JP2010130542A - Server, system and method of managing database - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To construct a database for precisely estimating positions of mobiles. <P>SOLUTION: A positioning server 20 which manages a database used for positioning a portable phone 10 includes: a database 21 for positioning for storing data for positioning for relating first signal information on signals transmitted from a base station B, second signal information on signals transmitted from another radio signal source S, and position coordinates; a reception section 22 for receiving at least one of the first signal information and the second signal information from the portable phone 10; and a data management section 24 for comparing a combination of the received signal information and position information with the data for positioning in the database 21 to update or add the data for positioning based on the comparison result. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a database management server, a database management system, and a database management method for managing a database used for positioning of a mobile device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, techniques for estimating the position of a mobile device based on the reception intensity of radio waves received by the mobile device are known. For example, in Patent Document 1 below, information indicating the relationship between the reception intensity of a radio wave received from a predetermined base station and the position where the radio wave is received is stored in a database, and the reception intensity is stored using the database. A moving body position detection method is described in which the position of a mobile device is estimated by matching with.
JP-A-7-231473

  However, as described in Patent Document 1, if only data related to a base station of one mobile communication network (mobile communication system) is used, a positioning error may increase. For example, in a place where the number of surrounding base stations is small, the pattern of the received intensity associated with the position information is not characteristic, so the accuracy of matching between the received intensity of the signal received by the mobile device and the data in the database is reduced. Resulting in.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a database management server, a database management system, and a database management method capable of constructing a database that enables highly accurate estimation of the position of a mobile device. The purpose is to do.

  The database management server of the present invention is a database management server that manages a database used for positioning of a mobile device that can communicate via a base station of a mobile communication network, and is a first signal related to a signal transmitted from the base station. A database for storing positioning data in which information, second signal information related to a signal transmitted from another radio signal source different from the base station, and position coordinates are associated; first signal information and second signal Receiving means for receiving at least one of the information from the mobile device, acquisition means for acquiring the positional information indicating the position of the mobile device, a combination of the signal information received by the receiving means and the positional information acquired by the acquisition means The positioning data in the database is collated, and if positioning data corresponding to the combination exists, the positioning data is included in the signal information included in the combination Was updated with the contents, if the positioning data corresponding to the combination are present, comprising a data management means for adding to the database the combination as positioning data.

  The database management system of the present invention is a database management system comprising a mobile device that can communicate via a base station of a mobile communication network and a database management server that manages a database used for positioning of the mobile device. And transmitting means for transmitting at least one of the first signal information related to the signal received from the base station and the second signal information related to the signal received from another radio signal source different from the base station to the database management server. A database management server, a database for storing positioning data in which the first signal information, the second signal information, and the position coordinates are associated; a receiving unit that receives the signal information transmitted by the transmitting unit; Acquisition means for acquiring position information indicating the position of the mobile device, signal information received by the reception means, and acquisition means. The combination of the position information and the positioning data in the database are collated, and if there is positioning data corresponding to the combination, the positioning data is updated with the contents of the signal information included in the combination. If there is no positioning data corresponding to the combination, data management means for adding the combination to the database as positioning data is provided.

  The database management method of the present invention is a database used for positioning of a mobile device capable of communicating via a base station of a mobile communication network, and includes first signal information related to a signal transmitted from the base station, A database management method executed by a database management server that manages second database information related to signals transmitted from other wireless signal sources different from a station and a database that stores positioning data associated with position coordinates. A reception step of receiving at least one of the first signal information and the second signal information from the mobile device, an acquisition step of acquiring position information indicating the position of the mobile device, and the signal information received in the reception step and acquisition The combination of the position information acquired in the step and the positioning data in the database are collated, and the measurement corresponding to the combination is performed. If positioning data exists, the positioning data is updated with the content of the signal information included in the combination. If positioning data corresponding to the combination does not exist, the combination is added to the database as positioning data. Data management step.

  According to such a database management server, a database management system, and a database management method, at least one of two types of signal information (signal information about a base station or signal information about another radio signal source) is received by the server, The location information of the mobile device is acquired by the server. And the combination of these information and the positioning data in the database are collated, the positioning data is updated if there is positioning data corresponding to the combination, if such positioning data does not exist, The combination is added to the database as positioning data. In this way, by updating or adding positioning data using signal information of not only mobile communication networks but also other wireless signal sources (wireless systems), more types or numbers of positioning data can be stored in a database. Can be registered. As a result, a database that enables highly accurate estimation of the position of the mobile device can be constructed.

  The database management server according to the present invention further comprises request means for requesting the second signal information from the mobile device when the number of the first signal information received by the receiving means is less than a predetermined threshold value. First, only the first signal information is received, and the data management means receives the first signal information received by the receiving means, and the second signal information transmitted from the mobile device in response to the request by the request means and received by the receiving means. It is preferable to update or add the positioning data by collating the combination of the position information acquired by the acquisition means and the positioning data in the database.

  In this case, since the second signal information is requested to the mobile device for the first time when the number of signal information is insufficient with only the first signal information, the second signal information is requested to the mobile device from the beginning. In comparison, the processing load on the mobile device can be reduced. In addition, since the positioning data is updated or added only when the signal information related to the base station of the mobile communication network is insufficient, the positioning data in the area where there are few signals received from the base station is used as the second signal. It is possible to register intensively using information.

  In the database management server according to the present invention, when the total number of the first signal information and the second signal information received by the receiving unit is less than a predetermined threshold, the request unit adds the second signal information to the mobile device. It is preferable to request.

  In this case, when the total number of the first signal information and the second signal information is less than a predetermined threshold, additional second signal information is required for the mobile device, so that a signal used for updating or adding data is used. The number of information can be further increased.

  In the database management server of the present invention, it is preferable that the requesting unit requests the second signal information related to the other radio signal sources in descending order of priority set for each type of other radio signal source.

  In this case, since the second signal information related to other radio signal sources is requested from the mobile device based on the priority order, the positioning data is updated or added more efficiently by appropriately setting the priority order. be able to.

  According to such a database management server, database management system, and database management method, positioning data is updated or added using signal information not only of the mobile communication network but also of other wireless signal sources (wireless systems). It is possible to construct a database that enables highly accurate estimation of the position of a mobile device.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, in order to simplify the description, the construction of a positioning database will be described as the first embodiment, and positioning using the database will be described as the second embodiment. In the description of the drawings, the same or equivalent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

(First embodiment)
In the present embodiment, the database management system and the database management server according to the present invention are applied to a positioning system and a positioning server that measure the position of a mobile phone. First, the configuration of the positioning system 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the positioning system 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the mobile phone 10 shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the positioning server 20 shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of positioning data.

  The positioning system 1 includes a mobile phone 10 and a positioning server 20. The mobile phone 10 has a function of measuring the current position of its own device based on a positioning request from the positioning server 20. On the other hand, the positioning server 20 has a function of comparing the positioning data used for positioning of the mobile phone 10 and the signal information received from the mobile phone 10 to measure the position of the mobile phone 10.

  The mobile phone 10 is a mobile device that performs call connection, data communication, and the like by transmitting and receiving signals (radio waves) to and from the base station B that constitutes the mobile communication network N. The cellular phone 10 can also receive a signal from another radio signal source (in other words, another radio signal source existing outside the mobile communication network N) S different from the base station B. Here, as another radio signal source S, for example, a base station of a mobile communication network of another communication carrier realized by the same standard as the mobile communication network N or a broadcast wave of terrestrial digital broadcasting is transmitted. However, the present invention is not limited to these. The base station B of the mobile communication network N is also a kind of radio signal source.

  In FIG. 1, one mobile phone 10, one base station B, and one other wireless signal source S are shown for simplicity of explanation, but a plurality of these may exist.

  The cellular phone 10 includes a positioning unit 11, a signal measuring unit 12, and a transmission unit (transmission means) 13 as functional components.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cellular phone 10 includes a CPU 101 that executes an operating system, application programs, and the like, a main storage unit 102 that includes a ROM and a RAM, an auxiliary storage unit 103 that includes a memory, A communication control unit 104 that performs data communication via the mobile communication network N, a display unit 105 that includes a liquid crystal monitor and the like, and an operation unit 106 that includes input keys and the like. Each function shown in FIG. 1 reads predetermined software on the CPU 101 and the main storage unit 102, operates the communication control unit 104 under the control of the CPU 101, and controls the main storage unit 102 and the auxiliary storage unit 103. This is realized by reading and writing data.

  The positioning unit 11 is a part that measures the position of the mobile phone 10. When the positioning unit 11 receives a positioning request from the positioning server 20, the positioning unit 11 measures the position of the mobile phone 10 using a predetermined positioning method. For example, the positioning unit 11 performs autonomous positioning using a global positioning system (GPS). The positioning unit 11 can also perform hybrid positioning that calculates a position based on measurement information from the mobile phone 10 and distance information between the mobile phone and the base station received from the base station B. Further, the positioning unit 11 transmits signal information related to signals received from the base station B and other radio signal sources S to the positioning server 20, and the position coordinates calculated and transmitted by the positioning server 20 according to the signal information are obtained as positioning results. It is also possible. The positioning unit 11 outputs position information that is a positioning result to the transmission unit 13.

  The signal measuring unit 12 is a unit that measures and analyzes one or more signals received from the base station B or another radio signal source S within a predetermined time including the time when the position information is calculated by the positioning unit 11. . The signal measuring unit 12 receives a signal based on the measurement request received from the positioning server 20. For example, when the measurement request represents an instruction to measure the signal of the base station B, the signal measurement unit 12 measures and analyzes only the signal from the base station B. If the measurement request represents an instruction to measure the wireless LAN signal, the signal measuring unit 12 activates the wireless LAN reception function and measures only the signal from the wireless LAN base station. To analyze.

  When signals are received from one or a plurality of base stations B, the signal measuring unit 12 measures the reception intensity of each signal and analyzes each signal to extract base station information related to the base station B. Here, the base station information includes a base station ID for identifying the base station B, and optionally includes optional data such as a round trip time (RTT). The signal measurement unit 12 associates the reception intensity with the base station information and outputs the first signal information to the transmission unit 13.

  When receiving a signal from one or more other wireless signal sources S, the signal measuring unit 12 measures the reception intensity of each signal and analyzes each signal to obtain signal source information regarding the wireless signal source S. Extract. Here, the signal source information includes a signal source ID for identifying the radio signal source S. The signal measuring unit 12 associates the received intensity with the signal source information and outputs the second signal information to the transmitting unit 13.

  The transmission unit 13 is a part that transmits at least one of the first signal information related to the signal received from the base station B and the second signal information related to the signal received from the other radio signal source S to the positioning server 20. The transmission unit 13 transmits the position information input from the positioning unit 11 and the signal information input from the signal measurement unit 12 to the positioning server 20.

  Next, the positioning server 20 will be described. The positioning server 20 includes a positioning database 21, a reception unit (reception unit, acquisition unit) 22, a request unit (request unit) 23, and a data management unit (data management unit) 24 as functional components.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the positioning server 20 includes a CPU 201 that executes an operating system, application programs, and the like, a main storage unit 202 that includes a ROM and a RAM, an auxiliary storage unit 203 that includes a hard disk, and a network. A communication control unit 204 such as a card, an input unit 205 such as a keyboard and a mouse, and an output unit 206 such as a monitor and a printer. Each function of the positioning server 20 reads predetermined software on the CPU 201 and the main storage unit 202, operates the communication control unit 204 under the control of the CPU 201, and stores data in the main storage unit 202 and the auxiliary storage unit 203. This is realized by reading and writing.

  The positioning database 21 stores positioning data in which first signal information related to signals transmitted from the base station B, second signal information related to signals transmitted from other radio signal sources S, and position coordinates are associated with each other. The part to remember. Here, the signal information includes a base station ID or signal source ID for identifying a radio signal source, reception intensity, and optional data such as RTT.

  An example of positioning data is shown in FIG. The positioning data in FIG. 4 is data in which a system type, a serial number in one system, an ID for identifying a wireless signal source, reception intensity, option data, position coordinates, accuracy, and update date / time are associated with each other. It can be said that the ID, reception strength, and option data are signal information. The signal information whose system type is “mobile communication network” is the first signal information, and the signal whose system type is “mobile communication network of another company”, “wireless LAN”, “terrestrial digital broadcasting” or “radio”. The information is second signal information. In the example shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of pieces of signal information are associated with one position coordinate.

  The receiver 22 is a part that receives signal information transmitted from the transmitter 13 of the mobile phone 10. The receiving unit 22 is also a part that acquires position information indicating the position of the mobile phone 10. The receiving unit 22 outputs the received signal information to the request unit 23 and outputs the received position information to the data management unit 24 in the same manner as the signal information.

  The request unit 23 is a part that requests the mobile phone 10 for positioning and acquisition of signal information. For this purpose, the request unit 23 transmits a positioning request and a measurement request to the mobile phone 10. Regarding the measurement request, the request unit 23 transmits a measurement request for obtaining only the first signal information related to the signal from the base station B of the mobile communication network N at the first time. When the first signal information is transmitted from the mobile phone 10 in response to the transmission and is input to the request unit 23 via the reception unit 22, the request unit 23 determines that the number of the first signal information is a predetermined threshold M. It is determined whether it is above. At this time, if the number of the first signal information is less than the threshold value M, the request unit 23 transmits an additional measurement request so as to acquire the second signal information related to signals from other radio signal sources S.

  The method for requesting addition is not limited. For example, the request unit 23 may request the second signal information regardless of the type of the other radio signal source S, or may specify and request the type of the other radio signal source S. When designating the type of wireless signal source, it is conceivable to set the priority order of the wireless system and request the second signal information in descending order. For example, the request unit 23 requests signal information related to the mobile communication network of another company in the second request, and if the total number of signal information is still less than the threshold value M, the signal information related to the wireless LAN is requested as the third request. Similarly, terrestrial digital broadcasting may be requested for the fourth time, and signal information related to the radio may be requested for the fifth time.

  When the request unit 23 collects signal information equal to or greater than the threshold value M, the request unit 23 outputs the signal information to the data management unit 24.

  The data management unit 24 collates the combination of the signal information and the position information received by the receiving unit 22 with the positioning data in the positioning database 21, and if there is positioning data corresponding to the combination, The positioning data is updated with the contents of the signal information included in the combination, and if there is no positioning data corresponding to the combination, the combination is added to the positioning database 21 as positioning data.

  The data management unit 24 extracts, from the positioning database 21, positioning data that matches the position information input from the receiving unit 22 or includes position coordinates that correspond within a predetermined error range. Then, if the extraction is successful, the request unit 23 updates the signal information included in the positioning data with the signal information input from the request unit 23. In this process, signal information including an ID that has not been included in the positioning data until then may be added to the positioning data. On the other hand, when the corresponding positioning data cannot be extracted, the request unit 23 associates the input signal information and position information and adds them to the positioning database 21. By such processing, the latest contents are stored in the positioning database 21.

  Next, the operation of the positioning system 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described using FIG. 5 and the database management method according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the positioning system 1.

  First, the request unit 23 of the positioning server 20 transmits a positioning request and a measurement request to the mobile phone 10 (step S11). Regarding the first measurement request, the request unit 23 requests only the first signal information related to the signal from the base station B of the mobile communication network N.

  In the mobile phone 10, the positioning unit 11 performs positioning according to the positioning request (step S12), and the signal measuring unit 12 measures the received signal based on the measurement request (step S13). And the transmission part 13 transmits the 1st signal information which is a measurement result, and the positional information which is a positioning result to the positioning server 20 (step S14).

  In the positioning server 20, the receiving unit receives the first signal information and the position information (reception step, acquisition step). Subsequently, the request unit 23 determines whether or not the number of received signal information is greater than or equal to the threshold value M (step S15). At this time, if the number of signal information is less than the threshold value (step S15; NO), the request unit 23 transmits an additional measurement request to the mobile phone 10 (step S16). The additional measurement request is a command for causing the mobile phone 10 to acquire the second signal information regarding the signal from the other radio signal source S.

  In the mobile phone 10, the signal measurement unit 12 measures the received signal based on the measurement request (step S17), and the transmission unit 13 transmits the result to the positioning server 20 as second signal information (step S18). Such processing of steps S15 to S18 is repeatedly executed until the number of obtained signal information becomes equal to or greater than the threshold value M, or until measurement of all signals related to a predetermined wireless system is completed.

  When the number of signal information is greater than or equal to the threshold value M (step S15; YES), the data management unit 24 collates the combination of the signal information and the position information with the positioning data in the positioning database 21, and determines the result. Based on this, the positioning data is updated or added (step S19, data management step).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, at least one of the two types of signal information (the signal information related to the base station B or the signal information related to the other radio signal source S) is received by the positioning server 20 and is also portable. Position information of the telephone 10 is acquired by the positioning server 20. The combination of these information and the positioning data in the positioning database 21 are collated, and if there is positioning data corresponding to the combination, the positioning data is updated, and such positioning data exists. If not, the combination is added to the database as positioning data. In this way, by updating or adding positioning data using signal information of not only the mobile communication network N but also other wireless signal sources S (wireless systems), more types or numbers of positioning data can be obtained. Can be registered in the positioning database 21. As a result, a positioning database 21 that enables highly accurate estimation of the position of the mobile phone 10 can be constructed.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the second signal information is requested from the mobile phone 10 for the first time when the number of signal information is insufficient only by the first signal information, the mobile phone 10 is first requested from the beginning. Compared to the case of requesting two-signal information, the processing load on the mobile phone 10 can be reduced. Further, since the positioning data is updated or added only when the signal information related to the base station B is insufficient, the positioning data in the area where the signal received from the base station B is small is used as the second signal information. Can be registered intensively.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, when the total number of the first signal information and the second signal information is less than the predetermined threshold, additional second signal information is requested to the mobile phone 10, so that the data The number of signal information used for updating or adding can be further increased.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the second signal information related to the other radio signal source S is requested to the mobile phone 10 based on the priority order, it is more efficient by appropriately setting the priority order. The positioning data can be updated or added.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, the configuration of the positioning system 2 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of the positioning system 2. In addition, the description which overlaps with 1st Embodiment is abbreviate | omitted.

  The positioning system 2 includes a mobile phone 30 and a positioning server 40. In FIG. 6, for simplicity of explanation, one mobile phone 30, one base station B, and one other wireless signal source S are shown, but a plurality of these may exist.

  The cellular phone 30 includes a signal measurement unit 31, a transmission unit 32, and a display unit 33 as functional components. The hardware configuration of the mobile phone 30 is the same as that shown in FIG. 2, and the manner in which the functional components are realized by the hardware is the same as that described in the first embodiment. is there.

  The signal measuring unit 31 is a part that measures and analyzes one or a plurality of signals received from the base station B or another radio signal source S.

  When receiving the positioning instruction input by the user, the signal measuring unit 31 first measures and analyzes only the signal received from the base station B. Specifically, the signal measuring unit 31 measures the reception intensity for each of the signals received from one or a plurality of base stations B, and analyzes each signal to extract base station information related to the base station B. The base station information includes a base station ID for identifying the base station B, and optionally includes optional data such as a round trip time (RTT). The signal measurement unit 31 associates the reception intensity with the base station information and outputs the first signal information to the transmission unit 32.

  Thereafter, when a measurement request is received from a positioning server 40 described later, the signal measuring unit 31 measures and analyzes a signal received from another radio signal source S in response to the request. For example, if the measurement request represents an instruction to measure a wireless LAN signal, the signal measuring unit 31 activates the wireless LAN reception function, and measures only the signal from the wireless LAN base station. To analyze. The signal measuring unit 31 measures reception intensity for each of the signals received from one or a plurality of radio signal sources S, analyzes each signal, and extracts signal source information regarding the radio signal source S. Here, the signal source information includes a signal source ID for identifying the radio signal source S. The signal measurement unit 31 associates the reception intensity with the signal source information and outputs the second signal information to the transmission unit 32.

  The transmission unit 32 is a part that transmits at least one of the first signal information related to the signal received from the base station B and the second signal information related to the signal received from the other radio signal source S to the positioning server 40. The transmission unit 32 transmits the signal information input from the signal measurement unit 31 to the positioning server 40.

  The display unit 33 is a part that receives and displays the position coordinates transmitted from the positioning server 40. Thereby, the user of the mobile phone 30 can know his current position.

  Next, the positioning server 40 will be described. The positioning server 40 includes a positioning database 41, a receiving unit 42, and a positioning unit 43 as functional components. The hardware configuration of the positioning server 40 is the same as that shown in FIG. 2, and the manner in which the functional components are realized by hardware is the same as that described in the first embodiment. is there.

  The positioning database 41 associates first signal information related to signals transmitted from the base station B, second signal information related to signals transmitted from other radio signal sources S different from the base station B, and position coordinates. This is a part for storing the obtained positioning data. The configuration of data stored in the positioning database 41 is the same as that shown in FIG. Referring to FIG. 4, the signal information whose system type is “mobile communication network” is the first signal information, and the system type is “mobile communication network of another company”, “wireless LAN”, “terrestrial digital” The signal information that is “broadcast” or “radio” is the second signal information.

  The receiving unit 42 is a part that receives signal information transmitted from the transmitting unit 32 of the mobile phone 30. The receiving unit 42 outputs the received signal information to the positioning unit 43.

  The positioning unit 43 is a part that collates the signal information received by the receiving unit 42 with the positioning data in the positioning database 41 and determines the position coordinates corresponding to the signal information as the current position of the mobile phone 30. .

  In a positioning process, information that is first input to the positioning unit 43 is one or a plurality of first signal information related to a signal from the base station B. The positioning unit 43 collates the input first signal information and positioning data, and extracts position coordinates corresponding to the first signal information. At this time, if the accuracy of the extracted position coordinates (accuracy associated with the position coordinates) is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value P, the positioning unit 43 determines the position coordinates as the current position of the mobile phone 30, and the mobile phone 30.

  On the other hand, when the accuracy of the extracted position coordinates is less than the threshold value P because the number of input signal information is small, the positioning unit 43 performs the second processing on signals from other radio signal sources S. A measurement request for acquiring signal information is transmitted to the mobile phone 30.

  The measurement request method is not limited. For example, the positioning unit 43 may request the second signal information regardless of the type of the other radio signal source S, or may specify and request the type of the other radio signal source S. When designating the type of wireless signal source, it is conceivable to set the priority order of the wireless system and request the second signal information in descending order. For example, the positioning unit 43 requests the second signal information related to the mobile communication network of another company in the initial request, and if the measurement accuracy is still less than the threshold value P, the positioning unit 43 requests the second signal information related to the wireless LAN. Similarly, signal information related to terrestrial digital broadcasting and radio may be sequentially requested.

  When the second signal information is received from the mobile phone 30 in response to the measurement request, the positioning unit 43 uses the position coordinates corresponding to the combination of the first signal information already acquired and the second signal information acquired this time for positioning. Extract from database 41. Then, the positioning unit 43 determines whether or not the accuracy of the extracted position coordinates is greater than or equal to the threshold value P. Then, according to the determination result, the positioning unit 43 transmits the position coordinates determined as the current position of the mobile phone 30 or a further measurement request to the mobile phone 30.

  Next, the operation of the positioning system 2 shown in FIG. 6 will be described with reference to FIG. 7, and the positioning method according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the positioning system 2.

  As a premise, the positioning database 41 of the positioning server 40 stores positioning data as shown in FIG. This positioning data may be registered by the administrator of the positioning system 2 or may be dynamically updated or added as shown in the first embodiment.

  First, the signal measuring unit 31 of the mobile phone 30 measures and analyzes a signal received from the base station B based on a positioning instruction from the user, and generates first signal information (step S31). Subsequently, the transmission unit 32 transmits the first signal information to the positioning server 40 (step S32).

  In the positioning server 40, the receiving unit 42 receives the first signal information. Subsequently, the positioning unit 43 collates the first signal information with the positioning data, and extracts position coordinates corresponding to the information (step S33). Subsequently, the positioning unit 43 determines whether or not the accuracy of the position coordinates is greater than or equal to the threshold value P (step S34). At this time, if the accuracy of the position coordinates is less than the threshold value P (step S34; NO), the positioning unit 43 transmits a measurement request to the mobile phone 30 to acquire the second signal information (step S35).

  In the mobile phone 30, the signal measuring unit 31 measures and analyzes the signal of the other radio signal source S received according to the content of the measurement request, and generates second signal information (step S36). Subsequently, the transmission unit 32 transmits the second signal information to the positioning server 40 (step S37).

  In the positioning server 40, the receiving unit 42 receives the second signal information. Subsequently, the positioning unit 43 collates the combination of the acquired first signal information and the second signal information received this time with the positioning data, and extracts the position coordinates corresponding to the combination (step S38). Such processes of steps S34 to S38 are repeatedly executed until the accuracy of the extracted position coordinates becomes equal to or higher than the threshold value P or the positioning unit 43 ends the positioning process at a predetermined timing.

  In contrast, if the accuracy of the extracted position coordinates is equal to or higher than the threshold value P (step S34; YES), the positioning unit 43 transmits the position coordinates to the mobile phone 30 (step S39). Then, the display unit 33 of the mobile phone 30 displays the position coordinates as the current position (step S40). Note that the positioning unit 43 may end the positioning process at a predetermined timing and transmit the position coordinates obtained at that time to the mobile phone 30 even when the accuracy equal to or higher than the threshold value P cannot be obtained.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, positioning data in which two types of signal information and position coordinates are associated is stored in the positioning database 41 in advance. Then, at least one of the two types of signal information is received from the mobile phone 30, and the current position of the mobile phone 30 is determined by comparing the signal information with the positioning data. As described above, the position of the mobile phone 30 can be measured with high accuracy by using the signal information of not only the mobile communication network N but also the other wireless signal source S (wireless system).

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the second signal information is requested from the mobile phone 30 for the first time when the positioning accuracy cannot be ensured only by the first signal information. Compared with the case of requesting signal information, the processing load on the mobile phone 30 can be reduced. Further, by requesting the second signal information, positioning can be performed using more signal information. As a result, the position of the mobile phone 30 can be measured with higher accuracy.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when the accuracy of the position coordinates corresponding to the first signal information and the second signal information is less than a predetermined threshold, additional second signal information is requested for the mobile phone 30. Therefore, positioning can be performed using more signal information. As a result, the position of the mobile phone 30 can be measured with higher accuracy.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the second signal information related to the other radio signal source S is requested to the mobile phone 30 based on the priority order, it is more efficient by appropriately setting the priority order. Positioning can be performed.

  The present invention has been described in detail based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The present invention can be modified in various ways as described below without departing from the scope of the invention.

  In the first embodiment, the positioning server uses the position information received from the mobile phone. However, the positioning server uses position information calculated in its own apparatus by a technique such as hybrid positioning, or from another positioning server (not shown). The received position information may be used.

  In each of the above embodiments, the mobile phone first transmits signal information related to the base station, and then transmits signal information related to another radio signal source based on the measurement request of the positioning server. It is not limited to. For example, the mobile phone may acquire signal information related to the base station and signal information related to other radio signal sources from the beginning, and transmit these signal information to the positioning server at a time. In this case, the positioning server can update the database and perform positioning in one process.

  Further, the positioning server may determine whether to request signal information regarding another radio signal source based on the base station ID included in the received signal information. Specifically, the positioning server stores in advance a base station ID that requires signal information related to other radio signal sources in a database or the like. Then, as in the above embodiments, when the signal information related to the base station is received from the mobile phone, it is determined whether or not the base station ID included in the signal information is stored in the database. At this time, if such a base station ID exists in the database, the positioning server requests second signal information related to another radio signal source, and if not, the positioning server does not request further measurement.

  Such processing can be executed by the request unit 23 in the first embodiment and the positioning unit 43 in the second embodiment. If the processing is performed in this manner, it is determined whether or not the second signal information is requested based only on the base station ID, so that the mobile phone does not need to transmit other parameters.

  In each of the above embodiments, the positioning database stores the positioning data in which the first signal information, the second signal information, and the position information are associated, but the configuration of the positioning database is not limited to this. For example, a database may be prepared for each system type (see FIG. 4). In this case, the measurement unit of the positioning server individually executes the positioning process for each database, and the most accurate of the obtained position coordinates and the average of each position coordinate (arithmetic average or weighted average) May be the measurement result.

  The present invention can also be implemented by a single server that integrates the functions of the positioning server 20 and the positioning server 40 described above. Further, the present invention can be implemented by a single mobile phone in which the functions of the mobile phone 10 and the mobile phone 30 described above are integrated.

  In each of the above embodiments, a mobile phone has been exemplified as the mobile device, but other mobile devices such as a personal digital assistant (PDA) may be used.

It is a figure showing the whole positioning system composition concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the mobile telephone shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the positioning server shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the data for positioning. It is a sequence diagram which shows operation | movement of the positioning system shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the whole structure of the positioning system which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows operation | movement of the positioning system shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,2 ... Positioning system 10, 30 ... Mobile telephone (mobile device), 11 ... Positioning part, 12 ... Signal measuring part, 13 ... Transmission part (transmission means), 20, 40 ... Positioning server, 21 ... Positioning database , 22: receiving unit (receiving unit, acquiring unit), 23: requesting unit (requesting unit), 24 ... data managing unit (data managing unit), 31 ... signal measuring unit, 32 ... transmitting unit, 33 ... display unit, 41 ... database for positioning, 42 ... receiving part, 43 ... positioning part, B ... base station, N ... mobile communication network, S ... other radio signal sources.

Claims (6)

A database management server for managing a database used for positioning of a mobile device capable of communicating via a base station of a mobile communication network,
Stores positioning data in which first signal information related to a signal transmitted from the base station, second signal information related to a signal transmitted from another radio signal source different from the base station, and position coordinates are associated. Database to be
Receiving means for receiving at least one of the first signal information and the second signal information from the mobile device;
Obtaining means for obtaining position information indicating a position of the mobile device;
The combination of the signal information received by the receiving means and the position information acquired by the acquiring means is compared with the positioning data in the database, and if positioning data corresponding to the combination exists, Updating the positioning data with the content of the signal information included in the combination, and if there is no positioning data corresponding to the combination, data management means for adding the combination to the database as positioning data;
A database management server comprising: Further comprising request means for requesting the second signal information from the mobile device when the number of first signal information received by the receiving means is less than a predetermined threshold;
The receiving means first receives only the first signal information,
The data management means receives the first signal information received by the receiving means, the second signal information transmitted from the mobile device in response to a request by the request means, and received by the receiving means, and acquired by the acquisition means Performing the update or addition of the positioning data by collating the combination of the position information and the positioning data in the database,
The database management server according to claim 1. When the total number of the first signal information and the second signal information received by the receiving unit is less than the predetermined threshold, the request unit requests the mobile device for the additional second signal information. ,
The database management server according to claim 2. The request means requests the second signal information related to the other radio signal source in descending order of priority set for each type of the other radio signal source;
The database management server according to claim 2 or 3. A database management system comprising a mobile device capable of communicating via a base station of a mobile communication network and a database management server for managing a database used for positioning of the mobile device,
The mobile device is
Transmission means for transmitting to the database management server at least one of first signal information related to a signal received from the base station and second signal information related to a signal received from another radio signal source different from the base station;
The database management server is
A database that stores positioning data in which the first signal information, the second signal information, and position coordinates are associated;
Receiving means for receiving signal information transmitted by the transmitting means;
Obtaining means for obtaining position information indicating a position of the mobile device;
The combination of the signal information received by the receiving means and the position information acquired by the acquiring means is compared with the positioning data in the database, and if positioning data corresponding to the combination exists, Updating the positioning data with the content of the signal information included in the combination, and if there is no positioning data corresponding to the combination, data management means for adding the combination to the database as positioning data;
Comprising
Database management system. A database used for positioning of a mobile device capable of communicating via a base station of a mobile communication network, the first signal information relating to a signal transmitted from the base station, and another radio signal source different from the base station A database management method executed by a database management server that manages a database that stores positioning data in which second signal information related to a signal transmitted from and position coordinates are associated with each other,
Receiving at least one of the first signal information and the second signal information from the mobile device;
An acquisition step of acquiring position information indicating a position of the mobile device;
The combination of the signal information received in the reception step and the position information acquired in the acquisition step is compared with the positioning data in the database, and if there is positioning data corresponding to the combination, A data management step of updating the positioning data with the content of the signal information included in the combination and, if there is no positioning data corresponding to the combination, adding the combination to the database as positioning data;
Database management method including.

Images