POSITION DETECTION SYSTEM AND POSITION DETECTION METHOD

• US 20180124586A1
• Filed: 03/23/2016
• Published: 05/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: IKEZAKI, Issei, ITO, Takatsugu, KONISHI, Taisuke
• Granted Patent: US 10,178,523 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/68 Marker, boundary, call-sign, or like beacons transmitting signals not carrying directional information
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0205 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0252 Radio frequency fingerprinting
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0258 by combining or switching between measurements derived from different systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0295 Proximity-based methods, e.g. position inferred from reception of particular signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

A position detection system is provided which is capable of inhibiting an increase in system costs and improving accuracy of detecting a position of a terminal. In the position detection system, a first terminal measures radio waves from a wireless connection device or a second terminal, and transmits a measurement result to a position detection server through the wireless connection device. The position detection server estimates that the first terminal is located in a position of the second terminal which has transmitted the radio waves in a case where the measurement result includes information of the radio waves from the second terminal, and estimates the position of the first terminal based on information of radio wave intensity of the radio waves from the wireless connection device, which is included in the measurement result, reference data, and positional information of the second terminal in a case where the measurement result does not include the information of the radio waves from the second terminal.

Claims

1. A position detection system comprising:

a first terminal;

a plurality of second terminals;

a wireless connection device; and

a position detection server,

wherein each of the second terminals is disposed in a prescribed position and transmits radio waves in first radio wave intensity,

wherein the wireless connection device is disposed in a prescribed position, and transmits radio waves in second radio wave intensity which is higher than the first radio wave intensity,

wherein the first terminal

measures the radio waves from the wireless connection device or each of the second terminals, and

transmits a measurement result to the position detection server through the wireless connection device, and

wherein the position detection server

maintains first reference data that includes information of a radio wave intensity of the radio waves from the wireless connection device, which is measured by each of the second terminals in a memory,

receives the measurement result from the first terminal,

estimates that the first terminal is located in a position of each of the second terminal which has transmitted the radio waves in a case where the measurement result includes information of the radio waves from each of the second terminals, and

estimates the position of the first terminal based on the information of the radio wave intensity of the radio waves from the wireless connection device, which is included in the measurement result, the first reference data which is maintained in the memory, and a plurality of pieces of positional information of the plurality of second terminals, in a case where the measurement result does not include the information of the radio waves from each of the second terminals.

2. The position detection system of claim 1,

wherein, in the case where the measurement result does not include the information of the radio waves from each of the second terminals, the position detection server derives correlation information between the position of each of the second terminals and the position of the first terminal with respect to each of the second terminals, and estimates that the first terminal is located in the position of the second terminal, which has a highest degree of correlation, based on the correlation information.

3. The position detection system of claim 1,

wherein, in the case where the measurement result does not include the information of the radio waves from each of the second terminals, the position detection server derives correlation information between the position of each of the second terminals and the position of the first terminal with respect to each of the second terminals, and estimates the position of the first terminal, based on a plurality of pieces of correlation information and the plurality of pieces of positional information of the plurality of second terminals.

4. The position detection system of claims 1,

wherein the position detection server

maintains the first reference data and second reference data in the memory, the second reference data including the information of the radio wave intensity of the radio waves, which is measured by the wireless connection device, from each wireless connection device, and

estimates the position of the first terminal based on the information of the radio wave intensity of the radio waves from the wireless connection device, which is included in the measurement result, the first reference data which is maintained in the memory, the second reference data which is maintained in the memory, the positional information of each of the second terminals, and the positional information of the wireless connection device, in the case where the measurement result does not include the information of the radio wave intensity of the radio waves from each of the second terminals.

5. The position detection system of claim 1,

wherein each of the second terminals transmits the radio waves which have directivity in a prescribed direction.

6. The position detection system of claims 1, further comprising:

a private branch exchanger,

wherein the first terminal transmits the measurement result to the position detection server through the wireless connection device and the private branch exchanger.

7. A position detection method for estimating a position of a first terminal, the method comprising:

by a second terminal that is disposed in a prescribed position,

transmitting radio waves in first radio wave intensity,

by a wireless connection device that is disposed in a prescribed position,

transmitting radio waves in second radio wave intensity which is higher than the first radio wave intensity,

by the first terminal,

measuring the radio waves from the wireless connection device or the second terminal, and

transmitting a measurement result to a position detection server through the wireless connection device, and

by the position detection server,

receiving the measurement result from the first terminal,

estimating that the first terminal is located in the position of the second terminal which has transmitted the radio waves in a case where the measurement result includes information of the radio waves from the second terminal, and

estimating the position of the first terminal based on information of a radio wave intensity of the radio waves from the wireless connection device, which is included in the measurement result, the information of the radio wave intensity of the radio waves from the wireless connection device, which is maintained in the memory and is measured by the second terminal, and position information of the second terminal, in a case where the measurement result does not include the information of the radio wave intensity of the radio waves from the second terminal.