INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND INFORMATION PROCESSING METHOD

• US 20130166247A1
• Filed: 12/18/2012
• Published: 06/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: HAYASHI, Hideki, AKIYAMA, TAKAYUKI, SATO, Akiko
• Granted Patent: US 9,255,943 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/141
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/16 by integrating acceleration or speed, i.e. inertial navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/206 specially adapted for indoor navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/14 by making use of gyroscopes gyroscopes per se G01C19/00

Abstract

A process of the invention analyzes a moving speed using acceleration data by an acceleration sensor and calculates a moving distance of the object. The process removes each of given candidate values of drift components from angular velocity data by a gyro sensor and generates relative azimuths data pieces. Based on the respective relative azimuths data pieces, the process calculates moving directions of the object. Using the moving distance and moving directions calculated, the process creates plural moving loci corresponding to the candidate values of drift components. By comparing the positions of actual starting and end points of moving in a building with the positions of starting and end points of each moving locus, the process evaluates the moving loci and determines an optimal moving locus out of the moving loci, based on the evaluation result.

Claims

1. An information processing apparatus that creates information representing a locus of an object moving in a building, using acceleration sensor and gyro sensor data, the information processing apparatus comprising:

a moving speed analysis unit that analyzes a moving speed using acceleration data acquired by the acceleration sensor and calculates a moving distance of the object;

a relative azimuth calculation unit that removes each of a plurality of given candidate values of drift components from angular velocity data acquired by the gyro sensor and generates a plurality of relative azimuths data pieces;

a moving direction calculation unit that calculates a plurality of moving directions of the object, based on the respective relative azimuths data pieces generated by the relative azimuth calculation unit;

a moving locus creation unit that creates a plurality of moving loci corresponding to the plurality of candidate values of drift components, using information on the moving distance calculated by the moving speed analysis unit and information on the moving directions calculated by the moving direction calculation unit;

a moving locus evaluation unit that evaluates the plurality of moving loci by comparing the positions of actual starting and end points of moving in the building with the positions of starting and end points of each of the moving loci; and

an optimal moving locus determination unit that determines an optimal moving locus out of the plurality of moving loci, based on the evaluation result by the moving locus evaluation unit.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein if the actual starting and end points of moving differ;

the moving locus creation unit performs at least one of rotation, scaling down and scaling up for each of the plurality of moving loci, adjusts the starting and end points of each moving locus to the actual starting and end points of moving, and creates a plurality of adjusted moving loci,

the moving locus evaluation unit takes building data on the building structure and evaluates each of the adjusted moving loci as to whether it falls within the building outline, and

the optimal moving locus determination unit determines an adjusted moving locus of the longest moving distance among moving loci falling within the building outline as an optional one.

3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein if the actual starting and end points of moving are the same;

the moving locus evaluation unit takes building data on the building structure and calculates for each of the plurality of moving loci a difference in distance between the starting and end points of the locus and an in-building ratio by which the locus falls within the building outline; and

the optimal moving locus determination unit determines an optimal moving locus, based on the difference and the in-building ratio.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the moving direction calculation unit calculates a plurality of moving directions of the object corresponding to the plurality of candidate values of drift components respectively, additionally using information representing an absolute orientation.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a correction unit that performs at least one of scaling up, scaling down, rotation, and displacement for an optimal moving locus determined by the optimal moving locus determination unit based on the building data, thereby correcting the moving locus.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a floor access point selecting unit that takes building data on the building structure, creates at least one combination of the positions of the actual starting and end points of moving from information on floor access points included in the building data, and provides the starting and end point combination information to the moving locus creation unit,

wherein the moving locus creation unit creates the plurality of moving loci, using the starting and end point position information for all combinations.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a floor data separation unit that separates each of the acceleration data and the angular velocity data into per-floor data, based on a pattern change in the acceleration data,

wherein the moving speed analysis unit, the relative azimuth calculation unit, the moving direction calculation unit, the moving locus creation unit, the moving locus evaluation unit, and the optimal moving locus determination unit perform processing on the per-floor data and create information representing the optimal locus per floor.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the floor data separation unit separates data into per-floor data, additionally using atmospheric pressure data acquired by an atmospheric pressure sensor.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the floor data separation unit separates data into per-floor data, additionally using UPS data.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 7,

wherein the floor data separation unit separates data into per-floor data, additionally using RFID data.

11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

an orientation inference unit that regards orientation data during a period of time when orientation data acquired by an orientation sensor stably indicates a constant direction as the absolute orientation.

12. An information processing apparatus comprising:

a moving locus inference unit that infers a moving locus of an object moving in a building;

a storage that holds the moving locus and radio field strength data acquired by measuring radio field strength at a plurality of points in the building when the object moves;

a data integration unit that associates and integrates the locus information and the radio field strength data; and

an output unit that outputs integrated data generated by the data integration unit,

wherein the moving locus inference unit

(i) analyzes a moving speed using acceleration data acquired by an acceleration sensor and calculates a moving distance of the object;

(ii) removes each of a plurality of given candidate values of drift components from angular velocity data acquired by a gyro sensor and generates a plurality of relative azimuths data pieces;

(iii) calculates a plurality of moving directions of the object, based on the respective relative azimuths data pieces;

(iv) creates a plurality of moving loci corresponding to the plurality of candidate values of drift components, using information on the moving distance and information on the moving directions;

(v) evaluates the plurality of moving loci by comparing the positions of actual starting and end points of moving in the building with the positions of starting and end points of each of the moving loci; and

(vi) determines an optimal moving locus out of the plurality of moving loci, based on the result of evaluating the plurality of moving loci,

wherein the moving locus information and the radio field strength data each include information on time points, and

the data integration unit associates the moving locus with the radio field strength data, based on the information on time points.

13. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12,

wherein if a time interval of acquisition of the radio field strength is longer than a time interval of creation of the locus information, the data integration unit associates the locus information with the radio field strength data by interpolating the radio field strength data.

14. For use in a computer comprising a processor and at least one memory, an information processing method for creating information representing a locus of an object moving in a building, using an acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and orientation sensor data,

wherein the at least one memory holds acceleration data acquired by the acceleration sensor and angular velocity data acquired by the gyro sensor,

the method comprising the steps, which are performed by the processor, of:

reading the acceleration data from the memory, analyzing a moving speed of the object using the acceleration data, and calculating a moving distance of the object;

removing each of a plurality of given candidate values of drift components from angular velocity data acquired by the gyro sensor and generating a plurality of relative azimuths data pieces;

calculating a plurality of moving directions of the object, based on the respective relative azimuths data pieces;

creating a plurality of moving loci corresponding to the plurality of candidate values of drift components, using information on the moving distance and information on the moving directions;

evaluating the plurality of moving loci by comparing the positions of actual starting and end points of moving in the building with the positions of starting and end points of each of the moving loci; and

determining an optimal moving locus out of the plurality of moving loci, based on the result of evaluating the plurality of moving loci.