JP2012225686A - Positioning device arrangement determination device and positioning system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide techniques to determine arrangement of positioning devices so as to determine on which side of an obstacle an object to be positioned is present.SOLUTION: A positioning device arrangement determination device calculates arrangement positions of positioning devices so that the devices are arranged on both sides of an obstacle.

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for designating the arrangement of positioning devices.

  In recent years, devices and techniques for positioning have been developed, and applications that display the current location using GPS (Global Positioning System) are used in mobile phones and car navigation systems. In particular, since GPS cannot reach indoors, it is necessary to perform positioning using a positioning device installed in a positioning target space.

  Patent Document 1 below describes a method of performing positioning with reference to an electric field strength map indicating which radio wave intensity is obtained at which position using the radio wave intensity of a wireless LAN. In such positioning using radio wave intensity, a problem is that the positioning accuracy is lowered due to fluctuations in radio wave intensity due to the influence of an obstacle or the like.

  Patent Document 2 below describes a method of improving positioning accuracy by narrowing down the terminal presence area using map information and time-series positioning results. In the following Patent Document 3, a method is described in which positioning is performed by correcting the relationship between radio wave intensity and distance in consideration of the effect of radio waves being shielded by obstacles.

  In Patent Document 4 below, a method is described in which an area is defined by a structure such as a partition that blocks electromagnetic waves, and based on this, the optimum number of positioning devices and the arrangement position are calculated. This document considers that the positioning device influences the positioning result in the positioning using the radio wave intensity. Patent Document 5 below describes a method of grasping a situation in which a positioning target moves between rooms by embedding radio wave shielding plates between walls between rooms and arranging a positioning device for each closed space.

JP-A-10-084571 JP 2009-198454 A JP 2008-046116 A Japanese Patent No. 3838129 JP 2004-164282 A

  Although positioning technology has been put into practical use supported by the progress of positioning devices and the progress of algorithm research, the positioning accuracy is still not sufficient. Especially for indoor positioning, it is difficult to increase the positioning accuracy, and the required positioning accuracy is high, making it difficult to put it into practical use.

  In putting the positioning technology into practical use, it is not important to simply increase the accuracy of numerical values, but it is important to carry out positioning that makes the application using the positioning technology useful. Specifically, for example, when considering an application for navigating people using positioning results, erroneous positioning in a place where you can see the surroundings is not a big problem, but people like people on the other side across obstacles. If the positioning object is mistakenly positioned in a place where cannot be visually confirmed, it may be fatal to the application. This is because people generally tend not to look for places that are not visible. Therefore, it is important to reduce the determination error on which side the obstacle is located.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and is a technique for designating the positioning device positioning so that it can be determined on which side of the obstacle the positioning object exists. The purpose is to provide.

  In addition, the subject of this invention is a subject newly discovered in the demonstration experiment of the catering service in the food court of a large commercial facility which the inventors implemented. This catering service is a service in which the seating position of the customer is measured and the staffing staff delivers the ordered items to the seating position. In this service, there are many shields around the seats due to the characteristics of commercial facilities. There were cases where customers could not be found and were confused. The present inventors have come up with the problem that it is important to determine on which side of the obstacle the positioning object is present from such a situation.

  The positioning device arrangement designating apparatus according to the present invention calculates the arrangement position so that the positioning devices are arranged on both sides of the obstacle.

  Since the positioning device arrangement designating device according to the present invention calculates the arrangement position so that the positioning device is arranged with the obstacle sandwiched therebetween, if the positioning device is arranged according to this, the positioning object is placed on either side of the obstacle. Can be accurately determined, and positioning accuracy is improved.

2 is a functional block diagram of a positioning device arrangement designating device 100 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a data flow between modules of a positioning device arrangement instruction device 100. FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure and data example of the map component table 151 which the map database 150 stores. 5 is a flowchart of positioning device arrangement calculation processing 201. It is a figure which shows the structure and data example of the obstacle list | wrist 152 produced by step S402. It is a figure which shows the structure and data example of the device arrangement coordinate table 153. It is a flowchart which shows the detailed process of step S403 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a mode that the position which arrange | positions a positioning device is determined with the flowchart of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detailed process of step S404 of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure and data example of the inclusion relationship table 154 used by step S902. It is a figure which shows the structure and data example of the map component list 155 produced by step S902. It is a figure which shows the structure and data example of the device arrangement | positioning coordinate table 156 produced by step S903. It is a figure which shows the example of a screen image of the positioning device arrangement | positioning designation | designated screen 160 which the device arrangement | positioning drawing program 1422 draws a screen. It is a figure which illustrates the state which displayed the arrangement position of the positioning device on the screen in arrangement instruction area 164. 6 is a flowchart illustrating detailed processing in step S403 of FIG. 4 in the second embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example of a mode that the position which arrange | positions a positioning device is determined with the flowchart of FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing detailed processing in step S403 of FIG. 4 in Embodiment 3. It is a figure which shows the example of a mode that the position which arrange | positions a positioning device is determined with the flowchart of FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the detailed process of FIG.4 S403 in Embodiment 4. FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of a mode that the position which arrange | positions a positioning device is determined with the flowchart of FIG. It is a figure which illustrates the state which displayed on the screen the arrangement position of the positioning device in the case where the obstruction with the high effect which shields a sensor signal, and the obstruction with low are mixed. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating detailed processing in step S903 in FIG. 9 according to Embodiment 5. FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a state in which positioning device placement positions are displayed on a screen in a placement instruction area 164 when the number of positioning devices is designated.

<Embodiment 1>
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a positioning device arrangement designating apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The positioning device placement instructing device 100 is a device that calculates a position suitable for placing a positioning device and presents it to a user. The CPU (Central Processing Unit) 110, a memory 120, a communication device 130, a program storage device 140, A map database 150 is provided.

  The CPU 110 executes a device arrangement calculation module 141 and a device arrangement drawing module 142 which will be described later. In the following, for convenience of explanation, each program executed by the CPU 110 may be described as an operation subject, but it is added that the CPU 110 actually executes these programs.

  The memory 120 is a device that stores data and the like necessary in the process of the CPU 110 executing processing. The communication device 130 is a network interface that connects the positioning device arrangement specifying device 100 and an external network.

  The program storage device 140 is a storage device that stores a device arrangement calculation module 141 and a device arrangement drawing module 142. The device arrangement calculation module 141 is software for calculating a position suitable for positioning device positioning, and includes an obstacle list acquisition program 1411 and a device arrangement calculation program 1412. The device arrangement drawing module 142 is software for displaying the calculation result of the device arrangement calculation module 141 on the screen, and includes a device position selection program 1421 and a device position drawing program 1422.

  The obstacle list acquisition program 1411 acquires data relating to the position and shape of the obstacle stored in the map database 150. The device layout calculation program 1412 calculates a position suitable for positioning device positioning. Details of these will be described later.

  The device position selection program 1421 selects in which of the areas stored in the map database 150 the positioning device is to be placed. The user does not necessarily desire to place positioning devices in all areas stored in the map database 150. The device position selection program 1421 allows the user to select an arrangement target area and receives the selection result, or automatically determines the target area.

  The device position drawing program 1422 displays the calculation result of the device arrangement calculation module 141 on the screen. The screen display destination may be a screen display device such as a display provided in the positioning device arrangement specifying device 100, or may be a display device connected externally.

  The map database 150 is a database that holds map data that describes the position and shape of an object that exists in a space where a positioning device is to be placed. Details of the map database 150 will be described later. The map database 150 can be configured by storing data files in a storage device such as a hard disk device.

  The “obstacle data acquisition unit” and “placement calculation unit” in the present invention correspond to the device placement calculation module 141. The “display unit” corresponds to the device arrangement drawing module 142. Functions corresponding to the device arrangement calculation module 141 and the device arrangement drawing module 142 can also be realized using hardware such as a circuit device.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a data flow between modules of the positioning device arrangement instruction apparatus 100. The processing performed by the positioning device arrangement instruction apparatus 100 is roughly divided into two. A positioning device arrangement calculation process 201 and a positioning device arrangement drawing process 202.

  In the positioning device arrangement calculation processing 201, the device arrangement calculation module 141 calculates coordinates for arranging the positioning device around the obstacle, and stores the calculated device arrangement coordinates in the map database 150. In the positioning device arrangement drawing process 202, the device arrangement drawing module 142 acquires map data from the map database 150 and draws the device arrangement of the designated area. When the map database 150 is updated, the positioning device arrangement calculation process 201 is executed again.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a configuration and data example of the map component table 151 stored in the map database 150. The map component table 151 is a data table that describes the types of objects (components) existing in the space where the positioning device is placed. The map component table 151 includes a component ID field 1511, a component shape field 1512, a component type field 1513, and an obstacle attribute field 1514. Have.

  The component ID field 1511 holds an identification number of a component existing in the space. The component shape field 1512 holds data describing the shape of the component identified by the component ID field 1511. The component type field 1513 describes the type of component identified in the component ID field 1511. The obstacle attribute field 1514 describes a flag indicating whether or not the component identified by the component ID field 1511 corresponds to an obstacle.

  The component shape field 1512 holds values such as a figure such as a polygon or a circle, a vertex, the coordinates of a center point, and a radius as the position and shape of the component. Such a database of map shape data can be configured using an existing map management tool such as PostGIS (http://postgis.refractions.net/).

  The component type described in the component type field 1513 includes a partial area (area) of the space in addition to an object existing in the space where the positioning device is arranged. For example, when a user intends to arrange a positioning device only for a partial area of the space, the partial area itself is also handled as a component. Examples of component types include components representing topography such as buildings and areas, and components representing parts constituting a building such as walls, pillars, rooms, doors, partitions, and desks.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the positioning device arrangement calculation process 201. Hereinafter, each step of FIG. 4 will be described.
(FIG. 4: Step S401)
The user inputs the type of positioning device to be arranged to the positioning device arrangement instructing apparatus 100. The device arrangement calculation module 141 receives the type. Since the specifications such as the positioning possible distance differ depending on the type of positioning device, in order to calculate the optimum arrangement according to the specification of the positioning device to be arranged, the type of the positioning device is input in this step.
(FIG. 4: Step S402)
The obstacle list acquisition program 1411 acquires a list of records in which the value of the obstacle attribute field 1514 is “True” from the map component table 151 and stores it in the map database 150. The list of obstacles acquired in this step is called an obstacle list. A specific example of the obstacle list will be described later with reference to FIG.

(FIG. 4: Step S403)
The device arrangement calculation program 1412 executes a flowchart described later with reference to FIG. 7 and calculates position coordinates suitable for arranging the positioning device. The input of this step is an obstacle list described in FIG. The device arrangement calculation program 1412 stores the result of this step in the map database 150 as a device arrangement coordinate table 153 described with reference to FIG.
(FIG. 4: Step S404)
The device arrangement calculation program 1412 stores the device arrangement position coordinate table 153 calculated in step S403 in the map database 150. Through the above processing, the positioning device arrangement position coordinates around the obstacle are stored in the map database 150, and the positioning device arrangement position coordinates around the obstacle can be acquired from the map database 150 in response to a request from the user. become.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a configuration and data example of the obstacle list 152 created in step S402. The obstacle list 152 is obtained by extracting a record having an obstacle attribute from the map component table 151, and includes a component ID field 1521, a component shape field 1522, a component type field 1523, and an obstacle attribute field 1524. The configuration of the obstacle list 152 is the same as that of the map component table 151, except that only the record whose value of the obstacle attribute field 1524 is “True” is included.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a configuration and data example of the device arrangement coordinate table 153. The device arrangement coordinate table 153 is a data table that stores the result of calculating the position where the positioning device is arranged by the device arrangement calculation program 1412, and includes a device arrangement position coordinate ID field 1531, an obstacle ID field 1532, an X coordinate field 1533, It has a Y coordinate field 1534.

  The device arrangement position coordinate ID field 1531 holds an identification number for identifying each arrangement position. The obstacle ID field 1532 holds the value of the component ID field 1521 of the obstacle for which the positioning device is arranged on both sides. The X coordinate field 1533 and the Y coordinate field 1534 hold values representing the coordinates of the position where the positioning device is arranged as plane coordinates in the arrangement target space.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the detailed process of step S403 of FIG. Hereinafter, each step of FIG. 7 will be described.
(FIG. 7: Step S700)
In this flowchart, the device arrangement calculation program 1412 receives records in the obstacle list 152 as input one by one.
(FIG. 7: Step S701)
The device arrangement calculation program 1412 calculates a line L that approximates the shape of the obstacle received as an input in step S700. For example, when the obstacle is a wall without bending, a straight line along the wall becomes the line L.
(FIG. 7: Step S701: Supplement)
As an example of a method for determining the line L, representative points are sampled along the outer periphery of the obstacle shape, and a line segment connecting the two points having the longest distance is lined for all pairs of the generated sampling points. The method of setting to L is mentioned. Examples of the method of sampling the representative points include a method of dividing the outer periphery at equal intervals, and a method of dividing the vertices at equal intervals when the obstacle shape is a polygon.

(FIG. 7: Step S702)
The device arrangement calculation program 1412 is parallel to the line L generated in step S701, draws straight lines L1 and L2 separated from the line L by a predetermined distance X to both sides of the line L, and is surrounded by the line L and the straight line L1. A region S2 surrounded by a line L and a straight line L2 is formed.
(FIG. 7: Step S702: Supplement)
Examples of the method for determining the distance X include a method in which half the distance between the line L and the wall facing the line L is the distance X, and a distance within a range where the sensor signal of the positioning device reaches with sufficient strength. Method, etc. For example, in the case of a positioning device using radio field intensity, the distance that the sensor signal of the positioning device reaches with sufficient strength may be defined as a distance by which the 5 dB intensity decreases with respect to the radio field intensity directly below the device. it can. Since the value of the distance X varies depending on the type of positioning device, an appropriate value is used as the distance X according to the device type input in step S401.

(FIG. 7: Step S703)
The device arrangement calculation program 1412 arranges one positioning device at an arbitrary position in the area S1 and the area S2 formed in step S702. The specific position may be specified by the user on the screen described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 14 described later, or may be automatically determined such as the centers of the areas S1 and S2, for example.
(FIG. 7: Step S703: Supplement)
The position where the positioning device is arranged may be any position as long as it is within the areas S1 and S2. For example, the position which touches the surface of an obstruction may be sufficient. That is, the positioning device may be arranged so that at least a part of the obstacle crosses the line segment connecting the two positioning devices. By arranging the positioning devices in this way, the positioning devices can be arranged on both sides of the obstacle.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of how the position where the positioning device is arranged is determined according to the flowchart of FIG. 7. The obstacle 801 has a rectangular shape. A straight line 802 passing through the diagonal line of the obstacle 801 becomes a line L. A straight line L1 (803) and a straight line L2 (804) are drawn on both sides at a distance X from the line L to define a region S1 and a region S2.

  By positioning a positioning device in each of the areas S1 and S2 described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 8, when the sensor signal of the positioning device on the area S1 side is strong, it is determined that there is a positioning object on the straight line L1 side of the obstacle. If the sensor signal of the positioning device on the region S2 side is strong, it can be determined that there is a positioning object on the straight line L2 side.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing detailed processing in step S404 of FIG. Hereinafter, each step of FIG. 9 will be described.
(FIG. 9: Step S901)
The user designates an area where the positioning device is installed. The area where the positioning device is installed is an area where the positioning device is installed in the space where the map database 150 holds the map data. The area is recorded in the map component table 151 as part of the component. The user designates an installation area by the component ID field 1511. The device position selection program 1421 receives the designation result.
(FIG. 9: Step S902)
The device arrangement drawing program 1422 acquires an inclusion relation table 154 described later with reference to FIG. 10 from the map database 150, and acquires map components included in the area specified in step S901 according to the description. The device layout drawing program 1422 stores the acquired map component in the map database 150 as a map component list 155 described later with reference to FIG.

(FIG. 9: Step S903)
The device arrangement drawing program 1422 extracts a record in which the value of the obstacle ID field 1532 is included in the map component list 155 of the installation area from the device arrangement coordinate table 153 created by the processing flow of FIG. Is stored in the map database 150 as a device arrangement coordinate table 156 described in FIG.
(FIG. 9: Step S904)
The device arrangement drawing program 1422 draws the map component list 155 created in step S902 and the device arrangement coordinate table 156 created in step S903 on the screen. With the above processing, the installation position of the positioning device in the designated area can be displayed on the screen. The user can examine the installation position of the positioning device by looking at this screen display.
(FIG. 9: Step S904: Supplement)
The screen drawing of the map can be performed using existing map drawing software. One example of the map drawing software is Geometry (http://hitachisoft.jp/products/geometry/). A map component can be rendered using the contents of the component shape field 1522. The positioning position of the positioning device can be drawn by attaching appropriate marks to the coordinates indicated by the X coordinate field 1533 and the Y coordinate field 1534.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration and data example of the inclusion relationship table 154 used in step S902. The inclusion relationship table 154 is a data table describing an inclusion relationship between a certain map component and another map component included therein. For example, the inclusion relationship between the area and the interior items contained therein corresponds to this.

  The inclusion relationship table 154 includes a component ID field 1541 and an inclusion component ID table 1542. The component ID field 1541 holds the value of the component ID field 1511 of the map component stored in the map component table 151 and including other map components. The map component specified by the component ID field 1541 is generally a map component having a relatively large size such as an area or a building. The inclusion component ID table 1542 holds the value of the component ID field 1511 of the map component included in the map component identified by the value of the component ID field 1541.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration and data example of the map component list 155 created in step S902. The map component list 155 is a table that holds a list of map components included in the area designated by the user in step S901. Here, the area itself specified by the user is also included in the first line of the list.

  The map component list 155 includes a component ID field 1551, a component shape field 1552, a component type field 1553, and an obstacle attribute field 1554. The configuration of the map component list 155 is the same as that of the map component table 151.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a configuration and data example of the device arrangement coordinate table 156 created in step S903. The device arrangement coordinate table 156 is a data table describing arrangement coordinates of positioning devices included in the area designated by the user in step S901.

  The device arrangement coordinate table 156 includes a device arrangement position coordinate ID field 1561, an obstacle ID field 1562, an X coordinate field 1563, and a Y coordinate field 1564. The configuration of the device arrangement coordinate table 156 is the same as that of the device arrangement coordinate table 153.

  FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen image of the positioning device arrangement designation screen 160 that the device arrangement drawing program 1422 draws on the screen. The arrangement designation screen 160 has a device type selection box 161, an arrangement calculation button 162, a device number designation box 163, and an arrangement instruction area 164.

  When the user inputs the device type in the device type selection box 161, inputs the number of positioning devices in the device number specification box 163, and clicks the layout calculation button 162, the device layout calculation module 141 calculates the positioning position of the positioning device. To do. The device arrangement drawing module 142 displays the calculation result on the arrangement instruction area 164 on the screen.

  FIG. 14 is a diagram exemplifying a state where the arrangement position of the positioning device is displayed on the screen in the arrangement instruction area 164. In the placement instruction area 164, the placement position of the positioning device is displayed on the screen on both sides of each obstacle with a cross. With the screen display shown in FIG. 14, the user can easily grasp the position suitable for arranging the positioning device in the designated area.

<Embodiment 1: Summary>
As described above, the positioning device arrangement designating apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment calculates the arrangement position of the positioning device so that the positioning device is arranged on both sides of the obstacle. By arranging the positioning device according to this arrangement position and constructing the positioning system, it is possible to reduce the possibility of erroneously determining on which side of the obstacle the positioning object exists.

  Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the positioning device arrangement designating apparatus 100 creates a region S1 and a region S2 by drawing straight lines on both sides of the line L that approximates the shape of the obstacle, and performs positioning in each region. Place the device. There are many locations around the obstacle that are candidates for positioning devices. By using the method illustrated in FIG. 8, it is possible to automatically and accurately calculate in which part around the obstacle the positioning device should be placed. Can do.

<Embodiment 2>
In the second embodiment of the present invention, an operation example for calculating the positioning position of the positioning device using a method different from the method described in FIGS. 7 to 8 of the first embodiment will be described. Since the configuration of the positioning device arrangement designating apparatus 100 is the same as that of the first embodiment except for the processing content of step S403, the following description focuses on the differences.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing detailed processing in step S403 of FIG. 4 in the second embodiment. Hereinafter, each step of FIG. 15 will be described.
(FIG. 15: Steps S1500 to S1501)
Step S1500 is the same as step S700. In step S1501, the device arrangement calculation program 1412 calculates a line segment L that approximates the shape of the obstacle received as input in step S700. The method for calculating the line segment L is the same as that in the first embodiment, but in the second embodiment, a line segment is calculated instead of a straight line in relation to the next step S1502. Specifically, a line segment whose ends are both ends of the obstacle is obtained.
(FIG. 15: Step S1502)
The device arrangement calculation program 1412 creates a vertical bisector of the line segment L obtained in step S1501.

(FIG. 15: Step S1503)
The device arrangement calculation program 1412 obtains the coordinates of two intersection points between the perpendicular bisector formed in step S1502 and the surface of the obstacle, and uses these coordinates as the arrangement position of the positioning device.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which the position where the positioning device is arranged is determined according to the flowchart of FIG. 15. The process until the line segment L (1602) that approximates the shape of the obstacle 1601 is determined is the same as that in FIG. A line segment connecting both end points of the obstacle shape is a line segment L (1602). Positioning devices are arranged at intersections 1604 and 1605 between the perpendicular bisector 1603 of the line segment L (1602) and the obstacle 1601.

<Embodiment 2: Summary>
As described above, the positioning device arrangement designating device 100 according to the second exemplary embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 16, includes the vertical bisector that approximates the shape of the obstacle and the surface of the obstacle. Place a positioning device at the intersection. These two points are in a positional relationship in which the obstacles are close to each other and the obstacles are separated from each other. When positioning devices are placed at these two points, it is difficult for sensor signals (radio waves, etc.) from the opposite sides of the obstacle to pass through each other, and sensor signals from the positioning device side easily pass. Therefore, it can be determined which side of the obstacle the positioning target object is based on which of the positioning devices placed at these two points transmits and receives the sensor signal more strongly.

  Further, according to the positioning device arrangement designating apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment, the position where the positioning device is arranged is determined on the surface of the obstacle, so that it is not necessary for the user to finally designate the arrangement position. The arrangement position can be obtained.

<Embodiment 3>
In the third embodiment of the present invention, an example of operation for calculating the positioning position of the positioning device using a method different from the method described in the first and second embodiments will be described. Since the configuration of the positioning device arrangement designating apparatus 100 is the same as that of the first and second embodiments except for the processing content of step S403, the following description focuses on the differences.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing detailed processing in step S403 of FIG. 4 in the third embodiment. Hereinafter, each step of FIG. 17 will be described.
(FIG. 17: Step S1700)
In this flowchart, the device arrangement calculation program 1412 receives records in the obstacle list 152 as input one by one.
(FIG. 17: Step S1701)
The device arrangement calculation program 1412 samples representative points along the outer periphery of the shape of the obstacle received as input in step S700. Examples of the sampling method include a method of dividing the outer periphery at equal intervals, and a method of dividing the vertices at equal intervals by first setting the vertices as sampling targets if the obstacle shape is a polygon. The division width when dividing into equal intervals is an interval at which the sensor signal of the positioning device reaches sufficiently. If it is a positioning device using radio field intensity, it is about 50 cm to 1 m.

(FIG. 17: Step S1702)
The device arrangement calculation program 1412 generates all combination pairs of two sampling points for the sampling points on the outer periphery of the obstacle sampled in step S1701. For example, when there are 10 sampling points, the number of combination pairs generated in this step is ₁₀ C ₂ = 45 pairs.
(FIG. 17: Step S1703)
The device arrangement calculation program 1412 calculates the distance on the outer periphery and the straight line distance for each sampling point pair generated in step S1702. The distance on the outer periphery is the shorter one of the distances when traveling between two sampling points along the outer periphery shape of the obstacle. The straight line distance is a distance obtained by connecting two sampling points with a straight line.

(FIG. 17: Step S1704)
The device arrangement calculation program 1412 determines the arrangement position coordinates of the positioning device. Specifically, for the sampling point pair generated in step S1702, the ratio of the distance on the outer circumference and the linear distance calculated in S1703 is calculated, and the sampling point pair having a large ratio is set as the positioning device placement position.
(FIG. 17: Step S1704: Supplement)
As a method of determining a sampling point pair having a large ratio of the above-periphery distance to the straight-line distance, a method of selecting a pair having the largest perimeter-periphery distance / straight-line distance value, and the upper order arranged in descending order of the perimeter-over-distance / straight-line value value. Examples include a method of selecting an arbitrary one from among five pairs, a method of selecting an arbitrary one of pairs whose outer peripheral distance is 5 times or more of the linear distance, and the like. In other words, it is only necessary to select two points whose values on the outer circumference distance / straight line distance are equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold.

  FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a state in which the position where the positioning device is arranged is determined according to the flowchart of FIG. Unlike Embodiments 1 and 2, when the obstacle 1801 is bent instead of rectangular as shown in FIG. 18, it is difficult to obtain a line L that approximates the shape of the obstacle 1801. In this case, the method of the third embodiment is useful.

  When the processing flow of FIG. 17 is applied to the obstacle 1801 shown in FIG. 18, the positioning devices are arranged at points 1802 and 1803, respectively. These positions have a relationship that the actual distance is close, but the distance for moving between these two points is long. If these two points are measured by mistake, there is a high possibility that the obstacle will block the field of view and the correct position cannot be found, particularly when a person tries to move toward the positioning object. Therefore, in the third embodiment, in order to reduce such a risk as much as possible, the positioning devices are arranged at two points where the ratio of the outer peripheral distance and the linear distance is large.

<Embodiment 3: Summary>
As described above, the positioning device arrangement designating apparatus 100 according to the third exemplary embodiment arranges positioning devices at two points where the ratio of the outer peripheral distance and the linear distance is large as illustrated in FIG. These two points are in a positional relationship in which the obstacles are close to each other and the obstacles are separated from each other. When positioning devices are placed at these two points, sensor signals (such as radio waves) from the other side of the obstacle are difficult to pass each other, and sensor signals from this side are easy to pass. Therefore, it can be determined which side of the obstacle the positioning target object is based on which of the positioning devices placed at these two points transmits and receives the sensor signal more strongly.

  Moreover, according to the positioning device arrangement designating apparatus 100 according to the third embodiment, it is suitable for arranging a positioning device even when the shape of the obstacle is not a standard shape such as a rectangle. The position can be obtained with high accuracy.

<Embodiment 4>
In the fourth embodiment of the present invention, an operation example for calculating the arrangement position of the positioning device using a method different from the method described in the first to third embodiments will be described. Since the configuration of the positioning device arrangement designating apparatus 100 is the same as that of the first to third embodiments except for the processing content of step S403, the following description focuses on the differences.

  In the fourth embodiment, it is assumed that the obstacle is not a wall that shields the sensor signal of the positioning device, but the sensor signal of the positioning device passes to some extent, but has a shape like a fence that is an obstacle for a person. . Whether or not the obstacle has a weak effect of shielding the sensor signal is recorded in advance in the map component table 151. For example, a value other than “True” or “False” (for example, “shield”) is used as the value of the obstacle attribute field 1514 to describe whether the obstacle has a high effect of shielding the sensor signal. Keep it.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing detailed processing in step S403 of FIG. 4 in the fourth embodiment. When the effect of the obstacle blocking the sensor signal is weak, it is difficult to identify from which side of the obstacle the sensor signal transmitted by the positioning device is transmitted. Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, a plurality of positioning devices are arranged on both sides of the obstacle so that the measurement results can be complemented. Hereinafter, each step of FIG. 19 will be described.
(FIG. 19: Steps S1900 to S1902)
These steps are the same as steps S700 to S702 in FIG.
(FIG. 19: Step S1903)
The device arrangement calculation program 1412 arranges the same plurality of positioning devices in each of the areas S1 and S2 formed in step S1902. An example of a method for arranging positioning devices in the areas S1 and S2 in this step will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of how the position where the positioning device is arranged is determined according to the flowchart of FIG. Here, an example will be described in which three positioning devices are arranged at equal intervals at equidistant locations on both sides of a line L (2002) that approximates the shape of the obstacle 2001.

  The device arrangement calculation program 1412 draws straight lines L1 and L2 parallel to the line L (2002) at positions separated from the line L (2002) by a distance X1 (X1 ≦ X). Next, the device arrangement calculation program 1412 calculates the vertical bisector M of the line segment L ′ whose end point is the intersection of the line L and the surface of the obstacle, and the line segment L ′ in parallel with the vertical bisector M. Draw straight lines M1 and M2 passing through the endpoints. The device arrangement calculation program 1412 arranges positioning devices at the intersections of the straight lines L1 and L2 and the straight lines M, M1, and M2. As a result, three positioning devices are arranged in each of the areas S1 and S2.

  Note that the positioning device arrangement shown in FIG. 20 is an example, and other arrangements may be adopted as long as a plurality of positioning devices are arranged in the regions S1 and S2. However, from the viewpoint of preventing the intensity of the sensor signal from being biased, the positioning devices are arranged symmetrically with respect to the line L, or any sampling point (for example, the center) of the obstacle 2001. It is desirable to be point-symmetric with respect to.

  When performing positioning, the detection results of a plurality of positioning devices arranged in each region can be complemented and used. For example, it can be determined that a positioning object is present in a region where there are many positioning devices with strong sensor signals among the regions S1 and S2.

  FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the positioning position of the positioning device is displayed on the screen in the placement instruction area 164 in the case where obstacles having a high effect of shielding the sensor signal and obstacles having a low effect are mixed. In the arrangement instruction area 164, obstacles with a high shielding effect are displayed with solid lines, and obstacles with a low blocking effect are displayed with a dotted line on the screen. The user can easily grasp the optimum position of the positioning device in a state where obstacles having a high shielding effect and obstacles having a low shielding effect are mixed.

<Embodiment 4: Summary>
As described above, the positioning device arrangement designating apparatus 100 according to the fourth exemplary embodiment arranges a plurality of positioning devices in the areas S1 and S2 on both sides of the line L as illustrated in FIG. Thereby, even when the effect of the obstacle blocking the sensor signal is weak, the positioning position of the positioning device can be determined so that the determination accuracy on which side of the obstacle is present is high. it can.

<Embodiment 5>
In Embodiment 5 of the present invention, a method for obtaining the positioning position of a positioning device when the number of positioning devices to be arranged is designated by the user will be described. Since the configuration of the positioning device arrangement designating apparatus 100 is the same as that of the first to fourth embodiments except for the processing content of step S903, the following description focuses on the differences.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing detailed processing in step S903 of FIG. 9 in the fifth embodiment. Hereinafter, each step of FIG. 22 will be described.
(FIG. 22: Step S2200)
In this flowchart, the device arrangement drawing program 1422 receives the map component list 155, the device arrangement coordinate table 156, and the number of devices specified by the user as inputs.
(FIG. 22: Step S2201)
The device arrangement drawing program 1422 sorts the obstacles existing in the installation area of the positioning device in the order of priority of the obstacles. The priority of the obstacle is set to be larger as the effect of shielding or obstructing the positioning device sensor signal is larger. For example, a method in which the priority is increased as the obstacle contact area or volume increases is conceivable.

(FIG. 22: Step S2202)
For the obstacles that have not yet been determined whether or not to place positioning devices on both sides, the device arrangement drawing program 1422 displays the device arrangement positions around the obstacles in the drawing device list in descending order of priority. to add. This drawing device list has the same configuration as the device arrangement coordinate table 156, but in this processing flow, the number of positioning devices to be drawn on the screen differs depending on the number of positioning devices specified by the user. A new list is provided to hold the coordinates.
(FIG. 22: Step S2203)
The device arrangement drawing program 1422 determines whether the number of devices recorded in the drawing device list is larger than the number of devices designated by the user. If the number of devices recorded in the drawing device list is larger, the process proceeds to step S2204; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S2205.

(FIG. 22: Step S2204)
Since the number of devices in the drawing device list exceeds the number specified by the user, the device arrangement drawing program 1422 deletes the device arrangement position last added to the drawing device list from the drawing device list.
(FIG. 22: Step S2204: Supplement 1)
For example, as described in the fourth embodiment, this step takes into consideration that when a large number of positioning devices are arranged around an obstacle at one time, the number of arranged devices may exceed the number designated by the user. . For example, if the number of units specified by the user is 10 and 8 positioning devices have been arranged so far, when positioning devices are arranged for the obstacle 2001 in FIG. 20, 6 positioning devices are arranged at a time. As a result, the number of arranged devices becomes 14 and exceeds the user's specification. This corresponds to the case where the number of devices is designated as 10 in FIG. In this case, the device arrangement performed immediately before is canceled by this step.
(FIG. 22: Step S2204: Supplement 2)
After this step, it is possible to skip to step S2207 and arrange the remaining positioning devices by an appropriate method, or return to step S2202 and repeat the same processing for obstacles after the next priority. .

(FIG. 22: Step S2205)
The device layout drawing program 1422 determines whether the number of devices in the drawing device list is the same as the number specified by the user. If they are the same, the process skips to step S2208; otherwise, the process proceeds to step S2206.
(FIG. 22: Step S2206)
The device arrangement drawing program 1422 checks whether or not the positioning devices have been arranged around all obstacles. If all obstacles have been placed, the process proceeds to step S2207. If there are any obstacles that have not been placed, the process returns to step S2202, and the same processing is repeated.
(FIG. 22: Step S2206: Supplement)
If the user designates a number greater than the number of positioning devices necessary for placement around all obstacles, the process proceeds to step S2207 after this step. For example, when all obstacles are of a type that shields sensor signals, if the number of obstacles is 10, the number of required positioning devices is 20. However, when the user designates 30 units, the remaining 10 units are not arranged around the obstacle. In such a case, the process proceeds to step S2207 after this step.

(FIG. 22: Step S2207)
The device arrangement drawing program 1422 arranges the remaining positioning devices. As a method of arranging the remaining positioning devices, a method of arranging at random, a method of dividing the target area into regions by an obstacle line L on which the positioning devices are arranged, and arranging them in order from an area having a small number of arranged positioning devices. , Etc.
(FIG. 22: Step S2208)
The device arrangement drawing program 1422 outputs the drawing device list generated in steps S2200 to S2207 as a result of this processing flow.

  FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the positioning position of the positioning device is displayed on the screen in the layout instruction area 164 when the number of positioning devices is designated. In this example, the number of devices is specified as six. In FIG. 23, the positioning devices are arranged so as to be limited to six around the obstacle having a large area. The user can easily grasp the arrangement of positioning devices by designating the number of devices that can be arranged.

<Embodiment 5: Summary>
As described above, the positioning device arrangement designating apparatus 100 according to the fifth embodiment can arrange the designated number of positioning devices at appropriate positions. Further, as described in the fourth embodiment, even when a large number of positioning devices are arranged around an obstacle at a time, the number of positioning devices can be prevented from exceeding a specified number.

  As mentioned above, the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Needless to say.

  In addition, each of the above-described configurations, functions, processing units, etc. can be realized as hardware by designing all or part of them, for example, with an integrated circuit, and the processor executes a program that realizes each function. By doing so, it can be realized as software. Information such as programs and tables for realizing each function can be stored in a storage device such as a memory or a hard disk, or a storage medium such as an IC card or a DVD.

  100: positioning device placement instruction device, 110: CPU, 120: memory, 130: communication device, 140: program storage device, 141: device placement calculation module, 1411: obstacle list acquisition program, 1412: device placement calculation program, 142 : Device arrangement drawing module, 1421: device position selection program, 1422: device position drawing program, 150: map database 150: map component table, 1511: component ID field, 1512: component shape field, 1513: component type field, 1514: Obstacle attribute field, 152: Obstacle list, 1521: Component ID field, 1522: Component shape field, 1523: Component Nent type field, 1524: Obstacle attribute field, 153: Device arrangement coordinate table, 1531: Device arrangement position coordinate ID field, 1532: Obstacle ID field, 1533: X coordinate field, 1534: Y coordinate field, 154: Inclusion relationship Table, 1541: component ID field, 1542: inclusion component ID table, 155: map component list, 1551: component ID field, 1552: component shape field, 1553: component type field, 1554: obstacle attribute field, 156: device arrangement Coordinate table, 1561: Device arrangement position coordinate ID field, 1562: Obstacle ID field, 1563: X coordinate field, 1564 Y coordinate field 160: arrangement specifying screen 161: device type selection box 162: arrangement calculation button 163: device quantity specified box, 164: arrangement instructing area.

Claims (15)

An obstacle data acquisition unit for acquiring the position and shape of an obstacle present in the space where the positioning device is arranged;
An arrangement calculation unit for calculating a position in the space suitable for arranging the positioning device;
With
The arrangement calculation unit
The positioning device arrangement designating apparatus characterized in that the position of the positioning device is calculated so that the positioning device is arranged on both sides of the obstacle. The arrangement calculation unit
The positioning device arrangement designating device according to claim 1, wherein the position of the positioning device is calculated so that at least a part of the obstacle crosses a line segment connecting the two positioning devices. The arrangement calculation unit
Calculating a first straight line approximating the shape of the obstacle;
Obtaining two second straight lines located on both sides of the first straight line in parallel with the first straight line;
The positioning device arrangement designating device according to claim 1, wherein a position of the positioning device is calculated so that the positioning device is arranged in each of the spaces between the first straight line and the two second straight lines. . The arrangement calculation unit
Calculating a line segment approximating the shape of the obstacle and a perpendicular bisector of the line segment;
The positioning device arrangement designating device according to claim 1, wherein a position of the positioning device is calculated so that the positioning device is arranged at an intersection of the vertical bisector and the surface of the obstacle. . The arrangement calculation unit
Calculating the ratio of the linear distance between two points of the sampled outer peripheral shape of the obstacle and the outer peripheral distance between the two points;
The positioning device placement designation according to claim 1, wherein the positioning device position is calculated so that the positioning device is placed at the two points whose ratio of the outer circumference distance to the straight line distance is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. apparatus. The arrangement calculation unit
Calculating a first straight line approximating the shape of the obstacle;
Obtaining two second straight lines located on both sides of the first straight line in parallel with the first straight line;
The positioning device arrangement designation according to claim 1, wherein the position of the positioning device is calculated so that a plurality of the positioning devices are arranged in each of the spaces between the first straight line and the two second straight lines. apparatus. The arrangement calculation unit
Calculating a line segment approximating the shape of the obstacle and a perpendicular bisector of the line segment;
Find two first straight lines located on both sides of the line segment in parallel with the line segment,
Obtaining two second straight lines located on both sides of the vertical bisector in parallel with the vertical bisector,
The position of the positioning device is calculated so that a plurality of the positioning devices are arranged at the intersection of the first straight line and the perpendicular bisector, and at the intersection of the first straight line and the second straight line. The positioning device arrangement designation device according to claim 1. The arrangement calculation unit
The positioning device arrangement designating device according to claim 6, wherein the position of the positioning device is calculated so that the positioning device is arranged at a position symmetrical with respect to the first straight line. The arrangement calculation unit
The positioning device arrangement designating device according to claim 6, wherein the position of the positioning device is calculated so that the positioning device is arranged at a point-symmetrical position with respect to the obstacle. The positioning device arrangement designating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit configured to display a calculation result of the arrangement calculation unit on a screen. The arrangement calculation unit
Receiving instructions on the number of positioning devices placed in the space and the priority of the obstacle;
Calculating the position of the positioning device so that the positioning device is arranged on both sides of the obstacle having the highest priority among the obstacles that are not determined whether or not the positioning device is arranged on both sides; repetition,
The display unit
When the number of the positioning devices whose positions are calculated by the arrangement calculating unit reaches the number received by the arrangement calculating unit, the obstacle arrangement and the positioning device arrangement are displayed on the screen. The positioning device arrangement designation device according to claim 10. The display unit
When the number received by the arrangement calculation unit is more than twice the number of obstacles,
The positioning according to claim 11, wherein when the placement calculation unit finishes calculating the positions of the positioning devices for all the obstacles, the placement of the obstacles and the placement of the positioning devices are displayed on a screen. Device placement designation device. The arrangement calculation unit
Receiving instructions on the number of positioning devices placed in the space and the priority of the obstacle;
Calculating the position of the positioning device so that the positioning device is arranged on both sides of the obstacle having the highest priority among the obstacles that are not determined whether or not the positioning device is arranged on both sides; repetition,
The positioning device according to claim 6, wherein when the number of positioning devices whose positions are calculated exceeds the number received by the layout calculation unit, the positioning of the obstacles calculated immediately before is canceled. Placement designation device. The arrangement calculation unit
The positioning device arrangement designating device according to claim 13, wherein after the arrangement of the obstacle is canceled, the step is resumed from the obstacle having the second highest priority. The positioning device arrangement designating device according to claim 1, the positioning device,
A positioning system characterized by comprising:

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