An Ultrasonic Sensor for Human Presence Detection to Assist Rescue Work in Large Buildings

An Ultrasonic Sensor for Human Presence Detection to Assist Rescue Work in Large Buildings

van Groeningen, T. (Student TU Delft)
Driessen, J.N. (TU Delft Microwave Sensing, Signals & Systems)
Söhl, J. (TU Delft Statistics)
Voûte, R.L. (TU Delft OLD Department of GIS Technology; TU Delft OLD Urban Design; CGI)

2018

When the fire brigade arrives at a burning building, it is of vital importance that people who are still inside can quickly be found. Smart buildings should be able to expose this location data to the fire brigade working in a smart city. In this paper the feasibility is researched of using ultrasonic sound sensors for human presence detection in smoke-filled spaces. This type of sensor could assist the fire brigade when evacuating a large building by directing them to the places where their help is most needed. The advantage of ultrasonic sound over other sensors or cameras is that its signal is able to pierce through smoke, does not require badges or other wearable devices and introduces little privacy and security risks. In addition, ultrasonic sensors are very inexpensive making it possible to equip every room of a building with an ultrasonic presence detector. In this research both a preliminary ultrasound measuring device and signal processing algorithm have been designed. Testing results show that the walking movement of a person in an indoor area can be detected with the combination of the sensor and the algorithms. In addition, tests of the signal strength in smoke have shown that ultrasound is capable of “looking through” the smoke. The algorithm based on a particle filter allows for more information to be extracted from the relatively simple sensor signal by detecting human walking movement specifically and opens up the way for an ultrasound based indoor positioning system that can be used in emergency situations.

indoor positioning
monitoring systems
disaster management
sonar
ultrasound
movement of people
particle filter
doppler signature
smart buildings

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:cdedb33b-bd88-4d0e-919a-4f03b32f3da6

https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-annals-IV-4-W7-135-2018

2194-9042

ISPRS Annals of Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, 4 (4/W7), 135-140

3rd International Conference on Smart Data and Smart Cities, 2018-10-04 → 2018-10-05, TU Delft, Delft, Netherlands

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2018 T. van Groeningen, J.N. Driessen, J. Söhl, R.L. Voûte