particular when the feet pass in front of the payment or control devices and differentiates between those belonging to a person who has performed the required action and those of the person who did not perform the required action and thus placed himself in an irregular situation. The objectives of the project lead to distinguish two types of dimensions of public places:

- moderately large areas such as public transport cars, halls, offices, etc. ... with which the floors can be fitted, as we have described, over their entire surface, - and the larger areas which may only be equipped at their entrances and exits, as well as in a few key places.

In the first case, the proposed system continuously monitors the movements of people throughout the entire area; so that it is able, in addition to the automatic counting of people, to indicate:

- the points of entry and exit of people in the various premises,

- the places and times of ascent and descent of each person in public transport,

- the routes of each person in the different parts of the same public place,

- the place where people in an irregular situation are and this at any time in public transport for example or in safe areas.

In the second case, the proposed system automatically counts:

- inbound, - outbound,

- and the numbers of passages at key locations.

It goes without saying that a system equivalent to that which has just been described can be implemented for monitoring, for statistical analysis purposes, the passage of animals in predetermined places in a territory. FIG. 3 represents a small part of the matrix sensor at scale Vi: each small point represents a sensor. In reality, the space between two sensors is 2 cm in two dimensions. Horizontally, the lines are numbered from 1 to n; line 1 corresponding to the start of the control zone. In the diagram, only lines 10, 20 and 30 are numbered. The example shown, Figures 3 to 7, is that of a traveler entering a public transport vehicle; it appears for the first time on the control zone, at time to, about forty centimeters from the start of the zone; precisely his shoe will solicit sensors on lines 25, 26, 27 and 28. The solicited sensors are shown diagrammatically by the large black squares; they are:

7 on line 25 8 "26

8 "27

9 "28 Figure 4, in its part to, uses the example of Figure 3, on a very different scale. The line numbers are mentioned with the numbers of requested sensors opposite (7 in line 25 etc.).

The following observation, still in Figure 4, takes place, one tenth of a second later, ie at tl; line 29 is requested this time. This fact already gives direction to the movement of the person. Line 25 will gradually disappear, at t2 partially, then at t3 completely.

At t4 a second foot appears on the right part of the observed area, starting with a heel. Then the footprints of this foot will complete at t5, t6 and t7; the first foot will be raised completely at t7 (left side).

Then the first foot will take up a new place, at t9 (Figure 5), without however being placed at the front of the second foot which means that there is trampling of the traveler. It will be the same for the second foot which will rise, at 112, and rest in lines 49, 50, 51 (at tl3) thus marking a very weak progression (it was previously, at t4, in line 42, 43 and 44). The trampling is thus very marked: the reason is for example, the congestion of people or the slowing down caused by the action of control or toll imposed on this place. And so on, Figures 6 and 7, until observation t31; all 32 observations lasting 3.2 seconds. It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the examples which have just been described and that in particular, the shapes, dimensions, arrangements and materials mentioned to describe the system, as well as the various sub-assemblies which compose it, may vary. within the limit of technical equivalents, and of the different possible applications of the invention.

Claims

1- System for analyzing the movement of people, especially in public places with ground equipment fitted with sensors (1, ..., 7), coupled with a computer to detect the presence and follow the feet of people on ground equipment, said system being coupled to means of control and / or tolling, characterized in that it comprises separators placed at the entrances of public places in order to allow the system to discriminate the feet of each person, counting people and locating the feet of people in a regular situation or not with regard to the presentation of a badge required by the means of control and tolling or with regard to the payment of a required fee and make it possible to ensure continuous monitoring of the route taken by people in an irregular situation from their entry to their exit on the ground equipment.

2- System according to claim 1, characterized in that it performs a continuous monitoring of the forces applied to the ground equipment by the feet of people.

3- System according to any one of claims 1 and 2 characterized in that the floor equipment covers all or part of the space reserved for people in the public place.

4- System according to any one of claims 1 to 3 characterized in that it performs an examination at least every tenth of a second and that, with regard to the movements of a human being, this frequency makes it possible to establish monitoring continuous movements of the feet of people and define the direction and evolution of the walk of people.

5- System according to any one of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that the entrances of public places are provided with separators allowing the system to discriminate each of the feet, to follow them and to associate them two by two in a safe way and thus to count people. 6- System according to any one of claims 1 to 5 characterized in that it determines the movement of the feet of people by identification of each of the shoes by defining their entry and exit points by a sampled observation of the situation of the state of the sensors (1, ..., 7) of the ground equipment between each current sampling instant tn + 1 and that of the previous instant tn. 7- System according to claim 6 _' characterized in that the entry and exit points are, in public transport vehicles, the points of ascent and descent of travelers.

8- System according to any one of claims 1 to 7 characterized in that it performs a constant monitoring of the movement of people in public places covered in all of their surface by ground equipment, and provides at any time, in real time, the position of people in an irregular situation in these places.

9- System according to any one of claims 1 to 8 characterized in that it allows, by performing a sampling of the state of the sensors (1, ..., 7) between the instants current tn + 1 and previous tn , to detect the presence of a strong acceleration of a movement, signifying that the observed person starts to run.

10- System according to any one of claims 1 to 9 characterized in that the floor equipment has the form of a carpet and comprises a set of flat keyboards (1, ... 7) juxtaposed, of small thickness, each flat keyboard comprising keys arranged in a matrix whose center distance is of the order of 2 cm in two dimensions, the flat keyboards being sandwiched between one or more layers of material insulating the carpet.

11- System according to any one of claims 1 to 10 characterized in that the keyboard is arranged between a hard and wear-resistant upper layer resting on the keyboard by means of a sheet of polyurethane foam, and a lower layer of polyurethane foam.

12- System according to any one of claims 1 to 11 characterized in that each keyboard has a polycarbonate front face (1), an acrylic front adhesive (2), a polyester upper circuit (3), a spacer in acrylic (4), a polyester lower circuit (5), an acrylic rear adhesive (6) and a ribbon cable (7) coupled to a connector, all of these elements being juxtaposed in this order.

13- System according to any one of claims 1 to 9 characterized in that the ground equipment comprises a network of optical fibers woven into a carpet in a matrix mesh, the nodes of the mesh being spaced apart in the directions of the lines and matrix columns of approximately 2 cm.

14- Use of the system according to any one of claims 1 to 9 for the detection, by podiatrists, of faults or anomalies relating to the walking or to the feet of people by examination, point by point, of the imprints of the feet moving on ground equipment. 15- Use of the system according to any one of claims 1 to 9 for monitoring the passage of animals in determined crossing points of a territory.