Positioning system, positioning method, and program thereof

• US 8,280,398 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2005
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Ishii, Kenichi, Matsuda, Junichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Batista, Marcos
• Assistant Examiner(s): DONADO, FRANK E
• Application Number:
  US10/591,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20070177161A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,770 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/440
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 1/7034 Mounting or deployment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2201/01 adapted for specific applications or environments
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0009 Transmission of position information to remote stations involving assistance data G01S5/0236
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/16 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 47/155 Coordinated control of two or more light sources

Abstract

A positioning system includes an illumination device, a terminal, and a positioning server. The illumination device transmits identification information. The terminal transmits the identification information received from the illumination device, to the positioning server. The positioning server uses the identification information received from the terminal, thereby searching an illumination installation position database registered in advance so as to identify the terminal position. This eliminates power supply for positioning infrastructure and facilitates attachment to a ceiling, thereby realizing the positioning infrastructure at a low cost.

Claims

1. A positioning system for detecting the position of a mobile terminal, comprising:

an illumination device configured to transmit a signal including a unique information from a given installation position;

a mobile terminal communicably connected to the illumination device and configured to extract the unique information from the signal transmitted from the illumination device; and

a position estimation device communicably connected to the mobile terminal and receiving the unique information from the terminal, the position estimation device being configured to estimate a position of the mobile terminal based on an illumination installation position information and the unique information received by the mobile terminal, said illumination installation position information including the unique information and a position coordinate information indicating the installation position of the illumination device in association with each other,

wherein the position estimation device is configured to;

read out from the illumination installation position information the position coordinate information corresponding to the unique information based on one or more unique information, which uniquely identifies the illumination device extracted by the mobile terminal within a past predetermined time period;

estimate the position of the mobile terminal based on the read out position information,

add a weighting value to one or more unique information received by the mobile terminal within a past predetermined time based on the reception time of the respective unique information; and

estimate the position of the mobile terminal based on unique information selected based on a result of the addition; and

wherein the position estimation device is configured to estimate the position of the terminal based on most frequently received unique information among one or more unique information received by the terminal within a past predetermined time period.

2. The positioning system according to claim 1, wherein

the position estimation device is configured to estimate the position of the terminal based on the unique information received by the terminal most recently.

3. The positioning system according to claim 1, wherein:

the illumination device comprises a light emission unit for emitting an illumination light and a transmission unit for transmitting the unique information;

the transmission unit comprises a white LED for emitting a visible light signal; and

the white LED is configured to transmit the unique information on the visible light signal.

4. The positioning system according to claim 1, wherein:

the illumination device comprises a light emission unit for emitting an illumination light and a transmission unit for transmitting the unique information;

the transmission unit comprises an infrared LED for emitting an infrared ray signal; and

the infrared LED is configured to transmit the unique information on the infrared ray signal.

5. The positioning system according to claim 1, wherein:

the illumination device comprises a light emission unit for emitting an illumination light and a transmission unit for transmitting the unique information;

the transmission unit comprises a wireless communication unit for transmitting a radio signal; and

the wireless communication unit is configured to transmit the unique information on the radio signal.

6. The positioning system according to claim 1, wherein

the transmission unit is configured to transmit the unique information to the terminal at random timing.

7. The positioning system according to claim 1, wherein

the illumination installation position information is configured to be created by associating the unique information collected by the terminal and installation position of the illumination device with each other.

8. The positioning system according to claim 1, wherein:

the positioning system further comprises a second positioning system; and

the positioning system and second positioning system can be operated in a switchable manner.

9. The positioning system according to claim 8, wherein

the second positioning system is a positioning system using a wireless LAN.

10. The positioning system according to claim 8, wherein

the positioning system is configured to identify the position of the terminal by using the unique information that the illumination device transmits, in the case where requested terminal position information is logical position information.

11. The positioning system according to claim 8, wherein

the positioning system is configured to identify the position of the terminal by using the second positioning system, in the case where the positioning system could not identify the position of the terminal by using the unique information.

12. The positioning system according to claim 8, wherein

the positioning system is configured to determine whether to identify the position of the terminal by using the unique information or by using the second positioning system, based on the type of the requested terminal position information.

13. The positioning system according to claim 1, wherein

the positioning system is configured to display acquired terminal position information and to reacquire terminal position information depending on the accuracy of the acquired terminal position information.

14. The positioning system according to claim 1, wherein

the positioning system has a function of storing attribute information concerning the terminal and of displaying the position information of the terminal corresponding to specified attribute information.

15. The positioning system according to claim 14, wherein

the positioning system is configured to store, as the attribute information of the terminal, a name of a department to which a terminal user belongs.

16. The positioning system according to claim 13, wherein

the positioning system is configured to display the terminal position information corresponding to a specified display condition and to specify, as the display condition, information of floors in which the terminal exists.

17. The positioning system according to claim 1, wherein the positioning system is configured to:

identify a user terminal in response to a position information request concerning a user of the terminal;

acquire the position information of the identified terminal; and

select one terminal in order of priority set for the respective terminals to acquire the position information thereof, in the case where a plurality of the user terminals exist.

18. The positioning system according to claim 17, wherein

the priority is configured to be determined based on the type of the terminal.

19. The positioning system according to claim 17, wherein

the priority is configured to be determined such that the position information of the terminal using a wireless LAN has a higher priority.

20. The positioning system according to claim 17, wherein

the priority is configured to be determined based on presence/absence of a response from the terminal.

21. The positioning system according to claim 17, wherein

the priority is configured to be determined based on the use state of the terminal.

22. A positioning method of a positioning system for detecting the position of a terminal, the positioning system comprising:

an illumination device configured to transmit a signal including a unique information from a given installation position;

a terminal communicably connected to the illumination device and configured to extract the unique information from the signal transmitted from the illumination device; and

a position estimation device communicably connected to the terminal and receiving the unique information from the terminal, the position estimation device being configured to estimate a position of the terminal based on an illumination installation position information and the unique information received by the terminal, said illumination installation position information including the unique information and a position information indicating the installation position of the illumination device in association with each other, and wherein the position estimation device is configured to estimate the position of the terminal based on most frequently received unique information among one or more unique information received by the terminal within a past predetermined time period,

the positioning method comprising;

adding, by using the position estimation device, a weighting value to one or more unique information received by the terminal within a past predetermined time based on the reception time of the respective unique information;

selecting unique information from the one or more unique information based on a result of the addition by using the position estimation device;

reading out from the illumination installation position information the position information corresponding to the selected unique information, by using the position estimation device;

estimating the position of the terminal based on the read out position information by using the position estimation device; and

identifying, in the case where position detection processing can be switched between the positioning system and a second positioning system and where a terminal position information request is logical position information, the position of the terminal by using the unique information that the illumination device transmits.

23. The positioning method according to claim 22, wherein

a positioning method carried out by the second positioning system is a positioning method using a wireless LAN.

24. The positioning method according to claim 22, further comprising

identifying, in the case where the position of the terminal could not be identified by using the unique information, the position of the terminal by using the second positioning system.

25. The positioning method according to claim 22, further comprising

determining whether to identify the position of the terminal using the unique information or using the second positioning system based on the type of the requested position information.

26. A positioning system for detecting the position of a terminal, the system comprising:

an illumination device configured to transmit a signal including a unique information from a given installation position;

a terminal communicably connected to the illumination device and configured to extract the unique information from the signal transmitted from the illumination device; and

a position estimation device communicably connected to the terminal and receiving the unique information from the terminal, the position estimation device being configured to estimate a position of the terminal based on an illumination installation position information and the unique information received by the terminal, said illumination installation position information including the unique information and a position information indicating the installation position of the illumination device in association with each other,

wherein the position estimation device is configured to;

add a weighing value to one or more unique information received by the terminal within a

past predetermined time based on the reception time of the respective unique information;

increase the weighting value as the reception time becomes newer;

select unique information having the largest value resulting from the addition;

read out from the illumination installation position information the position information corresponding to the selected unique information; and

estimate the position of the terminal based on the read out position information; and

wherein the position estimation device is configured to estimate the position of the terminal based on most frequently received unique information among one or more unique information received by the terminal within a past predetermined time period.

27. A positioning system for detecting the position of a mobile terminal, comprising:

an illumination device configured to transmit a signal including a unique information from a given installation position;

a mobile terminal communicably connected to the illumination device and configured to extract the unique information from the signal transmitted from the illumination device; and

a position estimation device communicably connected to the mobile terminal and receiving the unique information from the terminal, the position estimation device being configured to estimate a position of the mobile terminal based on an illumination installation position information and the unique information received by the mobile terminal, said illumination installation position information including the unique information and a position coordinate information indicating the installation position of the illumination device in association with each other,

wherein the position estimation device is configured to;

read out from the illumination installation position information the position coordinate information corresponding to the unique information based on one or more unique information, which uniquely identifies the illumination device extracted by the mobile terminal within a past predetermined time period;

estimate the position of the mobile terminal based on the read out position information,

add a weighting value to one or more unique information received by the mobile terminal within a past predetermined time based on the reception time of the respective unique information; and

estimate the position of the mobile terminal based on unique information selected based on a result of the addition; and

wherein the position estimation device is configured to estimate the position of the terminal based on most frequently received unique information among one or more unique information received by the terminal within a past predetermined time period, and

wherein the positioning system is configured to;

identify a user terminal in response to a position information request concerning a user of the terminal;

acquire the position information of the identified terminal; and

select one terminal in order of priority set for the respective terminals to acquire the position information thereof, in the case where a plurality of the user terminals exist.