TWI746474B - Device and method of indoor positioning reference data collection and method for indoor positioning - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses a device and a method for indoor positioning reference data collection and a method for indoor positioning. The device comprises a position measurement component, a signal strength measurement component, a recording component, a fingerprint building component. M oving along a path in a given environment, the device generates a RF fingerprint for the path with components mentioned above. The present invention also discloses a method of collecting positioning reference data in a given environment in order to generate the RF fingerprint for a path in the environment, and a method of positioning in the given environment by means of the RF fingerprint generated for a path in the given environment.

Description

Device and method for collecting position reference data in indoor environment and indoor positioning method

The invention relates to a device and method for collecting position reference data in an indoor environment and an indoor positioning method. More specifically, the present invention is applicable to indoor environments where GPS positioning cannot be used.

There are many conventional methods for object positioning, such as triangulation, RF fingerprinting, and so on. However, these conventional positioning methods face difficulties when applied to indoor environments, especially in environments where GPS positioning cannot be used. In addition, since the various indoor environments are very different from each other and frequently change, the disadvantages of pre-collecting location reference materials and related preparations are complicated, consuming a large amount of hardware resources, and difficult to deploy in the environment, which need to be overcome urgently.

For example, before using the conventional triangulation method to locate an object in an indoor environment, it is necessary to consider whether there are more than three wireless signal sources with strong signal strength in the environment as a source of location reference data. Therefore, the environment must be surveyed before providing location services to determine whether there are more than three wireless signal sources with sufficient signal strength near most locations in the environment.

If you cannot receive signals from more than three wireless signal sources with sufficient signal strength in some locations, you must manually set up additional wireless signal sources (such as a Bluetooth transmitter) as a reinforcement. This is conceivably costly A lot of manpower and deployment time, especially not all environments allow additional manual installation of wireless signal sources.

On the other hand, before using the wireless signal fingerprint comparison method to locate objects in the indoor environment, wireless signal fingerprints must be established in advance for multiple predetermined locations in the environment as location reference materials. For this, you can refer to, for example, the US Patent Description of wireless signal fingerprint in US6269246 or US8977298. In such an action to establish a wireless signal fingerprint, it is necessary to set up wireless signal receivers at multiple given locations in the environment, as shown in Figure 1. In other words, it is necessary to have a prior understanding of the environment, such as obtaining an environmental map in advance, but this is not always easy to obtain.

Then, based on the combination of the strength of each wireless signal received from the wireless signal receiver at each location in the environment, the location is uniquely identified. It can be seen that the higher the density of these wireless signal receivers are set up, the more wireless signal fingerprints established can present the true distribution of wireless signals in the environment. However, the manpower, hardware equipment, and deployment time required for such preparatory actions are considerable.

Therefore, in the face of the shortcomings of the existing technology, there is an urgent need for new and effective solutions so that the operator can quickly complete the deployment and location of the environment to be located in a short period of time using only simple hardware devices. Collection of reference materials.

On the one hand, the present invention discloses a device and method for collecting location reference data in an indoor environment. Another aspect of the present invention also discloses an indoor positioning method.

Through the present invention, the collection of the position reference data before the indoor positioning service is provided can be simply and quickly completed without a lot of manpower operation. In the preparatory action for indoor positioning, the operator can take the data acquisition device to move along the path selected by him, and measure the signal strength from the pre-existing wireless signal source in the environment to generate the wireless signal fingerprint for the path. Used as a reference material for the location in the environment for subsequent location services.

In this way, even if the indoor environment to be positioned is a more complex environment, the operator can easily complete the location reference data collection before the indoor positioning service, without the need to obtain a map in advance. Moreover, in the process of generating wireless signal fingerprints, there is no need to fill the environment with a large number of wireless signal receivers as in the above-mentioned prior art, thereby saving a lot of hardware costs.

In one embodiment, a location reference data collection device is provided. The collection device collects location reference data in the environment when it moves along a path arbitrarily selected by the user in an indoor environment.

The acquisition device includes a position measuring element, a signal intensity measuring element, a recording element, and a fingerprint establishing element. When the collecting device moves along the path, the position measuring element measures multiple positions of the collecting device relative to the indoor environment on the path. The signal strength measuring element measures the signal strength from different wireless signal sources at each of multiple locations. The recording element records the multiple positions measured and the signal intensity measured at each of the multiple positions. The fingerprint creation component generates a wireless signal fingerprint for the path based on the measured positions and the signal strength measured at each of the positions.

In one embodiment, the position measuring element measures the distance between the acquisition device and or more obstacles in the indoor environment.

In one embodiment, the plural positions are two-dimensional spatial positions, that is, they are identified by two-dimensional coordinates.

In one embodiment, the signals from different wireless signal sources use different communication protocols or use different frequency bands.

In one embodiment, the signal strength measured by the signal strength measuring element is an average value or a median value within a given time.

In another embodiment, a method for collecting location reference data in an indoor environment is provided. The method includes the following steps: (a) For the indoor environment along a path arbitrarily selected by the user, measure the path relative to the indoor environment. Multiple locations; (b) measure the signal strength from different wireless signal sources at each multiple location; and (c) use the measured multiple locations and the measured signal strength at each multiple location as the path Generate wireless signal fingerprints.

In one embodiment, if the signal strength measured at a location on the path meets a predetermined condition (the predetermined condition can be set or changed by the operator according to his needs), an additional wireless signal is set near the location Source, and before performing the above step (c), re-execute the above steps (a) and (b).

In one embodiment, the predetermined condition is when the measured signal intensity is lower than a threshold (for example: -80dbm, -70dbm, -60dbm, -50dbm, etc.). In another embodiment, the predetermined condition is certain positions and areas in the travel path, or certain positions and areas that the path does not pass, when these positions and areas require high-density and high-precision positioning requirements.

In one embodiment, the method for collecting location reference data in an indoor environment further includes (d) using wireless signal fingerprints to determine the position of the wireless signal source in different wireless signal sources relative to the indoor environment.

In another embodiment, a positioning method in an indoor environment is provided, in which a wireless signal fingerprint generated along an arbitrarily selected path in the indoor environment has been obtained, and the wireless signal fingerprint is based on the plural number of the path relative to the indoor environment Signal strengths from different wireless signal sources are measured at each location and each of the plurality of locations. The method includes using wireless signal fingerprints to determine the location of the wireless signal source in the different wireless signal sources relative to the indoor environment.

In yet another embodiment, a positioning method in an indoor environment is provided, in which a wireless signal fingerprint generated along an arbitrarily selected path in the indoor environment has been obtained, and the wireless signal fingerprint is based on the plural number of the path relative to the indoor environment The signal strength from different wireless signal sources measured at each location and each plurality of locations. The method includes (a) measuring the signal strength from different wireless signal sources at the location; and (b) measuring the signal strength at the location The signal strength is compared with the fingerprint of the wireless signal to determine the location of the location relative to the indoor environment.

In one embodiment, wireless signal fingerprints can be used to determine the location of different wireless signal sources relative to the indoor environment, and step (b) further includes the signal strength of different wireless signal sources measured at the location and the determined location The position of the different wireless signal sources relative to the indoor environment is determined by the triangulation method.

In one embodiment, the signal strength of different wireless signal sources measured at the location meets predetermined conditions.

In another embodiment, a positioning method in an indoor environment is provided, in which a wireless signal fingerprint generated along an arbitrarily selected path in the indoor environment has been obtained, and the wireless signal fingerprint is based on the plural number of the path relative to the indoor environment The signal strengths from different wireless signal sources measured at each location and each of the multiple locations.

The method includes the following steps: (a) measure the signal strength from different wireless signal sources at the location; and (b) send the signal strength measured at the location to the server for the server to perform the measurement at the location The signal strength is compared with the wireless signal fingerprint to determine the location of the location relative to the indoor environment, and the determined location relative to the indoor environment is received from the server.

These features and advantages of the present invention can be more clearly understood by referring to the following description and the scope of the attached patent application or using the embodiments of the present invention as mentioned below.

200: data acquisition device

202: Position measuring element

204: Signal strength measuring element

206: record component

208: Fingerprint creation component

502-506: steps

602-608: steps

702-708: steps

602-608: steps

802-804: steps

902-906: steps

In order to immediately understand the advantages of the present invention, please refer to the specific embodiments shown in the drawings to describe the present invention briefly described above in detail. Under the understanding that these drawings only depict typical specific embodiments of the present invention and therefore are not regarded as limiting the scope of the present invention, the present invention will be explained with additional clarity and details with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings: Figure 1 Shown is a schematic diagram of generating wireless signal fingerprint data in the prior art.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a location reference data collection device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3A, 3B, and 3C are schematic diagrams showing different movement paths selected by the user along the collection device in different embodiments of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of the distance between the location reference data acquisition device and the obstacle in the environment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 shows a flowchart of a method for collecting location reference data in a given environment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6A shows a flowchart of a method for collecting location reference data in a given environment according to another embodiment of the present invention.

6B and 6C show schematic diagrams of an environment in which a wireless signal source is added according to the embodiment of FIG. 6A of the present invention.

FIG. 7A shows a flowchart of a method for determining the location of a wireless signal source in a given environment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7B shows a schematic diagram of a given environment according to the embodiment of Fig. 7A of the present invention.

Fig. 8 shows a flowchart of a method for locating a wireless receiving device entering an environment according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The reference to "an embodiment" or similar expressions in this specification means that the specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the specific embodiment is included in at least one specific embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, in this specification, the appearance of terms "in a specific embodiment" and similar expressions does not necessarily refer to the same specific embodiment.

The algorithm steps and modules described herein are not restricted to any specific computer or other devices. Various general-purpose systems can be used in parallel with software according to the disclosure of the present invention, or use steps that facilitate the construction of more specialized equipment to execute algorithms. In addition, the present invention is not described through any specific language. It should be understood that various programming languages can implement the disclosure of the present invention described herein. Furthermore, those of ordinary skill with related technologies should know that the units, databases, modules, functions, attributes, methods, and other aspects of the present invention can be implemented in any combination of software, hardware, and firmware. Implement.

Undoubtedly, when any module of the present invention is implemented by software, the module can be loaded as an independent computer program, a part of a large program, a collection of independent software, a statically or dynamically linked library, and the core Modules, a device-driven implementation, and/or those who are familiar with computer programs can implement it in a way that is now known or available in the future.

In addition, the present invention is not limited to be implemented in any specific operating system or environment. The present invention can also be implemented as a computer program product in any tangible media form, which has a computer-usable program code stored on it.

On the other hand, a combination of one or more computer-usable or readable media can be used in the present invention. For example, a computer-usable or readable medium can be (but not limited to) an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device, device, or propagation medium. More specific examples of computer readable media may include the following (non-limiting examples): electrical connections consisting of one or more cables, portable computer disks, hard drives, random access Memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable optical disc (CD-ROM), optical storage device, transmission Media (such as the basic connection of the Internet or intranet), or magnetic storage devices.

It should be noted that the computer-usable or readable medium can also be paper or any suitable medium that can be used to print the program on it so that the program can be re-digitized, such as by optically scanning the paper or other The media is then compiled, interpreted, or other appropriate necessary processing methods, and then can be stored in the computer memory again. In this article, a computer-usable or readable medium can be any medium used to hold, store, transmit, propagate, or transmit code for processing by the instruction execution system, device, or equipment connected to it.

The computer-usable medium may include a transmitted data signal in which a computer-usable program code is stored, whether in the form of a baseband or a partial carrier. The computer can use any suitable media for the transmission of program codes, including (but not limited to) wireless, wired, optical fiber cable, radio frequency (RF), etc.

In the following disclosure, the relevant description of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowcharts and/or block diagrams of the systems, devices, methods, and/or computer program products according to specific embodiments of the present invention. When each block in each flowchart and/or block diagram can be understood, and any combination of blocks in the flowchart and/or block diagram can be implemented using computer program instructions.

These computer program instructions can also be stored on computer readable media to instruct computers or other programmable data processing devices to perform specific functions, and these instructions stored on computer readable media constitute a finished product. The instructions contained therein can implement the functions or operations described in the flowcharts and/or block diagrams.

Computer program instructions can also be loaded into a computer or other programmable data processing device, so that a system operation step can be performed on the computer or other programmable device, and the instruction can be executed on the computer or other programmable device Computer-implemented programs are generated from time to time to achieve the functions or operations described in the flowcharts and/or block diagrams.

First, before locating people, vehicles, and objects entering the environment, the data collection device 200 shown in FIG. 2 and/or the data collection method shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6A can be used to collect location reference data. , And generate wireless signal fingerprints. Then, the positioning method shown in FIG. 8 can be used for positioning. They will be explained separately below.

<Structure and Use of Data Acquisition Device>

As shown in FIG. 2, a schematic diagram of an apparatus 200 for collecting location reference data according to an embodiment of the present invention. During the collection process, the collection device 200 needs to move in the environment to collect data in different locations. In particular, the moving route of the collecting device 200 during the collecting process does not need to be strictly limited except for the restriction of the environment itself, such as the compartment, and therefore can be roughly arbitrarily selected by the user.

In one embodiment, the collection device 200 itself may not have the ability to move by itself, but needs to be carried by the operator who prepares for work beforehand, and the operator can take the collection device 200 around the environment at will without having to follow a specific The route or speed. In addition, in an embodiment that is not shown, the collection device 200 can have the ability to move by itself (for example, with a motor and wheels), and can move like a robot in a manner and route pre-programmed by the user, or according to the operator's requirements. One of the algorithms of the company decides the moving route by itself, so there is no need for the operator to carry it along with it.

3A, 3B, and 3C illustrate the movement path of the data collection device 200 (ie, the movement track shown by the dashed line, where Q1~Q3 show the initial position of the data collection device 200, and the arrows indicate the position of the data collection device 200). Moving direction).

Although the initial position of the data acquisition device 200 in FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C is in the upper right corner or the lower right corner of the environment, the initial position of the data acquisition device 200 can also be located in the upper left corner, lower left corner, and center of the environment. Any position suitable for collecting data, such as upper or lower center.

On the other hand, the movement paths shown in FIG. 3A, FIG. 3B, and FIG. 3C are only examples of movement paths and/or preset movement paths arbitrarily selected by the user, and are not intended to be limiting. In fact, the data collection device 200 can move along any path, as long as the data collection can be completed on the path. In addition, although the paths shown in FIGS. 3A-3B are all straight lines, it should be understood that the moving path of the data collection device 200 may also include oblique lines, curved lines, or irregular routes.

In this way, without restricting the initial position of the data collection device 200 and not restricting the specific movement path, the data collection device 200 can be used to easily complete the collection of position reference data, without the need for too much prior art as in the prior art. Preparatory actions (for example: educating users which specific paths must be followed for data collection, or must first go to a specific initial location in the environment before data collection, etc.).

<Data Collection Device>

Returning to FIG. 2, in one embodiment, the data collection device 200 includes a position measuring component 202, a signal intensity measuring component 204, a recording component 206, and a fingerprint establishing component 208. When the data collection device 200 moves along the path shown in FIGS. 3A-3B, the position measuring element 202 will continuously measure a plurality of positions of the data collection device relative to the environment on the path to generate coordinate information corresponding to each position; The signal strength measuring element 204 measures the signal strength from different wireless signal sources at each of a plurality of positions.

The recording component 206 will record the coordinate information of the measured positions and the signal intensity measured at each position; the fingerprint creation component 208 will record the measured positions and the measured signal intensity at each position. The intensity of the received signal generates a wireless signal fingerprint for the path.

Preferably, the position measuring element 202 of the data acquisition device 200 can measure the distance between the acquisition device 200 and or more obstacles in an indoor environment to generate coordinate information. Here, obstacles refer to obstacles that cannot be directly traversed by the data collection device 200 when it moves along a path, such as walls, pillars, compartments, elevators, and so on.

In one embodiment, the position measuring element 202 can be implemented as a rangefinder, and can refer to a handheld laser rangefinder or an infrared rangefinder used in interior decoration operations. As shown in FIG. 4, when the data acquisition device 200 moves along the path shown in FIGS. 3A-3B and is located at Q in the environment, the position measuring element 202 of the data acquisition device 200 can measure the front of the data acquisition device 200 The distance between the compartment d2, the distance between the data collection device and the left compartment d1, the distance between the data collection device and the rear wall d4, and the distance between the data collection device and the right wall d3. Therefore, in one embodiment, a landmark information may include these four parameters, namely, distances d1, d2, d3, and d4.

The data acquisition device 200 can use these measured distances d1-d4 as the position information of Q in the environment, and the effect is similar to obtaining the "coordinates" of Q in the environment. With the movement of the data collection device 200, the position measuring element 202 can perform the above-mentioned measurement on different Q positions on the path, and obtain the "coordinates" of the different Q positions in the environment.

Preferably, the position of the data acquisition device 200 on the path measured by the position measuring element 202 relative to the indoor environment is a two-dimensional spatial position. In this way, the complicated calculation formula (compared to the three-dimensional space position) in the subsequent positioning process can be reduced, and a lot of calculation time can be saved to achieve the effect of rapid positioning, but the present invention is not limited to this.

In particular, the position measuring element 202 can also be implemented as a rangefinder, which can scan through a given degree of level (for example: 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees, etc.), or A rotation scan of a given degree of solid angle (for example: 45 degrees, 60 degrees, 90 degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degrees, 360 degrees, etc.) to measure Q at different angles to various obstacles, compartments or The distance from the ceiling.

On the other hand, as the data acquisition device 200 moves in the environment, the position measuring element 202 can scan the surrounding environment at different Q positions, and these data can be used to construct a two-dimensional space of the entire environment after being aggregated. The three-dimensional space model, compared with the prior art, does not need to obtain an environment map in advance. This will have advantages in many situations, because the preparation of environmental maps requires time and labor costs, and often cannot reflect the most immediate situation. For exhibition halls or museums, etc., where the environment must be constantly changed, use the above-mentioned location measurement. The method of the component 202 to scan the surrounding environment for distance measurement will have advantages.

In addition, the signal strength measuring element 204 can be implemented as any software and hardware accessories such as programs, modules, devices, etc. that can be used to receive wireless signals. Among them, the wireless signals that the signal strength measuring element 204 can receive include wireless signals that use different communication protocols or use different frequency bands, such as WiFi signals, Bluetooth signals (Bluetooth), Zigbee signals, etc., for which reference can be made to the prior art WiFi scanner. In particular, the signal strength measuring element 204 can simultaneously scan or receive two or more different communication protocols or wireless signals using different frequency bands. In other words, different wireless signal sources in the environment use different communication protocols or use different frequency bands. For example, one wireless signal source is a Wi-Fi access point (Access Point), and the other wireless signal source is a Bluetooth transmitter (Bluetooth beacon).

In one embodiment, the signal strength measured by the signal strength measuring element 204 from different wireless signal sources can be calculated in dbm (decibels per milliwatt). And like the position measuring element 202, the signal strength measuring element 204 measures the signal strength from different wireless signal sources at different Q locations on the path, which is the "characteristic" of the wireless signal at that Q location.

Preferably, for the signal intensity measuring element 204, the signal intensity measured by the signal intensity measuring element 204 is a given time (for example, 0.1 second to 1.0 second: 0.1 second to 0.5 second; 0.5 second to 1.0 second; 0.3 Seconds to 0.8 seconds, etc.) within the average or median value. In this way, it can be ensured that the signal intensity measured by the signal intensity measuring element 204 is a relatively stable intensity value within a given time.

According to the above description, in this embodiment, for each different Q on the path, the "coordinates" in the environment and the "characteristics" of the wireless signal will be measured. The recording element 206 can be used as a storage device for recording and storing the "coordinates" of each Q environment and the "characteristics" of its wireless signals.

For example, the recording element 206 includes, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, equipment, or storage media, such as computer disks, hard drives, random access Memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable optical disc (CD-ROM), optical storage device, transmission Media, or magnetic storage device. The recording element 206 is not limited to volatile or non-volatile recording of data.

The fingerprint creation component 208 can be implemented as any program, module, device, etc. software and hardware used to generate a wireless signal fingerprint for the movement path of the data collection device 200 according to the "coordinates" in the environment and the "features" of the wireless signal. Accessories.

In this embodiment, the fingerprint creation component 208 organizes the "coordinates" in the environment and the "characteristics" of its wireless signals measured at each different Q on the movement path of the data collection device 200 into a database or It is simply a table as shown in Table 1 as the wireless signal fingerprint of the moving path for subsequent positioning and comparison.

Please note that the location information and wireless signal fingerprint characteristics in the environment provided in Table 1 above are only examples. In fact, all the data forms and presentation methods that can be used to represent the "coordinates" in the environment and the "features" of the wireless signals at the "coordinates" can be used as the location information in the environment and the fingerprint characteristics of the wireless signals, and can also be constituted The aforementioned wireless signal fingerprint table. In other embodiments, in response to the data acquisition device 200 performing distance measurement and scanning of the surrounding environment, the “coordinates” in the environment may include more than two parameters, for example, the distance from a single reference point in two vertical directions. In addition, the fingerprint characteristics of the wireless signal can also be further divided into the intensity of different frequency bands, instead of the summed intensity of each frequency band as illustrated in Table 1.

In addition, it is understandable that if the wireless signal fingerprint table contains more pieces of data at different Qs, that is, the higher the sampling density of the position on the path, the more accurate the subsequent positioning will be (refer to the subsequent description) Therefore, the sampling density of the data collection device 200 can be set according to the required positioning accuracy.

On the other hand, for Q locations on the path that are not actually sampled, the fingerprint creation component 208 can also calculate and interpolate the "coordinates" of the Q locations that are not actually sampled in the environment and the "characteristics" of their wireless signals (for example: The vector characteristics formed by the signal strength from each wireless signal source measured at Q location, etc.), and included in this wireless signal fingerprint table. In other words, the signal strength data in Table 1 may not all be measured values actually sampled.

<Method of data collection>

FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of a method for collecting location reference data in a given environment, and can be combined with the above-mentioned FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 to illustrate the present invention. In step 502, the operator who prepares beforehand can carry the data acquisition device 200 along the path selected by the user in FIGS. 3A to 3C, and use the position measuring element 202 to measure the position of each Q in the environment Information or "coordinates" in the environment.

Then in step 504, the signal strength measuring element 204 is used to measure the signal strength from different wireless signal sources at each different Q as the "feature" of the wireless signal. Finally, in step 506, the "coordinates" of the data acquisition device 200 in the environment and the "characteristics" of its wireless signals are measured at each different Q on the moving path of the data acquisition device 200 as the wireless signal fingerprint of the moving path, as described above Table 1 shows.

<Example 1 of the variation of the method of data collection>

In yet another embodiment, a flow chart of a method for collecting location reference data in a given environment as shown in FIG. 6A is disclosed. For steps 602, 604, and 606, please refer to the above steps 502, 504, and 506, which will not be repeated here.

The difference from FIG. 5 is that after step 604, it can go to step 607 to determine whether the signal intensity measured at Q on the path meets a predetermined condition, for example, whether the measured signal intensity of each signal source is lower than A threshold (for example: -80dbm, -70dbm, -60dbm, -50dbm, etc.); or certain positions and areas in the path, or certain positions and areas that the path does not pass, when these positions and areas need to be high Density, high-precision positioning requirements, etc.

Step 607 can be automatically determined by the signal intensity measuring element 204 of the data acquisition device 200 or the signal intensity measuring element 204 can display the intensity for the operator to determine. In this way, it can be ensured that a more stable and reliable wireless signal fingerprint can be generated in the subsequent step 606. If the judgment result is no, step 606 is executed.

If the judgment result of step 607 is yes, that is, the signal strength of each signal source measured at Q6 as shown in FIG. 6B is weaker than a specific threshold, which means that the wireless signal source existing in the environment cannot be at Q6. Provide reliable and stable wireless signal characteristics.

In order to overcome such a dilemma, step 608 can be executed next. As shown in Figure 6C, at this time, the operator can additionally set up a wireless signal source W near Q6, such as a Bluetooth transmitter. The signal strength of the wireless signal source W measured in Q6 is stronger than the aforementioned threshold (for example, -70dbm). In this way, the lack of the original wireless signal source in the environment can be compensated, and the reliability of the wireless signal characteristics at Q6 can be enhanced. The wireless signal fingerprint obtained after setting the wireless signal source W is shown in Table 2 below. Table 2 assumes that the original wireless signal source in the environment only has signal sources 1-4.

In addition, the location of the additional wireless signal source and the signal transmitter used at the location to compensate for the lack of the original wireless signal source in the environment may vary depending on the environment. For example, when there is no place for additional wireless signal source near Q6, you can choose a place farther away from Q6 to set up the wireless signal source. In this case, you can choose a signal transmitter with stronger transmitting power.

Conversely, if there is a place suitable for setting up a wireless signal source near Q6, a signal transmitter with weaker transmission power can be selected, so power consumption can be saved. After setting the wireless signal source, go back to step 602, and repeat step 602 and subsequent steps to make sure that a sufficient number of stable and reliable signals of the wireless signal source can be measured at each Q on the path.

<How to locate the wireless signal source in the environment>

It should be noted that if the location of the wireless signal source in a given environment is known, the location of the wireless signal source can be further used to determine the location of other objects to be tested (such as the user's mobile phone). However, in a given environment, the wireless signal source (such as a Wi-Fi access point or a Bluetooth transmitter) may be deployed by a third party, so the location coordinates of the wireless signal source may not be directly obtained. Therefore, FIG. 7A first shows an embodiment of a method for determining the location of a wireless signal source in a given environment. For steps 702, 704, and 706, please refer to the above steps 502, 504, 506, 602, 604, and 606, which will not be repeated here.

In step 708, referring to Figure 7B, when we find that there is a wireless signal source W7 near Q71, Q72, and Q73, if the coordinates of Q71, Q72, and Q73 in the environment are known, for example, at Q71, Q72, and Q73 Is located on the moving path of the data acquisition device 200, then we can use the known coordinates of Q71, Q72, Q73 and the wireless signal strength of the wireless signal source W7 received on it, and calculate the W7 in the environment through the trilateration method. Coordinates in.

For example, suppose that when the measured wireless signal source W7 intensities at the three known positions Q71, Q72, and Q73 are -90dbm, -70dbm, -80dbm, by looking up the table, we can know that Q71, The coordinates of Q72 and Q73 are (22,19), (26,40), (32,19) respectively. Then, we then triangulate the position of the wireless signal source W7 according to the three coordinates (22,19), (26,40), (32,19) and the corresponding intensity.

It should be noted that the steps in the embodiment of FIG. 7A are preferably completed by a single device (for example, the acquisition device 200 in FIG. 2), but in another embodiment, steps 706 and 708 can also be performed by different devices. implement. For example, step 706 can be implemented by the collecting device 200 as shown in FIG. 2, and after obtaining the wireless signal fingerprint, it will be sent to an external server or other cloud computing device (not shown) to perform step 708, especially in general In terms of external servers or cloud computing devices, they have more powerful computing capabilities, so they can use more (for example, more than three) known locations to measure the strength of the wireless signal source W7 to calculate the strength of the wireless signal source W7. Position coordinates, and you can get more accurate results.

<Method of positioning the wireless receiving device in the environment>

The above are mostly preparatory actions for indoor positioning. The following FIG. 8 illustrates the method of locating a wireless receiving device (such as a mobile phone or a similar mobile computing device) that subsequently enters the environment. In the implementation shown in Figure 8, the location reference data collection device 200 shown in Figure 2 and the location reference data collection method shown in Figures 5-7 in a given environment can be used to implement step 802 to generate a fingerprint, and then The wireless receiving device implements step 804, and finally, the wireless receiving device or an external server implements step 806.

In step 804, the wireless receiving device to be located is used to measure the signal strength from different wireless signal sources at its location (ie, the location to be located) as the wireless signal characteristic of the location. For step 804, reference may be made to the steps of measuring the signal strength in FIGS. 5-7, which will not be repeated here.

Then in step 806, compare the signal strength from different wireless signal sources measured in step 804 with the wireless signal fingerprint obtained in step 802 to determine the location of the wireless receiving device relative to the indoor environment, and end The positioning program of the wireless receiving device.

As an example, refer to Table 1. First of all, when a user carries the wireless receiving device into the environment and browses around in the environment, if the wireless signal fingerprint characteristics of the wireless receiving device are determined as shown in Table 3, then the location coordinates in the environment can be judged Department (41, 72); If the fingerprint characteristics of the wireless signal where the wireless receiving device is located are determined as shown in Table 4, then it can be judged that the coordinate system of its location in the environment is (32,19). In this way, the path of the wireless receiving device moving in the environment can also be determined, that is, from the position coordinate (41, 72) to the position coordinate system (32, 19), and this moving path can be recorded as other applications. In addition, in this embodiment, the location of the wireless receiving device is identified by two-dimensional coordinates, but other location information can also be used to identify the location of the wireless receiving device.

In another example, if the fingerprint characteristics of the wireless signal where the wireless receiving device is located cannot completely match the fingerprint characteristics of the wireless signal recorded in Table 1, then the wireless signal recorded in Table 1 can be found where the wireless receiving device is located. The fingerprint characteristics of the wireless signal with similar fingerprint characteristics, or mathematical methods such as interpolation, are used to estimate the location of the wireless receiving device in the vicinity of the coordinates of the environment. This part can refer to the wireless signal fingerprint positioning method in the prior art.

It is worth noting that, in one embodiment, both steps 804 and 806 are determined by the need to be determined. The wireless receiving device (for example, a smart phone) is executed, so the wireless receiving device needs to be pre-loaded with the wireless signal fingerprint obtained in step 802. The wireless receiving device can obtain the application programs required to perform steps 804 and 806 and the required wireless signal fingerprints through the APP store.

In another embodiment, step 804 is performed by a wireless receiving device (such as a smart phone), but the wireless receiving device transmits the signal strength data measured at its location through a wired transmission method (such as a USB transmission) Or wireless transmission is transmitted to an external server or other cloud device, and the external server or other cloud device compares the signal strength with the wireless signal fingerprint to determine the position of the wireless receiving device relative to the indoor environment.

In this embodiment, the wireless receiving device only needs to obtain the application programs required to perform step 804 from the APP Store. In the case that the wireless signal fingerprint is frequently changed in the environment of exhibition halls or museums, this method can eliminate the problem of the wireless receiving device frequently obtaining the most real-time wireless signal fingerprints, and only requires an external server or other cloud device Just update the wireless signal fingerprint.

On the other hand, if in step 806, it is impossible to determine the location of the wireless receiving device relative to the indoor environment by comparing the signal strength from different wireless signal sources measured in step 904 with the wireless signal fingerprint obtained in step 802. When the position of the wireless receiving device is not even close to which position coordinates, the program will go to step 808. At this time, when the wireless signal fingerprint positioning method is not feasible, you can rely on other auxiliary positioning Ways to find out the location of the wireless receiving device relative to the indoor environment.

For the other auxiliary positioning methods mentioned in step 808, for example: the signal strength of a plurality of wireless signal sources measured at the place where the wireless receiving device is located and the relative value of the plurality of wireless signal sources determined in advance For the location of the indoor environment (refer to step 708), the location of the wireless receiving device relative to the indoor environment is determined by multilateration. Generally speaking, the commonly used multi-angle positioning method is the triangulation method.

Further description is as follows, when in one embodiment, when the smart phone (or external server) compares the wireless signal fingerprint of the location of the smart phone with the wireless signal as shown in Table 1 If it is determined that the wireless signal fingerprint positioning method is not feasible, it will then determine whether there are more than 3 wireless signal sources with strong and stable signal strength and known locations near the smartphone. If there are Further use the triangulation method or the multi-angle positioning method to find out the position of the smart phone relative to the indoor environment.

However, before judging whether the wireless signal source near the wireless receiving device (such as a smart phone) is a wireless signal source with strong and stable signal strength, it is necessary to determine whether the wireless signal source meets a predetermined condition, such as: Measure the signal strength whether the current strength of the wireless signal sources is greater than a predetermined value, or whether the strength of the wireless signal sources can maintain greater than a predetermined value for a period of time, etc.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the present invention. All aspects of the specific embodiments should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is shown in the scope of the appended application rather than the foregoing description. All changes that fall within the equivalent meaning and scope of the patent application shall be deemed to fall within the scope of the patent application.

702-708‧‧‧Step

Claims (14)

A collection device for position reference data. The collection device moves along a path arbitrarily selected by a user in an indoor environment. The collection device includes: a position measuring element. When the collection device moves along the path, Measure a plurality of positions of the acquisition device relative to the indoor environment on the path; a signal strength measuring element to measure the signal strength from different wireless signal sources at each of the plurality of positions; a recording element to record the measured The plurality of positions and the signal strength measured at each of the plurality of positions; and a fingerprint creation component, based on the plurality of positions measured and the signal strength measured at each of the plurality of positions, is This path generates wireless signal fingerprints. The acquisition device described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the position measuring element measures the distance between the acquisition device and one or more obstacles in the indoor environment. For the acquisition device described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, the plurality of positions are two-dimensional spatial positions. For example, in the acquisition device described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, the signals emitted by the different wireless signal sources adopt different communication protocols or use different frequency bands. For the acquisition device described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, the signal intensity measured by the signal intensity measuring element is an average or median value within a given time. A method for collecting location reference data in an indoor environment, which includes: (a) For the indoor environment along a path arbitrarily selected by a user, measure a plurality of positions on the path relative to the indoor environment; (b) measure each of the plurality of positions from different wireless signal sources Signal strength; and (c) generating a wireless signal fingerprint for the path based on the plurality of positions measured and the signal strength measured at each of the plurality of positions. For example, the method described in item 6 of the scope of the patent application further includes: if the signal strength measured at a first position on the path meets a predetermined condition, additionally setting a first wireless device near the first position Signal source, and before step (c), re-execute steps (a) and (b). For the method described in item 7 of the scope of patent application, the predetermined condition is that the measured signal strength is all weaker than -50dbm, -60dbm, -70dbm, or -80dbm. The method described in item 6 of the scope of patent application further includes: (d) using the wireless signal fingerprint to determine the position of at least one first wireless signal source among the different wireless signal sources relative to the indoor environment. A positioning method in an indoor environment, in which a wireless signal fingerprint generated along an arbitrarily selected path in the indoor environment has been obtained, and the wireless signal fingerprint is based on a plurality of fingerprints on the path relative to the indoor environment The location and the signal strength from different wireless signal sources measured at each of the plurality of locations, the method includes: using the wireless signal fingerprint to determine that at least one first wireless signal source among the different wireless signal sources is relative to the indoor The location of the environment. A positioning method in an indoor environment, in which a wireless signal fingerprint generated along an arbitrarily selected path in the indoor environment has been obtained, and the wireless signal fingerprint is based on a plurality of positions on the path relative to the indoor environment And the signal strengths from different wireless signal sources measured at each of the plurality of locations, the method includes: (a) measuring the signal strengths from the different wireless signal sources at the location; and (b) through the location The comparison between the measured signal strength and the wireless signal fingerprint determines the location of the location relative to the indoor environment. The method according to claim 11, wherein the wireless signal fingerprint can be used to determine the positions of a first wireless signal source, a second wireless signal source, and a third wireless signal source respectively relative to the indoor environment, and the step ( b) It further includes: the signal strength of the first wireless signal source, the second wireless signal source, and the third wireless signal source measured at the location, and the determined first wireless signal source, the The position of the second wireless signal source and the position of the third wireless signal source relative to the indoor environment is determined by the triangulation method to determine the position of the location relative to the indoor environment. The method according to claim 12, wherein the signal strengths of the first wireless signal source, the second wireless signal source, and the third wireless signal source measured at the location meet a predetermined condition. A positioning method in an indoor environment, in which a wireless signal fingerprint generated along an arbitrarily selected path in the indoor environment has been obtained, and the wireless signal fingerprint is based on a plurality of positions on the path relative to the indoor environment And the signal strengths from different wireless signal sources measured at each of the plurality of locations, the method includes: (a) measuring the signal strengths from the different wireless signal sources at the location; and (b) Send the signal strength measured at the location to a server for the server to compare the signal strength measured at the location with the fingerprint of the wireless signal to determine the location relative to the location The location of the indoor environment, and the determined location relative to the indoor environment is received from the server.

Images