NEC Realizes Low-cost Human Location Information System

Aug 31, 2010 18:16 Masaru Yoshida, Nikkei Monozukuri

NEC Corp developed a sensing technology that enables to realize a system for obtaining information on the locations of people and their interests in objects and places in a factory, office or commercial facilities at a low cost.

The system uses small-size stationary multifunctional sensors and sensors embedded in mobile phones. Compared with traditional human location information systems, the new system is easier to introduce and its cost is about 1/3, NEC said.

The company employed a sensing technology called "reference-type wireless LAN positioning system" for the stationary multifunctional sensor. It determines the locations of people with a resolution of 3m (accuracy rate: 86% or more) by comparing and correcting data on radio field intensity (standard data collected in advance) and data on radio field intensity that is always being collected by the stationary multifunctional sensors (reference data). The sensor does not need to be readjusted, and it stably operates for a long period of time, the company said.

In addition, the company developed a method to estimate the number of people staying in a 5 x 5m area with a margin of error of one or less by using a human presence sensor embedded in the stationary multifunctional sensor. Compared with the traditional method of processing images taken by cameras, the new method enables to estimate the number of people by using smaller devices and at lower costs.

Furthermore, NEC developed the "behavior-based interest level estimation method" for estimating the degree of interest in places and objects. This method uses acceleration sensors equipped in mobile phones.

It distinguishes the movements of people, such as walking and stopping, based on the outputs of the acceleration sensors carried by them and calculates the degree of interest from the frequencies and durations of the movements. There is no need to set many sensors in a building or to equip people with sensors, making it easy to introduce the system.

In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for systems that can estimate the locations, behaviors and number of people staying in a certain area, NEC said. For example, they are used for giving precise instructions to factory workers as well as for detecting suspicious individuals and finding out customer needs in commercial facilities.

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