JP2009162582A - Position specification device and method, and computer program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a position specification device capable of improving specification accuracy for specifying a pedestrian position without requiring complicated operation by a pedestrian, and a computer program and a position specification method for realizing the position specification device. <P>SOLUTION: In this position specification device for positioning the pedestrian position, and specifying the pedestrian position based on a positioning result, the pedestrian position is estimated on a map based on the positioning result. Discrimination information on characteristic spots such as a building or a crossing included in an error range including the estimated estimation position is acquired. Then, position information pertaining to the acquired discrimination information is acquired. Thereafter, operation by a pedestrian positioned on a characteristic spot or passing therethrough is received, and the pedestrian position is specified to be a position corresponding to the acquired position information at a reception timing of the operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a position specifying device that specifies the position of a pedestrian, a computer program that realizes the position specifying device, and a position specifying method.

  Widely used car navigation devices that detect the position of a vehicle include satellite navigation using GPS (Global Positioning System), self-contained navigation using a distance sensor, direction sensor, angular velocity sensor, etc., travel locus and road map by self-contained navigation A map matching method that detects the position of the vehicle in consideration of the matching with the vehicle, a hybrid navigation that combines the satellite navigation and the map matching method, and the like are used.

  For example, in the map matching method, the most probable road is selected from a plurality of road candidates that are considered to be traveling while comparing the trajectory obtained by the self-contained navigation with the road map data. (See Patent Document 1). Then, when the number of candidate roads is limited to one, the traveling locus of the vehicle obtained by the self-contained navigation is matched with the road.

  Hybrid navigation is a combination of satellite navigation and map matching, and it rationally estimates the position of the vehicle and identifies the road on which it is traveling, taking into account the errors between autonomous navigation and satellite navigation. (See Patent Document 2). In hybrid navigation, for example, the position of a vehicle is detected using a map matching method in normal times. When the vehicle position cannot be detected by the map matching method, the vehicle position and direction are detected by satellite navigation to estimate the vehicle position, and the vehicle position is detected in consideration of consistency with the road map data. To do. The vehicle position in these road directions has an error of about 10 m on average, and when the vehicle travels a long distance, the error in the vehicle position accumulates, and the road under the bridge, the road in the tunnel, When traveling on roads, mountain roads, roads covered with roadside trees, etc. between buildings, communication with GPS satellites becomes impossible, and the accuracy of the vehicle position may temporarily deteriorate.

  In addition, as a method of correcting the detection position described above, communication with road equipment such as an optical beacon, radio wave beacon or magnetic nail, or road equipment such as an ultrasonic sensor is detected, and the position is temporarily set at that time. There is a method of correcting with high accuracy (for example, when the sensing range is 4 m, the position error at the time of communication is about 2 m in 2 sigma if there is no dead time).

  On the other hand, each of the above-described navigation methods used in the car navigation apparatus is also adopted when detecting the position of a pedestrian. For example, there is a position detection device that detects the position of a pedestrian using GPS and communication with a base station. This position detection device can detect the position of a pedestrian with an error of about 10 to 20 m when carried by a pedestrian and in a good satellite reception state. However, no position can be obtained in valleys of buildings such as buildings in the city center or below elevated roads, or an inaccurate position with an error of several hundred meters can be obtained due to multipath, etc. Many. In particular, since pedestrians tend to walk along buildings, GPS reception levels are poor. Furthermore, when a pedestrian enters the building, the GPS does not function, so position detection is impossible unless communication with the base station is possible. Alternatively, if communication with the base station is possible, there is a method of determining the position by this, but the position detection accuracy is poor.

For this reason, when a pedestrian comes to a station or a major intersection, etc., the position code on the map is searched from the position code by inputting the position code assigned in advance to the station or the intersection, and the searched position is There is a position detection device that detects the position of a pedestrian (see Patent Document 3).
JP-A-63-294215 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-096741 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-89584

  However, in Patent Document 3, a pedestrian stores a position code assigned to a station or an intersection or the like, or writes a correspondence table in which a location and a position code are tabulated on paper or the like. There is a problem that it is not realistic to carry around. Further, such an input has a problem that it is a complicated operation for a pedestrian.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a position specifying device capable of improving the position specifying accuracy of a pedestrian without requiring a complicated operation by the pedestrian. Another object is to provide a computer program and a position specifying method for realizing a position specifying apparatus.

  The position specifying device according to the first aspect of the present invention is a position specifying device that measures the position of a pedestrian and specifies the position of the pedestrian based on the positioning result, and estimates the position of the pedestrian on the map based on the positioning result. An estimation means, an identification information acquisition means for acquiring identification information included in a predetermined range including the estimated position estimated by the estimation means, and a position information acquisition for acquiring position information related to the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition means Means for receiving the operation, and specifying means for specifying the position of the pedestrian at the time when the operation receiving means receives the operation based on the position information acquired by the position information acquiring means. Features.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first invention, the identification information acquisition unit is configured to acquire a plurality of identification information, and the identification information is specified from the plurality of identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition unit. The specifying unit is further configured to specify based on the position information related to the identification information specified by the specifying unit.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the identification information acquisition unit is configured to acquire a plurality of identification information, and from the plurality of identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition unit. The information processing apparatus further includes selection means for receiving selection, wherein the specifying means is configured to specify the position of the pedestrian based on position information related to the identification information received by the selection means.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first through third aspects, the position specifying device further comprises an error range calculating means for calculating an error range of the estimated position estimated by the estimating means, wherein the specifying means comprises: The position of the pedestrian is specified based on the position information related to the identification information within the error range calculated by the error range calculation means.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the identification information acquisition unit is configured to receive a signal related to the identification information, and can receive the signal. Further comprising a receivable range specifying means for specifying a range, wherein the specifying means is configured to specify the position of a pedestrian based on a signal within the receivable range specified by the receivable range specifying means. It is characterized by being.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the identification information acquisition unit acquires a plurality of identification information, and the position information acquisition unit includes the identification information acquisition unit. In the case where a plurality of position information is acquired based on the identification information acquired by the user, the specifying unit can specify the positions of a plurality of pedestrians based on the plurality of position information acquired by the position information acquiring unit. There is further provided selection means for accepting selection of the plurality of positions when the specifying means specifies the position of the pedestrian as a plurality of positions.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the position specifying device further includes display means for displaying the position of the pedestrian specified by the specifying means.

  The position specifying device according to an eighth invention is the seventh invention, wherein there are a plurality of calculation means for calculating an evaluation coefficient for evaluating the probability of the position specified by the specifying means and a plurality of positions specified by the specifying means in the seventh invention. The apparatus further comprises position selection means for selecting one position according to the evaluation coefficient calculated by the calculation means, and display control means for displaying the position selected by the position selection means on the display means. .

  A computer program according to a ninth aspect of the invention is a computer program that acquires a positioning result obtained by positioning its own position, and that is executed by a computer that specifies its own position based on the positioning result. Based on the estimation means for estimating its own position on the map based on the identification information acquisition means for acquiring identification information included in a predetermined range including the estimated position estimated by the estimation means, the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition means Position information acquisition means for acquiring such position information, and, when an operation is received, as specifying means for specifying its own position at the time of receiving the operation based on the position information acquired by the position information acquisition means It is made to function.

  A position specifying method according to a tenth aspect of the present invention is the position specifying method executed by the position specifying device for measuring the position of the pedestrian and specifying the position of the pedestrian based on the positioning result. The position of the pedestrian based on the positioning result. , On the map, obtaining identification information included in a predetermined range including the estimated position, obtaining position information related to the obtained identification information, receiving an operation, And the step of specifying the position of the pedestrian at the time when the operation is received based on the acquired position information.

  In the first invention, the ninth invention, and the tenth invention, the position of the pedestrian is measured, and the position of the pedestrian is estimated on the map based on the positioning result. Examples of the method for measuring the position include self-contained navigation, satellite navigation, map matching, hybrid navigation, and the like. Identification information included in a predetermined range including the estimated position is acquired. The identification information may be a name of a building, an intersection or a railroad crossing, an abbreviation, an address, or a position code. The identification information may be acquired by receiving a signal from the outside. The position information related to the acquired identification information is acquired, and the position of the pedestrian is specified as the position corresponding to the position information at the timing when the receiving unit receives the operation. The operation may be a button pressing operation or an operation for receiving a signal from the outside.

  Thereby, the pedestrian can acquire identification information related to an easy-to-understand point around him, and by operating near the position related to the acquired identification information, the position where the pedestrian is currently located and the position corresponding to the identification information Can be identified. In addition, when the identification information is acquired by a signal from the outside, a complicated operation is not required, and the current position can be easily specified only by operating near the position related to the received identification information. Moreover, since the identification information is acquired from within a predetermined range including the estimated position of the pedestrian, the pedestrian does not need to remember the identification information for input.

  In the second invention, the identification information is specified from the map information, and the position of the pedestrian is specified based on the position information related to the specified identification information, so that the pedestrian needs to input the identification information by himself / herself. And the position of the pedestrian can be specified.

  In the third invention, a plurality of pieces of identification information are acquired, and selection from the plurality of pieces of acquired identification information is accepted. Thereby, the pedestrian can select the identification information of the position where he is easy to identify from a plurality of identification information. And the position corresponding to the selected identification information can be specified as the position of the pedestrian. That is, the position can be specified by a simple operation of selecting identification information.

  In the fourth invention, it is possible to specify the position with higher accuracy by acquiring the identification information from the estimated position of the pedestrian including the error range.

  In the fifth aspect of the invention, the range in which the signal related to the identification information can be received is specified, and the position of the pedestrian is specified based on the signal within the specified receivable range. When receiving a signal from an external communication device or the like, the receivable range can be a communication range with the communication device, for example, a communication range of mid-range communication such as a wireless LAN. By limiting the signal to within the receivable range, the identification information outside the receivable range is excluded, unnecessary processing for position detection (specification) is omitted, and the processing effort is reduced to shorten the position. Can be detected.

  In the sixth invention, when there are a plurality of pieces of position information and the position of the pedestrian is specified as a plurality of positions, the plurality of positions can be selected. Thereby, the position of a pedestrian can be specified more accurately by the pedestrian himself.

  In the seventh invention, the position can be visually confirmed by displaying the set position of the pedestrian.

  In the eighth invention, the positional deviation between each of the plurality of positions specifying the position of the pedestrian and the estimated position of the pedestrian is calculated, and based on the calculation result, the plurality of positions specified as the position of the pedestrian Display position. For example, by displaying a position with a small positional deviation from the estimated position of the pedestrian, it is possible to improve the reliability of the display of the position specified as the position of the pedestrian.

  In the present invention, the pedestrian can acquire identification information related to an easy-to-understand point around him and operates near the position related to the acquired identification information, so that the current position of the pedestrian is used as identification information. It can be identified as the corresponding position. In addition, when the identification information is acquired by a signal from the outside, a complicated operation is not required, and the current position can be easily specified only by operating near the position related to the received identification information. Moreover, since the identification information is acquired from within a predetermined range including the estimated position of the pedestrian, the pedestrian does not need to remember the identification information for input.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a transfer device according to the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings illustrating embodiments. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a position detection apparatus 10 according to the present invention. The position detection device 10 according to the present invention measures the position of itself (pedestrian) in time series, estimates its position based on positioning data obtained by positioning, and uses the estimated position as the position of the pedestrian. Is detected and displayed. Moreover, the position detection apparatus 10 corrects the position of the pedestrian by specifying the position of the pedestrian by associating the operation by the pedestrian and the point information related to the feature point on the road described later, and specifying ( The corrected position is detected and displayed as the position of the pedestrian. In this case, specifying the own position means detecting the own position with high accuracy regardless of the magnitude of the positioning accuracy error.

  The position detection device 10 can be carried by a pedestrian (including a pedestrian traveling by bicycle), and includes a control unit 11, a communication unit 12, a positioning unit 13, a map database 14, a storage unit 15, and the like that control the entire device. An operation unit 16, a position detection processing unit 17, a display unit 18, an audio output unit 19, and the like are provided. The positioning unit 13 includes a GPS 131, a distance sensor 132, an orientation sensor 133, and the like. Further, the position detection processing unit 17 includes one or more of a position estimation unit 171, an error calculation unit 172, a map information acquisition unit 173, an identification information acquisition unit 174, a position specification unit 175, an evaluation unit 176, and the like.

  The communication unit 12 includes an optical beacon, a radio beacon, an RFID or a DSRC, a narrow area communication function for communicating with a road device, a mid-range communication function such as a wireless LAN such as a UHF band or a VHF band, or a mobile phone, A wide-area communication function such as PHS, multiple FM broadcasting, or Internet communication is provided. The communication unit 12 uses, for example, a midpoint communication such as a wireless LAN in the vicinity of an intersection having a pedestrian crossing or a railroad crossing having an alarm as a feature point on a road, and between roadside devices. Map information, point information (for example, intersection information, crossing information, etc.) communicated by road-to-road communication, road-to-vehicle communication between road devices and vehicles, or vehicle-to-vehicle communication are acquired. Examples of the road device include a traffic information collection device such as an ultrasonic sensor, an optical beacon, or an image sensor, an information board device that provides traffic information in characters or figures, a signal control device, a traffic light, and an alarm device. In addition, the communication unit 12 uses a wide area communication such as a mobile phone to obtain map information around a pedestrian, intersection information at a crossing, or crossing information at a crossing from a center device such as an information processing center or a traffic control center. It can also be acquired.

  The intersection information as the point information includes, for example, an identifier for identifying the intersection, the position of the pedestrian crossing at the intersection, and signal information of a traffic signal installed at the intersection. Further, the crossing information as the point information is, for example, an identifier for identifying a crossing, a position of a crossing, warning information, and the like.

  The communication unit 12 has a communication function for communicating with a base station, receives radio waves from a plurality of base stations, and outputs reception results to the positioning unit 13. In addition, the communication unit 12 outputs the position information of the communication point obtained by the narrow area communication with the road device to the positioning unit 13.

  The positioning unit 13 measures the position of the pedestrian from time to time (for example, every time 0.5 seconds, 1 second, etc., every 1 m, 2 m, etc.) (determines the positioning position) The moving distance and moving direction (positioning direction) are stored in the storage unit 15 together with the time as a walking trajectory of the pedestrian.

  The GPS 131 receives radio waves from a plurality of GPS satellites and measures the position of the pedestrian. In addition to the GPS 131, a DGPS (differential GPS) can be mounted. DGPS can receive FM broadcasts or medium waves transmitted from a reference station whose position is known in advance, and can correct the displacement of the positioning position obtained by GPS 131, thereby improving the accuracy of the position of the pedestrian. .

  The distance sensor 132 includes a speed in a very short time, an acceleration sensor that can detect a moving distance, a step number sensor that can detect a relatively long moving distance, and the like. Thereby, the position of a pedestrian can be detected for each short-distance and short-distance walk in self-contained navigation.

  The azimuth sensor 133 includes an angular velocity sensor, an angular acceleration sensor (relative azimuth sensor), a geomagnetic sensor (absolute azimuth sensor), or the like. Thereby, in the self-contained navigation, the moving direction of the pedestrian can be detected for each short time and short distance walking.

  The positioning unit 13 is based on the measured positioning data, the reception result of the radio wave from the base station obtained via the communication unit 12, or the position information of the communication point obtained by the narrow area communication with the road device. The positioning position and the positioning position error are calculated. Hereinafter, a positioning position and a calculation method of the error will be described.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the error range of the positioning position. In the orthogonal coordinate system (x direction and y direction), as an example, a position error range detected by narrow-range communication with GPS, a base station, or a road device is a rectangular area (x direction length is 4a, y direction). Is set as 4b). That is, the positioning position is the center position of the rectangular area, and the error range extends from the center position by a range of ± 2a in the x direction and by a range of ± 2b in the y direction. For example, when 2a is set to 2 sigma, the variance in the x direction is a ² and the standard deviation can be set to a. When 2b is set to 2 sigma, the variance in the y direction is b ² and the standard deviation can be set to b2.

  When GPS is used to measure the position of a pedestrian, the error range is an environmental condition, more specifically, the GPS reception level, the number of captured satellites, 2D or 3D positioning, or CEP ( It changes with time due to circular error probability. In the case of base station communication, the error range varies with time depending on the communication level with the base station, the communication range of the base station, and the like. A predetermined constant in which the error range is set to be large in advance, a constant determined in advance according to the place or time, or the like may be used. The shape of the error range is not limited to a rectangular shape, and may be an arbitrary shape such as a circle or an ellipse. For example, when positioning is performed using only GPS, when the environmental conditions are favorable, an error range of about 10 to 20 m can be set.

  Hereinafter, a method for calculating the positioning position of the pedestrian will be described. The positioning position is expressed by a two-dimensional vector in an orthogonal coordinate system, but in three dimensions, only altitude information is added and can be easily expanded. Further, in the following description, it is formulated by time, but in actual processing, processing may be performed for each unit travel distance instead of processing for each unit time. In the following, capital letters are assumed to be vectors or matrices.

  When the position P (t) of the pedestrian at time t is expressed by equation (1), at time t + 1 (the interval between times t and t + 1 is a predetermined time, for example, 1 second, 0.5 seconds, etc.) The position P (t + 1) of the pedestrian can be expressed by Expression (2). Alternatively, the time at which the pedestrian has traveled a predetermined travel distance (eg, 1 m, 2 m, etc.) from time t can be set as time t + 1. Note that “T” added to the vector means transposition. Moreover, Formula (2) shows a pedestrian's dynamic characteristic. Note that the pedestrian's position P (t) at time t is the true position (actual position) of the pedestrian and is an unobservable position. That is, the positioning position of the pedestrian is to obtain an optimum estimated position with respect to the true position P (t).

  Here, D (t) is expressed by Equation (3), d (t) is the distance that the pedestrian has moved (walked) from time t to time t + 1, and θ (t) is relative to the orthogonal coordinate system. This is the azimuth angle of pedestrian movement (walking). E (t) is expressed by equation (4), and e (t) is an error of the moving distance d (t). Further, the variance Q (t) of the error E (t) is expressed by the equation (5), and q is the error variance in the unit distance movement and can be a constant value.

  In addition, the position S (t) detected by GPS, base station communication, or communication with a road device at time t can be expressed by Equation (6). Here, G (t) is an error of the position S (t), and the covariance matrix R (t) of the error G (t) can be expressed by Expression (7). In Expression (7), a and b are each one-fourth of the length in the x direction and the y direction of the rectangular region that is the error range shown in FIG. That is, the covariance matrix R (t) is composed of variances in the x and y directions when 2a and 2b are 2 sigma. Even if the average value of E (t) and G (t) is 0, generality is not lost.

  The optimum estimated position H (t) of the pedestrian position P (t) at time t is expressed by a recurrence formula as shown in Expression (8) by the Kalman filter.

Here, Γ (t) is a variance of the estimation error of the estimated position H (t), and can be expressed by a recurrence formula like Formula (9). Further, “−1” attached to a matrix means an inverse matrix of the matrix. Further, the estimated position H (0) at the initial time 0 and the variance Γ (0) of the estimation error can be expressed by Expression (10) and Expression (11), respectively. Here, M is a priori information on the initial position of the pedestrian, and Σ is its error variance. If there is no a priori information, M = 0 and Σ ⁻¹ = 0, and the estimated position H (0) at initial time 0 and the variance Γ (0) of the estimated error are respectively expressed by equations (12) and (13). ).

Equation (6) is obtained when a position is detected by GPS, base station communication, or communication with a road device, and therefore, while GPS, base station communication, or communication with a road device is not performed, equation (6) is obtained. Assuming that the errors a and b in (7) are sufficiently large, in Equation (8), if R ⁻¹ (t) = 0, the estimated position is repeatedly calculated using Equation (8) as it is. Can do.

  The map database 14 stores a wide range of map information. In addition, according to the position of a pedestrian, the map information of the vicinity can also be acquired by communication from the outside, such as a center apparatus or a road device, and memorize | stored.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of map information. When detecting the position of a pedestrian, it becomes more complicated and difficult than when detecting the position of a vehicle. In other words, in the case of a vehicle, the position of the vehicle can be detected by map matching between the estimated position and the roadway on the map, whereas in the case of a pedestrian, walking other than the pedestrian sidewalk is possible. There are various areas where a person can walk. Moreover, the necessity of detecting the position of a pedestrian is high not only outdoors but indoors. Therefore, when detecting the position of a pedestrian, detailed map matching such as separation of a sidewalk and a roadway is required, so detailed data is also required as map information. However, it is not necessary to store a wide range of map information in the storage unit 15 of the position detection device 10, and may be acquired by communication from the outside such as an information center device or a road device as appropriate according to the position of the pedestrian. .

  There are various areas on the map, such as pedestrian roads (sidewalks), roadways, pedestrian crossings, buildings, retail stores, parks, ponds, and overpasses. Therefore, a walking passage (road) can be set in an indoor area such as a building, an underground passage, a station building, a store, a retail store, a house, a factory, an underground shopping area, or the inside of a building.

  FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of setting a road on a map. The example of FIG. 4 shows an example of setting a road around an intersection as a feature point on the road. As shown in FIG. 4, in the case of a main road where a sidewalk and a roadway are separated, a pedestrian road (sidewalk) and a pedestrian crossing can be set as roads. In the example of FIG. 4, the road is shown in two dimensions and the width of the road is set.

  FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of setting a road on a map. The example of FIG. 5 also shows an example of setting a road around an intersection as a feature point on the road. As shown in FIG. 5, in the case of a main road where a sidewalk and a roadway are separated, a pedestrian road (sidewalk) and a pedestrian crossing can be set as roads. In the example of FIG. 5, the road is shown in one dimension, and the road is set as a line segment. In this case, the width of the road can be set.

  The storage unit 15 stores various information received via the communication unit 12, positioning data measured by the positioning unit 13, processing results processed by the position detection processing unit 17, and the like. When the control unit 11, the position detection processing unit 17 and the like are constituted by a CPU, a RAM, and the like, a computer program that defines the processing procedures of the control unit 11 and the position detection processing unit 17 can be stored.

  The operation unit 16 includes various operation buttons and functions as a user interface between the pedestrian and the position detection device 10. The operation unit 16 receives various selections and operations in the position detection device 10. For example, the operation unit 16 accepts input according to the input or selection of identification information and the passage of a characteristic point such as an intersection or a railroad crossing corresponding to the identification information.

  The identification information is, for example, a name, an abbreviation, an address, or a position code related to a feature point on the map such as a building, an intersection, or a railroad crossing. The identification information may be included in the spot information acquired from the outside, or may be acquired from the map information within the error range of the estimated position calculated by the position estimation unit 171.

  The position detection processing unit 17 may be configured by a dedicated hardware circuit, or may be configured to execute a computer program having a predetermined processing procedure.

  The position estimation unit 171 calculates the estimated position and walking locus of the pedestrian on the map based on the locus of the positioning position (positioning locus) calculated by the positioning unit 13.

  The error calculation unit 172 calculates the error range of the estimated position calculated by the position estimation unit 171 based on the error range of the positioning position calculated by the positioning unit 13. For example, the error range of the estimated position can be an error range of the positioning position (for example, 20 to 200 m, which varies depending on the length of the positioning locus). When the position specifying unit 175 specifies the position of the pedestrian, an error range of the specific position is set. The error range when the position of the pedestrian is specified can be, for example, a minimum error (for example, a range about the length of a pedestrian crossing, a range about the length of a railroad crossing, etc.).

  After the position of the pedestrian is specified, the error calculation unit 172 considers that the positioning error increases in accordance with the moving distance or moving direction of the pedestrian from the specified position. An error range is calculated by adding a value corresponding to the distance or moving direction (for example, an increase in positioning error). Note that the error range can always be set to an appropriate predetermined constant value (for example, 100 m) regardless of the moving distance or moving direction of the pedestrian.

  The map information acquisition unit 173 acquires map information included in the error range of the estimated position calculated by the error calculation unit 172. The map information acquired by the map information acquisition unit 173 is displayed on the display unit 18, for example.

  The identification information acquisition unit 174 acquires identification information from the map information acquired by the map information acquisition unit 173. By acquiring the identification information from the map information acquired by the map information acquisition unit 173, the identification information relating to the feature points around the pedestrian can be acquired. The identification information acquired here may be information relating to a preset type (for example, an intersection), or may be arbitrary information for each acquisition timing.

  Further, the identification information acquisition unit 174 acquires identification information from the spot information received by the communication unit 12. When the range in which the spot information can be received is specified, the identification information related to the feature spot around the pedestrian can be acquired. In addition, when the range which can receive point information is not specified, the identification information acquisition part 174 determines whether identification information is contained in the map information which the map information acquisition part 173 acquired. The fact that the identification information is included in the map information means that, for example, when the identification information is an intersection name, such an intersection name is included in the map information.

  Note that the identification information acquisition unit 174 may acquire the identification information from the map information when the point information is not received from the outside, or the identification information from either the point information or the map information depending on the selection of the pedestrian. May be obtained.

  The position specifying unit 175 specifies the position of the pedestrian in association with the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 174 and the operation timing of the operation unit 16 by the pedestrian. The operation timing of the operation unit 16 is a timing of a pedestrian pressing a button from the operation unit 16 or an operation of receiving a signal from the outside. In other words, the position specifying unit 175 specifies the position of itself (pedestrian) as the position of the characteristic point corresponding to the identification information (for example, near the crosswalk of the intersection or the crossing) at the timing when the input is received from the operation unit 16. . The operation for specifying the position of the pedestrian may be performed according to an operation screen displayed on the display unit 18 when the point information is received, or may be input from a dedicated button. Hereinafter, a method for specifying the position of the pedestrian will be described.

  The position specifying unit 175 specifies the position of the pedestrian as the position related to the identification information at the timing when the operation unit 16 is operated. That is, when the feature point is an intersection or a railroad crossing, when the pedestrian is positioned (or passed) at the intersection or railroad crossing according to the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition unit 174, input from the operation unit 16 by the pedestrian is performed. When receiving the input, the position specifying unit 175 specifies the position of the pedestrian near the pedestrian crossing or the crossing at the intersection.

  As a result, if the accuracy of the position of the pedestrian detected last time or the last time is low and the position of the pedestrian is not accurate, the error of subsequent position detection becomes large, and even if there is a possibility of detecting an incorrect position, it is accurate. The position of the pedestrian can be detected (specified) with high accuracy by automatically correcting the correct position.

  In the above example, other characteristic points can be used instead of the intersection or the railroad crossing. For example, a convenience store, a gas station, and a landmark that becomes a landmark or symbol of the land can be used as the feature point.

  Furthermore, when a plurality of pieces of identification information are included in the point information received from the outside or when a plurality of pieces of identification information are acquired from the map information, the identification information may be selected by a pedestrian. For example, a plurality of pieces of identification information can be displayed on the display unit 18 so that the pedestrian can easily recognize the identification information from his / her surroundings, and the selected position can be specified as the position of the pedestrian. The plurality of pieces of identification information to be acquired may be arbitrary identification information, or may be identification information belonging to a preset genre (for example, a building, a store, an intersection, etc.).

  When the position specifying unit 175 specifies the position of the pedestrian, the position specifying unit 175 specifies the position of the pedestrian based on the point information of the characteristic points (for example, intersections, crossings, etc.) within the error range calculated by the error calculating unit 172. . By limiting the feature points within the error range, the point information of the feature points outside the error range is excluded, unnecessary processing for position detection (specification) is omitted, processing effort is reduced, and the position can be shortened. Can be detected.

  Further, the position specifying unit 175 specifies a range in which the communication unit 12 can receive the spot information, and specifies the position of the pedestrian based on the spot information of the characteristic points within the specified range. The receivable range is, for example, a communication range for mid-range communication such as a wireless LAN. By limiting the feature points within the receivable range, the point information of the feature points outside the receivable range is excluded, unnecessary processing for position detection (specification) is omitted, and the processing effort is reduced. The position can be detected in a short time.

  The evaluation unit 176 calculates an evaluation coefficient for evaluating the likelihood of the position specified by the position specifying unit 175. The evaluation coefficient is a coefficient for evaluating the likelihood of the position of the pedestrian. For example, the smaller the evaluation coefficient, the greater the probability (probability) of the position. The evaluation coefficient can be calculated, for example, according to the positional deviation between the walking trajectory of the pedestrian before specifying the position and the road on the map. Alternatively, as another example of the evaluation coefficient, it can be calculated according to the distance between the position of the pedestrian detected most recently and the specified position. Thereby, for example, when the specified position is in the vicinity of the pedestrian crossing at the intersection, the pedestrian crossing at the intersection can be specified based on the evaluation coefficient.

  The display unit 18 is a liquid crystal display panel, for example, and displays the position of the pedestrian on the map.

  When the pedestrian's position is displayed on the display unit 18, the audio output unit 19 outputs audio or sound to notify the pedestrian of necessary information or to call attention.

  Next, the position detection process of the position detection device 10 will be described with the characteristic point as an intersection.

  The position specifying unit 175 specifies the position of the pedestrian near the pedestrian crossing at the operation timing of the operation unit 16. At this time, there may be a plurality of intersections within the error range of the position of the pedestrian detected last time or most recently, and the position specifying unit 175 has the highest possibility that a pedestrian is among the plurality of intersections. Is identified.

  FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of specifying an intersection within an error range. In FIG. 6, the intersection A and the intersection B are within the error range of the immediately preceding detection position X, within the communicable range (where point information can be received), within the error range, and within the communicable range. There is a possibility that the pedestrian is near the intersection. On the other hand, the intersection C is an intersection outside the error range of the immediately preceding detection position X or outside the communicable (point information can be received) range, and is excluded.

  Next, a method for specifying a pedestrian crossing will be described. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of specifying a pedestrian crossing. As shown in FIG. 7, four pedestrian crossings a, b, c, and d are provided at the intersection where two roads intersect. The directions on the map are different between the pedestrian crossings a and c and the pedestrian crossings b and d. Therefore, by detecting the moving direction of the pedestrian by the direction sensor 133, it is possible to specify either the pedestrian crossing a and the pedestrian crossing c or the pedestrian crossing b and the pedestrian crossing d. In the example of FIG. 7, for example, the pedestrian crossings a and c can be specified and the pedestrian crossings b and d can be excluded. In addition, the walking direction at the pedestrian crossing can be easily determined from the direction in which walking is started with a green light. In the example of FIG. 7, for example, the positions P and R can be specified, and the positions Q and S can be excluded. As described above, the position of the pedestrian can be specified as the positions P and R.

  In the case of position detection by map matching, after the position is specified, position detection is performed according to the walking of the pedestrian, and when there are a plurality of specified positions, those other than the correct specific position are pedestrians. Rejected as you walk. Therefore, the normal position detection can be continued with both points P and R as candidates.

  Also, when a pedestrian crossing is specified, the pedestrian's walking trajectory is compared with the road map, and the superiority or inferiority of the evaluation coefficient (which is an evaluation point for matching and represents the accuracy of the position) is set. In addition, one position can be specified according to superiority or inferiority. In this case, the smaller the evaluation coefficient, the higher the probability of the position.

  For example, in the example of FIG. 7, when a pedestrian actually walks from the position P to the pedestrian crossing a, if the pedestrian walks from the position P to the pedestrian crossing d, the position R, and then the pedestrian crossing c, At the connecting portion, the walking direction becomes unstable. Therefore, the evaluation coefficient can be increased for walking in the order from the position P to the pedestrian crossing d, the position R, and the pedestrian crossing c. Alternatively, the walking trajectory in order from the position P to the pedestrian crossing d, the position R, and the pedestrian crossing c can be rejected.

  As an example of the evaluation coefficient, a numerical value inversely proportional to the distance can be used on the basis of the proximity (distance) between the immediately preceding detection position X and the specific positions P and R. For example, the reciprocal of the distance between the position X and the position P is mp, the reciprocal of the distance between the position X and the position R is mr, and the evaluation coefficients Ep and Er of the positions P and R are mp / (mp + mr) and mr / ( mp + mr).

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the error range of the position immediately before the position of the pedestrian is specified. As shown in FIG. 8, since the positioning error of the positioning position is accumulated according to the past traveling locus, the error range of the immediately preceding detection position X is relatively wide. In particular, in a portable device carried by a pedestrian, the distance sensor used to detect the position of the pedestrian is a device that counts the number of steps of the pedestrian or an acceleration sensor, and is used in the case of a vehicle. The detection accuracy is lower than the distance sensor. Furthermore, when the posture changes in accordance with the walking of the pedestrian, the position or inclination of the mobile device also changes, so that the detection accuracy may further decrease. Therefore, the accuracy of the pedestrian detection position X is not high.

  FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the error range of the specific position after specifying the position of the pedestrian. As described above, by associating the operation timing of the operation unit 16 with the intersection information, the position of the pedestrian is specified near the pedestrian crossing (for example, near the upstream side or the downstream side in the walking direction of the pedestrian crossing). can do. For example, the error range of the specific position can be narrowed down to a range of about the length and width of the pedestrian crossing, and the detection position X shown in the example of FIG. 8 can be corrected to an accurate position. Thereby, it is possible to solve the problem that it is difficult to accurately detect the position of the pedestrian in the conventional self-contained navigation, map matching method, satellite navigation, hybrid navigation, etc. And it becomes possible to correct | amend a pedestrian's position automatically to a highly accurate position by simple operation by a pedestrian, and the accuracy of the subsequent pedestrian's position detection can also be improved.

  FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the error range of the position immediately before specifying the position of the pedestrian. In the example of FIG. 10, the example in the case where a feature point is a railroad crossing instead of an intersection is shown. The error range of the detection position X is the same as that in the example of FIG.

  FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing another example of the error range of the specific position after specifying the position of the pedestrian. As described above, by associating the walking behavior of the pedestrian and the crossing information, the position of the pedestrian can be specified in the vicinity of the crossing. For example, the error range of the specific position can be narrowed down to a range about the length of the railroad crossing, and the detection position X shown in the example of FIG. 10 can be corrected to an accurate position. As a result, as in the case of the example of FIG. 9, the conventional self-contained navigation method, map matching method, satellite navigation method, hybrid navigation method, or the like solves the problem that it is difficult to accurately detect the position of the pedestrian. Furthermore, it becomes possible to automatically correct the position of the pedestrian to a highly accurate position by a simple operation by the pedestrian in real time, and improve the accuracy of the position detection of the pedestrian thereafter. be able to.

  Next, a display example for displaying the position of a pedestrian on a map will be described. Hereinafter, the display examples show the case of an intersection, but the same applies to the case of a railroad crossing.

  FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the display of the position of the pedestrian. When there is one specific position, the position is displayed on the map, and the error range of the displayed specific position is also displayed. In addition, when there are a plurality of specific positions, one specific position with the smallest evaluation coefficient can be displayed.

  FIG. 13 is an explanatory view showing another example of the display of the position of the pedestrian. When there are a plurality of specific positions, an area including the plurality of specific positions is displayed as the specific position. In this case, a range including the error range of each specific position may be displayed, or the error range of each specific position may be enlarged or reduced according to the evaluation coefficient of the specific position, and A range including an enlarged or reduced error range can also be displayed. Moreover, you may display the gravity center position of several specific position.

  FIG. 14 is an explanatory view showing another example of the display of the position of the pedestrian. When there are a plurality of specific positions, each specific position is displayed, and then the error range of each specific position or the rank of probability is displayed at the same time. In FIG. 14, the specific position of the first candidate is the position of the pedestrian with the highest probability, and the specific position of the second candidate indicates the position of the pedestrian with the next highest probability. Thereby, the pedestrian can easily determine his / her position and can know not only the most likely position but also a possible position.

  FIG. 15 is an explanatory view showing another example of the display of the position of the pedestrian. In FIG. 15, when the display surface of the display unit 18 is small and the map information cannot be displayed in detail (for example, when the scale of the map cannot be increased), the road is displayed as a line segment. The position of the pedestrian can also be displayed as a single point.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 14, when each specific position is displayed, a pedestrian may be able to select a specific position. Hereinafter, a display example of the display unit 18 when a specific position is selected by a pedestrian when a plurality of pedestrian positions are displayed on the map will be described. In addition, although the example of a display demonstrates the case of an intersection, the case of a crossing is the same.

  FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example when a specific position is selected. The display unit 18 displays a plurality of specific positions at the bottom of the screen and a landscape that can be seen from the specific positions at the top of the screen. The scenery may be acquired from the database of the position detection device 10 or may be acquired from outside by communication. The scenery may be an actual captured image, a CG image, or an image that highlights a characteristic building. In addition, the scenery seen from the specific position may be a pedestrian traveling direction (arrow in the figure) obtained from the azimuth sensor 133 and may be an image with respect to the traveling direction or an image in a predetermined direction. Then, the scenery at each of a plurality of specific positions is automatically or manually displayed in order (for example, in the order of evaluation coefficients) or simultaneously. Thereby, the pedestrian can judge the coincidence between the actual scenery that he can see and the displayed scenery, and a predetermined operation (for example, selection of a delete button, selection of a decision button for determining a specific position). Thus, the specific position can be easily selected.

  Next, a case where identification information is selected when a plurality of pieces of identification information is acquired will be described. FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a display example when selecting identification information.

  When a plurality of pieces of identification information are included in the spot information received from the outside or when a plurality of pieces of identification information are acquired from the map information, the names of the pieces of identification information are displayed on the display unit 18 so as to be selectable. For example, when there are an intersection, a convenience store, and a post office around the pedestrian, the map information acquired by the map information acquisition unit 173 includes identification information such as an intersection. These names are displayed on the display unit 18. Thereby, the pedestrian can specify the position of the pedestrian as the position related to the selected identification information by selecting the identification information related to the easy-to-understand points around him.

  Next, the procedure of the position detection process will be described. 18 and 19 are flowcharts showing the procedure of the position detection process. The control unit 11 performs position detection processing in cooperation with each unit in the position detection device 10. The control unit 11 measures the position of the pedestrian (S11), and estimates the position of the pedestrian based on the positioning data obtained by the positioning (S12). The control unit 11 calculates the error range of the estimated position based on the positioning error (S13), and displays the estimated position as the detected position of the pedestrian (S14).

  The control unit 11 determines whether or not the spot information has been received from the outside (S15). When the spot information is received (YES in S15), the spot information is stored (S16), and the information stored in the storage unit 15 is stored. Among these, the point information outside the error range is deleted (S17). And the control part 11 acquires and memorize | stores the identification information contained in point information (S18). Thereafter, the control unit 11 moves the process to S21.

  When the point information has not been received (NO in S15), the control unit 11 determines whether or not the identification information has been acquired (S19). Here, acquisition of identification information means acquisition of identification information from map information acquired by the map information acquisition unit 173. When the identification information has not been acquired (NO in S19), the control unit 11 continues the processing after S11. In this case, identification information may be input by a pedestrian. When the identification information is acquired (YES in S19), the control unit 11 stores the acquired identification information (S20). Thereafter, the control unit 11 moves the process to S21.

  The control unit 11 determines whether or not a plurality of pieces of identification information have been acquired (S21). If there are not a plurality of pieces of identification information (NO in S21), the process of S23 is performed. When there are a plurality of pieces of identification information (YES in S21), the controller 11 performs identification information selection processing (S22). That is, the screen described with reference to FIG. 17 is displayed on the display unit 18 to allow the pedestrian to select identification information.

  Next, the control part 11 determines whether operation was received from the operation part 16 (S23). If the operation has not been accepted (NO in S23), the control unit 11 performs the processes after S11. At this time, when the operation is not accepted for a predetermined time, the processing after S11 may be performed. When the operation is accepted (YES in S23), the control unit 11 specifies the position of the pedestrian at the feature point (for example, an intersection or a railroad crossing) (S24). In this case, when there are a plurality of intersections or level crossings within the error range, the intersection or level crossing most likely to have a pedestrian is identified.

  The control unit 11 sets an error range and an evaluation coefficient for the specified position (S25), and determines whether there are a plurality of specific positions (S26). When there are a plurality of specific positions (YES in S26), as described in FIG. 16, a plurality of specific positions are selected (S27). When there are not a plurality of specific positions (NO in S26), the control unit 11 performs the process of step S28 described later without performing the process of step S27.

  The control unit 11 displays the specific position on the display unit 18 as a detection position (S28). The control unit 11 determines the presence / absence of a process end instruction (S29). If there is no process end instruction (NO in S29), the specified position, the set error range, and the evaluation coefficient are set as initial values for subsequent position detection ( S30), the process after step S11 is continued. If there is a process end instruction (YES in S29), the control unit 11 ends the process.

  As described above, according to the present invention, when it is difficult to accurately detect the position of a pedestrian by conventional autonomous navigation, map matching, satellite navigation, hybrid navigation, or the like, By associating the above identification information with the operation timing of the operation unit 16, the position of the pedestrian can be accurately identified, and the position of the pedestrian can be determined with high accuracy by a simple operation of the pedestrian in real time. The position detection accuracy of the pedestrian after that can be improved.

  The position detection device described above can be applied to an information terminal device such as a mobile phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a PHS, a notebook personal computer, a music player, and a mobile game device, or a mobile terminal device.

  In the above-described embodiment, the position detection device may include an inclination angle sensor. As a result, when the position detection device tilts due to vibration or posture change of the position detection device accompanying walking, taking out, operation, etc. of the pedestrian, the function stops or the performance deteriorates depending on the type of the direction sensor or the distance sensor. There are things to do. Accordingly, the tilt angle can be detected by the tilt angle sensor, and the azimuth sensor or the distance sensor can be corrected.

  In the above example, the pedestrian wears the position detection device during normal walking or bicycle riding, but this is not a limitation, and the pedestrian does not wear the position detection device directly, but the bag, wheel Temporary installation or temporary placement on travel cases, carts, baby carriages, wheelchairs, etc., so that pedestrians can carry them around, push or pull these vehicles, or rotate the wheels by hand, It may be a case where the vehicle is passing through an accessible area.

  The mathematical formulas for estimating the position of the pedestrian shown in the above-described embodiment are merely examples, and the mathematical formulas are not limited thereto, and mathematical formulas appropriately modified can be used.

  The disclosed embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

It is a block diagram which shows an example of a structure of the position detection apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of the error range of a positioning position. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of map information. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the setting of the road on a map. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the setting of the road on a map. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example which specifies the intersection within an error range. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example which specifies a pedestrian crossing. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the error range of the position immediately before specifying the position of a pedestrian. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the error range of the specific position after specifying the position of a pedestrian. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the error range of the position immediately before specifying the position of a pedestrian. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of the error range of the specific position after specifying the position of a pedestrian. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the display of a pedestrian's position. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of a display of the position of a pedestrian. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of a display of the position of a pedestrian. It is explanatory drawing which shows the other example of a display of the position of a pedestrian. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display at the time of selecting a specific position. It is explanatory drawing which shows the example of a display at the time of selecting identification information. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a position detection process. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a position detection process.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Position detection apparatus 11 Control part 12 Communication part 13 Positioning part 14 Map database 15 Memory | storage part 16 Operation part 17 Position detection process part 18 Display part 19 Audio | voice output part

Claims (10)

In the position identification device that measures the position of the pedestrian and identifies the position of the pedestrian based on the positioning result,
Estimating means for estimating the position of the pedestrian on the map based on the positioning result;
Identification information acquisition means for acquiring identification information included in a predetermined range including the estimated position estimated by the estimation means;
Position information acquisition means for acquiring position information related to the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition means;
An operation accepting means for accepting an operation;
A position specifying device comprising: specifying means for specifying the position of the pedestrian at the time when the operation receiving means receives the operation based on the position information acquired by the position information acquiring means. The identification information acquisition means includes
It is configured to acquire multiple identification information,
A specifying means for specifying identification information from a plurality of pieces of identification information acquired by the identification information acquiring means;
The specifying means is:
The position specifying device according to claim 1, wherein the position specifying device is specified based on position information related to identification information specified by the specifying means. The identification information acquisition means includes
It is configured to acquire multiple identification information,
A selection means for accepting selection from a plurality of identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition means;
The specifying means is:
The position specifying device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the position of the pedestrian is specified based on position information related to the identification information received by the selection unit. An error range calculation unit that calculates an error range of the estimated position estimated by the estimation unit;
The specifying means is:
The position according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the position of the pedestrian is specified based on position information related to the identification information within the error range calculated by the error range calculation means. Specific device. The identification information acquisition means includes
It is configured to receive a signal related to the identification information,
A receivable range specifying means for specifying a receivable range of the signal;
The specifying means is:
The pedestrian's position is specified based on a signal within a receivable range specified by the receivable range specifying means. 5. Positioning device. In the case where the identification information acquisition means acquires a plurality of identification information, and the position information acquisition means acquires a plurality of position information based on the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition means,
The specifying means is:
The position information acquisition means is configured to be able to identify the positions of a plurality of pedestrians based on a plurality of position information acquired,
6. The position according to claim 1, further comprising: a selection unit configured to accept selection of the plurality of positions when the specifying unit specifies the position of the pedestrian as a plurality of positions. Specific device.   The position specifying device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising display means for displaying the position of the pedestrian specified by the specifying means. Calculating means for calculating an evaluation coefficient for evaluating the probability of the position specified by the specifying means;
When there are a plurality of positions specified by the specifying means, position selecting means for selecting one position according to the evaluation coefficient calculated by the calculating means;
The position specifying device according to claim 7, further comprising: display control means for displaying the position selected by the position selecting means on the display means. In a computer program executed by a computer that acquires a positioning result obtained by positioning its own position and identifies its own position based on the positioning result,
Computer
An estimation means for estimating its own position on a map based on the obtained positioning results;
Identification information acquisition means for acquiring identification information included in a predetermined range including the estimated position estimated by the estimation means;
Position information acquisition means for acquiring position information related to the identification information acquired by the identification information acquisition means; and
A computer program that, when an operation is received, causes the position at the time when the operation is received to function as specifying means for specifying the position based on the position information acquired by the position information acquisition means. In the position specifying method executed by the position specifying device that measures the position of the pedestrian and specifies the position of the pedestrian based on the positioning result,
Estimating the location of the pedestrian on the map based on the positioning results;
Obtaining identification information included in a predetermined range including the estimated position,
Obtaining position information related to the obtained identification information;
A step of accepting the operation;
And a step of specifying the position of the pedestrian at the time of receiving the operation based on the acquired position information when the operation is received.

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