JP2020134152A - Location estimation system, location estimation method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

To properly use indoor/outdoor positioning means to grasp a location of the working person according to whether a working person exists indoors or outdoors.SOLUTION: A location estimation system has: a plurality of signal generators that is set up in an indoor space of a management object; a mobile terminal that is carried by a person moving in the space; and a management device that can communicate with the portable terminal. The mobile terminal has: a first reception unit that receives an identification signal the signal generator transmits; a second reception unit that receives a GPS signal; and a transmission unit that transmits information on the identification signal and GPS signal to the management device. The management device has: a location estimation unit that performs indoor positioning on the basis of the identification signal received from the mobile terminal and outdoor positioning on the basis of the GPS signal, and estimates a location by any of the indoor and outdoor positioning; and a storage unit that stores a route condition in which routes the person can move are indicated by identification information on the signal generator. The location estimation unit is configured to, when detecting the plurality of signal generators meeting the route condition on the basis of the identification information, switch from outdoor positioning processing to indoor positioning processing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a position estimation system, a position estimation method, and a program for estimating the position of a mobile terminal carried by a worker during work such as security work by using a beacon and GPS (Global Positioning System).

Conventionally, as a technique for switching between indoor positioning using a beacon or the like and outdoor positioning using a GPS or the like, switching is performed when the received signal strength of a GPS signal or beacon signal is less than a predetermined strength or the signal cannot be received (Patent Document 1 below, Patent Document 2 etc.).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-109293 JP-A-2010-217206

However, in the technique of switching between indoor positioning and outdoor positioning according to the received signal strength as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the received signal strength of the indoor (outdoor) positioning means is low indoors (outdoors) or indoors (outdoors). In (outdoor), the strength of the received signal by the outdoor (indoor) positioning means may be high. In such a case, there is a possibility that the position may be grasped by the outdoor (indoor) positioning means even though the person is indoors (outdoor). That is, it is not preferable to perform switching simply because the received signal strength is high.

In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is that it is possible to appropriately grasp the position of a worker by using indoor / outdoor positioning means according to whether the worker is indoors or outdoors. To provide a suitable position estimation system, position estimation method and program.

In order to achieve the above object, the position estimation system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of signal transmitters installed in a managed indoor space, a mobile terminal carried by a person moving in the space, and the like. It is a position estimation system that has a management device capable of communicating with a mobile terminal and estimates the position of the person.
The signal transmitter has a transmitter that transmits an identification signal including its own identification information.
The mobile terminal has a first receiving unit that receives the identification signal transmitted by the signal transmitter existing within a predetermined distance range, a second receiving unit that receives a GPS signal, the identification signal, and the GPS signal. It has a transmission unit that transmits the information of the above to the management device.
The management device performs indoor positioning based on the identification signal received from the mobile terminal and outdoor positioning based on the GPS signal, and uses the result of the indoor positioning as the position of the person for indoor positioning processing or the result of the outdoor positioning. A memory that stores a position estimation unit that estimates the position of the person by any of the outdoor positioning processes for the position of the person, and a route condition that indicates a route that the person can move by the identification information of the signal transmitter. It has a part and.
When the position estimation unit performs the position estimation of the person by the outdoor positioning process and detects a plurality of the signal transmitters satisfying the route conditions based on the received identification signal, the outdoor positioning process To switch to the above indoor positioning process.

With this configuration, when multiple signal transmitters that satisfy the route conditions are detected and it is estimated that the probability that the person exists indoors is very high, the person can be indoors and outdoors by switching the outdoor positioning process to the indoor positioning process. The position of the person can be appropriately grasped by using the indoor / outdoor positioning means depending on which of the two is present.

When the position estimation unit satisfies the route conditions and detects a plurality of signal transmitters, the position estimation unit may switch between the indoor positioning process and the outdoor positioning process according to the accuracy of GPS.

As a result, if the signal transmitter detected in outdoor positioning satisfies the route condition and the GPS accuracy is poor, the outdoor positioning process is switched to the indoor positioning process, and if the GPS accuracy is good even if the route condition is satisfied, the outdoor positioning is performed. Processing can be maintained.

When the position estimation unit detects the signal transmitters having a set number or more according to the accuracy of the GPS while satisfying the route conditions, the position estimation unit may switch to the indoor positioning process.

As a result, when the GPS accuracy is low, the number of signal transmitters set is small (for example, two) to facilitate switching to indoor positioning processing, and when the GPS accuracy is high, the signal transmitter is set. By setting a large number of settings (for example, three), it is possible to prevent accidental switching to indoor positioning processing.

When the position estimation unit is performing the position estimation of the person by the outdoor positioning process, the position estimation unit detects a specific signal transmitter near the doorway leading to indoors and outdoors among the plurality of signal transmitters, and further When the signal transmitter satisfying the above route conditions is detected, the outdoor positioning process may be switched to the indoor positioning process.

As a result, it is possible to prevent a person from being mistakenly switched to the indoor positioning process simply by detecting a specific beacon terminal while moving outdoors.

When the position estimation unit detects the specific signal transmitter, if the GPS accuracy is less than the threshold value or the GPS accuracy is equal to or higher than the threshold value, and further detects the signal transmitter satisfying the above-mentioned route condition. The outdoor positioning process may be switched to the indoor positioning process.

As a result, when a signal transmitter near the doorway is detected, depending on the accuracy of GPS, if there is a high possibility that a person is indoors, it is possible to quickly switch to indoor positioning processing, and the person is outdoors. If there is a possibility that it is present, it is possible to prevent accidental switching to indoor positioning processing.

When the position estimation unit estimates the position of the person by the indoor positioning process, the position estimation unit detects the signal transmitter that does not satisfy the route condition, and if the GPS accuracy is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the indoor positioning is performed. The process may be switched to the outdoor positioning process.

As a result, it is possible to detect a situation in which the indoor positioning process is set even though the person is outdoors and appropriately switch to the outdoor positioning process.

The storage unit may store outdoor route information indicating the route of the signal transmitter in the vicinity of the outdoor area that can be detected when the person moves in the outdoor area in the space to be managed by the identification information. In this case, when the position estimation unit detects the signal transmitter that does not satisfy the route conditions, and if the route of the detected signal transmitter matches the outdoor route information, the indoor positioning process is performed for the outdoor positioning. You may switch to processing.

As a result, it is possible to more reliably detect the situation in which the indoor positioning process is set even though the person is outdoors, and appropriately switch to the outdoor positioning process. Further, when a person accidentally detects a beacon terminal that deviates from the route while moving indoors, it is possible to prevent the person from being mistakenly switched to the outdoor positioning process.

The position estimation system according to another embodiment of the present invention has a plurality of signal transmitters installed in a space to be managed and a mobile terminal carried by a person moving in the space, and determines the position of the person. It is a position estimation system that estimates.
The signal transmitter has a transmitter that transmits an identification signal including its own identification information.
The mobile terminal has a first receiving unit that receives the identification signal transmitted by the signal transmitter existing within a predetermined distance range, a second receiving unit that receives a GPS signal, and indoor positioning based on the identification signal. And outdoor positioning based on GPS signals, the position of the person is determined by either the indoor positioning process in which the result of the indoor positioning is the position of the person or the outdoor positioning process in which the result of the outdoor positioning is the position of the person. It has a position estimation unit for estimating, and a storage unit for storing the route condition indicating the route on which the person can move by the identification information of the signal transmitter.
When the position estimation unit estimates the position of the person by the outdoor positioning process and detects a plurality of the signal transmitters satisfying the route conditions, the position estimation unit switches from the outdoor positioning process to the indoor positioning process.

The position estimation method according to another embodiment of the present invention communicates with a plurality of signal transmitters installed in a managed indoor space, a mobile terminal carried by a person moving inside and outside the space, and the mobile terminal. This is a position estimation method for estimating the position of the person by using a possible management device.
The signal transmitter has a transmitter that transmits an identification signal including its own identification information. The position estimation method is
Upon receiving the identification signal transmitted by the signal transmitter existing within a predetermined distance range,
Receives GPS signals
Indoor positioning based on the identification signal received from the mobile terminal and outdoor positioning based on the GPS signal are performed, and the indoor positioning process in which the result of the indoor positioning is the position of the person or the result of the outdoor positioning is the position of the person. The position of the above person is estimated by one of the outdoor positioning processes.
The route condition on which the person can move is indicated by the identification information of the signal transmitter, and the route condition is stored.
When the position of the person is estimated by the outdoor positioning process and a plurality of the signal transmitters satisfy the route conditions based on the received identification signal, the outdoor positioning process is changed to the indoor positioning process. Including switching.

A program according to another embodiment of the present invention can communicate with a plurality of signal transmitters installed in a managed indoor space, a mobile terminal carried by a person moving inside and outside the space, and the mobile terminal. It is a program executed by the management device in the position estimation system that estimates the position of the person using the management device.
The signal transmitter has a transmitter that transmits an identification signal including its own identification information.
The mobile terminal has a first receiving unit that receives the identification signal transmitted by the signal transmitter existing within a predetermined distance range, a second receiving unit that receives a GPS signal, the identification signal, and the GPS signal. It has a transmission unit that transmits the information of the above to the management device.
The program is applied to the above management device.
A step of receiving the identification signal from the signal transmitter existing within a predetermined distance range, and
The step of receiving the above GPS signal and
Indoor positioning based on the identification signal received from the mobile terminal and outdoor positioning based on the GPS signal are performed, and the indoor positioning process in which the result of the indoor positioning is the position of the person or the result of the outdoor positioning is the position of the person. The step of estimating the position of the above person by any of the outdoor positioning processes
A step of storing the route condition indicating the route on which the person can move by the identification information of the signal transmitter, and
When the position of the person is estimated by the outdoor positioning process and a plurality of the signal transmitters satisfy the route conditions based on the received identification signal, the outdoor positioning process is changed to the indoor positioning process. To execute the switching step.

As described above, according to the present invention, the position of a person can be appropriately grasped by using the indoor / outdoor positioning means according to whether the person exists indoors or outdoors. However, the effect does not limit the present invention.

It is a figure which showed the structure of the position estimation system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which showed the hardware configuration of the center server which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which showed the structure of the functional block of the center server, the mobile terminal, and the beacon terminal which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which showed the example of the database of the identification information and the position information of the beacon terminal stored in the center server which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which showed the table of the movable route condition of the guard between the beacon terminals stored in the center server which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which showed the flow of the switching process from the indoor positioning process to the outdoor positioning process by the center server which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. A diagram showing an example of switching processing from indoor positioning processing to outdoor positioning processing by a center server according to an embodiment of the present invention in chronological order along with changes in the reception strength of a beacon terminal, GPS signal accuracy, and the position of a guard. Is. It is a flowchart which showed the flow of the switching process from the outdoor positioning process to the indoor positioning process by the center server which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. A diagram showing an example of switching processing from outdoor positioning processing to indoor positioning processing by a center server according to an embodiment of the present invention in chronological order along with changes in the reception strength of a beacon terminal, GPS signal accuracy, and the position of a guard. Is. It is a flowchart which showed the flow of the switching process from the outdoor positioning process to the indoor positioning process by the center server which concerns on another embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[System configuration]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a position estimation system according to the present embodiment.

As shown in the figure, this system includes a center server 100, a mobile terminal 200, and a plurality of beacon terminals 300.

The center server 100 is a server installed in a security center operated by a security company, and is a management device that manages the states of the security guard G and the beacon terminal 300. The center server 100 can communicate with the mobile terminal 200 via the mobile network and the Internet. A controller is stationed at the security center to monitor the position of security guard G in security target facility B, and when an abnormality report is received from security guard G, dispatch of security guards to security target facility B, etc. Necessary measures will be taken.

The security target facility B is, for example, an airport, a station, an art museum, a museum, a school, a facility of a government office, a commercial facility (department store, a supermarket, etc.), an entertainment hall, an office of a company, a private residence, or the like.

The mobile terminal 200 is, for example, a smartphone or a security-only terminal, and is carried by a security guard G who guards the security target facility B. In the figure, one guard G and one mobile terminal 200 are shown, but a plurality of guards G and the mobile terminal 200 may exist in the guard target facility B.

A plurality of beacon terminals 300 (1 to 18) are installed in various places (walls, ceilings, fixtures, etc.) in the security target facility B, and transmit beacon signals. Further, the beacon terminal 300 can communicate with each other and transmit abnormality information of the beacon terminal 300 or the like to the center server 100.

The beacon signal is a signal for acquiring various information including the position by being received by the mobile terminal 200, and includes information that can specify the installation position in the space of the beacon terminal 300 of the transmission source. For example, by including the identification information that identifies the beacon terminal 300 of the source in the beacon signal, the center server 100 is received by referring to the database that associates the identification information with the installation position of the beacon terminal 300 of the source. The installation position of the beacon terminal 300 of the transmission source can be acquired from the identification information.

The mobile terminal 200 receives a beacon signal from each of the beacon terminals 300 (that is, detects the beacon terminal 300), and transmits the identification information contained therein and the information regarding the signal strength (received signal strength: RSSI) to the mobile network. And it is transmitted to the center server 100 via the Internet. It is preferable that the beacon terminal 300 is detected when the signal strength is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold value. The center server 100 estimates which beacon terminal 300 the guard G is in the vicinity of, based on the identification information and the signal strength. Further, the mobile terminal 200 transmits data or the like acquired by the security guard G during the security work to the center server 100.

Further, in the figure, the solid line connecting the beacon terminals 300 to each other is a route condition set as a route that the guard G can move. For example, since it is usually impossible for the guard G to move to the beacon terminal 4 next to the beacon terminal 2 without passing through the beacon terminal 3, the center server 100 measures the signal strength equal to or higher than the threshold value from the beacon terminal 4. However, it is not estimated that the guard G exists in the vicinity of the beacon terminal 4 because the route condition is not satisfied.

In addition, the beacon terminal 300 installed near the doorway D leading to the indoor and outdoor of the security target facility B is defined as a "specific" beacon terminal 300, and when the guard G goes in and out indoors / outdoors, this is defined. It goes through a specific beacon terminal 300.

When the guard G is outdoors, the center server 100 estimates the position based on the GPS signal.

[Center server hardware configuration]
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the center server 100. As shown in the figure, the center server 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, an input / output interface 15, and a bus 14 that connects them to each other. To be equipped.

The CPU 11 appropriately accesses the RAM 13 and the like as necessary, and controls the entire block of the center server 100 in an integrated manner while performing various arithmetic processes. The ROM 12 is a non-volatile memory in which firmware such as an OS, a program, and various parameters to be executed by the CPU 11 is fixedly stored. The RAM 13 is used as a work area of the CPU 11, and temporarily holds an OS, various applications being executed, and various data being processed.

A display unit 16, an operation reception unit 17, a storage unit 18, a communication unit 19, and the like are connected to the input / output interface 15.

The display unit 16 is a display device using, for example, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an OLED (Organic ElectroLuminescence Display), a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), or the like.

The operation reception unit 17 is, for example, a pointing device such as a mouse, a keyboard, a touch panel, or other input device.

The storage unit 18 is, for example, a non-volatile memory such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a flash memory (SSD; Solid State Drive), or another solid-state memory. The OS, various applications, and various data are stored in the storage unit 18.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the storage unit 18 stores an application or other program and a database for the center server 100 to execute the position estimation process of the guard.

The communication unit 19 is, for example, various modules for wireless communication such as a NIC (Network Interface Card) for Ethernet and a wireless LAN, and is responsible for communication processing with the mobile terminal 200.

Although not shown, the basic hardware configuration of the mobile terminal 200 and the beacon terminal 300 as a computer is substantially the same as the hardware configuration of the center server 100. The mobile terminal 200 has a first receiving unit that receives the identification signal from the beacon terminal 300 existing within a predetermined distance range, and a second receiving unit that receives the GPS signal.

[Functions and database of each device in the system]
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of functional blocks of the center server 100, the mobile terminal 200, and the beacon terminal 300.

(Center server functional block)
As shown in the figure, the center server 100 has a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, a state management unit 130, a display output unit 140, a route condition determination unit 150, and a position estimation unit 160 as functional blocks.

The communication unit 110 is a communication interface having a function of communicating with the mobile terminal 200, and is detected data (beacon signal information (identification information and received signal strength) and GPS information (beacon signal information (identification information and received signal strength)) via a mobile network, the Internet, or the like. (Latitude / longitude, accuracy), etc.) etc. are received.

The storage unit 120 stores information on the installation position of each beacon terminal 300. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the installation position information.

As shown in the figure, the installation position information is a database in which the installation position of each beacon terminal 300 in the space of the security target facility B is registered in association with the identification information (beacon ID) of each beacon terminal 300. ..

In the example of the figure, the position (latitude and longitude) in the plane is registered for each beacon terminal 300, but three-dimensional position information may be registered by further adding information such as altitude. Further, not limited to latitude, longitude, and altitude, position information consisting of coordinate values (x, y, z) based on a certain position in three-dimensional space may be registered. The installation position of the beacon terminal may be registered with a name such as a west entrance (for example, beacon terminal 1) or a room east side (for example, beacon terminal 9), and the position of the guard may be estimated.

The storage unit 120 also stores a route condition indicating a route that the guard G can move within the security target facility B. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the route condition table.

In FIG. 1, the solid line connecting the adjacent beacon terminals 300 to each other is a route on which the guard G can move, and as shown in FIG. 5, it is registered for each beacon terminal 300 (identification information) as a route condition. ..

In the registration of the route condition, another beacon terminal 300 located within a predetermined distance from a certain beacon terminal 300 may be automatically connected, or the administrator may manually register the route condition.

As described above, referring to FIG. 1, it is possible for the guard G to move from the beacon terminal 2 to 3 to 4, but the guard G moves directly from the beacon terminal 2 to the beacon terminal 4 without going through the beacon terminal 3. It is usually impossible to do. Therefore, in the table of FIG. 5, the beacon terminal 4 is not registered as a movable destination of the beacon terminal 2.

Further, the storage unit 120 sequentially receives and stores the detection data received by the mobile terminal 200 when the guard G actually moves to the security target facility B from the mobile terminal 200. Further, data indicating the reception order of each beacon signal may be stored, or data indicating the reception time of each beacon signal may be stored. In the detection data, the identification information of the beacon terminal 300 and the signal strength are associated with each other.

The state management unit 130 manages the position information of the guard G from the detection data received from the mobile terminal 200.

The display output unit 140 outputs the current position of the guard G estimated by the position estimation unit 160, which will be described later, and the detection data received from the mobile terminal 200 to a display means such as a monitor. As a result, the administrator can grasp the position information of the guard G and the abnormality information of the beacon terminal 300. The display output unit 140 may display the movement locus of the guard G using the detection data accumulated and stored. As a result, the manager can visually grasp the change in the position information of the guard G.

When the route condition determination unit 150 receives the detection data from the mobile terminal 200, the beacon terminal 300 described as the source of the beacon signal in the detection data refers to the route condition shown in FIG. Judge whether or not the condition is satisfied.

Specifically, in FIG. 1, the guard can move from the beacon terminal 2 to 3 to 17, but moves directly from the beacon terminal 2 to the beacon terminal 17 without going through the beacon terminals 3 and 18. It turns out that you can't. Here, referring to the table of FIG. 5, since the beacon 17 does not exist at the movable destination of the beacon 2, even if the center server 100 recognizes the beacon terminal 17 as the route immediately after the beacon terminal 2 from the detection data, It is not estimated that the guard G is in the vicinity of the beacon terminal 17.

The position estimation unit 160 performs indoor positioning based on an identification signal transmitted from the beacon terminal 300 and outdoor positioning based on a GPS signal. That is, indoor positioning and outdoor positioning are performed at the timing when the detection data is received from the mobile terminal 200, respectively. Then, the mobile terminal 200 is possessed by performing either the indoor positioning process in which the result of the indoor positioning is the position of the guard G or the outdoor positioning process in which the result of the outdoor positioning is the position of the guard G. Estimate the current position of the guard G. As will be described later, the priority process is determined from the indoor positioning process and the outdoor positioning process based on the detection presence / absence of the beacon terminal 300 satisfying the route condition and the GPS accuracy, and the position of the guard G is determined by the determined positioning process. presume. That is, the position estimation unit 160 switches between the indoor positioning process and the outdoor positioning process to perform position estimation depending on whether or not the mobile terminal 200 has detected the beacon terminal 300 satisfying the above-mentioned route condition.

Specifically, when the position estimation unit 160 estimates the position of the guard G by the outdoor positioning process and the mobile terminal 200 satisfies the route condition and detects a plurality of beacon terminals 300, the position estimation unit 160 performs the indoor positioning process. Switch. For example, when the beacon 7 of FIG. 1 is detected and then the beacon 8 is detected, since the beacon terminal 300 satisfying the route condition is detected, the process is switched to the indoor positioning process.

Further, in the case where the position of the guard G is estimated by the outdoor positioning process, even if the beacon 7 is not detected and the beacon 8 and the beacon 9 are detected in this order, the beacon 7 cannot be detected due to the reception environment or the like. Or, since it is assumed that the beacon 7 is mistakenly switched to the outdoor positioning process when the beacon 7 is detected, the indoor positioning process is switched to.

As a result, when there is a high possibility that the guard G is moving indoors, the position can be estimated by quickly switching from the outdoor positioning process to the indoor positioning process.

Further, when the position estimation unit 160 satisfies the above route conditions and detects a plurality of beacon terminals 300, the position estimation unit 160 may further switch between the indoor positioning process and the outdoor positioning process according to the accuracy of GPS.

As a result, when the position of the guard G is estimated by the outdoor positioning process, if the detected beacon terminal 300 satisfies the route condition and the GPS accuracy is poor, the outdoor positioning process is switched to the indoor positioning process and the route condition is changed. If the GPS accuracy is good even if the above conditions are satisfied, the outdoor positioning process can be maintained.

Further, when the mobile terminal 200 detects a beacon terminal that does not satisfy the route condition in the case where the position of the guard G is estimated by the indoor positioning process, the position estimation unit 160 is outdoors if the GPS accuracy is equal to or higher than the threshold value. If the GPS accuracy is less than the threshold value after switching to the positioning process, the position is estimated based on the result of the indoor positioning (indoor positioning process) based on the signal of the beacon terminal detected immediately before.

As a result, when it is unlikely that the guard G is moving indoors, the indoor positioning process can be quickly switched to the outdoor positioning process.

As described above, when the position estimation unit 160 satisfies the route condition and detects a plurality of beacon terminals 300 when the position estimation of the guard G is performed by the outdoor positioning process, the position estimation unit 160 switches to the indoor positioning process. Specifically, if the beacon terminal 8 is detected immediately after the beacon terminal 7 in FIG. 1, the indoor positioning process is switched to. At this time, when the beacon terminal 7 is detected, the position of the guard G is estimated by the outdoor positioning process. There is. Therefore, when the positioning process is switched in this way, the storage unit 120 stores the position of the guard when the beacon terminal 7 is detected retroactively as a position based on the beacon terminal 7 instead of a position based on GPS.

(Functional block of mobile terminal)
As shown in FIG. 3, the mobile terminal 200 has a first receiving unit 210, a second receiving unit 220, a communication unit 230, and a signal strength measuring unit 240 as functional blocks.

The first receiving unit 210 is a communication interface having a function of performing short-range communication with the beacon terminal 300 in the space of the security target facility B, and receives the beacon signal transmitted from the beacon terminal 300 in the space. For short-range communication, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) or the like is used.

The second receiving unit 220 receives GPS signals from GPS satellites.

The communication unit 230 is a communication interface having a function of communicating with the center server 100. The communication unit 230 transmits detection data and the like to the center server 100 via, for example, a mobile phone network or an Internet network.

The signal strength measuring unit 240 is a means for measuring the signal strength of the beacon signal received from the beacon terminal 300. When the beacon signal from the beacon terminal 300 is a radio wave, the signal strength measuring unit 240 detects the amplitude of the received radio wave as the signal strength.

Further, the signal strength measuring unit 240 determines the GPS positioning accuracy. For example, the GPS positioning accuracy can be determined by calculating the DOP (Dilution Of Precision) based on the arrangement state of the GPS satellites. For example, if the DOP value is less than 5, the positioning accuracy is good, and if the DOP value is 5 or more, the positioning accuracy can be poor. In the following, the case where the accuracy is good and the case where the accuracy is poor will be described separately. Not limited to this, the accuracy is set to high, medium, and low (for example, “high” when DOP value <3, “medium” when 3 ≦ DOP ≦ 7, and “low” when 7 <DOP). It may be classified into multiple stages, or the error (m) of the positioning distance may be used as the accuracy. That is, the accuracy is equal to or higher than the threshold value when the accuracy is "good", "high, medium", "within 3 m of error", or the like. Further, in determining the GPS positioning accuracy, not only the calculation of DOP but also various known methods such as CEP (Circular Error Probability) and RMS (Root Mean Square) can be adopted. .. For example, when using the RMS value, if it is less than 5 mRMS (existing in a circle within a radius of 5 m from the true positioning point with a probability of 63%), the positioning accuracy may be good.

Further, the signal strength measuring unit 240 may determine the signal strength of the GPS signal as the positioning accuracy. In this case, if the signal strength is large (greater than or equal to the threshold value), the accuracy is good, and if it is small (less than the threshold value), the accuracy is poor.

Not limited to the above, various known methods can be used for measuring signal strength and calculating positioning accuracy.

(Functional block of beacon terminal)
As shown in FIG. 3, the beacon terminal 300 has a transmission unit 310 and a storage unit 320 as functional blocks.

The transmitting unit 310 transmits the beacon signal including the identification information (beacon ID) of the beacon terminal 300 as radio waves or sound waves. The transmission interval of the beacon signal is set to 1 time / second, and the reception interval is set to 1 time (continuous for 5 seconds) / hour, but the present invention is not limited to these.

The storage unit 320 stores the identification information and the like of the beacon terminal 300.

[System operation]
Next, the switching operation between the indoor positioning process and the outdoor positioning process in the position estimation system configured as described above will be described. The operation is executed by the cooperation between the hardware such as the CPU and the communication unit of the center server 100, the mobile terminal 200 and the beacon terminal 300, and the software stored in the storage unit. In the following description, for convenience, unless otherwise specified, the CPU of each device is the main operating body.

As a premise of the processing, the center server 100 periodically (for example, every 5 seconds) transmits beacon information (beacon identification signal and received signal strength) and GPS information (latitude / longitude and accuracy) from the mobile terminal 200. ) Is received. Further, since it is assumed that the mobile terminal 200 receives signals from a plurality of beacon terminals 300, the information of the beacon terminal 300 having the maximum received signal strength is transmitted to the center server 100. The center server 100 stores both the received beacon information and the GPS information in the storage unit 120 in order to determine whether or not the route conditions are satisfied.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of the switching process from the indoor positioning process to the outdoor positioning process by the center server 100.

As shown in the figure, the CPU 11 of the center server 100 determines whether or not the identification signal of any beacon terminal 300 has been received from the mobile terminal 200 during the execution of the position estimation of the guard G by the indoor positioning process. (Step 61).

When it is determined that the identification signal of the beacon terminal 300 has been received (Yes), the CPU 11 determines whether the beacon terminal 300 corresponding to the identification signal is the beacon terminal 300 that satisfies the route condition in relation to the previously received identification signal. It is determined whether or not (step 62).

On the other hand, when it is determined that the identification signal of the beacon terminal 300 has not been received (No), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the GPS accuracy is equal to or higher than the threshold value (good) (step 63).

If it is determined in step 62 that the identification signal satisfies the route condition (Yes), there is a high possibility that the guard G stays indoors, so the CPU 11 maintains the indoor positioning process (step 64).

On the other hand, when it is determined that the identification signal does not satisfy the route condition (No), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the accuracy of the GPS signal is equal to or higher than the threshold value (good) (step 63).

If it is determined in step 63 that the GPS accuracy is equal to or higher than the threshold value (Yes), there is a high possibility that the guard G has gone outdoors, so the CPU 11 switches the indoor positioning process to the outdoor positioning process (step). 65).

On the other hand, if it is determined that the GPS accuracy is less than the threshold value (No), there is a high possibility that the guard G stays indoors, so the CPU 11 maintains the indoor positioning process (step 64).

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the switching process from the indoor positioning process to the outdoor positioning process in chronological order along with changes in the reception intensity of the beacon terminal 300, the accuracy of GPS, and the position of the guard G. The numbers indicating the beacon terminal 300 in the figure correspond to those shown in FIG.

As shown in the figure, at time t2, the beacon terminal 17 that does not satisfy the route condition is detected, but since the GPS accuracy is low, the CPU 11 maintains the position of the beacon 2 immediately before.

On the other hand, at time t11, since the beacon terminal 13 that does not satisfy the route condition is detected and the GPS accuracy is high, the CPU 11 switches the indoor positioning process to the outdoor positioning process.

Although the position of the beacon terminal 11 is recorded at time t10, the CPU 11 overwrites the position recording (beacon 11) at t10 with GPS because the position was switched to the outdoor positioning process due to the movement that does not satisfy the route condition. To do.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of the switching process from the outdoor positioning process to the indoor positioning process by the center server 100.

As shown in the figure, the CPU 11 of the center server 100 determines whether or not the identification signal of any beacon terminal 300 has been received from the mobile terminal 200 during the execution of the position estimation of the guard G by the outdoor positioning process. (Step 81).

When it is determined that the identification signal of the beacon terminal 300 has been received (Yes), the CPU 11 determines whether the beacon terminal 300 corresponding to the identification signal is the beacon terminal 300 that satisfies the route condition in relation to the previously received identification signal. Whether or not it is determined (step 82).

If it is determined that the identification signal does not satisfy the route condition (No), there is a high possibility that the guard G stays outdoors, so the CPU 11 maintains the outdoor positioning process (step 85).

On the other hand, when it is determined that the identification signal satisfies the path condition (Yes), the CPU 11 determines whether or not the GPS accuracy is equal to or higher than the threshold value (good) (step 83).

If it is determined that the GPS accuracy is equal to or higher than the threshold value (Yes), there is a high possibility that the guard G stays outdoors, so the CPU 11 maintains the position estimation process by the outdoor positioning process (step 85).

On the other hand, if it is determined that the GPS accuracy is less than the threshold value (No), there is a high possibility that the guard G has moved indoors, so the CPU 11 switches the outdoor positioning process to the indoor positioning process (step 84). ..

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the switching process from the outdoor positioning process to the indoor positioning process in chronological order along with changes in the reception intensity of the beacon terminal 300, the accuracy of GPS, and the position of the guard G.

As shown in the figure, since the beacon terminals 7 → 8 detected at the times t2 and t3 satisfy the route condition, the CPU 11 switches the outdoor positioning process to the indoor positioning process. At this time, as described above, the switching condition may be that the GPS accuracy is low (less than the threshold value).

Although the positioning result based on GPS is recorded at time t2, the CPU 11 overwrites the position recording (GPS) at time t2 on the beacon terminal 7 because the indoor positioning process is switched to due to the movement satisfying the route condition. To do.

[Summary]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the center server 100 switches the outdoor positioning process to the indoor positioning process when a plurality of beacon terminals 300 satisfying the route condition are detected and the GPS accuracy is low, and the beacon terminal 300 If the identification signal does not satisfy the route conditions and the GPS accuracy is high, by switching the indoor positioning process to the outdoor positioning process, the guard G can be appropriately located indoors / outdoors depending on whether it is indoors or outdoors. The position of the guard G can be grasped by using the positioning process.

[Modification example]
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

In the above-described embodiment, it is a condition that the GPS accuracy is less than the threshold value in switching from the outdoor positioning process to the indoor positioning process. Here, in consideration of the possibility that the security guard G may detect the beacon terminal 300 while moving outdoors, outdoor positioning is performed when the number of beacon terminals 300 exceeding the set number according to the GPS accuracy is detected. Position estimation may be performed by switching from processing to indoor positioning processing.

For example, if the GPS accuracy is low (that is, it is likely to be indoors), when two or more beacon terminals are detected, it switches to indoor positioning processing, and the GPS accuracy is high (that is, it is likely to be outdoors). If three or more beacon terminals are detected, the indoor positioning process may be switched to. As a result, even if a beacon signal is received while moving outdoors, it is possible to prevent accidentally switching to indoor positioning processing, and when moving from outdoors to indoors, it is possible to quickly switch to indoor positioning processing.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of the switching process from the outdoor positioning process to the indoor positioning process by the center server 100 in this case. In the process of FIG. 8, the number of steps (step 83) for determining whether or not the GPS accuracy is equal to or higher than the threshold value is set according to the GPS accuracy (the higher the GPS accuracy, the larger the number) as compared with the flowchart of FIG. The process is the same as that in FIG. 8 except that the process is replaced with the process of determining whether or not the beacon terminal 300 of (the lower the GPS accuracy is, the smaller the value) is detected.

In the above-described embodiment, in the switching process from the outdoor positioning process to the indoor positioning process, an arbitrary beacon terminal 300 is used in determining whether or not the detected beacon terminal 300 satisfies the route condition. However, the center server 100 detects a specific beacon terminal 300 installed in the vicinity of the entrance / exit D leading to indoors and outdoors of the security target facility B, and then detects a movable beacon terminal from the specific beacon terminal 300. When (the route condition is satisfied), the position may be estimated by switching to the indoor positioning process. As a result, it is possible to prevent accidentally switching to the indoor positioning process simply by detecting the specific beacon terminal 300 while moving outdoors.

Further, in this case, when the mobile terminal 200 detects the specific beacon terminal 300, the center server 100 switches from the outdoor positioning process to the indoor positioning process when the GPS accuracy is low (less than the threshold value), and the GPS If the accuracy is high (greater than or equal to the threshold value), when the beacon terminal 300 satisfying the route condition is detected, the outdoor positioning process may be switched to the indoor positioning process to estimate the position. As a result, when there is a high possibility that the guard G is indoors in consideration of GPS accuracy, the process can be quickly switched to the indoor positioning process.

In the above-described embodiment, when the mobile terminal 200 detects the beacon terminal 300 that does not satisfy the route condition during the position estimation of the guard G by the indoor positioning process, the center server 100 detects the beacon terminal and immediately before. If there is an outdoor area between the beacon terminal and the beacon terminal, the outdoor positioning process is switched to, and if the outdoor area does not exist, the position is estimated by the indoor positioning process based on the signal of the beacon terminal 300 detected immediately before. Good.

Specifically, in this case, the center server 100 indicates to the storage unit 120 the route of the beacon terminal 300 in the vicinity of the outdoor area that can be detected when the guard G moves to the outdoor area of the managed facility B. Memorize information. For example, in FIG. 1, a route such as beacon terminal 15 → 18 and a route such as beacon terminal 11 → 13 correspond to the outdoor route information. The route of the outdoor route information does not satisfy the above route conditions indoors, and an outdoor region exists on a straight line connecting beacon terminals on the route on a map.

Then, when the position estimation unit 160 detects the beacon terminal 300 that does not satisfy the route condition, if the route of the detected beacon terminal 300 matches the outdoor route information, the position estimation unit 160 switches to the outdoor positioning process and estimates the position. You may.

As a result, it is possible to more reliably detect the situation in which the indoor positioning process is set even though the guard G is outdoors, and appropriately switch to the outdoor positioning process. Further, when the guard G mistakenly detects the beacon terminal 300 that deviates from the route while moving indoors, it is possible to prevent the guard G from being mistakenly switched to the outdoor positioning process.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, it is determined whether or not the GPS accuracy is equal to or higher than the threshold value when the identification signal is not received from the mobile terminal 200 during the position estimation of the guard G by the indoor positioning process. , It may be determined whether or not the GPS accuracy is equal to or higher than the threshold value only when the position of the specific beacon terminal 300 is set to the position of the guard G. That is, even if the position estimation of the guard G by the indoor positioning process is being executed, the position other than the specific beacon terminal 300 is set as the position of the guard G, and if the identification signal cannot be received, it is temporarily indoors. Since it is assumed that the identification signal has not been received, the indoor positioning process is maintained regardless of the GPS accuracy. As a result, it is possible to distinguish between the fact that the guard G cannot receive the identification signal due to the movement from indoors to the outdoors and the fact that the guard G temporarily cannot receive the identification signal while moving indoors, which is incorrect. It is possible to prevent switching from indoor positioning processing to outdoor positioning processing.

In the above-described embodiment, the center server 100 is responsible for the position estimation process, but the mobile terminal 200 may be responsible for each of the processes. In this case, the mobile terminal 200 has a functional block, hardware, and a program corresponding to the storage unit 120 and the position estimation unit 160. In this case, the process of transmitting the identification signal and GPS signal information from the mobile terminal 200 to the center server 100 becomes unnecessary. The mobile terminal 200 may transmit the position information of the guard G carrying the mobile terminal 200, which is estimated by the position estimation process, to the center server 100.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, when the center server 100 stores the route condition shown in FIG. 5 and has the route condition determination unit 150 and receives the detection data from the mobile terminal 200, the route condition is referred to. Then, it is determined whether or not the beacon terminal 300 described as the source of the beacon signal in the detection data satisfies the route condition. However, the mobile terminal 200 may have the route condition determination unit and the route condition. In this case, the mobile terminal 200 transmits the detection data to the center server 100 when the route determination unit determines that the detection data satisfies the route condition, and when it is determined that the route condition is not satisfied, the mobile terminal 200 transmits the detection data. , The detection data is not transmitted to the center server 100.

Further, in the present embodiment, the position estimation of the guard G during the security work has been described, but the scope of application of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is possible to adapt to the position estimation of various people such as staff who work at airports and department stores, cleaners who perform cleaning work, workers who work at various sites, and users who use facilities such as airports and department stores. Is.

Among the inventions described in the claims of the present application, the invention described as "position estimation method" is such that at least one device such as a computer automatically performs each step by information processing by software. Yes, it is not something that humans do using devices such as computers. That is, the "position estimation method" is a position information estimation method by computer software, and is not a method in which a human operates a calculation tool called a computer.

11 ... CPU
18 ・ 120… Storage unit 19 ・ 110… Communication unit 150… Route condition determination unit 160… Position estimation unit 100… Center server 200… Mobile terminal 210… First receiver 220… Second receiver 300… Beacon terminal 310… Transmission Part B ... Security target facility D ... Doorway G ... Security guard

Claims (10)

A plurality of signal transmitters installed in an indoor space to be managed, a mobile terminal carried by a person moving in the space, and a management device capable of communicating with the mobile terminal are provided, and the position of the person is estimated. It is a position estimation system that
The signal transmitter has a transmitter that transmits an identification signal including its own identification information.
The mobile terminal
A first receiving unit that receives the identification signal transmitted by the signal transmitter existing within a predetermined distance range, and
A second receiver that receives GPS signals and
It has a transmission unit that transmits the identification signal and the information of the GPS signal to the management device.
The management device is
Indoor positioning based on the identification signal received from the mobile terminal and outdoor positioning based on GPS signals are performed, and the result of the indoor positioning is used as the position of the person, or the result of the outdoor positioning is used as the position of the person. A position estimation unit that estimates the position of the person by any of the outdoor positioning processes
It has a storage unit that stores a route condition in which the route on which the person can move is indicated by the identification information of the signal transmitter.
When the position estimation unit performs position estimation of the person by the outdoor positioning process and detects a plurality of the signal transmitters satisfying the route conditions based on the received identification signal, the outdoor positioning process A position estimation system that switches from to the indoor positioning process. The first aspect of the present invention, wherein the position estimation unit switches between the indoor positioning process and the outdoor positioning process according to the accuracy of GPS when the position estimation unit satisfies the route condition and detects a plurality of signal transmitters. Position estimation system. The position estimation unit according to claim 2, wherein when the position estimation unit detects a set number or more of the signal transmitters corresponding to the accuracy of the GPS while satisfying the route conditions, the position estimation process switches from the outdoor positioning process to the indoor positioning process. system. When the position estimation unit is performing the position estimation of the person by the outdoor positioning process, the position estimation unit detects the specific signal transmitter near the doorway leading to indoors and outdoors among the plurality of signal transmitters, and further The position estimation system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the signal transmitter satisfying the route condition is detected, the outdoor positioning process is switched to the indoor positioning process. When the position estimation unit detects the specific signal transmitter, the position estimation unit detects the signal transmitter whose GPS accuracy is less than the threshold value or whose GPS accuracy is equal to or higher than the threshold value and further satisfies the path condition. The position estimation system according to claim 4, wherein the outdoor positioning process is switched to the indoor positioning process. When the position estimation unit estimates the position of the person by the indoor positioning process, the position estimation unit detects the signal transmitter that does not satisfy the route condition, and if the GPS accuracy is equal to or higher than the threshold value, the indoor positioning is performed. The position estimation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which switches from the process to the outdoor positioning process. The storage unit stores outdoor route information indicating the route of the signal transmitter in the vicinity of the outdoor area that can be detected when the person moves in the outdoor area in the space to be managed by the identification information.
When the position estimation unit detects the signal transmitter that does not satisfy the route conditions, if the route of the detected signal transmitter matches the outdoor route information, the indoor positioning process is changed to the outdoor positioning process. The position estimation system according to claim 6, which is switched. A position estimation system that includes a plurality of signal transmitters installed in a space to be managed and a mobile terminal carried by a person moving in the space, and estimates the position of the person.
The signal transmitter has a transmitter that transmits an identification signal including its own identification information.
The mobile terminal
A first receiving unit that receives the identification signal transmitted by the signal transmitter existing within a predetermined distance range, and
A second receiver that receives GPS signals and
Either indoor positioning processing based on the identification signal and outdoor positioning based on GPS signals, and indoor positioning processing in which the result of the indoor positioning is the position of the person or outdoor positioning processing in which the result of the outdoor positioning is the position of the person. A position estimation unit that estimates the position of the person,
It has a storage unit that stores a route condition in which the route on which the person can move is indicated by the identification information of the signal transmitter.
When the position estimation unit performs position estimation of the person by the outdoor positioning process and detects a plurality of the signal transmitters satisfying the route conditions, the position estimation unit switches from the outdoor positioning process to the indoor positioning process. system. The position of the person using a plurality of signal transmitters installed in the indoor space to be managed, a mobile terminal carried by a person moving inside and outside the space, and a management device capable of communicating with the mobile terminal. It is a position estimation method to estimate
The signal transmitter has a transmitter that transmits an identification signal including its own identification information, and the position estimation method is
Upon receiving the identification signal transmitted by the signal transmitter existing within a predetermined distance range,
Receives GPS signals
Indoor positioning based on the identification signal received from the mobile terminal and outdoor positioning based on the GPS signal are performed, and the result of the indoor positioning is set as the position of the person, or the result of the outdoor positioning is the position of the person. The position of the person is estimated by one of the outdoor positioning processes,
The route condition in which the person can move is indicated by the identification information of the signal transmitter is stored.
When the position of the person is estimated by the outdoor positioning process and a plurality of the signal transmitters satisfy the route conditions based on the received identification signal, the outdoor positioning process is changed to the indoor positioning process. Position estimation method to switch. The position of the person using a plurality of signal transmitters installed in the indoor space to be managed, a mobile terminal carried by a person moving inside and outside the space, and a management device capable of communicating with the mobile terminal. A program executed by the management device in the position estimation system for estimating
The signal transmitter has a transmitter that transmits an identification signal including its own identification information.
The mobile terminal has a first receiving unit that receives the identification signal transmitted by the signal transmitter existing within a predetermined distance range, a second receiving unit that receives a GPS signal, the identification signal, and the GPS signal. Has a transmission unit that transmits the information of the above to the management device.
The program is applied to the management device.
A step of receiving the identification signal transmitted by the signal transmitter existing within a predetermined distance range, and
The step of receiving the GPS signal and
Indoor positioning based on the identification signal received from the mobile terminal and outdoor positioning based on the GPS signal are performed, and the result of the indoor positioning is set as the position of the person, or the result of the outdoor positioning is the position of the person. The step of estimating the position of the person by any of the outdoor positioning processes
A step of storing a route condition indicating a route on which the person can move by the identification information of the signal transmitter, and a step of storing the route condition.
When the position of the person is estimated by the outdoor positioning process and a plurality of the signal transmitters satisfy the route conditions based on the received identification signal, the outdoor positioning process is switched to the indoor positioning. A program that executes steps and.

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