JP4628422B2 - Position detection apparatus, position detection method, position detection program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a position detection device, a position detection method, a position detection program, and a recording medium that detect the position of a moving body. However, the use of the present invention is not limited to the above-described position detection device, position detection method, position detection program, and recording medium.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a navigation device that performs route search and route guidance to a destination point, detection of a device body position using a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver has been performed. The GPS receiver receives a positioning radio wave transmitted from a GPS satellite and detects the position of the apparatus main body. The detection of the apparatus main body position is an important technique for realizing the function of the navigation apparatus, and a technique for improving the accuracy has been devised (for example, see Patent Document 1 below).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 05-018771

  However, according to the above-described prior art, there is a problem that the position of the apparatus main body cannot be detected when the positioning radio waves from the GPS satellites cannot be received. In general, a navigation device uses a self-supporting sensor such as an angular velocity sensor. However, in recent years, the use of a device body position detection by a positioning radio wave from a GPS satellite has been extended to devices other than the navigation device. In many cases, these devices are not provided with a self-supporting sensor, and when it is impossible to receive a positioning radio wave from a GPS satellite, the position of the main body of the device cannot be detected.

  In addition, the detection of the position of the apparatus main body using GPS is an example of a problem that accuracy is low when moving in a relatively narrow range at a low speed. Since GPS uses radio waves for positioning from GPS satellites that exist in outer space, if the moving width of the moving body is small, the movement may not be accurately captured depending on the reception status of the radio waves for positioning. is there. For example, it may be difficult to accurately detect the position of a vehicle traveling in an indoor parking lot or a pedestrian walking in a theme park.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a position detection apparatus according to claim 1 is a position detection apparatus that detects a current position of a mobile body in an area where a plurality of communication devices are installed. , An input unit that receives input of identification information of the mobile body received from the mobile body by the plurality of communication devices, and a detection that detects a reception time at each communication device of each identification information input by the input unit Means, and transmission means for transmitting the location information of each communication device and the detection result detected by the detection means to a communication terminal included in the mobile body.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a position detection method of a position detection device for detecting a current position of a mobile body in an area where a plurality of communication devices are installed, wherein the plurality of communication devices An input step for receiving an input of identification information of the mobile unit received from the mobile unit, a detection step of detecting a reception time of each identification information input by the input step in each communication unit, and each of the communication units And a transmission step of transmitting the detection result detected by the detection step to a communication terminal included in the mobile body.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a position detection program causes a computer to execute the position detection method according to the third aspect.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium that can be read by a computer that records the position detection program according to the fourth aspect.

  Exemplary embodiments of a position detection device, a position detection method, a position detection program, and a recording medium according to the present invention will be explained below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a functional configuration of the position detection apparatus according to the first embodiment. The position detection apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment is provided in a moving body, and detects the current position of the moving body in an area where a plurality of communication devices are installed. Here, the moving body is, for example, a vehicle, a pedestrian, or the like, and the position detection device 100 moves in the area together with the moving body. An area is a fixed space such as a vehicle parking lot or a theme park. This facility does not matter indoors.

  The position detection apparatus 100 includes a receiving unit 101, a detecting unit 102, an acquiring unit 103, a display unit 104, a transmission source specifying unit 105, a determining unit 106, and a passage specifying unit 107. The receiving unit 101 receives a transmission signal including installation position information of each communication apparatus and transmission time information of the installation position information from a plurality of communication apparatuses. The receiving unit 101 can receive transmission signals from a plurality of communication devices (hereinafter referred to as “first transmission signals”) and transmission signals from GPS satellites (hereinafter referred to as “second transmission signals”). In this case, both transmission signals may be received.

  The installation position information is information relating to the installation position of each communication device, and is, for example, latitude / longitude information, coordinate position information within a region, position information relative to another communication device, or the like. Further, the transmission time information may be any information as long as the time from when the transmission signal is transmitted from the communication device to when it is received by the receiving unit 101 is known in addition to the time when the installation position signal is transmitted. In addition, when the receiving unit 101 can receive a transmission signal from a GPS satellite, a mechanism for detecting the current position of the moving body based on the transmission signal from the GPS satellite may be provided.

  The detection unit 102 detects the reception time of each transmission signal received by the reception unit 101. The reception time may be information indicating the time from when the transmission signal is transmitted from the communication device to when it is received by the reception unit 101 in addition to the time when the transmission signal is received. Note that the detection unit 102 may detect the reception time of the first transmission signal when the determination unit 106 determines the first transmission signal.

  Based on the installation position information of each communication device received by the reception unit 101, the transmission time information of the installation position information, and the detection result detected by the detection unit 102, the acquisition unit 103 moves in the area. Get current location information for. Specifically, for example, the distance to each communication device is calculated from the difference between the reception time of each transmission signal and the transmission time of the installation position information, and using the position information of each communication device, Current position information is calculated.

  In addition, the acquisition unit 103 transmits the installation position information of each communication device, the transmission time information of the installation position information, and the detection result by the detection unit 102 to the management server that manages the mobile body, and is transmitted from the management server. You may make it acquire the present position information of the mobile body which comes. Thereby, the calculation processing of the current position information can be performed by the management server, and the calculation load of the position detection device can be reduced.

  Furthermore, when the second transmission signal is determined by the determination unit 106, the acquisition unit 103 may acquire the current position information of the mobile object based on the second transmission signal. The display unit 104 displays the current position information acquired by the acquisition unit 103 on the map information of the area. At this time, if there is a path for the moving body in the region, the map matching process may be performed. Further, the map information may be previously stored in the position detection device, or may be transmitted from a communication device. The display unit 104 may display the current position information acquired by the acquisition unit 103 on the passage specified by the passage specifying unit 107 in the map information of the area.

  The transmission source specifying unit 105, based on the first transmission signal and the second transmission signal, the number of communication devices that transmitted the first transmission signal, the number of GPS satellites that transmitted the second transmission signal, Is identified. Specifically, for example, the number of reception of the first transmission signal can be set to the number of communication devices that have transmitted the first transmission signal. Similarly, the number of reception of the second transmission signal can be the number of GPS satellites that have transmitted the second transmission signal. Based on the number of communication devices specified by the transmission source specifying unit 105 and the number of GPS satellites, the determination unit 106 determines a transmission signal used to acquire the current position information of the mobile object. The passage specifying unit 107 specifies the passage in the area where the moving body is currently moving based on each transmission signal received by the receiving unit 101.

  For example, when the number of GPS satellites is specified to be greater than or equal to a predetermined number (for example, 3 or more), the second transmission signal is used as a transmission signal for acquiring the current position information of the mobile body in preference to the communication device. Can be determined. Similarly, when the number of communication devices is specified to be a predetermined number or more (for example, three or more), the first transmission signal is used to obtain the current position information of the mobile body in preference to the GPS satellite. A transmission signal can be determined. Furthermore, it is possible to determine a transmission signal to be used for acquiring the current position information of the moving body from the transmission source having the larger number specified.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of position detection processing of the position detection device 100. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the receiving unit 101 can receive a transmission signal from a GPS satellite. First, the receiving unit 101 receives a first transmission signal and a second transmission signal (step S201). Next, the transmission source specifying unit 105, based on the first transmission signal and the second transmission signal, the number of communication devices that transmitted the first transmission signal, and the GPS satellite that transmitted the second transmission signal. Are identified (step S202). The determining unit 106 determines a transmission signal to be used for acquiring the current position information of the mobile object based on the number of communication devices specified by the transmission source specifying unit 105 and the number of GPS satellites (step S203).

  Subsequently, it is determined whether or not the transmission signal determined in step S203 is the first transmission signal (step S204). If the transmission signal is the first transmission signal (step S204: Yes), the detection unit 102 The reception time of each transmission signal is detected (step S205). If it is not the first transmission signal (step S204: No), the process proceeds to step S206.

  In step S206, when the process proceeds from step S204, the acquisition unit 103, based on the installation position information and transmission time information included in the first transmission signal, and the detection result detected by the detection unit 102, The current position information of the moving body in the area is acquired (step S206). On the other hand, in step S206, when the process proceeds from step S204, the acquisition unit 103 acquires the current position information of the moving body based on the second transmission signal (step S206).

  Then, the passage specifying unit 107 specifies the passage in the area in which the mobile object is currently moving based on the number of communication devices and the number of GPS satellites specified in step S202 (step S207). Finally, the display unit 104 displays the current position information of the moving object acquired in step S206 on the map information (step S208), and ends the processing according to this flowchart.

  As described above, according to the position detection device 100 according to the first embodiment, the current position of the moving body in the region can be known even when the moving body does not have a GPS receiver or the like. . Even if the mobile unit has a GPS receiver, if it is in an area where it is difficult to receive a transmission signal from a GPS satellite, such as a space blocked from the outside, the transmission information from the communication device Based on this, it is possible to detect the position.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a functional configuration of the position detection apparatus according to the second embodiment. The position detection apparatus 300 according to the second embodiment is provided in a management server that manages a moving body, and detects the current position of the moving body in an area where a plurality of communication devices are installed. The meanings of the moving object, the region, and the like are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  The position detection device 300 includes an input unit 301, a detection unit 302, a calculation unit 303, a transmission unit 304, and a path identification unit 305. The input unit 301 accepts input of mobile body identification information received by a plurality of communication devices from the mobile body. The input unit 301 may further accept input of transmission time information of identification information from the mobile unit received from the mobile unit by a plurality of communication devices.

  Here, the identification information is, for example, an ID number of a communication terminal that the mobile body has. Even in the same moving body, the transmission time of the identification information differs depending on the current position during movement. Therefore, when the identification information is transmitted, it may be transmitted including the transmission time information. Specifically, the transmission time information is, for example, the transmission time itself. Thereby, the plurality of communication devices that receive the identification information can grasp whether the identification information is transmitted from the mobile body at that time, and can improve the accuracy of the current position detection. Similarly, a code indicating the transmission time may be added to the end of the ID number as identification information as the transmission time information. With this code at the end, the plurality of communication devices that receive the identification information can grasp whether the identification information is transmitted from the mobile body at that time, and can improve the accuracy of current position detection. . Similarly, when transmitting the identification information, it may be transmitted including the transmission time information.

  The detection unit 302 detects the reception time of each identification information acquired by the input unit 301 in each communication device. The reception time at each communication device may be any time as long as the time from when the identification signal is transmitted from the mobile body to when it is received by each communication device is known in addition to the time when the identification information is given at each transmitter.

  The calculation unit 303 calculates the current position information of the moving body in the area based on the position information of each communication device and the detection result detected by the detection unit 302. For example, the calculation unit 303 calculates the relative distance from each communication device to the moving body using a difference in time when each communication device receives the identification information of the moving body. Then, the current position information of the moving body in the area is detected using the position information of each communication device. The calculation unit 303 may further calculate the current position information of the moving object in the area based on the transmission time information input by the input unit 301.

  The transmission unit 304 transmits the current position information calculated by the calculation unit 303 to a communication terminal included in the mobile object. The communication terminal possessed by the mobile body is, for example, a navigation device mounted on a vehicle or a mobile phone terminal possessed by a pedestrian. Moreover, the transmission part 304 is good also as transmitting the map information showing an area | region to a mobile body with current position information. Further, the transmission unit 304 may transmit information related to the passage specified by the passage specification unit 305 to the mobile body. The passage specifying unit 305 specifies the passage in the region where the moving body is currently moving based on the current position information calculated by the calculating unit 303.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of position detection processing performed by the position detection device. First, the input unit 301 acquires identification information received by a plurality of communication devices (step S401). Moreover, the detection part 302 detects the reception time of the identification information in each communication apparatus (step S402). Then, the calculation unit 303 calculates the current position information of the moving body based on the identification information acquired in step S401 and the detection result detected in step S402 (step S403).

  Subsequently, the passage specifying unit 305 specifies the passage in the region where the moving body is currently moving based on the current position information calculated by the calculating unit 303 (step S404). Finally, the transmission unit 304 transmits the current position information calculated in step S403 to the mobile body (step S405), and ends the process according to this flowchart.

  As described above, according to the position detection apparatus 300 according to the second embodiment, it is possible to know the current position of the moving object in the region using only the identification information of the moving object. In addition, by transmitting the calculated current position information to the mobile body, the mobile body can know the current position in the area even if the mobile body does not have a GPS receiver or the like.

  Although not shown, the transmission unit does not include the calculation unit 303 in the second embodiment, and transmits the installation position information of each communication device and the detection result detected by the detection unit 302 to the communication terminal included in the mobile unit. A position detection device including 304 may be used.

  FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating an example of a parking lot according to the embodiment. An example of the position detection apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment will be described in Example 1 and an example of the position detection apparatus 300 according to the second embodiment will be described in Example 2, respectively. In each of the embodiments, a common configuration is described in the first embodiment, and is omitted in the second embodiment. In Example 1, the position detection device 100 according to the first embodiment is realized by a navigation device mounted on a vehicle traveling in the parking lot 500.

  In FIG. 5, the parking space S of the parking lot 500 is an area where the vehicle C is parked. The slope 501 is a passage through which the vehicle C from the upper floor passes, and the slope 502 is a passage through which the vehicle C passes to the upper floor. The store entrance 503 is an entrance to an adjacent store.

  The inlet 504 is provided with an inlet gate device 505 and an inlet circuit breaker 506. When the entrance gate device 505 detects the vehicle C waiting for parking, the entrance gate device 505 performs ticketing processing for the vehicle C and communication with the vehicle C, and controls driving of the entrance breaker 506. The inlet circuit breaker 506 is opened and closed in accordance with a drive signal from the inlet gate device 505. Similarly, the exit 507 is provided with an exit gate device 508 and an exit breaker 509. The exit gate device 508 detects the vehicle C starting from the parking lot 500 and controls the driving of the exit breaker 509. The exit breaker 509 is driven to open and close in accordance with a drive signal from the exit gate device 508.

  Next, the facilities of the parking lot 500 described above will be described. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing equipment in a parking lot passage. In FIG. 6, a communication device 610 is appropriately installed at a desired position in the passage 600 in the parking lot 500, for example, a ceiling 601. Each communication device 610 transmits GPS alternative information to the navigation device 620 of the vehicle C that passes directly below.

  Before entering the parking lot 500, the navigation device 620 obtains current location information by triangulation using GPS information transmitted from a GPS satellite (not shown) existing in outer space. After entering the parking lot 500, the navigation device 620 acquires the position in the parking lot 500 based on the GPS alternative information transmitted from the communication device 610.

  Specifically, the GPS substitute information includes position information of each communication device 610 and a pseudo random code for detecting the time until the GPS substitute information reaches the navigation device 620. The navigation device 620 detects the position of each communication device 610 based on the position information included in the GPS alternative information, and measures the time until the signal transmitted from each communication device 610 is received. Get the distance. Thereby, the position of the apparatus main body in a parking lot can be detected. In order to specify the position of the navigation device 620 in the three-dimensional space, at least three communication devices 610 are required. If the movement of the vehicle C is on the same straight line, there are two communication devices 610. Thus, the position of the apparatus main body can be detected.

  Even after entering the parking lot 500, if GPS information can be received from the GPS satellite, the GPS information acquisition may be continued and the position of the device body may be detected together with the GPS alternative information. Good. Thereby, the position of the apparatus main body can be detected with higher accuracy. In addition, for example, the reception status of GPS information is monitored, and when the reception intensity falls below a certain level, the received information is switched to GPS alternative information, or the accuracy of the position of the apparatus body detected from the GPS information and GPS alternative information, respectively. Depending on, the information to be received may be switched.

  Further, the communication device 610 transmits various information from the management device to the navigation device 620 of the vehicle C immediately below. The various information from the management device includes, for example, detailed map information in the parking lot 500, position information of a parking area assigned to the vehicle C, and the like.

  Further, the communication device 610 receives identification information regarding the vehicle C from the navigation device 620. The identification information includes personal information of the vehicle owner (owner's name, location, contact information, payment card number, etc.), vehicle number, vehicle type, and the like.

  Moreover, FIG. 7 is explanatory drawing which shows the installation in the parking space of a parking lot. In FIG. 7, a communication device 610 is installed on the ceiling 700 above the parking space S as in FIG. 6, and the navigation device 620 of the vehicle C parked in the parking space S is sent from the management device. Send various information. In addition, a projector 710 and a light receiver 720 are installed on the ceiling 700, and the presence or absence of parking is detected based on the presence or absence of light reception by the light receiver 720 (light reception of infrared light or the like).

(System Configuration)
Below, the system block diagram of the parking lot management system concerning an Example is demonstrated. FIG. 8 is a system configuration diagram of the parking lot management system according to the embodiment. 8, the parking lot management system 800 includes a management device 801 corresponding to a management server, an entrance gate device 505, an entrance breaker 506, an exit gate device 508, and an exit blockage shown in FIG. Machine 509 is connected via a network 810. The management device 801 is a server that manages and drives and controls the number of vacant parking spaces S, the entrance gate device 505 and the exit gate device 508, the communication device 610, the projector 710, and the light receiver 720.

  When the vehicle C waiting for parking approaches the entrance gate device 505, the management device 801 acquires the identification information of the vehicle C. And the parking space S where the vehicle C parks is allocated, and the positional information on the allocated parking space S is transmitted to the vehicle C. Further, a detailed map in the parking lot 500 is also transmitted to the vehicle C.

(Hardware configuration of management device)
Next, a hardware configuration of the management apparatus 801 according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a hardware configuration of the management apparatus according to the embodiment. In FIG. 9, the management device 801 includes a CPU 901, ROM 902, RAM 903, magnetic disk drive 904, magnetic disk 905, optical disk drive 906, optical disk 907, audio I / F (interface) 908, and microphone 909. A speaker 910, an input device 911, a video I / F 912, a display 913, and a communication I / F (interface) 914. Each component 901 to 914 is connected by a bus 900.

  Here, the CPU 901 controls the entire management apparatus 801. The ROM 902 stores programs such as a boot program. The RAM 903 is used as a work area for the CPU 901. The magnetic disk drive 904 controls reading / writing of data with respect to the magnetic disk 905 according to the control of the CPU 901. The magnetic disk 905 stores data written under the control of the magnetic disk drive 904. As the magnetic disk 905, for example, an HD (hard disk) or an FD (flexible disk) can be used.

  The optical disk drive 906 controls reading / writing of data with respect to the optical disk 907 according to the control of the CPU 901. The optical disc 907 is a detachable recording medium from which data is read from the optical disc 907 according to the control of the optical disc drive 906. As the optical disc 907, a writable recording medium can be used. In addition to the optical disk 907, the removable recording medium may be an MO, a memory card, or the like.

  The audio I / F 908 is connected to a microphone 909 for audio input and a speaker 910 for audio output. The sound received by the microphone 909 is A / D converted in the sound I / F 908. In addition, sound is output from the speaker 910. Examples of the input device 911 include a remote controller including a plurality of keys for inputting characters, numerical values, various instructions, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, and the like.

  The video I / F 912 is connected to the display 913. Specifically, the video I / F 912 includes, for example, a graphic controller that controls the entire display 913, a buffer memory such as a VRAM (Video RAM) that temporarily stores image information that can be displayed immediately, and a graphic controller. Based on the output image data, the display 913 is configured by a control IC or the like.

  The display 913 displays icons, cursors, menus, windows, or various data such as characters and images. As the display 913, for example, a CRT, a TFT liquid crystal display, a plasma display, or the like can be adopted.

  The communication I / F 914 is connected to a network wirelessly or via a communication cable, and functions as an interface between the network and the CPU 901. The network includes a LAN, a WAN, a public line network, a mobile phone network, and the like.

(Hardware configuration of communication terminal)
Next, a hardware configuration of the navigation device 620 according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the communication terminal according to the embodiment. In FIG. 10, the navigation device 620 is mounted on a vehicle C and includes a navigation control unit 1001, a user operation unit 1002, a display unit 1003, a position acquisition unit 1004, a recording medium 1005, and a recording medium decoding unit 1006. A guidance sound output unit 1007, a communication unit 1008, a route search unit 1009, a route guidance unit 1010, a guidance sound generation unit 1011, and a speaker 1012.

  The navigation control unit 1001 controls the navigation device 620 as a whole. The navigation control unit 1001 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that executes predetermined arithmetic processing, a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores various control programs, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that functions as a CPU work area. It is realizable with the microcomputer etc. comprised by these.

  In addition, the navigation control unit 1001 inputs / outputs information on route guidance to / from the route search unit 1009, the route guidance unit 1010, and the guidance sound generation unit 1011 when performing route guidance, and displays information obtained as a result thereof. And output to the guide sound output unit 1007.

  The user operation unit 1002 outputs information input by the user such as characters, numerical values, and various instructions to the navigation control unit 1001. As the configuration of the user operation unit 1002, various known forms such as a push button switch that detects physical pressing / non-pressing, a touch panel, a keyboard, and a joystick can be employed. The user operation unit 1002 may be configured to perform an input operation by sound using a microphone that inputs sound from the outside.

  The user operation unit 1002 may be provided integrally with the navigation device 620, or may be configured to be operated separately from the navigation device 620 like a remote controller. The user operation unit 1002 may be configured in any one of the various forms described above, or may be configured in a plurality of forms. The user inputs information by appropriately performing an input operation according to the form of the user operation unit 1002. Examples of information input by the operation of the user operation unit 1002 include a destination point or a departure of a route to be searched.

  The destination or departure point can be entered by entering the latitude / longitude and address of each point, as well as specifying the phone number, genre, keyword, etc. of the facility that will be the destination or departure point. The position can be specified. More specifically, these pieces of information are specified as one point on the map based on background type data included in map information recorded on a recording medium 1005 described later. Further, map information may be displayed on a display unit 1003 to be described later, and one point on the displayed map may be designated.

  The display unit 1003 includes, for example, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), a TFT liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, a plasma display, and the like. Specifically, the display unit 1003 can be configured by, for example, a video I / F or a video display display device connected to the video I / F. Specifically, the video I / F includes, for example, a graphic controller that controls the entire display device, a buffer memory such as a VRAM (Video RAM) that temporarily stores image information that can be displayed immediately, and a graphic controller. Based on the output image information, the display device is configured by a control IC or the like. The display unit 1003 displays icons, cursors, menus, windows, or various information such as characters and images. The display unit 1003 displays map information stored in the HD 1005 and information related to route guidance.

  The position acquisition unit 1004 includes a GPS receiver and various sensors, and acquires information on the current position of the apparatus main body (current position of the vehicle). Further, when the position acquisition unit 1004 enters a predetermined area such as an area where the GPS information received by the GPS receiver cannot be received, the position acquisition unit 1004 receives GPS alternative information transmitted from a communication device provided in the area. The current position of the vehicle is detected.

  The GPS receiver receives GPS information transmitted from a GPS satellite and obtains a geometric position with respect to the GPS satellite. GPS is an abbreviation for Global Positioning System, and is a system for accurately obtaining a position on the ground by receiving radio waves from four or more satellites. The GPS receiver includes an antenna for receiving radio waves from GPS satellites, a tuner for demodulating the received radio waves, an arithmetic circuit for calculating the current position based on the demodulated information, and the like.

  The various sensors are various sensors mounted on the vehicle such as a vehicle speed sensor, an angular velocity sensor, a travel distance sensor, and an inclination sensor, and a travel locus of the vehicle is obtained from information output from these sensors. As described above, by using the information output from various sensors mounted on the own vehicle together with the information obtained from the outside by the GPS receiver, the position of the own vehicle can be recognized with higher accuracy.

  The vehicle speed sensor detects from the output shaft of the transmission of the vehicle on which the navigation device 620 is mounted. The angular velocity sensor detects an angular velocity when the host vehicle rotates and outputs angular velocity information and relative orientation information. The mileage sensor calculates the number of pulses per one rotation of the wheel by counting the number of pulses of a pulse signal with a predetermined period output with the rotation of the wheel, and the mileage information based on the number of pulses per one rotation Is output. The inclination sensor detects the inclination angle of the road surface.

  The recording medium 1005 records various control programs and various information in a state that can be read by a computer. The recording medium 1005 accepts writing of information by the recording medium decoding unit 1006 and records the written information in a nonvolatile manner. The recording medium 1005 can be realized by, for example, HD (Hard Disk). The recording medium 1005 is not limited to the HD, and can be attached to and detached from the recording medium decoding unit 1006 such as a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) or a CD (Compact Disk) instead of or in addition to the HD. A medium having portability may be used as the recording medium 1005. The recording medium 1005 is not limited to a DVD and a CD, and is detachable from a recording medium decoding unit 1006 such as a CD-ROM (CD-R, CD-RW), MO (Magneto-Optical disk), or memory card. A portable media can also be used.

  The map information stored in the recording medium 1005 includes background data representing features (features) such as buildings, rivers, and the ground surface, and road shape data representing the shape of the road, and is displayed on the display unit 1003. It is drawn in two or three dimensions on the screen. When the navigation device 620 is guiding a route, the map information recorded on the recording medium 1005 and the vehicle position acquired by the position acquisition unit 1004 are displayed in an overlapping manner.

  In this embodiment, the map information is recorded on the recording medium 1005. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The map information is not limited to being recorded integrally with the hardware of the navigation device 620, and may be provided outside the navigation device 620. In that case, the navigation apparatus 620 acquires map information via a network through the communication unit 1008, for example. The acquired map information is stored in a RAM or the like.

  A recording medium decoding unit 1006 controls reading / writing of information with respect to the recording medium 1005. For example, when HD is used as a recording medium, the recording medium decoding unit 1006 is an HDD (Hard Disk Drive). Similarly, when a DVD or CD (including CD-R and CD-RW) is used as the recording medium, the recording medium decoding unit 1006 is a DVD drive or a CD drive. When a CD-ROM (CD-R, CD-RW), MO, memory card, or the like is used as the writable and detachable recording medium 1005, information is written to various recording media and stored in various recording media. A dedicated drive device that can read the recorded information is appropriately used as the recording medium decoding unit 1006.

  The guide sound output unit 1007 reproduces the guide sound by controlling the output to the connected speaker 1012. There may be one speaker 1012 or a plurality of speakers. Specifically, the guidance sound output unit 1007 can be realized by an audio I / F connected to an audio output speaker 1012. More specifically, the audio I / F includes, for example, a D / A converter that performs D / A conversion of audio digital information, an amplifier that amplifies an audio analog signal output from the D / A converter, and audio analog information. And an A / D converter that performs A / D conversion.

  The communication unit 1008 communicates with communication devices such as the entrance gate device 505, the exit gate device 508, and the communication device 610 described above, and transmits GPS alternative information transmitted from the communication device 610 or the management device 801. Receive various information. In addition, the identification information of the vehicle C is transmitted to the management device 801. Further, road traffic information (VICS information) transmitted from the VICS center may be acquired by the communication unit 1008.

  The route search unit 1009 searches for an optimal route from the departure point to the destination point using map information stored in the recording medium 1005, VICS information acquired via the communication unit 1008, and the like. Here, the optimum route is a route that best matches the condition specified by the user. In general, there are an infinite number of routes from a departure point to a destination point. For this reason, items considered in route search are set to search for a route that matches the condition.

  The route guidance unit 1010 includes the guidance route information searched by the route search unit 1009, the own vehicle position information acquired by the position acquisition unit 1004, and the map information obtained from the recording medium 1005 via the recording medium decoding unit 1006. Based on this, real-time route guidance information is generated. The route guidance information generated at this time may be information that considers the traffic jam information received by the communication unit 1008. The route guidance information generated by the route guidance unit 1010 is output to the display unit 1003 via the navigation control unit 1001.

  The guide sound generator 1011 generates tone and voice information corresponding to the pattern. That is, based on the route guidance information generated by the route guidance unit 1010, the virtual sound source corresponding to the guidance point is set and the voice guidance information is generated, and is output to the guidance sound output unit 1007 via the navigation control unit 1001. .

(Route guidance processing of the navigation device 620)
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a procedure of route guidance processing performed in the parking lot by the navigation device. In the following description, a vehicle that wishes to park in the parking lot 500 is assigned a parking space by the management device 801. The navigation device 620 performs route guidance by setting the assigned parking space as a destination point.

  First, the navigation device 620 detects the current position using GPS and performs route guidance until it enters the parking lot 500 (step S1101). And it is judged whether the present position of a vehicle exists in the parking lot 500 (step S1102). When the current position of the vehicle is not in the parking lot 500 (step S1102: No), the process returns to step S1101, and the current position detection and route guidance using GPS are continued.

  When the current position of the vehicle is in the parking lot 500 (step S1102: Yes), the map information and the allocated space information in the parking lot 500 are received from the communication device 610 provided in the vicinity of the entrance gate 505 of the parking lot 500. (Step S1103). Here, the presence in the parking lot 500 includes a case where the entrance gate 505 of the parking lot 500 is close to a certain distance and communication with each other becomes possible.

  The map information indicates the detailed position of each parking space S in the parking lot 500. The allocated space information is position information of a parking space S (hereinafter referred to as an allocated space) allocated to the vehicle by the management device 801. The allocation of the parking space is performed, for example, by providing a management table for managing the parking space S and associating the vehicle identification information with the vacant parking space S. At this time, the parking space S to be assigned may be determined in consideration of the destination of the user on the vehicle.

  Then, the route search unit 509 performs route search by setting the allocated space as the destination point (step S1104). Subsequently, the GPS substitute information transmitted from the communication device 610 is received by the communication unit 808 (step S1105). Then, the position acquisition unit 1004 calculates the current position based on the received GPS alternative information (step S1106), and performs route guidance to the allocated space using the calculated current position information (step S1107). At this time, the current position detected in step S1106 is drawn on the display unit 803 in the map information field of the parking lot received in step S1103.

  Subsequently, it is determined whether the current position of the vehicle has reached the allocated space (step S1108). If the current position of the vehicle does not reach the allocated space (step S1108: No), the process returns to step S1105 and the subsequent processing is repeated. On the other hand, when the current position of the vehicle has reached the allocated space S (step S1108: Yes), the processing according to this flowchart is terminated.

  If the current position of the vehicle can be obtained using either the GPS or the communication device 610, the current position of the vehicle can be specified with higher accuracy or route guidance to the allocated space for the vehicle can be performed. A method that can be performed more appropriately shall be adopted. As one of the methods, it may be determined whether to use GPS or the communication device 610 depending on whether the vehicle is located indoors or outdoors.

  The first transmission is based on transmission signals from a plurality of communication devices (hereinafter referred to as “first transmission signals”) and transmission signals from GPS satellites (hereinafter referred to as “second transmission signals”). The number of communication devices that have transmitted signals and the number of GPS satellites that have transmitted second transmission signals are identified, and the current position information of the mobile unit is determined based on the number of communication devices and the number of GPS satellites that have been identified. The transmission signal used for acquisition of the signal may be determined, and it may be determined which of GPS or the communication device 610 is used according to the determined result.

  In this case, specifically, for example, when the first transmission signal is determined, the communication device 610 is used, the reception time of the first transmission signal is detected, and based on the detected reception time. To get the current position of the vehicle. On the other hand, when the second transmission signal is determined, the GPS is used, and the current position information of the moving body is acquired based on the second transmission signal.

  The case where the current position of the vehicle can be specified with higher accuracy or the route guidance to the allocated space for the vehicle can be performed more appropriately is, for example, communication with coordinates in conjunction with the in-region guide map used for route guidance. In the case where the position with the machine 610 is the same or related and the map information in the area is more suitable for the map matching than using the same latitude and longitude as the GPS as the position information sent from the communication machine 610. is there.

  12 and 13 are explanatory diagrams illustrating an example of a method for calculating the current position from the GPS alternative information. The position acquisition unit 1004 calculates the current position of the vehicle by triangulation using the GPS alternative information transmitted from the plurality of communication devices 610. Here, the number of communication devices 610 that need to receive GPS alternative information depends on the degree of freedom of movement of the vehicle.

  FIG. 12 shows a case where the movement of the vehicle C is fixed on a straight line (one-dimensional) where the communication devices 1201 and 1202 are located. In such a case, the current position of the vehicle C can be calculated by receiving GPS alternative information from the two communication devices 1201 and 1202.

  Here, as described above, the situation shown in FIG. 12 is more appropriate to use the coordinates in the area (parking lot 500) than to use the same latitude and longitude as GPS as the position information transmitted by the communication device 610. An example of a case where map matching is possible. That is, the situation shown in FIG. 12 corresponds to the case where the communication device 610 is installed at each corner of the parking lot 500 in FIG. In this case, the path where the vehicle C is currently located can be identified by following the corner of the communication device 610 from which the vehicle C passes from the entrance 504.

  It should be noted that which corner of the communicator 610 has passed right under the communicator 610 that communicated in the shortest communication time based on the communication time between the vehicle C and each communicator 610, for example. Can be determined. In addition, when it is possible to specify the passage where the vehicle C is located in the parking lot 500, the three communication devices 610 are considered by considering the specified passage when calculating the current position of the vehicle C. The current position of the vehicle C can be calculated with higher accuracy than the case where the current position of the vehicle is calculated using.

In FIG. 12, the position of the vehicle C is indicated by coordinates (x ₀ , 0). The position of the communication device 1201 is indicated by coordinates (x ₁ , h), and the position of the communication device 1202 is indicated by coordinates (x ₂ , h). h is the height from the floor of the parking lot 500 to the ceiling 401, and is the same in places where the communication devices 1201 and 1202 are installed. Further, x ₁ and x ₂ are known from position information included in the GPS alternative information. Thereby, the distance W between the communication devices 1201 and 1202 can be obtained. The distance W is represented by W = (x ₂ −x ₁ ).

The distances T ₁ and T ₂ from the respective communication devices 1201 and 1202 to the vehicle C can be obtained by the time from when the GPS alternative information is transmitted from the communication devices 1201 and 1202 until it is received by the position acquisition unit 1004. . Note that the distances T ₁ and T ₂ do not need to be determined as long as the distances T ₁ and T ₂ can be obtained. Here, a symbol Ca in FIG. 12 indicates a position when the position of the vehicle C is projected onto the ceiling 401, and is indicated by coordinates (x ₀ , h). The distances W ₁ and W ₂ from the projection position Ca of the vehicle C to the respective communication devices 1201 and 1202 are the distance W ₁ = (x ₀ −x ₁ ) = T ₁ × sin θ ₁ and the distance W ₂ = (x ₂ − x ₀ ) = T ₂ × sin θ ₂ Further, h = T ₁ × cos θ ₁ = T ₂ × cos θ ₂ From these relationships, it is possible to obtain a position of x ₀ by using trigonometric functions, it can calculate the current position of the vehicle C.

FIG. 13 shows a case where the vehicle C moves on a plane (two-dimensional). The position of the vehicle C is (x ₀ , y ₀ , 0), and the positions of the communication devices 1201 and 1202 are represented by (x ₁ , y ₁ , h) and (x ₂ , y ₂ , h), respectively. In this case, when the current position of the vehicle C is calculated as illustrated in FIG. 12, the candidate position D (x _d , y _d , 0) is calculated in addition to the true position (x ₀ , y ₀ , 0). End up. This is because the position of the vehicle C is a circle 1311 having a radius T ₁ × sin θ ₁ centered at a point 1301 (x ₁ , y ₁ , 0) and a radius centered at a point 1302 (x ₂ , y ₂ , 0). This is because it is indicated by the intersection of circles 1312 of T ₂ × sin θ ₂ .

  For this reason, when the vehicle C moves on a plane, it is necessary to receive GPS alternative information from three communication devices. There are one or two intersections where two circles intersect, but there are no two or more intersections where three circles intersect, so one point on the plane can be specified as the current position of the vehicle C.

  As described above, according to the navigation device 620 of the first embodiment, the vehicle C in which the navigation device 620 is mounted even in an area where transmission information from a GPS satellite cannot be received, such as an indoor parking lot or an indoor theme park. Can be detected and route guidance to a desired destination point can be performed.

  Moreover, the area | region which detects the present position of the vehicle C is limited, and more detailed map information is acquired regarding the area. For this reason, it is possible to perform current position display and route guidance with higher accuracy. For example, highly accurate route guidance can be performed even in areas where routes are densely located, such as in parking lots of facilities such as department stores or in theme parks.

  In the first embodiment, the current position of the vehicle C is detected by the navigation device 620 provided in the vehicle C moving through the parking lot 500. In the second embodiment, the current position of the vehicle C is detected by the management device 801 that manages the parking lot 500. That is, in Example 2, the position detection device 300 according to the second embodiment is realized by the management device 801 that manages the parking lot 500.

  When the vehicle C waiting for parking approaches the entrance gate device 505, the management device 801 acquires the identification information of the vehicle C. And the parking space S where the vehicle C parks is allocated, and the positional information on the allocated parking space S is transmitted to the vehicle C. And the present position of the vehicle C is detected and the route guidance information to the allocated parking space is transmitted. Thereby, the vehicle C can park in an appropriate parking space, and can perform parking management smoothly.

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of parking lot management processing performed by the management device. First, the management device 801 determines whether the vehicle C has entered the parking lot 500 (step S1401). Here, the entry of the vehicle C includes a case in which the vehicle C approaches the entrance gate 505 of the parking lot 500 and can communicate with each other.

  If the vehicle C has entered (step S1401: Yes), identification information is acquired from the navigation device 620 mounted on the vehicle C (step S1402). And the parking space where the vehicle C parks is allocated (step S1403). When the vehicle C does not enter (step S1401: No), the standby is continued until the vehicle C enters (step S1401: No loop).

  Next, the current position of the vehicle C is calculated from the identification information acquired in step S1402 (step S1404). At this time, the management device 801 calculates the current position of the vehicle C by a method substantially similar to that of the navigation device 620 described with reference to FIGS. That is, the distance between the vehicle C and each communication device 610 is calculated from the difference in time at which each communication device 610 (1201, 1202) received the identification information transmitted from the navigation device 620, and the current position of the vehicle C Is calculated.

  The management device 801 generates guidance information for the allocated space based on the current position of the vehicle C (step S1405). And guidance information and the map information of the parking lot 500 are transmitted to the vehicle C (step S1406). The guidance information includes the current position information of the vehicle C and the traveling direction instruction information. The navigation device 620 of the vehicle C projects the current position information of the host vehicle on the map information transmitted by the management device 801, and outputs guidance information. Note that if the communication terminal other than the navigation device 620 is mounted on the vehicle C, the above-described projection / guidance process may be performed on the communication terminal.

  The management device 801 determines whether the vehicle has reached the allocated space (step S1407). Whether the vehicle C has arrived may be determined based on the current position of the vehicle C, or may be determined based on whether or not the light receiver 720 (see FIG. 7) installed on the ceiling 700 is receiving light. If the vehicle has reached the allocated space (step S1407: Yes), the processing according to this flowchart is terminated. On the other hand, when the vehicle does not reach the allocated space (step S1407: No), the process returns to step S1404 and the subsequent processing is repeated.

  By the way, the current position of the vehicle C must be calculated based on the identification information output at the same timing. Because, when the vehicle C is moving in the parking lot 500, the calculation result is inaccurate if the current position of the vehicle C is calculated based on a plurality of identification information output at different timings. It is. That is, the identification information received by each communication device 610 (1201, 1202) can identify whether the identification information is output from the same vehicle C, and at what timing the identification information is output from the vehicle C. Can be specified.

  For this reason, in the present embodiment, the identification information output from the vehicle C includes information indicating the timing at which the identification information is output. The information indicating the timing may be information indicating the time when the identification information is output, or may be other information indicating that the identification information is not output previously. In any case, the information indicating the timing may be information that can identify the timing at which the identification information received by each communication device 610 (1201, 1202) is output.

  In wireless communication, even when the area of the parking lot 500 is large to some extent, the time required for transmission / reception of identification information is very short. For this reason, during the time required for communication with the communication device farthest from the vehicle C in the parking lot 500, a plurality of pieces of identification information need not be output from the same vehicle C. Therefore, communication farthest from the vehicle C in the parking lot 500 The same identification information may be repeatedly output as long as the interval is longer than the time required for communication with the machine. By repeatedly outputting the same identification information in this way, for example, the data amount of the identification information can be reduced as compared with the case where information indicating the time at which the identification information is output is used.

As described above, the distances T ₁ and T ₂ do not have to be obtained, and it is only necessary to obtain the ratio of the distances T ₁ and T _2. The ratio of the distances T ₁ and T ₂ is calculated based on the ratio of the time until the output identification information is received, and the current position of the vehicle C is calculated based on the calculated ratio of the distances T ₁ and T _2. It may be.

FIGS. 15 and 16 are explanatory diagrams for explaining the time until each communication device receives the identification information output from the vehicle. When the movement of the vehicle C is fixed on a straight line (one-dimensional) where the communication devices 1201 and 1202 are located, the time until each communication device 1201 and 1202 receives the identification information output from the vehicle C is t When _1, t _2, can be calculated the current position of the vehicle C based on the ratio of the time t _1, t _2.

As shown in FIG. 15, when the vehicle C is located directly below the communication device 1201 (or 1202), the time difference Δt = t ₁ −t ₂ becomes the maximum value Δtmax. As shown in FIG. 16, when the vehicle C is located at the center of the communication devices 1201 and 1202, the time difference Δt = t ₁ −t ₂ becomes the minimum value Δtmin (= 0). From this, the current position of the vehicle C can be calculated from the coordinates (x ₁ , h) of the communication device 1201 or the coordinates (x ₂ , h) of the communication device 1202 and the ratio of the time difference Δt to the time difference Δtmax.

  When the current position of the vehicle C is calculated based on the time difference Δt, for example, the time difference Δtmax is divided into a plurality of stages, and the distance from the communication device 1201 (or 1202) is associated with each divided time difference, and the measured value The current position of the vehicle C may be calculated based on the distance associated with the time difference Δt based on the above. In this case, the number of division steps of the time difference Δtmax may be set according to the accuracy required for calculating the current position of the vehicle C. That is, when the required accuracy is high, the time difference Δtmax is divided into more stages. Thereby, since the distance matched with the divided | segmented time difference is set in detail, the calculation precision of the present position of the vehicle C can be improved.

  FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the specification of the current position of the vehicle in the parking lot. In FIG. 17, reference numeral 1701 is a passage through which the vehicle C can travel in the parking lot 1700. A plurality of passages 1701 are provided in a lattice shape in the parking lot 1700. A communication device 1710 is provided at a position where each passage 1701 intersects. In the parking lot 1700, based on the communication time between each communication device 1710 and the vehicle C, by determining which communication device 1710 has passed right below or which communication device 1710 has a short communication time, It can be identified whether the vehicle C is located between the passage 1701 where the vehicle is currently located and which communication device 1710.

  By specifying between the passage 1701 where the vehicle C is currently located and which communication device 1710, the current position of the vehicle C can be specified using two of the communication devices 1710a and 1710b. In other words, specifying the passage 1701 where the vehicle C is currently located eliminates the need for arithmetic processing related to the vertical position in FIG. 17, so the relative positional relationship of the vehicle C with respect to the communication devices 1710a and 1710b is represented by the passage 1701a. The current position of the vehicle C can be specified by reflecting the above.

  Thus, for example, in an area where the traveling position of the vehicle C is limited, such as in the parking lot 1700, the two communication devices 1710a and 1710b are used by considering the specified passage. Thus, the calculation of the current position of the vehicle C can improve the calculation accuracy and perform map matching with higher accuracy than the calculation of the current position of the vehicle C using the three communication devices 1710. it can. Similarly, even when a predetermined number or more of GPS satellites can be identified, such as outdoors, the current position of the vehicle C is calculated using the GPS satellites in an area where the traveling position of the vehicle C is limited. As a result, it is possible to improve calculation accuracy and perform map matching with higher accuracy.

  As described above, according to the management device 801 according to the second embodiment, the management device 801 can detect the position of the vehicle C moving in the parking lot 500. For this reason, the vacancy situation of the parking space S etc. can be managed centrally. Further, by transmitting guidance information to the allocation space to the vehicle C, the vehicle C can be smoothly moved to the allocation space. In this case, even if the communication device mounted on the vehicle does not have a route search function or a route guidance information generation function, the same function as the navigation device 620 can be achieved.

  The position detection method described in the present embodiment can be realized by executing a program prepared in advance on a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation. This program is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium such as a hard disk, a flexible disk, a CD-ROM, an MO, and a DVD, and is executed by being read from the recording medium by the computer. The program may be a transmission medium that can be distributed via a network such as the Internet.

1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a position detection device according to a first embodiment; It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the position detection process of a position detection apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the functional structure of the position detection apparatus concerning Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the position detection process which a position detection apparatus performs. It is a top view which shows an example of the parking lot concerning an Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the installation in the channel | path of a parking lot. It is explanatory drawing which shows the installation in the parking space of a parking lot. It is a system configuration figure of the parking lot management system concerning an example. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the management apparatus concerning an Example. It is a block diagram which shows the hardware constitutions of the communication terminal concerning an Example. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the route guidance process which a navigation apparatus performs in a parking lot. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the method of calculating a present position from GPS alternative information. It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the method of calculating a present position from GPS alternative information. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of the parking lot management process which a management apparatus performs. It is explanatory drawing explaining time until each communication apparatus receives the identification information output from a vehicle. It is explanatory drawing explaining time until each communication apparatus receives the identification information output from a vehicle. It is explanatory drawing explaining specification of the present position of the vehicle in a parking lot.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100,300 Position detection apparatus 101 Reception part 102,302 Detection part 103 Acquisition part 104 Display part 105 Transmission origin specific | specification part 106 Determination part 107,305 Path | route identification part 301 Input part 303 Calculation part 304 Transmission part

Claims (5)

A position detection device for detecting a current position of a moving body in an area where a plurality of communication devices are installed,
Input means for receiving input of identification information of the mobile body received from the mobile body by the plurality of communication devices;
Detecting means for detecting a reception time in each communication device of each identification information input by the input means;
Transmission means for transmitting the installation position information of each communication device and the detection result detected by the detection means to a communication terminal included in the mobile body;
A position detection device comprising: The input means includes
Further, receiving input of transmission time information of the identification information from the mobile body received from the mobile body by the plurality of communication devices,
The transmission means includes
The position detection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising transmitting the transmission time information input by the input unit to a communication terminal included in the mobile body. A position detection method of a position detection device for detecting a current position of a moving body in an area where a plurality of communication devices are installed,
An input step for receiving input of identification information of the mobile body received from the mobile body by the plurality of communication devices;
A detection step of detecting a reception time in each communication device of each identification information input in the input step;
A transmission step of transmitting the installation position information of each communication device and the detection result detected by the detection step to a communication terminal included in the mobile body;
A position detection method comprising:   A position detection program for causing a computer to execute the position detection method according to claim 3.   A computer-readable recording medium on which the position detection program according to claim 4 is recorded.

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