I-Corps: Passive Infrared Sensor Technology Solution for Advanced Occupancy Sensing

I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是人工智能（AI）固态透镜的潜在发展，该透镜集成了被动红外（PIR）传感器，以检测占用情况。如今，由于其低成本、低能耗、宽视野和高可靠性，建筑物都配备了PIR传感器用于占用检测。尽管有这些优点，PIR传感器只能检测运动，而不能检测静止的占用。通过对标准PIR传感器接收的红外能量进行差分感知，该技术可以检测移动和静止的居住者。这可以提供一个低成本的即插即用解决方案，实现个性化的加热和冷却，识别未充分利用的空间，更准确地预测使用情况，改善工作空间，降低运营成本。此外，该技术还提供了一种隐私保留解决方案，用于监测睡眠质量和跌倒检测。提出的应用包括安全系统、智能家电、交通管理、消费者心理学和公共卫生。这个I-Corps项目是基于一种固态电子透镜的潜在开发，该透镜由经过纳米颗粒处理的液晶组成，可以通过当前的被动红外（PIR）传感器进行固定占用检测。该技术旨在通过调制传输速率来主动感知和区分红外能量。虽然居住者是静止的，但他们的热特征，如体温、体型和手势，可以通过调整镜头的孔径来感知不同。在人体皮肤辐射能量最大的长波红外范围内（8-12µm），标准PIR传感器使用良好调谐的透射比，现在可以智能地感知视野中温暖物体的红外热特征。此外，通过在线人工智能算法，该镜头能够通过对人类的识别和活动进行分类，区分人类和非人类的温暖对象。收集的局部环境信息和训练数据可以降低计算复杂度，从而将检测精度提升到较高的精度。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the potential development of artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled solid-state lens integrated with passive infrared (PIR) sensors to detect occupancy. Today, buildings are equipped with PIR sensors for occupancy detection, owing to their low cost, low energy consumption, wide field of view, and high reliability. Despite these advantages, PIR sensors only detect motion - not stationary occupancy. By differentially perceiving infrared energy received by standard PIR sensors, the proposed technology may detect moving and stationary occupants. This may provide a low-cost plug-and-play solution to achieve personalized heating and cooling, identify underutilized spaces to more accurately forecast usage, improve workspaces and reduce operating expense costs. In addition, the proposed technology provides a privacy-reserving solution to monitor sleep quality and fall detection. The proposed applications include security systems, smart home appliances, traffic management, consumer psychology, and public health. This I-Corps project is based on the potential development of a solid-state electronic lens composed of liquid crystal treated with nanoparticles to enable stationary occupancy detection with current passive infrared (PIR) sensors. The proposed technology is designed to actively perceive and differentiate infrared energy by modulating the transmission rate. Though the occupants are stationary, their thermal signatures, such as body temperature, body shape, and gestures may be perceived differentially by tuning the apertures of the lens. Using a well-tuned transmission ratio in the long-wave infrared range (8-12µm) where human skin radiates the most energy, the standard PIR sensor may now intelligently perceive infrared thermal signatures of warm subjects in the field of view. In addition, using an online AI algorithm, the lens is capable of differentiating human from non-human warm subjects by classifying human identification and activities. Localized environmental information and training data that is collected can reduce computing complexity thereby elevating detection accuracy to high accuracy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.