JP2022152232A - Estimation device, program, and system - Google Patents

Abstract

To estimate the degree of influence of a human body on wireless communication with high accuracy.SOLUTION: An estimation device includes an estimation unit that regarding a mobile apparatus carried by a user, estimates an influence level, which is an index indicating degree of influence of the user's human body on wireless communication between the mobile apparatus and another communication device. The estimation unit estimates the influence level based on received radio wave strength of each of wireless signals belonging to at least two different channels transmitted by the mobile apparatus.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to an estimation device, program, and system.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, techniques have been developed for performing some kind of processing based on the results of wireless signal transmission/reception between devices. For example, Patent Literature 1 listed below discloses a measuring device that estimates the distance to an information processing device based on the received radio wave intensity of a signal transmitted from the information processing device.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-21984

Here, the measuring device described in Patent Document 1 is a device carried by a user. When an object such as a human body exists in the vicinity of a device that performs wireless communication in this way, the object such as the human body may affect wireless communication.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to accurately estimate the degree of influence of the human body on wireless communication.

In order to solve the above problems, according to an aspect of the present invention, regarding a mobile device carried by a user, the degree of influence of the user's body on wireless communication between the mobile device and another communication device an estimator for estimating an impact level that is an indication of the impact level, the estimator based on the received signal strength of each of radio signals belonging to at least two different channels transmitted by the mobile device, the impact level An estimator is provided for estimating

In order to solve the above problems, according to another aspect of the present invention, the computer relates to a mobile device carried by a user, wherein the user's body is a wireless communication device between the mobile device and another communication device. an estimating function for estimating an influence level, which is an index indicating the degree of influence on communication, wherein the estimating function receives radio signal strength of each of radio signals belonging to at least two different channels transmitted by the mobile device. A program is provided that causes the impact level to be estimated based on:

In order to solve the above problems, according to another aspect of the present invention, a mobile device carried by a user; at least two communication devices that receive radio signals belonging to different channels from the mobile device; an estimating device for estimating an influence level, which is an index indicating the degree of influence that the user's body has on wireless communication between the mobile device and each of the communication devices, with respect to the mobile device; A system is provided for estimating the impact level based on the received signal strength when radio signals belonging to at least two different channels transmitted by the mobile device are received by each of the communication devices.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to accurately estimate the degree of influence of the human body on wireless communication.

It is a block diagram showing an example of composition of system 1 concerning one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of ideal values of received radio field strength recorded for each channel and distance according to the same embodiment; FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of correlation between received radio wave intensity and distance when the degree of influence of the human body on wireless communication according to the same embodiment is relatively small. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of correlation between received radio wave intensity and distance when the degree of influence of the human body on wireless communication according to the same embodiment is relatively large; It is a figure which shows an example of the flow of a process by the estimation part 310 which concerns on the same embodiment. 4 is a diagram showing an example of ideal difference values for each influence level stored in a storage unit 320 according to the same embodiment; FIG.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and drawings, constituent elements having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, thereby omitting redundant description.

<1. embodiment>
<<1.1. System configuration example >>
First, a configuration example of the system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a system 1 according to this embodiment.

The system 1 according to the present embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. good.

Moreover, the system 1 according to the present embodiment may include a mobile device 50 independent of the moving object 40, as shown in FIG.

(First communication device 10)
The first communication device 10 according to the present embodiment receives at least radio signals belonging to the first channel from the mobile device 50 .

For this purpose, the first communication device 10 according to this embodiment comprises at least an antenna for receiving radio signals belonging to the first channel.

Also, the first communication device 10 according to the present embodiment may transmit radio signals belonging to the first channel.

In this case, the first communication device 10 according to this embodiment comprises an antenna for transmitting radio signals belonging to the first channel.

The first channel according to the present embodiment may be, for example, a frequency band to which wireless signals conforming to the BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy) communication standard belong.

(Second communication device 20)
The second communication device 20 according to this embodiment receives from the mobile device 50 at least a radio signal belonging to a second channel different from the first channel.

For this purpose, the second communication device 20 according to this embodiment comprises at least an antenna for receiving radio signals belonging to the second channel.

Also, the second communication device 20 according to the present embodiment may transmit radio signals belonging to the second channel.

In this case, the second communication device 20 according to this embodiment comprises an antenna for transmitting radio signals belonging to the second channel.

Each channel according to the present embodiment is adjusted and set so that radio signals belonging to each channel have different diffraction characteristics.

For example, if the first channel is a frequency band to which radio signals conforming to the BLE communication standard belong, the second channel may be a frequency band to which radio signals around 950 MHz belong in the UHF (Ultra High Frequency) band. good.

According to the above setting, as will be described later, it is possible to estimate the influence level indicating the degree of influence by the human body based on the attenuation rate corresponding to the diffraction characteristics of the radio signal belonging to each channel.

(Estimation device 30)
The estimation device 30 according to this embodiment may include an estimation unit 310 and a storage unit 320 as shown in FIG.

(Estimation unit 310)
The estimating unit 310 according to the present embodiment relates to the mobile device 50 carried by the user, and the user's body is connected to the mobile device 50 and other communication devices (eg, the first communication device 10, the second communication device 20, etc.). ) to estimate the impact level, which is an index indicating the degree of impact on wireless communication between

In addition, the estimating unit 310 according to the present embodiment is characterized by estimating the above-mentioned influence level based on the received strength of each of the radio signals belonging to at least two different channels transmitted by the mobile device 50. do.

For example, the estimating unit 310 according to the present embodiment determines the received radio wave intensity of the radio signal belonging to the first channel received by the first communication device 10 and the received radio signal belonging to the second channel received by the second communication device 20. The influence level may be estimated based on the received radio field strength of the radio signal.

At this time, the estimation unit 310 according to the present embodiment calculates the received radio wave strength of each of the radio signals belonging to at least two different channels transmitted by the mobile device 50 and the received radio wave strength recorded in advance for each channel and distance. The impact level may be estimated based on ideal values.

More specifically, the estimating unit 310 according to the present embodiment calculates the difference value of the received radio wave strength of the radio signals for two different channels transmitted by the mobile device 50 and the above ideal The influence level may be estimated based on an ideal difference value, which is the difference in values.

Estimation of the influence level based on the ideal difference value by the estimation unit 310 will be described in detail later.

In addition, the ideal value of the received radio wave intensity is such that the human body does not affect wireless communication between the mobile device 50 and other communication devices (eg, the first communication device 10, the second communication device 20, etc.). It may be a measurement that is measured in the context.

Functions of the estimation unit 310 according to the present embodiment are implemented by various processors. Details of the functions of the estimation unit 310 according to this embodiment will be described separately.

(storage unit 320)
The storage unit 320 according to this embodiment stores various information used by the estimation unit 310 . The storage unit 320 stores, for example, the ideal difference values for the two different channels.

(mobile device 50)
The mobile device 50 according to the present embodiment is carried by, for example, a user who uses the mobile unit 40 (eg, the owner of the mobile unit 40, a person who is permitted to use the mobile unit 40 by the owner, etc.).

The mobile device 50 according to this embodiment may include a first communication unit 510, a second communication unit 520, and a control unit 530, as shown in FIG.

(First communication unit 510)
The first communication unit 510 according to this embodiment transmits radio signals belonging to at least the first channel.

For this purpose, the first communication unit 510 according to the present embodiment includes an antenna for transmitting radio signals belonging to the first channel.

Also, the first communication unit 510 according to the present embodiment may receive radio signals belonging to the first channel.

In this case, the first communication unit 510 according to this embodiment includes an antenna for receiving radio signals belonging to the first channel.

(Second communication unit 520)
The second communication unit 520 according to this embodiment transmits radio signals belonging to at least the second channel.

For this purpose, the second communication unit 520 according to this embodiment includes at least an antenna for transmitting radio signals belonging to the second channel.

Also, the second communication unit 520 according to the present embodiment may receive radio signals belonging to the second channel.

In this case, the second communication unit 520 according to this embodiment includes an antenna for receiving radio signals belonging to the second channel.

(control unit 530)
The control unit 530 according to this embodiment controls each component provided in the mobile device 50 .

For example, the control unit 530 may control transmission of radio signals belonging to the first channel by the first communication unit 510 and transmission of radio signals belonging to the first channel by the second communication unit 520 .

The configuration example of the system 1 according to the present embodiment has been described above. Note that the above configuration described using FIG. 1 is merely an example, and the configuration of the system 1 according to this embodiment is not limited to the example.

For example, the first communication device 10, the second communication device 20, and the estimation device 30 according to this embodiment may not necessarily be mounted on the moving body 40. FIG.

The first communication device 10 and the second communication device 20 may be arranged near each other.

Moreover, the estimating device 30 only needs to be in a state where it can receive information about the received radio wave intensity of the radio signal belonging to each channel from each of the first communication device 10 and the second communication device 20. It does not have to be placed near the device 10 and the second communication device 20 .

Also, the system 1 according to this embodiment may include three or more communication devices. In this case, each of the communication devices may receive radio signals belonging to different channels. Furthermore, in this case, the mobile device 50 may comprise three or more communication units that transmit radio signals belonging to different channels.

The configuration of the system 1 according to this embodiment can be flexibly modified according to specifications and operations.

<<1.2. Estimation details >>
Next, the estimation by the estimation device 30 according to this embodiment will be described in detail.

As described above, wireless communication between devices is affected by objects such as human bodies that are in the vicinity of the devices.

For this reason, there is a possibility that the accuracy of processing based on wireless communication may be degraded due to the influence of objects such as human bodies.

Here, in order to avoid deterioration of processing accuracy, it is effective to accurately estimate the degree of influence of an object such as a human body and correct the processing result based on the estimation result.

For this purpose, the estimating unit 310 according to the present embodiment calculates the received radio wave strength of each radio signal belonging to at least two different channels transmitted by the mobile device 50 and the received radio wave strength recorded in advance for each channel and distance. One of the features is to estimate the impact level based on the ideal value of

More specifically, the estimating unit 310 according to the present embodiment calculates the difference value of the received radio wave strength of the radio signals for two different channels transmitted by the mobile device 50 and the above ideal The influence level may be estimated based on an ideal difference value, which is the difference in values.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of ideal values of received radio field strength recorded for each channel and distance according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 shows the received radio wave intensity of a radio signal belonging to the first channel transmitted by the mobile device 50 and received by the first communication device 10 (referred to as “CH1” in FIG. 2), and the and the distance between the first communication device 10 is shown.

FIG. 2 also shows the received radio signal strength of the radio signal belonging to the first channel transmitted by the mobile device 50 and received by the second communication device 20 (denoted as “CH2” in FIG. 2), and the mobile A correlation with the distance between the device 50 and the second communication device 20 is shown.

Here, the received radio wave intensity shown in FIG. , and it may be an ideal value measured in a situation where neither the mobile device 50, the first communication device 10, nor the second communication device 20 is affected by an object such as a human body (assumed to be an impact level L0) .

As shown in FIG. 2, the radio signal belonging to the first channel and the radio signal belonging to the second channel attenuate as the distance from the mobile device 50 increases.

On the other hand, it can be understood that the degree of attenuation differs between the radio signal belonging to the first channel and the radio signal belonging to the second channel.

For example, in the example shown in FIG. 1, the radio signal belonging to the first channel is attenuated by about 80 dB when the distance between the mobile device 50 and the first communication device 10 is several tens of meters. On the other hand, the radio signal belonging to the second channel is attenuated by 80 dB after the distance between the mobile device 50 and the second communication device 20 greatly exceeds 100 m.

On the other hand, when the communication paths are the same, the difference value between the received radio wave intensity of the radio signal belonging to the first channel and the received radio wave intensity of the radio signal belonging to the second channel is constant regardless of the distance.

For example, in the case of the example shown in FIG. 1, both the difference value D10 when the distance is ₁₀ m and the difference value D100 when the distance is ₁₀₀ m are slightly less than 20 dB, and the same is true for the difference values at other distances. be.

Also, the degree of influence of an object such as a human body on the attenuation rate of a radio signal varies depending on the frequency of the radio signal.

This is because the lower the frequency, the easier it is for a radio signal to go around an object, while the higher the frequency, the harder it is for a radio signal to go around an object.

For this reason, each channel according to the present embodiment may be set so that radio signals belonging to each channel have mutually different diffraction characteristics (characteristics relating to the ease of going around an object).

For example, the radio signal belonging to the first channel and the radio signal belonging to the second channel may be set so that their frequencies differ by a specified value or more.

When each channel is set as described above, the attenuation rate of the radio signal belonging to each channel shows an influence according to the degree of influence of the human body on radio communication.

Here, a constant difference value between the first channel and the second channel at the influence level _L0 is assumed to be a difference value D_L0.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the correlation between received radio wave intensity and distance when the degree of influence of the human body on wireless communication according to the present embodiment is relatively small (influence level L1).

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the correlation between received radio field strength and distance when the degree of influence of the human body on wireless communication according to this embodiment is relatively large (assumed to be an influence level L3).

2 to 4, it is assumed that the frequency of the radio signal belonging to the first channel is sufficiently higher than the frequency of the radio signal belonging to the second channel.

Here, comparing FIGS. 2 to 4, it can be seen that the higher the influence level, the higher the attenuation rate of the radio signal belonging to the first channel and the radio signal belonging to the second channel.

Also, it can be seen that the attenuation rate of the radio signal belonging to the first channel is greatly influenced by the height of the influence level compared to the attenuation rate of the radio signal belonging to the second channel.

This is because the radio signal belonging to the first channel has a higher frequency than the radio signal belonging to the second channel and is difficult to diffract.

Focusing on the difference value between the first channel and the second channel, it can be seen that the difference value varies depending on the influence level.

Here, the constant difference value for the first channel and the second channel in the case of the influence level L1 is defined as the difference value D _L1 , and the constant difference value for the first channel and the second channel in the case of the influence level L3. Let the difference value be the difference value _DL3 .

In this case, the difference value D _L0 , the difference value D _L1 , and the difference value D _L3 are different values as shown in FIGS. In addition, the magnitude of the value becomes difference value D _L0 <difference value D _L1 <difference value D _L3 , and the higher the influence level, the larger the value of the difference value.

The estimating unit 310 according to the present embodiment may estimate the influence level, which is an index indicating the degree of influence of the human body on wireless communication, based on the received signal strength difference value between different channels as described above. .

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the flow of processing by the estimation unit 310 according to this embodiment.

In the case of the example shown in FIG. (S102).

The estimation unit 310 also obtains from the second communication device 20 the received radio wave intensity of the radio signal belonging to the second channel that is transmitted by the mobile device 50 and received by the second communication device 20 (S104).

Note that the processing in step S102 and the processing in step S104 may be performed in a different order, or may be performed in parallel.

Next, the estimation unit 310 according to the present embodiment determines the difference between the received radio field strength of the radio signal belonging to the first channel acquired in step S102 and the received radio field strength of the radio signal belonging to the second channel acquired in step S104. A value is calculated (S106).

Next, the estimation unit 310 according to the present embodiment estimates the influence level of the human body based on the difference value calculated in step S106 and the prerecorded ideal difference value for the first channel and the second channel. (S108).

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the ideal difference value for each influence level stored in the storage unit 320 according to this embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, the storage unit 320 according to the present embodiment stores ideal difference values that are measured in advance for each influence level.

For the example shown in FIG. 6, the ideal difference values measured at impact levels L0-L3 are ID _L0 -ID _L3 , respectively.

In this case, the estimation unit 310 may compare the difference value calculated in step S106 with each of the ideal difference values ID _L0 to ID _L3 , and estimate the influence level according to the ideal difference value that is closest.

For example, when the difference value calculated in step S106 is closest to the ideal difference value ID _L2 , the estimation unit 310 estimates that the influence of the human body is the influence level L2.

The description will be continued with reference to FIG. 5 again. The estimation unit 310 according to this embodiment may estimate the positional relationship between the user and the mobile device 50 based on the influence level estimated in step S108 (S110).

For example, the influence level is in stages from L0 to L4, where L0 is the situation where there is no influence by the human body, L1 is the situation where the influence by the human body is relatively small, L2 is the situation where the influence by the human body is moderate, and L3 is the situation where the influence by the human body is is relatively large.

At this time, for example, when the influence level estimated in step S110 is L0, the estimation unit 310 may estimate that the mobile device 50 is located away from the user.

Also, for example, the estimation unit 310 may estimate that the mobile device 50 is being held by the user when the influence level estimated in step S110 is L1.

Further, for example, when the influence level estimated in step S110 is L2, the estimation unit 310 may estimate that the mobile device 50 is put in the front pocket of the user's clothes.

Further, for example, when the influence level estimated in step S110 is L3, the estimation unit 310 may estimate that the mobile device 50 is put in the back pocket of the user's clothes.

The correspondence between the influence level and the position of the mobile device 50 as described above may be stored in the storage unit 320 in advance.

Also, the estimation unit 310 corrects the estimated value of the distance based on wireless communication between the mobile device 50 and another communication device (for example, the first communication device 10) based on the influence level estimated in step S108. (S112).

For example, if the first channel is a frequency band to which a radio signal conforming to the BLE communication standard belongs, the first communication device 10 estimates the distance to the mobile device 50 based on the received radio signal strength of the radio signal. It is possible to calculate

However, the accuracy of such distance estimates is strongly affected by the level of human influence.

Therefore, the estimation unit 310 according to the present embodiment may correct the estimated value based on the error related to the estimated value of the distance that occurs according to the influence level of the human body.

In this case, the error associated with the estimated distance value that occurs according to the influence level of the human body may be measured in advance and stored in the storage unit 320 .

According to the correction as described above, it is possible to effectively improve the estimation accuracy of the distance to the mobile device 50 .

Note that the estimation of the distance to the mobile device 50 may be performed by distance measurement using an ultra-wideband (UWB) radio signal.

<2. Supplement>
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to such examples. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs can conceive of various modifications or modifications within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims. It is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

Also, a series of processes by each device described in this specification may be realized using any of software, hardware, and a combination of software and hardware. Programs constituting software are stored in advance in a recording medium (non-transitory media) provided inside or outside each device, for example. Each program, for example, is read into a RAM when executed by a computer, and executed by a processor such as a CPU. The recording medium is, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a flash memory, or the like. Also, the above computer program may be distributed, for example, via a network without using a recording medium.

10: first communication device, 20: second communication device, 30: estimation device, 310: estimation unit, 320: storage unit, 40: mobile object, 50: mobile device, 510: first communication unit, 520 : second communication unit, 530: control unit

Claims (10)

An estimating unit for estimating an influence level, which is an index indicating the degree of influence that the user's body has on wireless communication between the mobile device and another communication device, with respect to the mobile device carried by the user;
with
The estimator estimates the impact level based on the received signal strength of each of radio signals belonging to at least two different channels transmitted by the mobile device.
estimation device. The estimating unit, based on received radio wave strengths of radio signals belonging to at least two different channels transmitted by the mobile device and ideal values of received radio wave strengths recorded in advance for each channel and distance, estimate the impact level,
The estimating device according to claim 1. The estimating unit estimates the impact level based on a difference value between received radio wave intensities of radio signals belonging to two different channels transmitted by the mobile device.
The estimating device according to claim 2. The estimating unit estimates the influence level based on the difference value and an ideal difference value that is a difference between the ideal values for the two different channels.
The estimating device according to claim 3. The ideal value of the received radio wave intensity is measured in a situation where the human body does not affect wireless communication between the mobile device and the other communication device,
The estimating device according to any one of claims 2 to 4. The estimation unit estimates a positional relationship between the user and the mobile device based on the estimated influence level.
The estimating device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The estimating unit corrects an estimated distance based on wireless communication between the mobile device and another communication device according to the estimated influence level.
An estimating device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. each of the radio signals belonging to the at least two different channels have different diffraction properties from each other;
The estimating device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. to the computer,
An estimation function for estimating an influence level, which is an index indicating the degree of influence that the user's body has on wireless communication between the mobile device and another communication device, with respect to the mobile device carried by the user;
to realize
causing the estimation function to estimate the impact level based on the received signal strength of each of wireless signals belonging to at least two different channels transmitted by the mobile device;
program. a mobile device carried by a user;
at least two communication devices that receive radio signals belonging to different channels from the mobile device;
an estimating device for estimating an influence level, which is an index indicating the degree of influence that the user's body has on wireless communication between the mobile device and each of the communication devices, with respect to the mobile device;
with
The estimating device estimates the impact level based on the received signal strength when radio signals belonging to at least two different channels transmitted by the mobile device are received by each of the communication devices.
system.

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