DETERMINING APPARATUS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM AND DETERMINING METHOD

• US 20100171592A1
• Filed: 06/26/2009
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Kamemaru, Toshihisa
• Application Number:
  US12/492,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20100171592A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0045 Arrangements at the receiver end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0072 Error control for data other than payload data, e.g. control data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/08 by repeating transmission, e.g. Verdan system H04L1/1858 and H04L1/189 take precedence

Abstract

A determining apparatus ensures an assurance value of reliability in the determination result for determining the correct tag. A signal receiving unit 121 receives a signal transmitted by the tag (the communication apparatus), a plurality of times. An identification acquiring unit 122 acquires identification data of the tag based on the received signal. The reception counting unit 123 counts a number of reception times the signal is received for each tag. The apparatus determining unit 132 determines that the tag having the more number of reception times as the correct tag (the communication partner) when the difference in the number of reception times is greater than or equal to the times difference threshold.

Claims

1. A determining apparatus for receiving each signal transmitted by one or more communication apparatuses, and determines a communication apparatus serving as a communication partner out of the communication apparatuses transmitted the signal received, the determining apparatus comprising:

a receiving apparatus for receiving a signal,

a processing apparatus for processing data,

a signal receiving unit,

an identification acquiring unit,

a reception counting unit, and

an apparatus determining unit; and

wherein the signal receiving unit, by using the receiving apparatus, receives each signal transmitted by one or more communication apparatuses, a plurality of times;

wherein the identification acquiring unit, by using the processing apparatus, based on each signal received by the signal receiving unit, acquires identification data for identifying the communication apparatus that has transmitted the signal received by the signal receiving unit;

wherein the reception counting unit, by using the processing apparatus, based on the identification data acquired by the identification acquiring unit, counts each number of reception times the signal receiving unit has received the signal, for each communication apparatus identified by the identification data;

wherein the apparatus determining unit, by using the processing apparatus, based on the number of reception times counted by the reception counting unit, calculates a difference in the number of reception times between one communication apparatus and another communication apparatus, compares the difference in the number of reception times calculated with a prescribed times difference threshold, and determines a communication apparatus having a more number of reception times as the communication partner, when the difference in the number of reception times is greater than or equal to the times difference threshold.

2. The determining apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage apparatus for storing data, a correct reception probability storing unit, a wrong reception probability storing unit, and a times difference threshold calculating unit;

wherein the correct reception probability storing unit, by using the storage apparatus, stores as a correct reception probability, a probability that the signal receiving unit receives a signal transmitted by a communication apparatus serving as a communication partner;

wherein the wrong reception probability storing unit, by using the storage apparatus, stores as a wrong reception probability, a probability that the signal receiving unit receives a signal transmitted by a communication apparatus not serving as a communication partner;

wherein the times difference threshold calculating unit, by using the processing apparatus, calculates the times difference threshold based on the correct reception probability stored by the correct reception probability storing unit and the wrong reception probability stored by the wrong reception probability storing unit; and

wherein the apparatus determining unit, by using the processing apparatus, determines a communication apparatus serving as a communication partner, by treating the times difference threshold calculated by the times difference threshold calculating unit as a prescribed times difference threshold.

3. The determining apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a correct reception probability calculating unit;

wherein the correct reception probability calculating unit, by using the processing apparatus, calculates the correct reception probability, based on the number of reception times counted by the reception counting unit; and

wherein the correct reception probability storing unit, by using the storage apparatus, stores the correct reception probability calculated by the correct reception probability calculating unit.

4. The determining apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a wrong reception probability calculating unit;

wherein the wrong reception probability calculating unit, by using the processing apparatus, calculates the wrong reception probability, based on the number of reception times counted by the reception counting unit; and

wherein the wrong reception probability storing unit, by using the storage apparatus, stores the wrong reception probability calculated by the wrong reception probability calculating unit.

5. The determining apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an electrical power measuring unit, and an electrical power testing unit;

wherein the electrical power measuring unit, by using the processing apparatus, measures a received power of the signal received by the signal receiving unit;

wherein the electrical power testing unit, by using the processing apparatus, tests whether there is a significant difference between an average value of the received power of a communication apparatus and an average value of the received power of another communication apparatus, based on the received power measured by the electrical power measuring unit, when the difference in the number of reception times calculated by the apparatus determining unit is less than the times difference threshold; and

wherein the apparatus determining unit, by using the processing apparatus, determines a communication apparatus having a larger average value of the received power as the communication partner, when a result of testing by the electrical power testing unit is a determination that there is a significant difference between the average values of the received power.

6. The determining apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transmitting apparatus for transmitting a signal and a request transmitting unit;

wherein the request transmitting unit, by using the transmitting apparatus, transmits a signal for indicating a request for transmission of a signal indicating the identification data, to a communication apparatus, a plurality of times; and

wherein the signal receiving unit, by using the receiving apparatus, receives a signal transmitted by the communication apparatus as a response to a signal transmitted by the request transmitting unit.

7. The determining apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the times difference threshold calculating unit, by using the processing apparatus, works out an integer that satisfies an equation selected out of the subsequent equations:

8. The determining apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a total correct reception calculating unit and a correct reception opportunity calculating unit;

wherein the total correct reception calculating unit, by using the processing apparatus, sums up the number of reception times counted by the reception counting unit for a communication apparatus determined by the apparatus determining unit as the communication partner, as a total number of correct reception times;

wherein the correct reception opportunity calculating unit, by using the processing apparatus, sums up the number of times that the signal receiving unit has had an opportunity to receive a signal for the communication apparatus determined by the apparatus determining unit as the communication partner, as a number of correct reception opportunity times; and

wherein the correct reception probability calculating unit, by using the processing apparatus, calculates a quotient obtained by dividing the total number of correct reception times calculated by the total correct reception calculating unit by the number of correct reception opportunity times calculated by the correct reception opportunity calculating unit, as a correct reception probability.

9. The determining apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a total wrong reception calculating unit and a wrong reception opportunity calculating unit;

wherein the total wrong reception calculating unit, by using the processing apparatus, sums up the number of reception times counted by the reception counting unit for a communication apparatus determined by the apparatus determining unit as not serving as the communication partner;

wherein the wrong reception opportunity calculating unit, by using the processing apparatus, sums up the number of times that the signal receiving unit had had a opportunity to receive a signal for the communication apparatus determined by the apparatus determining unit as not serving as the communication partner, as a number of wrong reception opportunity times; and

wherein the wrong reception probability calculating unit, by using the processing apparatus, calculates a quotient obtained by dividing the total number of wrong reception times calculated by the total wrong reception calculating unit by the number of wrong reception opportunity times calculated by the wrong reception opportunity calculating unit, as a wrong reception probability.

10. The determining apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising an average calculating unit and a variance calculating unit;

wherein the average calculating unit, by using the processing apparatus, based on the identification data acquired by the identification acquiring unit, calculates each average value of the received power measured by the electrical power measuring unit, for each communication apparatus identified by the identification data;

wherein the variance calculating unit, by using the processing apparatus, based on the identification data acquired by the identification acquiring unit, calculates each variance of the received power measured by the electrical power measuring unit, for each communication apparatus identified by the identification data; and

wherein the electrical power testing unit, by using the processing apparatus, based on the average value of the received power calculated by the average calculating unit and the variance of the received power calculated by the variance calculating unit, tests whether or not there is a significant difference between the average values of the received power.

11. A computer readable medium that stores a computer program for making a computer including a receiving apparatus for receiving a signal and a processing apparatus for processing data, function as the determining apparatus of claim 1.

12. A determining method of the determining apparatus including a receiving apparatus for receiving a signal and processing apparatus for processing data, for receiving each signal transmitted by one or more communication apparatuses, and for determining a communication apparatus serving as a communication partner out of the communication apparatuses that transmitted the signal received, the determining method comprising:

for the receiving apparatus to receive each signal transmitted by one or more communication apparatuses, a plurality of times;

for the processing apparatus to acquire identification data for identifying the communication apparatus that has transmitted the signal received by the receiving apparatus, based on the signal received by the receiving apparatus;

for the processing apparatus to count each number of reception times that the receiving apparatus has received the signal, for each communication apparatus identified by the identification data, based on the acquired identification data; and

for the processing apparatus to compare a difference between a number of reception times of a communication apparatus and a number of reception times of another communication apparatus with a prescribed times difference threshold based on the numbers of reception times counted, and to determine a communication apparatus having a more number of reception times as the communication partner, when the difference in the number of reception times is greater or equal to the times difference threshold.