System and method for managing arrangement position and shape of device

• US 20050137827A1
• Filed: 11/03/2004
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Takamiya, Takeshi
• Application Number:
  US10/979,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20050137827A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/150
• CPC Class Codes: G01B 11/002 for measuring two or more coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/876 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S15/872 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/30 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A system includes a first sensor, a second sensor and a third sensor, each of the sensors being configured to detect a distance from each of electronic devices that are present in a space and an identifier of each of the electronic devices by using a wireless signal, and a host apparatus that executes communication with each of the sensors, the host apparatus including a detection unit that detects a position of each of the electronic devices in the space, based on the distance from each of the electronic devices and a position of each of the first sensor, second sensor and third sensor in the space, and a unit that acquires shape information representative of a shape of each of the electronic devices from each of the electronic devices, by executing wireless communication with each of the electronic devices using the identifier of each of the electronic devices.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first sensor, a second sensor and a third sensor, each of the sensors being configured to detect a distance from each of electronic devices that are present in a space and an identifier of each of the electronic devices by using a wireless signal; and

a host apparatus that executes communication with each of the first sensor, second sensor and third sensor, the host apparatus including;

a detection unit configured to detect a position of each of the electronic devices in the space, based on the distance from each of the electronic devices, which is detected by the first sensor, second sensor and third sensor, and a position of each of the first sensor, second sensor and third sensor in the space; and

an information acquisition unit configured to acquire shape information representative of a shape of each of the electronic devices from each of the electronic devices, by executing wireless communication with each of the electronic devices using the identifier of each of the electronic devices, which is detected by the first sensor, second sensor and third sensor.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein each of the first sensor, second sensor and third sensor includes a unit that transmits a beacon signal for searching for electronic devices that are present in the space, and a unit that informs the host apparatus of time information, which is indicative of an elapsed time from when the beacon signal is transmitted to when a response signal is received from each of the electronic devices in the space, as a distance from each of the electronic devices.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the detection unit is configured to convert the time information, which is transmitted from each of the first sensor, second sensor and third sensor, to a distance between each of the first sensor, second sensor and third sensor and each of the electronic devices, in accordance with a propagation speed of the wireless signal that is used for communication between each of the first sensor, second sensor and third sensor and each of the electronic devices.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein each of the electronic devices includes a memory unit that stores the shape information of the electronic device.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein each of the electronic devices functions as one of a master and a slave, and the electronic device functioning as the master includes a unit that acquires from the other electronic device, which functions as the slave of the electronic device functioning as the master, the shape information of the other electronic device as slave information, and a unit that transmits the shape information stored in the memory unit and the acquired slave information to the host apparatus in response to a request from the host apparatus.

6. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a layout-view production unit that produces a layout view showing an arrangement position and the shape of each of the electronic devices in the space based on the detected position of each of the electronic devices and the acquired shape information of each of the electronic devices.

8. The system according to claim 1, wherein the memory unit and the wireless communication unit are included in a module that is detachably attached to the housing of the electronic device.

7. A system comprising:

an electronic device including a housing, a memory unit that stores shape information indicative of a shape of the housing, and a wireless communication unit that executes wireless communication with outside;

a first sensor, a second sensor and a third sensor, which are discretely arranged in a space, each of the sensors being configured to detect a distance from the electronic device that is present in the space and an identifier of the electronic device by using a wireless signal; and

a host apparatus that executes communication with each of the first sensor, second sensor and third sensor, the host apparatus including a detection unit that detects a position of the electronic device in the space, based on the distance from the electronic device, which is detected by the first sensor, second sensor and third sensor, and a position of each of the first sensor, second sensor and third sensor in the space; and

an information acquisition unit that acquires shape information representative of a shape of the electronic device from the electronic device, by executing wireless communication with the electronic device using the identifier detected by the first sensor, second sensor and third sensor.

9. A system comprising:

a first sensor, a second sensor and a third sensor, each of the sensors being configured to detect a distance from each of electronic devices that are present in a space and an identifier of each of the electronic devices by using a wireless signal; and

means for detecting a position of each of the electronic devices in the space, based on the distance from each of the electronic devices, which is detected by the first sensor, second sensor and third sensor, and a position of each of the first sensor, second sensor and third sensor in the space; and

means for acquiring shape information representative of a shape of each of the electronic devices from each of the electronic devices, by executing wireless communication with each of the electronic devices using the identifier of each of the electronic devices, which is detected by the first sensor, second sensor and third sensor.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein each of the first sensor, second sensor and third sensor includes a unit that transmits a beacon signal for searching for electronic devices that are present in the space, and a unit that informs a host apparatus of time information, which is indicative of an elapsed time from when the beacon signal is transmitted to when a response signal is received from each of the electronic devices in the space, as a distance from each of the electronic devices.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the detection means includes means for converting the time information, which is transmitted from each of the first sensor, second sensor and third sensor, to a distance between each of the first sensor, second sensor and third sensor and each of the electronic devices, in accordance with a propagation speed of the wireless signal that is used for communication between each of the first sensor, second sensor and third sensor and each of the electronic devices.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein each of the electronic devices includes a memory unit that stores the shape information of the electronic device.