Automatic Placement of Visual Sensors in a Smart Space to Ensure Required PPM Level in Specified Regions of Interest

Abstract

This work is devoted to a cost-effective method for the automatic placement of visual sensors within a smart room to ensure the requirements for its design. Various unique conditions make the process of manually placing sensors time consuming and can also lead to a decrease in system efficiency. To automate the design process, we solve a multi-objective optimization problem known as the art gallery problem in 3D, modified as follows. For the specified regions of interest within a smart room, the required pixels per meter level (PPM) should be ensured. The optimization criteria are visibility of the room and the cost of equipment. To meet these criteria, we describe a room model with doors, windows, and obstacles represented in such a way as to consider their impact on the field of view of the sensors. To model sensor placement, a genetic algorithm is used. The optimal solution is selected from the Pareto front by means of the technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS). The developed method’s effectiveness has been tested on modeling real premises of various types. The method is flexible because of the assignment of weights to certain aspects when placing sensors. Further, it can be scalable to other types of sensors.