ULID data structure, ULID-based location acquisition method and location-based service system

• US 20050140507A1
• Filed: 06/07/2004
• Published: 06/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Nam, Kwang Woo, Lee, Jong Hun, Park, Jong Hyun
• Granted Patent: US 7,378,956 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.130
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/751 wherein the responder or reflector radiates a coded signal
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location

Abstract

The present invention relates to an LBS system in which user location information is obtained using a ULID code of RFID tags attached to various places such as a building, a store, road signs, footway and road, and various LBSs are provided based on the location information. The problems that can be caused when using a conventional GPS and a wireless network are solved. It is easy to immediately obtain location information through a tag and security of private information can be enhanced. The LBS system of the present invention of the present invention includes: a plurality of RFID tags distributed on various places, for wirelessly providing a ULID code of a location; an RFID reader for wirelessly receiving the ULID code from an adjacent RFID tag; a local ULID processor for extracting current location information through a wirelessly received ULID code; and a local LBS application for providing a user with an LBS on the basis of the extracted location information.

Claims

1. A ULID code structure, comprising:

a header having version information for identifying a type of each of the ULID codes; and

data blocks for identifying latitude, longitude and altitude of location respectively.

2. The ULID code structure of claim 1, further comprising:

a data block for identifying precision of unsigned integer type so as to identify precision of corresponding location information.

7. The ULID code structure of the claim 1, further comprising:

an authentication code data block for authenticating an organization or a person who records a ULID value.

8. The ULID code structure of the claim 2, further comprising:

an authentication code data block for authenticating an organization or a person who records a ULID value.

11. The ULID code structure of the claim 1, wherein the ULID code is included in a serial number data block of an EPC-256 code and used.

12. The ULID code structure of the claim 2, wherein the ULID code is included in a serial number data block of an EPC-256 code and used.

3. A ULID code structure, comprising:

a header having version information for identifying a type of each of the ULID codes;

a DB/Mgt ID block for identifying database including space objects;

a class ID block for identifying an object class or a table in the database; and

a object ID block for identifying an object space in the object class or the table.

4. The ULID code structure of claim 3, further comprising:

an offset value data block for identifying a specific location in a region of a corresponding space object.

5. The ULID code structure of claim 3, further comprising:

a data block for identifying an IP address of a ULID-to-location information conversion server or a ULID management server;

or

an IP address data block substituting for the DB/Mgt ID block.

6. The ULID code structure of claim 4, further comprising:

a data block for identifying an IP address of a ULID-to-location information conversion server or a ULID management server;

or

an IP address data block substituting for the DB/Mgt ID block.

9. The ULID code structure of the claim 3, further comprising:

an authentication code data block for authenticating an organization or a person who records a ULID value.

10. The ULID code structure of the claim 4, further comprising:

an authentication code data block for authenticating an organization or a person who records a ULID value.

13. The ULID code structure of the claim 3, wherein the ULID code is included in a serial number data block of an EPC-256 code and used.

14. The ULID code structure of the claim 4, wherein the ULID code is included in a serial number data block of an EPC-256 code and used.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the step (c-2-i) comprises the steps of:

performing MBR operation on a line string area or a polygon area for the ULID according to claim 3;

defining a rectangular area obtained by expanding the MBR result as much as the location precision distance m+r as a buffer area of the ULID.

15. A ULID-based location acquisition method comprising:

(a) distributing RFID tags to a plurality of places and memorizing a ULID code for the corresponding place in each RFID tag;

(b) wirelessly receiving a ULID code of the RFID tag near to the current place through an RFID reader; and

(c) analyzing the received ULID codes and extracting current location information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, in the step (a), the ULID code structure, comprising a header having version information for identifying a type of each of the ULID codes and data blocks for identifying latitude, longitude and altitude of location respectively, is used as the ULID code to be embedded into the RFID tag.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein, in the step (a), the ULID code structure, comprising a header having version information for identifying a type of each of the ULID codes, a DB/Mgt ID block for identifying database including space objects, a class ID block for identifying an object class or a table in the database and a object ID block for identifying an object space in the object class or the table, is used as the ULID code to be embedded into the RFID tag.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the step (b) comprises the step of:

obtaining auxiliary data including signal strength information in receiving the ULID code from the RFID tag.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein, in the step (c), the extracting step comprises the steps of:

obtaining location information corresponding to each of the received ULIDs from a local ULID database; and

extracting the current location information.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein, in the step (c), when the ULID code structure, comprising a header having version information for identifying a type of each of the ULID codes, a DB/Mgt ID block for identifying database including space objects, a class ID block for identifying an object class or a table in the database, and a object ID block for identifying an object space in the object class or the table, is received, the extracting step comprises the steps of:

connecting to a ULID name service server;

obtaining an IP address of a corresponding ULID-to-location information conversion server or a ULID management server;

connecting to the corresponding ULID-to-location information conversion server or the ULID management server; and

confirming the location information on each of the received ULID codes.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein, in the step (c), when the ULID code structure, comprising a header having version information for identifying a type of each of the ULID codes, a DB/Mgt ID block for identifying database including space objects, a class ID block for identifying an object class or a table in the database, and a object ID block for identifying an object space in the object class or the table, is received, the extracting step comprises the steps of:

connecting to a ULID name service server;

obtaining an IP address of a corresponding ULID-to-location information conversion server or a ULID management server;

connecting to the corresponding ULID-to-location information conversion server or the ULID management server; and

confirming the location information on each of the received ULID codes.

22. The method of the claim 15, wherein, in the step (c), when the plurality of ULID code are received, the extracting step comprises the steps of:

(c-1) selecting only the ULID code higher than a predetermined level by using threshold value of precision distance and auxiliary data of signal strength; and

(c-2) calculating location information of the filtered ULIDs and estimating an optimal current location.

23. The method of the claim 16, wherein, in the step (c), when the plurality of ULID code are received, the extracting step comprises the steps of:

(c-1) selecting only the ULID code higher than a predetermined level by using threshold value of precision distance and auxiliary data of signal strength; and

(c-2) calculating location information of the filtered ULIDs and estimating an optimal current location.

24. The method of the claim 17, wherein, in the step (c), when the plurality of ULID code are received, the extracting step comprises the steps of:

(c-1) selecting only the ULID code higher than a predetermined level by using threshold value of precision distance and auxiliary data of signal strength; and

(c-2) calculating location information of the filtered ULIDs and estimating an optimal current location.

25. The method of the claim 18, wherein, in the step (c), when the plurality of ULID code are received, the extracting step comprises the steps of:

(c-1) selecting only the ULID code higher than a predetermined level by using threshold value of precision distance and auxiliary data of signal strength; and

(c-2) calculating location information of the filtered ULIDs and estimating an optimal current location.

26. The method of the claim 19, wherein, in the step (c), when the plurality of ULID code are received, the extracting step comprises the steps of:

(c-1) selecting only the ULID code higher than a predetermined level by using threshold value of precision distance and auxiliary data of signal strength; and

(c-2) calculating location information of the filtered ULIDs and estimating an optimal current location.

27. The method of the claim 20, wherein, in the step (c), when the plurality of ULID code are received, the extracting step comprises the steps of:

(c-1) selecting only the ULID code higher than a predetermined level by using threshold value of precision distance and auxiliary data of signal strength; and

(c-2) calculating location information of the filtered ULIDs and estimating an optimal current location.

28. The method of the claim 21, wherein, in the step (c), when the plurality of ULID code are received, the extracting step comprises the steps of:

(c-1) selecting only the ULID code higher than a predetermined level by using threshold value of precision distance and auxiliary data of signal strength; and

(c-2) calculating location information of the filtered ULIDs and estimating an optimal current location.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein the step (c-1) comprises the steps of:

removing the ULID that has precision distance larger than precision distance threshold value in the received ULIDs;

determining effective signal traveling distance R of the RFID through the auxiliary data of signal strength; and

calculating each of distances between the RFID and other ULIDs in a ULID list, and removing a corresponding ULID from the ULID list when all the calculated distances are larger than the effective signal traveling distance R, so that the final ULID list is returned as a filtered ULID list.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the step (c-1) comprises the steps of:

when the RFID signal is directional, determining an outermost point by using the signal traveling distance and transmission and reception angle; and

determining a diameter of a circle including the outermost point as effective signal traveling distance R.

31. The method of claim 22, wherein the step (c-2) comprises the steps of:

selecting the ULID having least precision distance among the received ULIDs;

summing the precision distance m and signal traveling distance r of RFID and defining the result as location precision distance; and

extracting the location coordinates and the location precision distance as location information on current location.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein, when there are a plurality of ULIDs that has least precision distance, the step (c-2) comprises the steps of:

if the signal strength s is available, extracting location coordinates and location precision distance of the ULID whose signal strength is largest among the ULIDs having least precision distance as current location information; and

if the signal strength s is not available, extracting location coordinates and location precision distance of the ULID which is nearest to average location coordinates of the ULIDs having least precision distance as current location information.

33. The method of claim 22, wherein the step (c-2) comprises the steps of:

(c-2-i) defining location precision distance r+m for each of the acquired ULIDs by using precision distance m and RFID signal traveling distance r, and performing buffer operation as much as the location precision distance for each of the acquired ULIDs;

(c-2-ii) calculating an intersection area for all the buffer result areas; and

(c-2-iii) generating a minimum circle including the intersection area, defining a radius of the circle as a location precision, and extracting center coordinates of the circle and the location precision distance as current location information.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the step (c-2-i) comprises the steps of:

defining the location precision distance r+m for each of the acquired ULIDs by using the precision distance m and the RFID signal traveling distance r;

performing MBR operation on a circle having a radius equal to the location precision distance; and

generating each rectangular buffer area.

36. An LBS system using ULID, comprising:

a plurality of RFID tags distributed on various places, for wirelessly providing a ULID code of a location;

an RFID reader for wirelessly receiving the ULID code from an adjacent RFID tag;

a local ULID processor for extracting current location information through a wirelessly received ULID code; and

a local LBS application for providing a user with an LBS on the basis of the extracted location information.

37. The LBS system of claim 36, wherein the RFID tag is a ULID code for the location, which is a memorized ULID code of the ULID codes structure, comprising a header having version information for identifying a type of each of the ULID codes, and data blocks for identifying latitude, longitude and altitude of location respectively.

38. The LBS system of claim 36, wherein the RFID tag is a ULID code for the location, which is a memorized ULID code of the ULID codes structure, comprising a header having version information for identifying a type of each of the ULID codes, a DB/Mgt ID block for identifying database including space objects, a class ID block for identifying an object class or a table in the database, and a object ID block for identifying an object space in the object class or the table.

39. The LBS system of claim 36, wherein the RFID reader obtains the signal strength information as auxiliary data in receiving the ULID code from each RFID tag.

40. The LBS system of claim 36, further comprising:

local database having any one of map information database, LBS contents database and ULID-to-location information conversion database.

41. The LBS system of claim 40, wherein the local ULID processor obtains location information corresponding to each of the received ULID from the local database and extracts current location information.

42. The LBS system of claim 40 further comprising:

a ULID-to-location information conversion server for providing location information on the ULID code structure, comprising a header having version information for identifying a type of each of the ULID codes, a DB/Mgt ID block for identifying database including space objects, a class ID block for identifying an object class or a table in the database, and a object ID block for identifying an object space in the object class or the table, through a network.

43. The LBS system of claim 42, further comprising:

a ULID name service server for providing the local ULID processor with IP address information of the ULID-to-location information conversion server on DB/Mgt ID of ULID code structure, comprising a header having version information for identifying a type of each of the ULID codes, a DB/Mgt ID block for identifying database including space objects, a class ID block for identifying an object class or a table in the database, and a object ID block for identifying an object space in the object class or the table.

44. The LBS system of claim 43, wherein, when the local ULID processor receives the ULID code structure, comprising a header having version information for identifying a type of each of the ULID codes, a DB/Mgt ID block for identifying database including space objects, a class ID block for identifying an object class or a table in the database, and a object ID block for identifying an object space in the object class or the table, the local ULID processor connects to the ULID name service server, obtains an IP address of a corresponding ULID-to-location information conversion server, connects to the corresponding ULID-to-location information conversion server, and confirms the location information on the received ULID codes.

45. The LBS system of claim 36, further comprising:

an external LBS server for providing an external user with the LBS service through wire and wireless Internet on the basis of location information acquired through each local terminal, and providing the corresponding LBS contents through wireless Internet at the request of the local LBS application.

46. The LBS system of the claim 36, wherein, when the plurality of ULID code are received, the local ULID processor filters only the ULID code higher than a predetermined level by using threshold value of precision distance and auxiliary data of signal strength, calculates location information of the filtered ULIDs, and extracting an optimal location information on current location.

47. The LBS system of the claim 37, wherein, when the plurality of ULID code are received, the local ULID processor filters only the ULID code higher than a predetermined level by using threshold value of precision distance and auxiliary data of signal strength, calculates location information of the filtered ULIDs, and extracting an optimal location information on current location.

48. The LBS system of the claim 38, wherein, when the plurality of ULID code are received, the local ULID processor filters only the ULID code higher than a predetermined level by using threshold value of precision distance and auxiliary data of signal strength, calculates location information of the filtered ULIDs, and extracting an optimal location information on current location.

49. The LBS system of the claim 39, wherein, when the plurality of ULID code are received, the local ULID processor filters only the ULID code higher than a predetermined level by using threshold value of precision distance and auxiliary data of signal strength, calculates location information of the filtered ULIDs, and extracting an optimal location information on current location.

50. The LBS system of the claim 40, wherein, when the plurality of ULID code are received, the local ULID processor filters only the ULID code higher than a predetermined level by using threshold value of precision distance and auxiliary data of signal strength, calculates location information of the filtered ULIDs, and extracting an optimal location information on current location.

51. The LBS system of the claim 41, wherein, when the plurality of ULID code are received, the local ULID processor filters only the ULID code higher than a predetermined level by using threshold value of precision distance and auxiliary data of signal strength, calculates location information of the filtered ULIDs, and extracting an optimal location information on current location.

52. The LBS system of the claim 42, wherein, when the plurality of ULID code are received, the local ULID processor filters only the ULID code higher than a predetermined level by using threshold value of precision distance and auxiliary data of signal strength, calculates location information of the filtered ULIDs, and extracting an optimal location information on current location.

53. The LBS system of the claim 43, wherein, when the plurality of ULID code are received, the local ULID processor filters only the ULID code higher than a predetermined level by using threshold value of precision distance and auxiliary data of signal strength, calculates location information of the filtered ULIDs, and extracting an optimal location information on current location.

54. The LBS system of the claim 44, wherein, when the plurality of ULID code are received, the local ULID processor filters only the ULID code higher than a predetermined level by using threshold value of precision distance and auxiliary data of signal strength, calculates location information of the filtered ULIDs, and extracting an optimal location information on current location.

55. The LBS system of the claim 45, wherein, when the plurality of ULID code are received, the local ULID processor filters only the ULID code higher than a predetermined level by using threshold value of precision distance and auxiliary data of signal strength, calculates location information of the filtered ULIDs, and extracting an optimal location information on current location.

56. The LBS system of claim 46, wherein the local ULID processor filters the received ULIDs by the steps of:

removing the ULID that has precision distance larger than precision distance threshold value in the received ULIDs;

determining effective signal traveling distance R of the RFID through the auxiliary data of signal strength; and

calculating each of distances between the RFID and other ULIDs in a ULID list, and removing a corresponding ULID from the ULID list when all the calculated distances are larger than the effective signal traveling distance R, so that the final ULID list is returned as a filtered ULID list.

57. The LBS system of claim 56, wherein, when the RFID signal is directional, the local ULID processor filters the received ULIDs by the steps of:

determining an outermost point by using the signal traveling distance and transmission and reception angle; and

determining a diameter of a circle including the outermost point as effective signal traveling distance R.

58. The LBS system of claim 46, wherein the local ULID processor extracts the optimal location information by the steps of:

selecting the ULID having least precision distance among the received ULIDs;

summing the precision distance m and signal traveling distance r of the RFID and defining the result as location precision distance; and

extracting the location coordinates and the location precision distance as location information on current location.

59. The LBS system of claim 58, wherein, when there are a plurality of ULIDs that has least precision distance, the local ULID processor extracts the optimal location information by the steps of:

if the signal strength s is available, extracting location coordinates and location precision distance of the ULID whose signal strength is largest among the ULIDs having least precision distance as current location information; and

if the signal strength s is not available, extracting location coordinates and location precision distance of the ULID which is nearest to average location coordinates of the ULIDs having least precision distance as current location information.

60. The LBS system of claim 46, wherein the local ULID processor extracts the optimal location information by the steps of:

(i) defining location precision distance r+m for each of the acquired ULIDs by using precision distance m and RFID signal traveling distance r, and performing buffer operation as much as the location precision distance for each of the acquired ULIDs;

(ii) calculating an intersection area for all the buffer result areas; and

(iii) generating a minimum circle including the intersection area, defining a radius of the circle as a location precision, and extracting center coordinates of the circle and the location precision distance as current location information.

61. The LBS system of claim 46, wherein the step (i) comprises the steps of:

defining the location precision distance r+m for each of the acquired ULIDs by using the precision distance m and the RFID signal traveling distance r;

performing MBR operation on a circle having a radius equal to the location precision distance; and

generating each rectangular buffer area.

62. The LBS system of claim 60, wherein the step (i) comprises the steps of:

performing MBR operation on a line string area or a polygon area for the ULID code structure, comprising a header having version information for identifying a type of each of the ULID codes, a DB/Mgt ID block for identifying database including space objects, a class ID block for identifying an object class or a table in the database, and a object ID block for identifying an object space in the object class or the table;

defining a rectangular area obtained by expanding the MBR result as much as the location precision distance m+r as a buffer area of the ULID.

63. The LBS system of claim 43, wherein the ULID name service is performed by a remote ULID name service server and a local ULID name service processor having an IP address table of the ULID name service server and a mapping table between a DB/Mgt ID and the ULID-to-location information conversion server, and

the ULID name service includes the steps of:

searching a mapping table of the local ULID name service processor;

if there is not a corresponding mapping information, connecting to a remote ULID name service server; and

obtaining ULID-to-location information conversion server information on the corresponding DB/Mgt ID.

64. The LBS system of claim 45, wherein the LBS system provides a self-location informing service by the steps of:

transmitting the current location information acquired through the local ULID processor from the local LBS application to an external LBS server; and

informing an external user of the user'"'"'s location through wire and wireless Internet on the basis of the location information at the external LBS server.

65. The LBS system of claim 40, wherein the LBS system provides a map searching service of current location by the steps of:

scanning the ULID of peripheral RFID tags at the request of the local LBS application at the ULID processor;

calculating current location information by using local database at the ULID processor;

receiving map contents according current location information back from the local database at the local LBS application; and

providing a user with the map searching service.

66. The LBS system of claim 45, wherein the LBS system provides a map searching service of current location by the steps of:

requesting the local ULID processor to provide location information at the local LBS application;

receiving the current location information from the local ULID processor at the local LBS application;

providing the external LBS server with the location information at the local LBS application;

receiving corresponding map contents from the external LBS server; and

providing a user with the map searching service at the local LBS application.

67. The LBS system of claim 45, wherein, when an external user requests the LBS system to provide location information of a terminal user, the LBS system provides the location information by the steps of:

requesting the local ULID processor to provide the location information at the external LBS server;

performing a thin client algorithm to transmit the ULID of peripheral RFID tags collected through an RFID reader and the auxiliary data to the external LBS server at the local ULID processor; and

calculating optimal current location by using the ULID and the auxiliary data and providing the external user with a location information searching service on the terminal user at the external LBS server.

68. The LBS system of claim 67, wherein the local ULID processor performs a thin client algorithm by the steps of:

performing a ULID filtration on the ULIDs code structure, comprising a header having version information for identifying a type of each of the ULID codes, and data blocks for identifying latitude, longitude and altitude of location respectively, among the collected ULIDs at the request for ULID filtration; and

transmitting the filtered ULID and auxiliary data to the external LBS server.

69. The LBS system of claim 67, wherein the external LBS server calculates current location information of the terminal through the collected ULIDs by the step of:

connecting to a corresponding ULID-to-location information conversion server for the ULID code structure, comprising a header having version information for identifying a type of each of the ULID codes, a DB/Mgt ID block for identifying database including space objects, a class ID block for identifying an object class or a table in the database, and a object ID block for identifying an object space in the object class or the table, to receive location information on the ULID back.

70. The LBS system of claim 45, wherein, when an external user requests the LBS system to provide location information of a terminal user, the LBS system provides the location information by the steps of:

requesting the local ULID processor of a corresponding terminal to provide the location information at the external LBS server;

collecting the ULID of peripheral RFID tags through an RFID reader, calculating current location of a terminal through ULID filtration and optimal location information extraction, and transmitting the calculated current location to the external LBS server at the local ULID processor; and

providing the external user with a location information searching service on the terminal user on the basis of current location information of the terminal at the external LBS server.