Positioning server device and positioning control method

• US 9,037,189 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2012
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Saito, Yoshiko, Ikeda, Shinkichi, Nakao, Seigo
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Danh
• Application Number:
  US14/235,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20140228048A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,033 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 455/418, 455/456.1
• US Class Current: 455/550.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/02525 Gathering the radio frequency fingerprints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A positioning server device comprises: an input unit which receives measurement information of radio waves which are transmitted between an access point and a client; a radio wave map administration unit (10) which administers radio wave map data which denotes an estimation of a correspondence relation between the radio wave measurement information and a spatial location; and a positioning unit (13) which positions the location of the client based on the radio wave measurement information and the radio wave map data. The radio wave map administration unit (10) administers first map data which relates to a fixed positioning range where it is possible for a client to be positioned to be present conventionally, and second map data which relates to an extended positioning range wherein a possibility arises that the client to be positioned may be present according to particular conditions, as radio wave map data.

Claims

1. A positioning server apparatus comprising:

an input section that inputs measurement information of a radio wave transmitted between an access point and a client;

a radio wave map managing section that manages radio wave map data representing a correspondence relation between the measurement information and a spatial location; and

a positioning section that measures a location of the client based on the measurement information and the radio wave map data, wherein the radio wave map managing section manages first map data and second map data as the radio wave map data, the first map data related to a fixed positioning range where there is a possibility that the client to be positioned is present during normal operation, and the second map data related to an extended positioning range where there is possibility that the client to be positioned is present under a specific condition.

2. The positioning server apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the extended positioning range is a range overlapping a fixed positioning range of another positioning server apparatus.

3. The positioning server apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a data updating section that recalculates a parameter in the radio wave map data based on the measurement information and a measurement result by the positioning section to update the radio wave map data, wherein the data updating section updates the first map data and the second map data, based on the parameter recalculated for the fixed positioning range.

4. The positioning server apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a data updating section that updates the radio wave map data based on the measurement information and a measurement result by the positioning section, wherein the data updating section updates the second map data in frequency less than update frequency of the first map data.

5. The positioning server apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a range control section that changes a positioning range of the positioning section within the fixed positioning range and the extended positioning range.

6. The positioning server apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the range control section determines a size or a part of the extended positioning range to be included in the positioning range of the positioning section, based on density or distribution of a plurality of clients each of which corresponds to the client.

7. The positioning server apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising

a supplementary information input section that inputs a state regarding a boundary between the fixed positioning range and the extended positioning range, wherein

the range control section changes the positioning range of the positioning section, based on the supplemental information.

8. The positioning server apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the positioning section sets a plurality of positioning candidate points in the positioning range and performs a calculation processing on the positioning candidate points to measure a location of the client, and changes a distance between the positioning candidate points according to a size of the positioning range.

9. A positioning control method comprising:

inputting measurement information of a radio wave transmitted between an access point and a client;

measuring a location of the client based on the measurement information and radio wave map data representing a correspondence relation between the measurement information and a spatial location; and

updating the radio wave map data based on the measurement information and a positioning result of the client, wherein the radio wave map data includes first map data related to a fixed positioning range where there is a possibility that the client to be positioned is present during normal operation and second map data related to an extended positioning range where there is possibility that the client to be positioned is present under a specific condition.

10. The positioning control method according to claim 9, further comprising changing a positioning range within the fixed positioning range and the extended positioning range, before measuring the location of the client.