INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS, INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD, INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT

• US 20130122931A1
• Filed: 08/24/2011
• Published: 05/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Shionozaki, Atsushi, Mitsuya, Koshiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,825,079 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/021 Calibration, monitoring or correction G01S5/0252 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0226 Transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0242 Determining the position of transmitters to be subsequently used in positioning G01S5/0289 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02526 using non-dedicated equipment, e.g. user equipment or crowd-sourcing
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02527 Detecting or resolving anomalies in the radio frequency fingerprints of the radio-map
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/003 locating network equipment

Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes a reception unit receiving measurement information on signal strength from a wireless terminal that measures the signal strength of wireless signals transmitted from base stations, a base station information storage unit storing, for each base station, base station position information and an index showing the reliability of the base station position information, a base station position estimating unit estimating position information of a base station based on the received measurement information, an estimation result evaluating unit calculating an index showing the reliability of the estimated position information of the base station, and an information management unit operable when the calculated index shows higher reliability than the index stored in the base station information storage unit, to update the stored base station position information using the position information estimated by the base station position estimating unit.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a base station position estimating unit that estimates position information of a base station based on signal strength measurement information collected from wireless signals transmitted from a plurality of base stations;

an estimation result evaluating unit that determines a determined index corresponding to reliability of an estimated position information for the base station; and

an information management unit configured to update a stored base station position information using the estimated position information when the determined index indicates a higher reliability than a stored index for the base station.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a reception unit that receives from a wireless terminal signal strength measurement information; and

a base station information storage unit that stores for the base station the stored base station position information, and

the stored index.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the information management unit is configured to lower the stored index lower to indicate lower reliability when a difference between the estimated position information and stored base station position information exceeds a predetermined value.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a measurement information storage unit that stores the signal strength measurement information received by the reception unit.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the base station position estimating unit refers to the measurement information storage unit and estimates the estimated position information of the base station based on magnitudes of signals strengths of wireless signals received by the reception unit.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the estimation result evaluating unit calculates an average of the signal strengths of the wireless signals.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a history information storage unit that stores history information for base stations having changes to the stored index to reflect lowered reliability;

a mobile base station determining unit that determines whether the base station is a mobile base station based on the history information; and

a mobile base station information storage unit that stores information regarding base stations that have been determined by the mobile base station determining unit to be mobile base stations.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

the mobile base station determining unit determines that the base station is a mobile base station where the reliability of the stored index has been lowered with a specified frequency or made higher.

9. The apparatus according to according to claim 7, further comprising:

a terminal position estimating unit that estimates a position of a wireless terminal based on measurement information received from the wireless terminal and the stored base station position information, wherein

the terminal position estimating unit estimates the position of the wireless terminal using measurement results of base stations where the reliability exceeds a predetermined threshold.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the terminal position estimating unit estimates the position of the wireless terminal using measurement results of base stations whose reliability exceeds the threshold and are not stored as mobile base stations in the mobile base station information storage unit.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the information management unit is configured to lower the stored index to the predetermined threshold or below when a difference between an estimated position of the base station and a position shown by the base station position information stored in the base station information storage unit exceeds a set value.

12. An information processing method comprising:

estimating position information of a base station based on signal strength measurement information collected from wireless signals transmitted from a plurality of base stations;

determining with a processor a determined index corresponding to reliability of an estimated position information for the base station; and

updating in a computer readable storage device a stored base station position information using the estimated position information when the determined index indicates a higher reliability than a stored index for the base station.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

receiving from a wireless terminal signal strength measurement information; and

storing in a base station information storage unit

the stored base station position information, and

the stored index.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein

changing the stored index lower to indicate lower reliability when a difference between the estimated position information and stored base station position information exceeds a predetermined value.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein:

the estimating includes estimating the estimated position information of the base station based on magnitudes of signals strengths described by the signal strength measurement information.

16. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

storing history information for base stations having changes to the stored index to reflect lowered reliability;

determining whether the base station is a mobile base station based on the history information; and

storing information regarding base stations that have been determined to be mobile base stations.

17. A computer readable storage device having instructions that when executed by a processor perform a method comprising:

estimating position information of a base station based on wireless terminal signal strength measurement information of wireless signals transmitted from a plurality of base stations;

determining with a processor a determined index corresponding to an estimated position information for the base station; and

updating in a computer readable storage device a stored base station position information using the estimated position information when the determined index indicates a higher reliability than a stored index for the base station.

18. The computer readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the method further comprising:

receiving from a wireless terminal signal strength measurement information; and

storing in a base station information storage unit

the stored base station position information, and

the stored index.

19. The computer readable storage device of claim 17, wherein the method further comprising:

changing the stored index lower to indicate lower reliability when a difference between the estimated position information and stored base station position information exceeds a predetermined value.

20. The computer readable storage device of claim 17, wherein

the estimating includes estimating the estimated position information of the base station based on magnitudes of signals strengths described by the signal strength measurement information.