Occupancy Detection Tips Needed

[mmknox]

Hi,

 

I have a Family Room with lights that were just operating on a timed schedule. While this worked well, the problem was that if the room was occupied at "lights out" time, we would find ourselves sitting in the dark reaching for a controller.

 

I have added two devices to try and deduce occupancy: a SyncroLinc on the TV (which is usually on when the room is occupied) and a Motion Detector.

 

The SyncroLinc works great. If the TV is on at "lights out" time, the lights stay on, then go out after the TV is turned off and the motion detector times out and sends its OFF command.

 

The Motion Detector also works great *as long as it's seeing motion*. I have it set up to send an ON when it sees motion and an OFF after 10 minutes (unless it sees motion again where it re-sets the countdown timer).

 

The problem occurs when the TV is off and the room is occupied, but people are sitting relatively still and the motion detector can't see any movement. My program only turns the lights off when the conditions are met because I don't want them coming on again that evening (based on motion) after the final "lights out".

 

What other ideas have people come up with to determine if a room is occupied? The room has two entrances and is "sunken" off the kitchen and so is open along that wall too. I've thought of some sort of counter at the entrances, but you'd have to know the direction of motion to make that work!

 

Are there any other Insteon occupancy devices (or existing devices used in clever ways) that can help in this area? Maybe a pressure switch on the sofa tied to an IOLinc?

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

[Michel Kohanim]

Hello Mike,

 

This article may give you some hints:

http://www.universal-devices.com/mwiki/ ... _Bathrooms

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[mmknox]

Thanks, Michel.

 

I looked at that article quite a while ago, but will circle back to it to see if there are any programming tips that might help.

 

My problem really seems to be in the actual "detection" of occupancy. People seated in the family room don't generate enough movement for the Insteon IR detector to pick up.

 

I was kidding about the pressure switch on the sofa, but a quick Google search turned up all kinds of chair and bed pressure sensors aimed at the medical industry for monitoring patients who fall out of their seats, beds etc. One of these under the cushions might just be the ticket. If the couch is occupied, then the room is occupied, and if they're standing, the IR motion sensor is more likely to pick them up. Shouldn't be too hard to rig one of these up to an IOLinc module.

 

Mike

[Michel Kohanim]

Hi Mike, thank you for the clarifications.

 

Yes, I do agree that this should be simple but what if one has many sofas? Furthermore, I think using Motion Sensors is much more elegant to sense occupancy especially when used in conjunction with Wait. In short, the Wait statement can adjust the threshold during which any motion can be construed as occupancy.

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[arw01]

Ever since seeing a high end system that pulled the drapes and dimmed the lights at a local stereo shop when you sat BACK on the couch, I have been thinking about this sofa sensor as well.

 

However, i was thinking a triggerlinc would be a "unplugged" option to use for that.

[Vyrolan]

Reviving an old thread here...sorry...

 

So I too am interested in the concept of the sofa sensor (or bed sensor). I was looking around and found these: http://recoraco.thomasnet.com/item/bed- ... /item-1147

 

They seem like a solid little sensor, and they also sell them as double sensors in series (which is what you'd want so one under each cushion to detect two seats with 1 sensor). That one is their "bed" sensor but they also sell "chair" sensors that are square mats. I found the one in the link above online for a decent price, and according to the schematic drawing (here) linked on that page, it's a great fit for an IOLinc. It says >10K ohms open and <100 ohms closed so I think it would easily trigger an IOLinc's sensor. I guess if you had a sectional, you could use several of them and use an EZIO to have easy occupancy checking of the whole thing! Bonus points for activating different lighting scenes or audio settings based on which seats are occupied. =p I may buy one of the above to try out with an IOLinc as a crib sensor...they claim the activation wait is ~3 pounds, so a baby on the mattress should be sufficient?

[arw01]

Did I mis-read the specs where it said it works on 24 volts?

 

Why not a simple reed switch separated by some foam. When you sit it closes down and the reed is close enough to activate.