Thermal array sensor provides accurate people detection in intelligent lighting controls

The Grid-EYE thermal sensor from Panasonic is a sophisticated sensor for detecting the presence of people, enabling intelligent control and dimming of lighting systems to save power and improve responsiveness to user demand. 

The Grid-EYE infrared array sensor is a 64-pixel infrared camera housed in a compact surface-mount package. Grid-EYE combines a MEMS sensor chip, a digital ASIC with an I2C interface, and a lens in an 11.6 mm x 8 mm x 4.3 mm package. 

The thermopile elements are in an 8 x 8 grid format which measures both temperature and temperature gradients contactlessly. These temperature outputs can be converted to a 64-pixel thermal image.

Sensor outputs that show the presence of people in the controlled space can be used for various functions:

• To configure lights to brighten when the space is occupied, reducing energy usage in areas that are not being used 
• To create heat maps to show how people use the space. This enables a building operator to optimize layouts and pathways. The data can also be used to inform decisions about wayfinding and guidance
• To count occupants of a room for safety and regulation purposes 

Because the Grid-EYE provides a deliberately low-resolution, 64-pixel image output, this monitoring of people’s usage of a space is inherently anonymized, and so avoids the risk of infringing users’ right to privacy.