JP2014075714A - Positioning method, positioning system, and program thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform positioning with high resolution even in a place where a GPS cannot be used, and thereby achieving navigation to an object moving at low speed, such as a pedestrian.SOLUTION: In a positioning server 200, a base station ID corresponding to an area in which a user exists in a base station ID list which is received from a user terminal 100 is selected, and position information on the base station is acquired from a base station database 300 on the basis of the selected base station ID. Then, on the basis of the selected base station ID and a marker ID received from the user terminal 100, relative position information on a marker with respect to the base station is acquired from a marker database 400, and the relative position information on the marker is added to the position information on the base station to calculate absolute position information on the marker. Finally, on the basis of the calculated absolute position information on the marker and position relation information received from the user terminal, absolute position information of the user terminal 100 is calculated.

Description

  The present invention relates to a positioning method, a positioning system, and a program for measuring the position of a user who has a portable terminal, for example, for use in walking navigation and marketing.

  As a technology for positioning a mobile terminal user outdoors, GPS (Global Positioning System) is widely used and applied to a car navigation system, a pedestrian navigation system, and the like. This system receives GPS signals transmitted by several GPS satellites in the sky with a GPS receiver, and measures the position of the receiver by performing calculations based on the received GPS signals. Is. However, this system cannot be used indoors or outdoors where it cannot receive signals from GPS satellites due to the influence of the shadow of the building. For this reason, for example, a purchase navigation service cannot be realized in a shopping mall.

  On the other hand, various techniques for measuring the position of a user without relying on GPS satellites have been proposed. For example, a positioning technique using visible light communication that transmits position information by visible light from LED lighting (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1), a positioning technique that uses infrared communication that transmits position information from an infrared communication device, There is a positioning technique (for example, see Non-Patent Document 2) using RFID that stores position information in an RFID tag and receives this position information at a user terminal.

  In addition, positioning technology using a wireless local area network (LAN) and positioning technology using IMES (Indoor MEssaging System) have been proposed. A positioning technique using a wireless LAN performs positioning using an ID of a base station of the wireless LAN (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The positioning technology using IMES is a technology that performs positioning by transmitting a signal compatible with a GPS signal from a dedicated device.

JP 2007-124406 A

Masahiro Arai et al., “Visible Light Positioning System Using High-Speed / Low-Speed Image Sensor”, IEICE Technical Report, PN Photonic Network 109 (455), 91-96, 2010-03-01 Ichiro Shiio, “User Position Detection System Using RFID”, IPSJ Technical Report 00-HI-88, 2000.5.12, pp.45-50.

  However, the conventional positioning techniques described above have the following problems to be improved. That is, a positioning device using visible light communication, a positioning technology using infrared communication, and a positioning technology using RFID each require a dedicated receiving device. If a user who desires positioning prepares a new receiving device, the burden is great and the spread is hindered.

  Moreover, the positioning technology using wireless LAN and the positioning technology using IMES have low positioning resolutions of 5 to 20 m and 3 to 5 m, respectively, and the resolution is insufficient to realize walking navigation. For example, if a mobile terminal can capture radio waves from a base station with a wireless LAN, the wireless area covered by the wireless LAN base station is as wide as a maximum radius of 20 m, so the user exists somewhere within this wireless area. I only know what to do. For this reason, application to walking navigation is difficult.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to enable high-resolution positioning even in places where GPS cannot be used, thereby navigation for low-speed moving bodies such as pedestrians. Is to provide a positioning method, a positioning system, and a program thereof.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is that a service area is divided into a plurality of areas, and a plurality of installation positions and wireless signal transmission levels are set in advance so that these areas are respectively covered areas. And the location of the user terminal existing in the service area by dividing each of the plurality of areas into a plurality of small areas and using different image markers respectively arranged in the small areas. When measuring, the user terminal picks up a range including an image marker corresponding to the location of the user terminal, detects the identification information of the image marker from the picked-up image, and from the radio base station A radio signal to be transmitted is received, and identification information of a radio base station as a transmission source is detected from the received signal. Based on the detected identification information of the image marker and the identification information of the radio base station, the absolute position information of the marker is stored in association with the identification information and the identification information of the radio base station for each image marker. The absolute position information of the corresponding image marker is read from the marker database.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, a service area is divided into a plurality of areas, and a plurality of radio base stations whose installation positions and transmission levels of radio signals are set in advance so that these areas are respectively covered areas. When measuring the position of the user terminal existing in the service area by dividing each of the plurality of areas into a plurality of small areas and using different image markers respectively arranged in these small areas, The user terminal captures a range including an image marker corresponding to the location of the user terminal, detects identification information of the image marker from the captured image, and transmits from the radio base station by the user terminal. The received radio signal is received, and the identification information of the source radio base station is detected from the received signal. Then, based on the detected identification information of the radio base station, the installation position information of the corresponding radio base station is read out from the base station database storing the installation position information of the plurality of base stations, and the detected Based on the identification information of the wireless base station and the identification information of the image marker, the relative position information between the wireless base station and the plurality of image markers arranged in the cover area is stored for each of the plurality of wireless base stations. The relative position information of the corresponding radio base station and the image marker is read out from the marker database, and the read position information of the radio base station and the relative position information of the image marker with respect to the radio base station are read out. In addition, the absolute position information of the image marker is calculated.

  Furthermore, a third aspect of the present invention is that a service area is divided into a plurality of areas, and a plurality of radio base stations whose installation positions and transmission levels of radio signals are set in advance so that these areas are respectively covered areas. Divide each of the plurality of areas into a plurality of small areas and different image markers respectively arranged in the small areas, and a plurality of areas existing within the maximum reachable range of the radio signal transmitted from the radio base station In addition, when measuring the position of the user terminal existing in the service area using a plurality of image patterns arranged together with the image marker to identify the plurality of areas, the user terminal To capture a range including an image marker and an image pattern corresponding to the location of the user terminal, and from the captured image, Each of the other information is detected, and the radio signal transmitted from the plurality of radio base stations is received by the user terminal, and the identification information of the source radio base station and the received signal are received from each received signal. The base station detection list is created by detecting the received electric field strengths of the base stations. Then, identification information of the wireless base station corresponding to the detected identification information of the image pattern and having the highest received electric field strength is extracted from the generated base station detection list, and the extracted wireless base station Based on the identification information of the stations, the installation position information of the corresponding radio base station is read out from the base station database storing the installation position information of the plurality of base stations. Further, based on the detected identification information of the radio base station and the identification information of the image marker, for each of the plurality of radio base stations, the radio base station and a plurality of image markers arranged in the cover area thereof The relative position information between the corresponding radio base station and the image marker is read out from the marker database storing the relative position information. Then, based on the installation position information of the radio base station read from the base station database and the relative position information of the image marker with respect to the radio base station read from the marker database, the absolute position of the image marker is determined. The position information is calculated.

  Furthermore, a fourth aspect of the present invention is the above-described first, second, or third aspect of the present invention, further comprising: the user terminal and an image marker that is an imaging target based on the captured image. Information indicating the positional relationship is calculated, and based on the calculated absolute position information of the image marker and the calculated positional relationship between the user terminal and the image marker, the absolute value of the user terminal is calculated. The position information is calculated.

  According to the first and second aspects of the present invention, the identification information of the radio base station received and detected at the user terminal and the identification information of the image marker detected from the captured image by the user terminal The absolute position of the image marker is specified. For this reason, in which cover area of the radio base station the user exists is specified based on the identification information of the radio base station, and further in which position the user exists in the cover area. Is identified based on the identification information of the image marker arranged in the. Therefore, it is possible to specify the user's presence position more finely than the conventional method in which the user's position can be specified only in the cover area unit of the radio base station.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, a base station detection list is created in the user terminal, and the received electric field strength corresponding to the image pattern identification information detected from the captured image is selected from the base station detection list. The radio base station with the highest is selected. For this reason, even when the user terminal receives radio signals from a plurality of radio base stations, it is possible to accurately identify the radio base station in the area where the user terminal exists.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, based on the captured image, information indicating the positional relationship of the user terminal of the imaging source with respect to the image marker included in the captured image, for example, each distance in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction An imaging angle is calculated, and the absolute position of the user terminal is calculated from the information indicating the calculated positional relationship and the absolute position of the image marker. For this reason, even if a user images the image marker in a place away from his own position, the position of the user can be calculated more accurately.

  That is, according to each aspect of the present invention, a positioning method and a positioning system that enable high-resolution positioning even in places where GPS cannot be used, thereby enabling navigation for low-speed moving bodies such as pedestrians. And the program can be provided.

The figure which shows the structure of the service area for implement | achieving the positioning method which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the arrangement | positioning relationship of the area where the same pattern was allocated in the service area shown in FIG. The figure which expanded and showed the arrangement | positioning relationship of the area shown in FIG. 2, and the structure in an area. The figure which shows the structure of the tile arrange | positioned in the area shown in FIG. The block diagram which shows the function structure of the positioning system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows an example of the base station database of the positioning system shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the image marker database of the positioning system shown in FIG. The figure which shows the information showing the positional relationship between the tile obtained from the captured image data of a tile, and a user in the user terminal shown in FIG. The figure which shows an example of the reach | attainment range of the electromagnetic wave transmitted from a base station. The figure which shows an example of the base station list | wrist obtained by the user terminal shown in FIG. The figure which shows the procedure and content of the base station position acquisition process by the base station position calculation part of the positioning server shown in FIG. The figure which shows the procedure and content of the relative position acquisition process of the image marker with respect to a base station by the relative position calculation part of the positioning server shown in FIG. The figure which shows the acquisition process procedure of the image marker and a user's absolute position by the absolute position calculation part of the positioning server shown in FIG. 5, and its content. The figure for demonstrating the determination method of the bit number included in an image marker when there are nine types of patterns. The figure for demonstrating the determination method of the bit number included in an image marker in case there exist 16 types of patterns.

Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[One Embodiment]
(Constitution)
In one embodiment of the present invention, for example, a service area that provides a positioning service is set indoors in a shopping mall, and the position of a user existing in the service area is determined based on a base station ID of a wireless LAN, a floor surface, a wall surface, or The measurement is performed using a specific image pattern and an image marker drawn on a tile attached to the ceiling.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a service area for realizing a positioning method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The service area is divided into a plurality of areas E1-0 to E4-4, each of which is substantially square. These areas E1-0 to E4-4 are divided into nine adjacent areas as shown by the broken lines in FIG. 1, and the nine areas for each block are used to identify the area. Patterns P1 to P9 are assigned in a predetermined order. That is, the patterns P1 to P9 are repeatedly used for different blocks.

  A wireless LAN base station is installed in each of the areas E1-0 to E4-4. As shown in FIG. 1, the transmission power of each base station includes areas E1-0 to E4-4 in which the base station is installed in the communicable range Z, and radio waves as shown in FIGS. The diameter Rmax of the maximum reachable range Zmax is set to be shorter than the distance between the areas arranged at the same position of two adjacent blocks, that is, the areas to which the same pattern P1 is assigned.

  Each of the areas E1-0 to E4-4 is divided into a plurality of small areas as shown in FIG. 3, and tiles T are respectively installed in these small areas. Each tile T is provided with a pattern ID area A1 and a marker ID area A2 as shown in FIG. 4B, for example. In the pattern ID area A1, patterns P1 to P9 assigned to the area where the tile is installed are drawn. On the other hand, a marker for identifying the position of the tile in the area is drawn in the marker ID area A2. That is, a type corresponding to the number of small areas constituting one area, that is, the number of tiles T, is prepared for the marker.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, both the pattern and the marker are represented by a “leaf” pattern, for example. The patterns P1 to P9 are expressed by the positions of “4” patterns and the presence / absence thereof. That is, 4-bit binary notation is made by four patterns, and the above nine patterns can be identified. On the other hand, the marker is expressed by the positions of 12 patterns and the presence / absence thereof. That is, 12-bit binary notation is made by 12 patterns, and this makes it possible to identify a maximum of 4096 types of markers. The arrangement direction of the pattern and marker is identified by the direction of the pattern.

を満たす必要がある。このとき、マーカの一辺の長さをＸt とすると、パターン内でマーカを一意に特定するためのマーカのビット数は下式を満たす。なお、Ceilは実数ｘに対してｘ以上の最小の整数を表す。

An example of a method for determining the number of bits of the marker will be described below.
When nine types of patterns are created as shown in FIG. 1, two different pattern areas exist between areas of the same pattern as shown in FIG. In this case, in order to prevent radio waves from adjacent base stations with the same pattern from reaching,

It is necessary to satisfy. At this time, if the length of one side of the marker is Xt, the number of bits of the marker for uniquely identifying the marker in the pattern satisfies the following expression. Ceil represents the smallest integer greater than or equal to x with respect to the real number x.

  Generally, the maximum reachable distance Rmax of radio waves is about 20 m, and Xt is about 0.5 m. If this is substituted, x ≧ 8 is obtained. That is, 8 bits are sufficient for expressing the marker ID, and 12 bits are sufficient in addition to 4 bits used for expressing the pattern ID. At this time, R is R = 4√2≈5.66 m, and one side of the area is 8 m.

を満たす必要がある。このとき、マーカの一辺の長さをＸt とすると、パターン内で、マーカを一意に特定するためのマーカのビット数は下式を満たす。なお、Ceilは実数ｘに対してｘ以上の最小の整数を表す。

When 16 types of patterns are created, three different pattern areas exist between the same pattern areas as shown in FIG. In this case, in order to prevent radio waves from adjacent base stations with the same pattern from reaching,

It is necessary to satisfy. At this time, assuming that the length of one side of the marker is Xt, the number of bits of the marker for uniquely identifying the marker in the pattern satisfies the following expression. Ceil represents the smallest integer greater than or equal to x with respect to the real number x.

  As described above, since the maximum radio wave reachable distance Rmax is about 20 m and Xt is about 0.5 m, if this is substituted, x ≧ 7.17 is obtained. That is, 8 bits are sufficient for expressing the marker ID, and 12 bits are sufficient in addition to 4 bits used for expressing the pattern ID. At this time, R is R = (20√2) /7≈4.04, and one side of the area is 6.0 m.

このとき、先に述べたように電波の最大到達距離Ｒmax を２０ｍ程度、Ｘt を０．５ｍ程度とすると、ｘ≧４と算出され、パターンＩＤエリアの４bit と併せ、８bit あれば十分である。 Further, when an adult holds a mobile terminal with a camera and takes a picture of the floor, the imageable range is generally about 1.5 m square. That is, it is not necessary to use all the tiles as markers, and it is sufficient that information as markers is embedded in one of the three sheets.
When the marker is installed at a ratio of one to three tiles, the number of bits of the marker satisfies the following formula. Ceil represents the smallest integer greater than or equal to x with respect to the real number x.

At this time, as described above, when the maximum radio wave reach distance Rmax is about 20 m and Xt is about 0.5 m, x ≧ 4 is calculated.

  That is, as illustrated in FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, even if a marker having a small amount of information that does not restrict the design is used, it is about 30 cm on which floor of which store. It becomes possible to specify by resolution.

By the way, the positioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured as follows. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration.
This positioning system includes a user terminal 100 carried by a user as a positioning client, a positioning server 200, a base station database 300, and a marker database 400. Communication between the user terminal 100 and the positioning server 200 is enabled via the communication network NW, and data is transmitted from the positioning server 200 to the base station database 300 and the marker database 400 via the communication network NW. Search is possible.

  The user terminal 100 is composed of a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, and a tablet terminal, for example, and functions necessary for realizing this embodiment include an image capturing unit 101, a wireless receiving unit 102, marker analysis, and the like. Unit 103, position information requesting unit 104, position information receiving unit 105, and position-dependent information receiving unit 106. These functions are realized by causing the CPU provided in the user terminal 100 to execute an application program stored in the program memory in the user terminal 100.

  The image capturing unit 101 includes, for example, a camera that uses a solid-state image sensor. In this embodiment, the image capturing unit 101 is used to capture an image of the tile T at or near the user's location.

  The marker analysis unit 103 extracts a marker image and a pattern image from the image data output from the image capturing unit 101 by, for example, pattern recognition processing, and detects a marker ID and a pattern ID based on the extracted image. It has the function to do. At the same time, the marker analysis unit 103 determines the positional relationship between the tile included in the captured image and the user terminal 100 from the image data, the length L of one side of the tile T, and the imaging conditions such as the magnification of the camera. It also has a function of calculating information to be expressed. For example, as shown in FIGS. 8B and 8C, the information indicating the positional relationship includes the horizontal distance l, the vertical distance h between the user terminal 100 and the tile, and the image of the user terminal 100 with respect to the tile. It consists of an angle θ. More specifically, the shooting angle θ is an angle formed by a line from the tile toward a specific direction (for example, north) and a line connecting the tile and the camera.

  The wireless receiving unit 102 receives a wireless signal transmitted from a wireless LAN base station (access point), extracts a base station ID from the received signal, and detects a received electric field strength. When a plurality of base station IDs are detected, a list (base station ID list) including the detected base station ID and the received electric field strength is created.

  The position information requesting unit 104 includes a marker ID, pattern ID, and positional relationship information obtained by the marker analyzing unit 103, and a base station ID and received electric field strength list (base station ID list) detected by the wireless receiving unit 102. ) Is transmitted to the positioning server 200 via the communication network NW.

  The position information receiving unit 105 receives the absolute position information of the user terminal 100 transmitted from the positioning server 200 described later via the communication network NW. And it has the function to produce | generate the display data showing the position of an own terminal based on this received absolute position information, and to display on the display part which is not shown in figure. The position-dependent information receiving unit 106 has a function of receiving information related to the current position of the terminal transmitted from the positioning server 200, such as bargain information on the nearest store, and displaying the information on the display unit.

  The base station database 300 stores, for each of a plurality of base stations used by the system, location information of the base station in association with the base station ID. The position information includes information indicating latitude, longitude, and altitude (the floor number). FIG. 6 shows an example of base station position information stored in the base station database 300.

  The marker database 400 is associated with each ID of a plurality of base stations used by the system, and the marker ID drawn on each tile arranged in the area covered by the base station and the marker's base station Relative position information is stored. This relative position information is represented as a difference with respect to the latitude, longitude and altitude of the base station. FIG. 7 shows an example of marker relative position information stored in the marker database 400.

  The positioning server 200 is composed of, for example, a Web server, and functions necessary for realizing the present embodiment include a position information request reception unit 201, a base station position calculation unit 202, a relative position calculation unit 203, and an absolute position calculation. A unit 204 and a position-dependent information creation unit 206. All these functions are realized by causing a CPU (not shown) to execute an application program stored in a program memory (not shown).

  The location information request reception unit 201 receives the marker ID, pattern ID, location relationship information, and base station ID list transmitted from the user terminal 100 via the communication network NW.

  The base station position calculation unit 202 selects a base station ID corresponding to the received pattern ID and having the highest received electric field intensity from the base station ID list received by the position information request receiving unit 201. The base station database 300 is inquired using the selected base station ID as a key, and the base station database 300 has the function of acquiring the position information of the corresponding base station.

  The relative position calculation unit 203 makes an inquiry to the marker database 400 using the base station ID selected by the base station position calculation unit 202 and the marker ID received by the position information request reception unit 201 as a key, and the marker database 400 has a function of acquiring the relative position information of the marker with respect to the corresponding base station.

  The absolute position calculation unit 204 has a function of calculating the absolute position of the marker and a function of calculating the absolute position of the user. The function of calculating the absolute position of the marker includes the position information of the base station acquired from the base station database 300 by the base station position calculation unit 202 and the relative position information acquired from the marker database 400 by the relative position calculation unit 203. Based on the above, the absolute position information of the marker is calculated. The function of calculating the absolute position of the user is based on the calculated absolute position information of the marker and the positional relationship information received by the position information request receiving unit 201, that is, the user terminal 100 (that is, the user ) Absolute position information.

The position information transmission unit 205 has a function of transmitting the absolute position information of the user calculated by the absolute position calculation unit 204 to the user terminal 100 that is the transmission source of the detection information.
Based on the absolute position information of the user calculated by the absolute position calculation unit 204, the position-dependent information creation unit 206 obtains dependency information related to the current position of the user, for example, sale information of the nearest store, etc. It has a function of generating and transmitting this dependency information to the user terminal 100.

(Operation)
(1) Advance preparation Prior to the start of system operation, the system operator calculates the latitude, longitude and altitude (floor number) of each base station installed in each of the service areas E1-0 to E4-4. The calculated value is stored in the base station database 300 in association with the base station ID. At the same time, for each of the areas E1-0 to E4-4, the difference in latitude, longitude, and altitude (floor number) of each marker drawn on the tile T arranged in the area is calculated. The calculated values are stored in the marker database 400 in association with the base station ID and the marker ID, respectively. Further, the patterns P1 to P9 assigned to the areas E1-0 to E4-4 are also stored in association with the base station ID of the base station installed in the area. Alternatively, since it is relatively easy to measure the azimuth and the distance between the tile and the base station using existing technology, the position information measured using this existing technology can be prepared by converting it into latitude and longitude. it can.

  Note that the location information of each base station and the relative location information of the base station and each marker are measured using a GPS positioning device if a location where GPS can be used. It can be obtained by calculation based on the dimension and position information of each part described in the figure.

(2) Operation of the user terminal 100 The user operates the image capturing unit 101 of the user terminal 100 to capture the tile corresponding to its own location. Thereby, the range including the tile is imaged by the image capturing unit 101, and the captured image data is input to the marker analyzing unit 103. FIG. 4A shows an example of the captured image data.

  In the marker analysis unit 103, a marker image and a pattern image are extracted from the image data output from the image photographing unit 101, for example, by pattern recognition processing, and a pattern ID and a marker ID are extracted based on the extracted images. Is detected. For example, if the image data of the tile T as shown in FIG. 4B is obtained, the pattern ID: 0101 (binary number) = 5 (from the position and number of the “leaf” pattern in the pattern ID area A1. Decimal number). Further, from the position and number of the “leaf” pattern in the marker ID area A2, the marker ID is 00101100001 (binary number) = 609 (decimal number).

  At the same time, the marker analysis unit 103 uses the captured image data, the length L of one side of the tile T, and the imaging conditions such as the magnification of the camera, the tile T included in the captured image data and the user terminal 100 (camera ) Is calculated. For example, as shown in FIG. 8A, when the tile T is photographed from obliquely above, the captured image data I, the length L of one side of the tile stored in advance, and the magnification of the camera 8 (b) and (c), the horizontal distance l, the vertical distance h between the user terminal 100 and the tile, and the imaging angle θ of the user terminal 100 with respect to the tile are calculated. . Note that when the user terminal 100 includes a gyroscope and an acceleration sensor, the imaging angle θ of the user terminal 100 can also be detected using these sensors.

  In the user terminal 100, a radio signal transmitted from a base station existing in the vicinity is received by the radio receiving unit 102, a base station ID is extracted from the received signal, and a received electric field strength is detected. At this time, the transmission radio wave of each base station does not stop in the area where the base station is installed, for example, as shown in FIG. 9, but reaches the surrounding area while the intensity attenuates in proportion to the square of the distance. . For this reason, in each area, not only radio waves of base stations installed in the area but also radio waves of a plurality of surrounding base stations are received. Therefore, the wireless reception unit 102 creates a base station ID list including all received base station IDs and received electric field strengths.

  A base station ID list including the marker ID, the pattern ID, and the positional relationship information obtained by the marker analysis unit 103, and the base station ID and the received electric field strength detected by the wireless reception unit 102 is received by the position information request unit 104. It is transmitted to the positioning server 200 via the communication network NW.

(3) Operation of positioning server 200 (3-1) Acquisition of user terminal detection information The marker ID, pattern ID, positional relationship information, and base station ID list transmitted from the user terminal 100 are It is received by the position information request receiving unit 201. Each received detection information is temporarily stored in the memory in the position information request receiving unit 201 in association with the identification information of the transmission source user terminal 100. At this time, the base station ID list is stored with a pattern ID corresponding to each base station ID added. An example is shown in FIG.

(3-2) Acquisition of Base Station Location Information When detection information transmitted from the user terminal 100 is received, the positioning server 200 performs processing for acquiring base station location information by the base station location calculation unit 202 as follows. It is done as follows. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and processing contents.

  That is, in step S11, the base station position calculation unit 202 first selects a base station ID corresponding to the received pattern ID and having the highest received electric field strength from the received and stored base station ID list. The For example, if the base station ID list shown in FIG. 10 is acquired and the pattern ID “5” is acquired, the received electric field strength is the highest among the base station IDs associated with the pattern ID “5”. The base station ID, that is, “002” in this case is selected.

  Subsequently, in step S12, an inquiry is made to the base station database 300 using the selected base station ID = 002 as a key. Thereby, the base station position information corresponding to the base station ID = 002 is read from the base station database 300 and sent to the positioning server 200. For example, if the base station position information shown in FIG. 9 is stored in the base station database 300, the latitude “35.225187” and the longitude “139.669322” are used as the base station position information corresponding to the base station ID = 002. “, The altitude (floor floor number)“ 100 m (1F) ”is read and sent to the positioning server 200.

(3-3) Acquisition of Marker Relative Position Information Next, in the positioning server 200, the relative position calculation unit 203 performs processing for acquiring the marker relative position information with respect to the base station as follows. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and processing contents.

  That is, in step S21, the relative position calculation unit 203 stores in the marker database 400 using the base station ID selected by the base station position calculation unit 202 and the marker ID received by the position information request reception unit 201 as keys. An inquiry is made. Thereby, the relative position information of the marker with respect to the corresponding base station is read from the marker database 400 and sent to the positioning server 200. For example, if the relative position information as shown in FIG. 7 is stored in the marker database 400, the relative position information corresponding to the base station ID = 002 and the marker ID = 609 is the latitude “+00.000002”, the longitude “−000.000020” and altitude (floor floor number) “−2.25 m” are read out and sent to the positioning server 200.

(3-4) Calculation of absolute position of user When the position information of the base station and the relative position information of the marker are acquired, in the positioning server 200, the absolute position of the user terminal 100 is Is calculated as follows. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and processing contents.

  That is, the absolute position calculation unit 204 first adds the relative position information acquired from the marker database 400 to the position information of the base station acquired from the base station database 300 in step S31, thereby obtaining the absolute position of the marker. Location information is calculated. For example, as base station position information corresponding to the base station ID = 002, latitude “35.225187”, longitude “139.66932”, altitude (floor floor number) “100 m (1F)” is acquired, and marker ID = When the relative position information corresponding to 609 is latitude “+0.000000002”, longitude “−000.000020”, and altitude (floor floor number) “−2.25 m”, these are added to obtain latitude “ 35.225189 ”, longitude“ 139.6629912 ”, and altitude (floor floor number)“ 97.75 m (1F) ”are calculated as the absolute position information of the marker.

Subsequently, in step S32, the absolute position calculation unit 204, based on the calculated absolute position information of the marker and the positional relationship information received by the position information request receiving unit 201, (ie, the user terminal 100) The absolute position information is calculated. For example, assuming that a horizontal distance l = 1.5 m, a vertical distance h = 1.0 m, and a viewing angle θ = 30 ° are obtained as information representing the positional relationship between the user terminal 100 and the tile T. The absolute position of the person terminal 100 is
Latitude: 35.225189 + k1 × 1.5 × sin 30 °,
Longitude: 139.662912 + k2 × 1.5 × cos 30 °,
Altitude (floor floor): 98.85m
It is calculated as follows. Note that k1 and k2 are coefficients for converting distances into changes in latitude and longitude, respectively.

(3-5) Transmission of position information and position-dependent information to user terminal 100 When the absolute position of user terminal 100 is calculated as described above, position information transmission unit 205 calculates the above-described user terminal. 100 absolute position information is transmitted from the positioning server 200 to the user terminal 100 that is the transmission source of the detection information. On the other hand, in the user terminal 100, the absolute position information of the user terminal 100 transmitted from the positioning server 200 is received by the position information receiving unit 105, and the position of the own terminal is based on the received absolute position information. Display data is generated by superimposing the mark image representing the map data on the map data, and is displayed on a display unit (not shown). Therefore, the user can recognize where the user is located in the building in tile units by viewing the display data.

  Further, in the positioning server 200, the position-dependent information creation unit 206 uses the absolute position information of the user calculated by the absolute position calculation unit 204 as a key, for example, from the store database (not shown) to the store nearest to the user's location. Special sale information, etc. are acquired. Then, the acquired special sale information is transmitted to the user terminal 100. On the other hand, in the user terminal 100, the position-dependent information receiving unit 106 receives the sale information of the nearest store sent from the positioning server 200 and displays it on the display unit.

(effect)
As described above in detail, in one embodiment, the user terminal 100 extracts the pattern ID and marker ID from the captured image data of the tile corresponding to the user's presence position, and the captured tile and the user terminal 100. The base station ID and the received electric field strength are detected from the radio signals transmitted from the surrounding base stations, a base station ID list is created, and these are transmitted to the positioning server 200. The positioning server 200 first selects a base station ID corresponding to the area where the user exists from the base station ID list received from the user terminal 100, and the base station database 300 based on the selected base station ID. To obtain the location information of the base station. Subsequently, the relative position information of the marker with respect to the base station is acquired from the marker database 400 based on the selected base station ID and the marker ID received from the user terminal 100. The absolute position information of the marker is calculated by adding to the position information of the base station. Finally, the absolute position information of the user terminal 100 is calculated based on the calculated absolute position information of the marker and the positional relationship information received from the user terminal, and the absolute position information of the user terminal is calculated. Is transmitted to the user terminal 100 for display.

  Therefore, it is specified based on the ID of the base station that the user is present in the cover area of the base station, and the position in the cover area is further arranged in the cover area. It is specified based on the ID of the marker drawn on the tile. For this reason, compared with the conventional method in which the position of the user can be specified only in the cover area unit of the base station, the user's presence position can be specified more precisely in the tile unit.

  In addition, a base station ID list is created in the user terminal 100, and a base station corresponding to the pattern ID detected from the captured image data and having the highest received electric field strength is selected from the base station ID list. Therefore, even when the user terminal 100 receives radio signals from a plurality of base stations, it is possible to accurately specify the base station in the area where the user terminal 100 exists.

  Furthermore, the absolute position of the user terminal 100 is calculated based on the information representing the positional relationship between the tile T and the user terminal 100 and the absolute position information of the marker. For this reason, even if a user images a tile located at a location far from his / her own location, the user's position can be calculated more accurately.

[Other Embodiments]
In the above-described embodiment, the marker analysis process and the positional relationship calculation process are performed in the user terminal 100. However, the captured image data is encoded and compressed and transmitted to the positioning server 200. You may make it perform the calculation process of a positional relationship. The base station database 300 and the marker database 400 may be provided in the positioning server 200.

  In the embodiment, the measured position information of the user is transmitted to the terminal of the user and displayed. However, not limited to this, the measured location information of users is sent to the server operated by the service provider, and the behavior history of consumers is analyzed based on the location information of multiple users received by the service provider. Then, this may be used for marketing or the like.

  Further, in the embodiment, the marker relative position information with respect to the base station is stored in the marker database 400. However, the marker absolute position information is stored in association with the marker ID and the base station ID for each marker. You may make it leave. This eliminates the need to calculate the absolute position information of the marker based on the absolute position information of the base station and the relative position information of the marker.

  Furthermore, a marker or pattern may be created using a digital watermark. In general, a marker created using a digital watermark can give the marker only a small amount of information. However, using the system of the present invention, a marker can be created using a digital watermark.

  A wireless communication system other than a wireless LAN may be used, and other types and numbers of patterns representing marker IDs and pattern IDs, installation locations of marker IDs and pattern IDs, configurations of user terminals and positioning servers, and processing contents thereof. The present invention can be variously modified and implemented without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  In short, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. Further, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, you may combine suitably the component covering different embodiment.

  B ... base station, E ... area, Z ... radio wave reachable range, P ... pattern, T ... tile, A1 ... pattern ID area, A2 ... image marker ID area, 100 ... user terminal, 101 ... image photographing unit, 102 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Wireless receiving part 103 ... Image marker analysis part 104 ... Position information request part 105 ... Position information reception part 106 ... Position dependence information reception part 200 ... Positioning server 201 ... Position information request reception part 202 ... Base Station position calculation unit, 203 ... Relative position calculation unit, 204 ... Absolute position calculation unit, 206 ... Position-dependent information creation unit, 300 ... Base station database, 400 ... Image marker database.

Claims (8)

The service area is divided into a plurality of areas, each of which is set as a cover area, and a plurality of radio base stations whose installation positions and radio signal transmission levels are preset, and each of the plurality of areas is divided into a plurality of small areas. A positioning method for measuring the position of a user terminal existing in the service area using different image markers that are divided into areas and respectively arranged in these small areas,
By the user terminal, imaging a range including an image marker corresponding to the location of the user terminal, and detecting identification information of the image marker from the captured image;
A process of receiving a radio signal transmitted from the radio base station by the user terminal and detecting identification information of a source radio base station from the received signal;
Based on the detected identification information of the image marker and the identification information of the radio base station, a marker storing the absolute position information of the marker in association with the identification information and the identification information of the radio base station for each image marker A step of reading out the absolute position information of the corresponding image marker from the database. The service area is divided into a plurality of areas, each of which is set as a cover area, and a plurality of radio base stations whose installation positions and radio signal transmission levels are preset, and each of the plurality of areas is divided into a plurality of small areas. A positioning method for measuring the position of a user terminal existing in the service area using different image markers that are divided into areas and respectively arranged in these small areas,
By the user terminal, imaging a range including an image marker corresponding to the location of the user terminal, and detecting identification information of the image marker from the captured image;
A process of receiving a radio signal transmitted from the radio base station by the user terminal and detecting identification information of a source radio base station from the received signal;
Based on the identification information of the detected radio base station, reading the installation position information of the corresponding radio base station from the base station database storing the installation position information of the plurality of base stations,
Based on the detected identification information of the radio base station and the identification information of the image marker, relative positions of the radio base station and the plurality of image markers arranged in the cover area for each of the plurality of radio base stations The process of reading the relative position information of the corresponding radio base station and the image marker from the marker database storing the information,
Based on the installation position information of the radio base station read from the base station database and the relative position information of the image marker with respect to the radio base station read from the marker database, the absolute position information of the image marker And a step of calculating the positioning method. The service area is divided into a plurality of areas, each of which is set as a cover area, and a plurality of radio base stations whose installation positions and radio signal transmission levels are preset, and each of the plurality of areas is divided into a plurality of small areas. In order to identify the plurality of areas divided into different image markers that are divided into areas and arranged in each of these small areas and a plurality of areas that exist within the maximum reachable range of the radio signal transmitted from the radio base station A positioning method for measuring a position of a user terminal existing in the service area using a plurality of image patterns arranged together with the image marker,
A process of capturing an image marker and a range including an image pattern corresponding to the location of the user terminal by the user terminal, and detecting identification information of the image marker and the image pattern from the captured image,
The user terminal receives radio signals transmitted from the plurality of radio base stations, and detects the identification information of the transmission source radio base station and the received electric field strength of the received signals from the received signals, respectively. To create a base station detection list,
From the generated base station detection list, extracting the radio base station identification information corresponding to the detected image pattern identification information and having the highest received electric field strength;
Based on the extracted identification information of the radio base station, from the base station database storing the installation position information of the plurality of base stations, the process of reading the installation position information of the corresponding radio base station;
Based on the detected identification information of the radio base station and the identification information of the image marker, relative positions of the radio base station and the plurality of image markers arranged in the cover area for each of the plurality of radio base stations The process of reading the relative position information of the corresponding radio base station and the image marker from the marker database storing the information,
Based on the installation position information of the radio base station read from the base station database and the relative position information of the image marker with respect to the radio base station read from the marker database, the absolute position information of the image marker And a step of calculating the positioning method. A process of calculating information representing a positional relationship between the user terminal and the image marker that is the imaging target based on the captured image;
Based on the calculated absolute position information of the image marker and information indicating the positional relationship between the calculated user terminal and the image marker, calculating the absolute position information of the user terminal, The positioning method according to claim 1, further comprising a positioning method. The service area is divided into a plurality of areas, each of which is set as a cover area, and a plurality of radio base stations whose installation positions and radio signal transmission levels are set in advance are set. A positioning system that measures the position of a user terminal existing in the service area by using different image markers that are divided into areas and arranged in each of these small areas,
A base station database storing installation position information of the plurality of base stations;
A marker database storing relative position information of each of the plurality of wireless base stations and the plurality of image markers arranged in the cover area;
Means for detecting identification information of the image marker from an image of a range including an image marker corresponding to the location of the user terminal, imaged by the user terminal;
Means for detecting identification information of a source radio base station from a radio signal from the radio base station received by the user terminal;
Based on the detected identification information of the radio base station, means for reading installation position information of the corresponding radio base station from the base station database;
Based on the detected identification information of the radio base station and the identification information of the image marker, means for reading out the relative position information of the corresponding radio base station and the image marker from the marker database;
Based on the installation position information of the radio base station read from the base station database and the relative position information of the image marker with respect to the radio base station read from the marker database, the absolute position information of the image marker And a positioning system. The service area is divided into a plurality of areas, each of which is set as a cover area, and a plurality of radio base stations whose installation positions and radio signal transmission levels are preset, and each of the plurality of areas is divided into a plurality of small areas. In order to identify the plurality of areas divided into different image markers that are divided into areas and arranged in each of these small areas and a plurality of areas that exist within the maximum reachable range of the radio signal transmitted from the radio base station A positioning system that measures the position of a user terminal existing in the service area using a plurality of image patterns arranged together with the image marker,
A base station database storing installation position information of the plurality of base stations;
A marker database storing relative position information of each of the plurality of wireless base stations and the plurality of image markers arranged in the cover area;
Means for detecting identification information of the image marker and the image pattern, respectively, from an image of a range including an image marker and an image pattern corresponding to the location of the user terminal, which is captured by the user terminal;
A base station detection list that detects the identification information of the transmission source radio base station and the received electric field strength of the received signal from radio signals transmitted from the plurality of radio base stations received by the user terminal. And a means to create
Means for extracting identification information of a radio base station corresponding to the identification information of the detected image pattern and having the highest received electric field strength from the created base station detection list;
Based on the extracted identification information of the radio base station, means for reading installation position information of the corresponding radio base station from the base station database;
Based on the detected identification information of the radio base station and the identification information of the image marker, means for reading out the relative position information of the corresponding radio base station and the image marker from the marker database;
Based on the installation position information of the radio base station read from the base station database and the relative position information of the image marker with respect to the radio base station read from the marker database, the absolute position information of the image marker And a positioning system. Means for calculating information representing a positional relationship between the user terminal and the image marker to be imaged based on the captured image;
Based on the calculated absolute position information of the image marker and information indicating the positional relationship between the calculated user terminal and the image marker, means for calculating the absolute position information of the user terminal, The positioning system according to claim 5 or 6, further comprising:   A program that causes a computer included in the positioning system to execute processing corresponding to the means included in the measurement system according to claim 5.

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