Energy management and automation specialist Schneider Electric and sensor manufacturer ULIS are showcasing the new MIRTIC Advanced Occupancy Sensor (AOS) for the first time in Europe this week.
Designed for counting people, the AOS enables services, companies and users to gain a greater understanding of occupancy levels and usage to optimise operational costs and occupant services in new or existing buildings.
Advanced sensors are seen as critical in enabling facilities to meet tightening government regulations on energy efficiency and to drastically cut building management costs. The smart buildings market for advanced sensors is projected to reach almost $3.7 billion by 2020 (Navigant Research, March 2014).
AOS integrates the latest generation of advanced, low power consumption, 80×80 pixels thermal activity sensors (TAS) from ULIS. It runs entirely on battery power and transmits occupancy rates at regular intervals (approximately every two minutes), without compromising the privacy of the occupants. The current prototype can cover a zone of 30 square metres.
“As a leader in building energy management, Schneider Electric is striving to simplify complexity in buildings and to guarantee operational efficiency and comfort at optimised costs,” says Gilles Chabanis, smart sensors manager at Schneider Electric.
“The Advanced Occupancy Sensor we have developed with ULIS’s technology is easy to deploy. It operates in existing buildings, offering reduced installation and operating costs without infringing upon the occupant experience.”
The module being displayed marks the completion of the MIRTIC project, a five-year, $35 million European initiative led by ULIS. The aim of the project was to produce a new type of thermal sensor module that will bring new capabilities to building usage diagnostics.
Schneider Electric will field-test the AOS at the end of 2016 prior to entering product development.
