Intelligent overhead sensor for sliding doors: A stereo based method for augmented efficiency

Abstract

This paper describes a method to detect and extract pedestrians trajectories in proximity of a sliding door access in order to automatically open the doors: if a pedestrian walks towards the door, the system opens the door. On the other hand if the pedestrian trajectory is parallel to the door, the system does not open. The sensor is able to self-adjust according to changes in weather conditions and environment. The robustness of this system is provided by a new method for disparity image extraction. The rationale behind this work is that the device developed in this paper avoids unwanted openings in order to decrease needs for maintenance, and increase building efficiency in terms of temperature (i.e. heating and air conditioning). The algorithm has been tested in real conditions to measure its capabilities and estimate its performance. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.