JP2002523785A - Data carrier locating system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] The present invention has a device that can position a moving object in a specific area. For example, a moving object for positioning such as a human or an inanimate object is provided with a data carrier for determining an absolute position using a positioning system such as a GPS. For many applications, it is not necessary to know the absolute position of the object. Information about the area where the object is located is usually sufficient. In order to optimize the conversion of the data between the application requiring the position of the data carrier and the object itself, the absolute position of the object is transmitted to the information unit when the data carrier is initialized. The information unit moves coordinates using a digital map or plan divided into a plurality of areas so that the object is located in the corresponding area. This data is stored in the information unit. The boundaries of the area where the object is located are transmitted to the data carrier, and if the object changes its position, the data carrier itself can determine whether the object remains in the area. If the current position of the data carrier no longer matches the region information, this data carrier reports its position again to the information unit. If the application requests the location of the data carrier, the information unit transmits the data carrier area information stored in this application. This results in optimized communication between the application and the data carrier. Even if the data carrier has not arrived instantaneously, the position of the data carrier is determined.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for searching (locating) a position of an object provided with a data carrier.

Such a method allows a person or device to be located in the respective area. For this reason, these objects are, for example, global positioning systems (GP
It has a portable data carrier for receiving position data from a positioning system as in S).

[0003] US Patent No. 5,490,079 describes an automatic toll collection system using GPS. This system works with tags that include GPS sensors.
If the tag determines that it is located in the area, it sends a signal to the receiver. The stop time at such a tollgate is stored in this tag. When the usage fee to be paid is paid at an authorized payment place, the imposed usage fee amount is cleared. If the fee is not paid, the tag will be deactivated after a given time. This tag particularly includes a memory for storing the toll area.

[0004] In order to enable such general use of the data carrier, the size of the data carrier should be reduced with respect to the object. On the other hand, such mobile data carriers require a battery that is small and has a long life.

[0005] The absolute position of an object or person is often not valid, and for many users it is sufficient if more general area information or relative position is available.

[0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method for exchanging data between a data carrier and an information unit.

[0007] This object is achieved by a device according to claim 1 and a method according to claim 3.

The locating system consists essentially of three components. That is, a position determination system, an object having a data carrier, and an information unit.

[0009] Based on the initialization, the data carrier sends absolute coordinates representing its absolute position to the information unit. The information unit stores a corresponding area on an electronic map. The information unit translates each absolute coordinate of the data carrier into relative area data. Further, data of an area where the data carrier is currently located is stored. The information unit sends back the boundary of the area where the object is located to the data carrier. Then, the data is stored in the data carrier.

Since the object can move within this area, other areas, and even outside the area defined by the area boundaries, the data carrier determines its absolute position at a definable distance from the positioning system. Request. By comparing this absolute position with the stored boundaries for the area, it is determined whether the data carrier is still present in each stored area. There is no communication between the data carrier and the information unit as long as the comparison indicates that the object with the data carrier is still located in each of the areas. Once the data carrier detects that the absolute coordinates are outside the area stored in the carrier, the data carrier sends its new position to the information unit.

The advantage of this method is that the relative position of the object is continuously available in the information unit for any application where the position of the object is important.

[0012] This minimizes the communication between the data carrier and the information unit.

The data carrier does not need to be complicated and expensive, since the information unit stores, for example, an area with special toll booths and usage. The stored area can be changed at any time without deforming the data carrier.

How many times the data carrier requests its absolute position from the positioning system depends in particular on the required accuracy, but also on the speed at which the object moves.

In applications such as locating systems that are important to the location of the object, where absolute position determination would be difficult without that data carrier, the data carrier would be able to replace the existing built network. The information unit can be queried at any time for the immediate area being located via.

For example, if an infrared or wireless network with imperfect coverage is being used, the situation may occur where the data carrier easily leaves contact with the information unit. Since the information unit stores the area, i.e., in general terms, the relative position of the object, a loss of contact between the information unit and the object with the data carrier can be lost. At that time there is no problem.

The associated application does not need to immediately interrogate the individual data carriers for each query. This simplifies the communication means. Further, multiple applications can be provided with the area information of the object without the need for each individual application to contact the object.

As a result of this reduction in communication means, the required battery and thus logic means in the data carrier can be reduced. This extends, on the one hand, the operating period of such data carriers and, on the other hand, extends their field of use.

Other advantageous embodiments of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the device according to the present invention. The information unit 5 monitors, for example, four areas 1, 2, 3 and 4, in which the objects to be monitored are located with data carriers 11, 12, 13 and 14, respectively. Positioning system
6 transmits the absolute position data to the data carriers 11 to 14. The above absolute position data is transmitted to the information unit 5 depending on the mode of the data carrier.
In the data carrier on mode, the absolute position data is transmitted directly to the information unit. The information unit 5 has a data carrier 11-14
Sends back the boundaries of the individual areas where you are currently located. In addition, absolute position data is only transmitted to the information unit 5 when they are outside the stored boundaries of the current instantaneous area. The application 7 interested in the location of the data carriers 11 to 14 receives the current area information from the data bank of the information unit 5. There is no need to contact the data carrier for this. If the application has to respond under given conditions, the information unit 5 transmits a message to the application when individual conditions occur.

FIG. 2 shows a data carrier 11, wherein the data carrier 11 is a position sensor 2.
0, a transmitter 21, a receiver 22, a memory 23, and a comparator 24. The data carrier 11 receives its absolute position data from the position determination system 6 by the position sensor 20;
For example, it receives its absolute coordinates in space or its geographic location with a breakdown of length and width. A global positioning system (GPS) may be used for the position determination system 6. Moreover, it is also possible to use local positioning systems operating in the building with infrared or radio waves.

The object to be monitored is associated with a data carrier 11. Upon initialization, for example, upon power up, the data carrier 11 receives absolute position data from the position determination system 6 via the position sensor 20. The position data received during the initialization is transmitted directly to the information unit 5. The transmitter 21 provided on the data carrier 11 is used for this. It is also possible to send additional integrated information such as time and identification to the information unit 5. The information unit 5 stores each area in the form of an electronic map. During the initialization process, the information unit 5 receives the absolute position data of the location of the object transmitted by the data carrier 11. In the information unit 5 the absolute position data is assigned to each area where the object comprising the data carrier 11 is currently located. Information on which area the object with the data carrier is currently located is stored in the data bank of the information unit 5. The boundary of the area where the object is located is sent back to the data carrier 11. The data carrier 11 receives these boundaries by means of the receiver 22. These boundaries may be transmitted in the form of polygon data. The data carrier 11 stores these boundaries in the memory 23.

Depending on the required accuracy, the position determination system 6 is interrogated by the data carrier 11 for a suitable period of time to the current absolute position. Each new location is compared by a comparator 24 with the boundaries stored in the memory 23.
There is no communication between the data carrier 11 and the information unit 5 as long as the object with the data carrier 11 is located in the area whose boundaries are stored in the data carrier. This data carrier is detected by comparing with a stored boundary and only when the data carrier is located outside the area, it sends its absolute position to the information unit. This information unit determines, with the help of an electronic map stored therein, data corresponding to said position data,
The area in which the object is inserted is stored, and a new boundary of this area is sent to the data carrier 11.

This means that while the data carrier 11 is placed in the area, the data carrier 1
1 and the information unit 5 are optimized. When requesting the information unit,
Applications interested in the immediate location of the data carrier receive the individual area location data stored for the associated data carrier 11. Thus, it is not necessary for the data carrier 11 to be constantly within the coverage of all possible applications.

The information unit is used for a number of data carriers 11. Separate applications can access the information unit 5 simultaneously, so that each application does not need to directly contact each data carrier.

FIG. 3 schematically shows a time chart for inter-element communication of the locating system. The process for the data carrier is denoted by A, the process for the information unit is denoted by B, the process for the position determination system is denoted by C, and the process for the application is denoted by D. Step (31) represents the initialization of the data carrier. Subsequently, the data carrier inputs its absolute position from the position determination system C. This data carrier then sends this data to the information unit (34). After inputting the position data from the data carrier, this information unit places the absolute position of the data carrier in the area (35) with the help of the electronic map stored therein. This area arrangement is stored in the data bank of the information unit (36). It is therefore determined that with the help of said area boundary data for the relevant area is obtained. Consequently, the information unit sends the area boundary data to the data carrier (38). This data carrier inputs area boundary data and stores this data (39). The data carrier inputs its current absolute position from the position determination system. The current absolute position of this data carrier is compared with the boundary data (41). When an object with a data carrier is moved out of the stored area, its current absolute position is no longer within the area boundary data. This data carrier then sends its new absolute position to the information unit (42). In this unit, a similar step is performed after the first transmission of the absolute position (35, 36, 37, 38). If the position is within the area boundary data, the new absolute position is not sent to the information unit. During this time,
Application D seeks information about data carrier (43). The information unit selects individual data carriers from said data bank (44),
The immediate area where this data carrier is located is sent to the application (45).

There are various examples of applications that are of interest in positioning individual data carriers. Some of these examples are briefly described. A possible application is a human positioning system. Everyone is given a data carrier and travels through complex buildings. When a person is tracked, information units can be interrogated, for example, via a local computer network. Therefore, for example, a room or a building where the person is located is detected.

Another possible application is called a “moving map”. A position sensor is mounted on the vehicle. The absolute position of the vehicle is obtained via this sensor and sent to the information unit via the moving medium. Information about the position of the individual vehicles can be obtained from this information unit. Therefore, the transportation affiliate can locate the vehicles in the whole area respectively covered by the information unit.

An example of the extension is a combination of a plurality of information units. The data banks of the plurality of information units are controlled from a central location, so that the associated application needs to address only one point.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a data carrier that cooperates with a position determination system and an information unit.

FIG. 3 is a time chart of related components.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1,2,3,4,35 area 5,36,42 information unit 6 positioning system 7,45 application 11,12,13,14,38,43 data carrier 20 position sensor 21 transmitter 22 receiver 23 memory 24 comparison Container 31 Process 35,36,37,38 Absolute position 39 Data 41 Boundary data 44 Data bank

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of front page (71) Applicant Groenewoodseweg 1, 5621 BA Eindhoven, The Netherlands F term (reference) 5J062 BB05 CC07 [Continuation of summary] We report here. If the application requests the location of the data carrier, the information unit transmits the data carrier area information stored in this application. This results in optimized communication between the application and the data carrier. Even if the data carrier does not arrive instantaneously, the position of the data carrier is determined.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A locating system having a position determination system and at least one data carrier including a position sensor, a transmitter and a receiver, wherein the area information is stored in an information unit remote from the data carrier. Locating system, wherein the stored area information can be transmitted to the data carrier, the data carrier transmitting its position to the information unit only when initializing and changing the area. . 2. The locating system according to claim 1, wherein the data carrier is a receiver for receiving, inter alia, an area boundary, a memory for storing area boundary and absolute position data, and a comparator for the data. Wherein the information unit compares the location data with the area information and sends a current area boundary to the data carrier. 3. A method for locating an object provided with a data carrier, said data carrier being a locating method for receiving position data from a position determination system, wherein said data carrier transmits the position data to an information unit. Transmitting, wherein the location data is assigned to an area in the information unit, a current area boundary is transmitted to the data carrier, and each time the data carrier moves, a current position is compared with the current area boundary; A data carrier, wherein new position data is transmitted to the information unit only when a result of a comparison between an area boundary transmitted by the information unit and a current position of the mobile data carrier is negative. How to locate an object. 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the location data transmitted by the mobile data carrier is translated into area data in the information unit, and the current area in which the data carrier is located is determined by the information unit. Stored in the method. 5. The method according to claim 3, wherein an application interrogates the information unit with respect to the position of the data carrier.