The thesis addresses the problem of automating the use of hotel and conference rooms through occupancy sensing. RFID card systems are used as the most common room occupancy indicators. In this thesis, we have designed and implemented a prototype system that automatically obtains occupancy information (without user interaction), which helps to manage hotels and other buildings more economically and efficiently. The system is based on the existing LIDAR LMP - 1.LI1 electronic device , which has been upgraded with adequate hardware and software. In this context, the main contribution of this work is a simple and reliable algorithm for room occupancy detection based on the measurements taken by the lidar device. Namely, the lidar sequentially measures the distances in the lower part of the sphere and analyses the acquired data. The measured distances in different directions are first converted from polar to Cartesian notation and then the space is plotted in a 3D representation. From the comparison of several successive measurements, changes are detected and conclusions about the occupancy of the room are drawn. An added graphical user interface enables setting the device. We have thoroughly tested the performance of the device and found that it meets the main objectives while showing the potential for further development into the final product.
|