METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ESTIMATING AN AREA OF OCCUPIED FLOOR SPACE

摘要

A method for estimating an amount of occupied area of floor space within a predetermined floor area, comprising the steps of dividing the predetermined floor area into a grid of sensing points and determining a pressure profile of occupied sensing points corresponding to those sensing points which are in effective contact with one or more objects placed on the floor area. This allows an estimated fraction of the total number of sensing points which are occupied to be determined which may be multiplied by the total floor area in order to estimate the amount of occupied and free area. Transient effects owing to movement over the floor area may be suppressed by storing successive pressure profiles at increments of time and then relating only to those sensing points which are occupied in each successive profile. A system (75) employs several interconnected modules (24) each comprising a pressure pad (26) having switch contacts (32, 33) which are short-circuited when pressure is applied thereto. Such a method and system may be employed within an elevator car dispatcher (94).