KR101554232B1 - Terminal Positioning Apparatus and Method, and Terminal Positioning System Using the Same - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a terminal positioning system may comprise: at least three sensing devices sensing a wireless signal transmitted from a terminal; and a terminal positioning device receiving information on the wireless signal sensed by each sensing device and determining a terminal′s position by using the received information on the wireless signal. Various statistical data can be generated by using measured position information of the terminal.

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a terminal positioning apparatus and method, and a terminal positioning system using the same,

The present invention relates to a terminal positioning apparatus and method, and a terminal positioning system using the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a terminal positioning apparatus and method capable of measuring a position of a terminal in real time, and a terminal positioning system using the same.

There are various methods of measuring the location of the mobile terminal. However, in many cases, an access point (AP) is used, for example, by using information on a Wi-Fi access point located around the mobile terminal.

Another method for acquiring location information of a mobile terminal without using an access point is to install a specific application in the mobile terminal or to receive location information such as GPS information from the mobile terminal.

In addition, there is a limitation in utilizing the location information of the terminal.

Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1418741

Unlike the conventional terminal location measurement technique, the present invention provides a positioning technique of a terminal that does not need to use an access point, does not need to request specific information from the terminal, and does not need to install a separate application in the terminal .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention provides a terminal positioning apparatus and method for sensing a radio signal broadcasted from a terminal or transmitted to a specific target and measuring a position of the terminal using a sensed radio signal, And a terminal positioning system.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a wireless communication system that can include three or more sensing devices for more precise position measurement and can change channels according to a predetermined setting in order to minimize noise due to inter- And a terminal positioning system for sensing a signal.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of detecting a position of a terminal that periodically synchronizes to sense a radio signal over the same channel at the same time, System.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a terminal positioning apparatus and method capable of generating various statistical data using position information of a measured terminal, and a terminal positioning system using the same.

The technical problems of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned technical problems, and other technical problems which are not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a terminal positioning apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, comprising: a receiver for receiving information on a wireless signal transmitted from a terminal sensed by a sensing device; And a positioning unit for determining whether the position of the terminal exists in a predetermined area using the information on the received radio signal.

In one embodiment, the positioning unit determines whether the position of the terminal is within the preset area using at least one of the strength of the sensed radio signal and the SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) .

In one embodiment, the positioning unit may determine that the position of the terminal exists in the preset area when the intensity of the sensed radio signal is equal to or greater than a predetermined intensity or the signal-to-noise ratio is less than a predetermined level have.

In one embodiment, the radio signal includes a radio signal transmitted from the terminal to a specific target other than the sensing device through a specific channel, a radio signal broadcasted through all channels from the terminal, And may include at least one of a non-communicating radio signal.

In one embodiment, the information about the wireless signal includes MAC address information of a terminal that has transmitted the wireless signal, and the terminal positioning apparatus includes a MAC address of a terminal existing in the predetermined area And a statistical unit for generating statistical data on the predetermined residence time and the re-visit time of the terminal existing in the predetermined area using the stored MAC address.

In one embodiment, there is provided a wireless communication system including: a sensing device for sensing a radio signal broadcasted from a terminal; And a terminal positioning unit for determining whether the position of the terminal exists in a predetermined area using the sensed wireless signal.

In one embodiment, the terminal positioning apparatus determines whether the position of the terminal exists in the predetermined area using at least one of the strength of the sensed radio signal and the SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) Can be determined.

In one embodiment, the sensing device may include a shield for blocking a radio signal so as to adjust a sensing area of the radio signal.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a terminal positioning method comprising: sensing a radio signal broadcasted from a terminal; And determining whether the location of the terminal exists in a predetermined area using the sensed radio signal.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program for causing a computer to execute the steps of: receiving information on a radio signal transmitted from a terminal sensed by a sensing device, And determining whether a position of the terminal exists in a predetermined area using the information on the received radio signal.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a terminal positioning system comprising: at least three sensing devices for sensing a radio signal transmitted from a terminal; And a terminal positioning device for receiving the information on the sensed radio signal from each of the at least three sensing devices and determining the position of the terminal using information about the received radio signal.

According to one embodiment, the three or more sensing apparatuses sense a radio signal transmitted from two or more terminals, and the terminal positioning apparatus determines whether the intensity of the sensed radio signal among the two or more terminals is equal to or greater than a predetermined intensity Or if the signal-to-noise ratio is less than a predetermined level, only the position of the terminal transmitting the corresponding radio signal can be grasped.

According to an embodiment, the terminal positioning apparatus can acquire the position of the terminal by applying information on the sensed radio signal received from each of the three or more sensing apparatuses to the triangulation method.

According to one embodiment, the three or more sensing devices sense a radio signal transmitted from two or more terminals, and when the intensity of the sensed radio signal is equal to or greater than a predetermined intensity, or the signal-to- Only the corresponding radio signal can be transmitted to the terminal positioning apparatus.

According to an embodiment, the radio signal includes a signal transmitted through a specific channel, and the three or more sensing devices may change a channel for sensing a radio signal according to a predetermined setting.

According to an embodiment, the three or more sensing apparatuses may perform synchronization at predetermined intervals in order to sense a radio signal transmitted through the same channel at the same time.

According to one embodiment, the three or more sensing devices may be at different locations within a store.

According to one embodiment, a wireless signal sensed by the three or more sensing devices includes a wireless signal transmitted from the terminal to a specific target, not a sensing device, through a specific channel, broadcasting through all channels from the terminal, The terminal positioning apparatus may include at least one of a wireless signal that does not pass through the channel and a wireless signal that does not pass through the channel. According to one embodiment, Lt; / RTI >

According to one embodiment, the information on the radio signal includes information on a MAC address of a terminal transmitting the radio signal, and the statistical information includes information on the detected position of the terminal, Statistical data can be generated using information about addresses.

According to one embodiment, the three or more sensing devices sense a radio signal transmitted from each of a plurality of terminals, and the terminal positioning device grasps the positions of the plurality of terminals, The number of terminals existing in a specific area and the number of terminals in a specific area in each of the terminals by using the information on the position of the terminal by the stored Mac address, It is possible to generate statistical data related to the time when each of the terminals existing in the specific area stays in the specific area.

According to an embodiment, the three or more sensing devices sense a radio signal transmitted from each of a plurality of terminals, and the terminal positioning device grasps the position of each of the plurality of terminals, It is possible to generate statistical data relating to the MAC address information of the terminal that has visited again in the specific area and the number of times of re-visit of the terminal visited again by using information about the position of the terminal by MAC address.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sensing device group comprising: a first sensing device for sensing a first wireless signal transmitted from a first terminal at a first time; A second sensing device for sensing the first wireless signal transmitted from the first terminal at the first time; And a third sensing device for sensing the first wireless signal transmitted at the first time from the first terminal, wherein the first sensing device changes a channel for sensing a wireless signal according to a preset bar, The second sensing device and the third sensing device transmit the synchronization signal to the second sensing device and the third sensing device, and the second sensing device and the third sensing device synchronize with the first sensing device using the synchronization signal, Both the second sensing device and the third sensing device can sense a radio signal transmitted through the same channel at the same time.

According to one embodiment, the radio signals received by the first sensing device, the second sensing device, and the third sensing device are transmitted to the first sensing device, the second sensing device, and the third sensing device as targets Lt; / RTI >

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a terminal positioning apparatus comprising: a receiver for receiving information on a wireless signal transmitted from a terminal sensed by at least three sensing apparatuses; And a terminal positioning device for identifying the position of the terminal using information on the received wireless signal.

According to one embodiment, the information about the received radio signal is transmitted from the terminal through the same channel at the same time by changing the channel for sensing the radio signal according to a predetermined setting by the three or more sensing devices And information about the sensing of the wireless signal.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a terminal positioning method comprising: receiving information on a wireless signal transmitted from a terminal sensed by at least three sensing devices; And determining a position of the terminal using information on the received wireless signal.

According to one embodiment, the information about the received radio signal is transmitted from the terminal through the same channel at the same time by changing the channel for sensing the radio signal according to a predetermined setting by the three or more sensing devices And information about the sensing of the wireless signal.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program for causing a computer to execute the steps of: receiving information on a wireless signal transmitted from a terminal, each of which is sensed by at least three sensing devices, The location of the terminal using the information on the received radio signal, and the step of generating the statistical data according to the preset location using the detected location of the terminal.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, even if a separate application is not installed in the terminal, the position of the terminal can be accurately measured.

Also, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the terminal can measure the position of the terminal without transmitting a separate request signal to the terminal without transmitting another signal to the terminal.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the position of a terminal can be accurately measured without using an access point (AP).

Also, according to an embodiment of the present invention, various statistical data can be generated through the location information of the terminal and the identifier information such as the MAC address.

In addition, the present invention can be easily used for analyzing patterns of visitors in a store or the like by using various statistical data generated according to an embodiment of the present invention.

With the present invention, it is possible to provide more effective and diverse data at low cost without having to mobilize an infrared sensor, a CCTV, or a manpower in order to analyze a pattern of visitors in a store or the like.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood to those of ordinary skill in the art from the following description.

1 is a configuration diagram of a terminal positioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view showing an example in which a shielding unit is coupled to a sensing device.
3 is a block diagram of a terminal positioning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a configuration diagram different from that of FIG. 3 of the terminal positioning apparatus.
5 is a flowchart illustrating a terminal positioning method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a flowchart illustrating another example of a terminal positioning method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 shows that three or more sensing devices exist in a terminal positioning system according to another embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a diagram showing that each of three or more sensing devices transmits information about a sensed radio signal to a terminal positioning device.
FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a method of measuring a position of a terminal where a terminal positioning apparatus transmits a sensed wireless signal using a triangulation method.
10 is a diagram showing an example of a radio signal sensing method of three or more sensing devices.
11 shows an example in which the position of a terminal is erroneously measured due to noise.
12 is a diagram for explaining an example of a periodic change of a sensing channel by three or more sensing devices.
13 is a diagram illustrating an example of statistical data generated by a statistical unit of a terminal positioning apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.
14 is a flowchart of a terminal positioning method according to another embodiment of the present invention.
15 is a flowchart illustrating another example of a terminal positioning method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and features of the present invention and the manner of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Is provided to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein may be used in a sense commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Also, commonly used predefined terms are not ideally or excessively interpreted unless explicitly defined otherwise.

In this specification, a singular form may include plural forms unless specifically stated in the phrase. It is noted that the terms "comprises" and / or "comprising" used in the specification are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the components, steps, operations, and / Or additions.

A terminal positioning apparatus and method and a terminal positioning system using the same according to an embodiment of the present invention can determine whether a terminal exists in a specific area by using a single sensing apparatus.

Alternatively, the terminal positioning apparatus and method and the terminal positioning system using the same according to another embodiment of the present invention can accurately measure the position of a terminal existing in a specific area by using three or more sensing apparatuses.

The terminal positioning apparatus and method and the terminal positioning system using the same according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. FIG.

A terminal positioning apparatus and method according to another embodiment of the present invention and a terminal positioning system using the same will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 13. FIG.

1 is a configuration diagram of a terminal positioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a terminal positioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention may include one sensing device 100 and a terminal positioning device 200.

The sensing device 100 can sense the radio signal transmitted by the terminal.

The terminal is portable and capable of wireless communication (for example, wireless LAN such as 3G, 4G, etc., wireless LAN such as Wi-Fi, wireless PAN such as Bluetooth, etc.).

For example, the terminal may be a smart phone, a tablet PC, or a smart camera.

The terminal transmits radio signals in various forms.

For example, the terminal can transmit the radio signal in a broadcasting mode without specifying the target.

Alternatively, the terminal can transmit the radio signal to a specific target through a specific channel.

Alternatively, the terminal may transmit a radio signal without going through a specific channel.

When the terminal uses a transmission method in which a wireless signal is broadcast, the wireless signal can be broadcast using all channels instead of broadcasting through a specific channel.

The sensing device 100 can sense a radio signal transmitted from a terminal.

Specifically, the sensing device 100 may receive a radio signal broadcast from the terminal.

For example, the sensing device 100 may receive a signal that the terminal is broadcast to detect an access point (AP) for a Wi-Fi connection.

In addition, the sensing device 100 may sense a radio signal transmitted to a device other than the sensing device 100 as a target.

For example, when a mobile station is connected to a specific AP, and the mobile station transmits a radio signal using a specific channel targeting a specific AP, the sensing device 100 can sense the transmitted radio signal.

In addition, the sensing device 100 can sense a radio signal transmitted through a channel, such as Bluetooth, without passing through the channel.

That is, the sensing device 100 does not sense a radio signal transmitted from a terminal using the sensing device 100 as a target, but senses a radio signal transmitted to a target rather than broadcasting or sensing device 100.

Therefore, the sensing device 100 does not receive the position signal from the terminal and does not request the transmission of the specific signal from the terminal.

The sensing device 100 can sense each radio signal transmitted from a plurality of terminals.

1, for example, the sensing device 100 can sense a radio signal transmitted from the first terminal 11, the second terminal 12, the fourth terminal 14 and the fifth terminal 15 have. Specifically, for example, the sensing device 100 may sense a radio signal transmitted from the first terminal 11 to the first AP 31. [ In addition, the sensing device 100 may sense a radio signal broadcast by the second terminal 12 to the neighboring APs 31, 32, and 33 in order to request a network connection.

The sensing device 100 may transmit information on the sensed wireless signal to the terminal positioning device 200. [

The information on the sensed radio signal may include at least one of the strength of the sensed radio signal and the signal to noise ratio (SNR) of the sensed radio signal.

The information about the sensed radio signal may include the identifier information of the terminal that transmitted the sensed radio signal.

For example, the identifier information of the terminal that sent the sensed wireless signal may be a MAC address included in the wireless signal.

The information on the sensed radio signal may include information on the time when the radio signal is transmitted using a time stamp or the like.

Also, the sensing device 100 may not transmit information on the wireless signal to the terminal positioning device 200 when the intensity of the sensed wireless signal is equal to or lower than a predetermined intensity. The sensing device 100 can ignore the signal when the strength of the sensed radio signal is equal to or lower than a predetermined level.

Alternatively, when the signal-to-noise ratio of the sensed radio signal is equal to or higher than a predetermined level, the sensing device 100 may not transmit information on the corresponding radio signal to the terminal positioning device 200. The sensing device 100 can ignore the signal when the sensed radio signal has a signal-to-noise ratio equal to or higher than a predetermined level.

Referring to FIG. 1, for example, the sensing apparatus 100 transmits information on a radio signal transmitted from a third terminal 13 and a sixth terminal, the strength of which is a predetermined radio signal strength or lower, to the terminal positioning apparatus 200 ). ≪ / RTI >

Alternatively, the sensing apparatus 100 may transmit information on all the sensed wireless signals to the terminal positioning apparatus 200 regardless of the strength of the sensed wireless signal or the signal-to-noise ratio. In this case, it is possible to determine whether the terminal that transmitted the sensed radio signal from the terminal-positioning apparatus 200 exists in a predetermined area.

The predetermined area becomes the first area 20 in Fig. The area in which the sensing device 100 can sense the radio signal may be the same as the first area 20 or may be larger.

The first area 20 may be set according to a socially separated space, such as a space corresponding to a store, or may be set and changed according to the necessity of the user.

The terminal positioning apparatus 200 can determine whether or not the position of each terminal exists in a predetermined area by using the information sensed with respect to each radio signal transmitted from each terminal received from the sensing apparatus 100. [

1, the terminal positioning apparatus 200 may exist in the first area 20 and may exist outside the first area 20. [ In addition, the sensing device 100 and the terminal positioning device 200 may be connected by wire or wirelessly.

It may be preferable that the sensing device 100 is located at a central portion of a predetermined area.

In addition, the sensing device 100 can prevent the sensing of a radio signal transmitted or received in a certain direction by the shielding part 110 that intercepts radio waves.

2 is a view showing an example in which a shielding unit is coupled to a sensing device.

Referring to FIG. 2, the sensing device 100 may be attached to a first floor ceiling of a store to sense a radio signal transmitted from a terminal located in a second floor of the store, while sensing a radio signal transmitted from the terminal. If the sensing device 100 wants to sense only a radio signal transmitted from a terminal located in the first floor of the store, it is possible to prevent the sensing of the radio signal transmitted from the terminal located in the second floor of the store through the shielding part 110 .

That is, when the shielding unit 110 is used, the sensing device 100 may set a region for sensing a radio signal, and may set a predetermined region other than a sphere.

In FIG. 2, a first region 20, which is a predetermined region of a hemispherical shape, can be seen.

3 is a block diagram of a terminal positioning apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3, the terminal positioning apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a receiving unit 210 and a positioning unit 220, and may further include a statistics unit 230.

The receiving unit 210 receives information on the wireless signal sensed by the sensing device 100. [

The positioning unit 220 can determine whether the terminal exists in a predetermined area by using the information on the radio signal received by the receiving unit 210. [

Specifically, the positioning unit 220 can determine whether the position of the terminal is within a predetermined area in consideration of the strength of the sensed radio signal.

In addition, the positioning unit 220 can determine whether the position of the terminal is within a predetermined area in consideration of the signal-to-noise ratio of the sensed radio signal.

In addition, the positioning unit 220 can determine whether the position of the terminal is within a predetermined area by considering both the strength of the sensed radio signal and the signal-to-noise ratio.

For example, as the intensity of the sensed radio signal increases, the positioning unit 220 can determine a high possibility that the terminal transmitting the sensed radio signal exists within a predetermined area. In addition, the positioning unit 220 may determine that the probability that a terminal transmitting the sensed radio signal exists within a predetermined area as the signal-to-noise ratio of the sensed radio signal is low.

The positioning unit 220 does not necessarily determine whether the terminal exists in a predetermined area by using the information of the strength of the sensed radio signal or the signal-to-noise ratio, and may determine using other information of the radio signal.

The terminal can transmit various radio signals at different times. Therefore, the sensing apparatus 100 can sense the radio signals transmitted from the terminals at different times in real time. The positioning unit 220 can determine whether the terminal exists in a predetermined area at a time when the radio signal is transmitted using the information on the radio signal sensed in real time.

The statistic unit 230 may store the information determined by the positioning unit 220.

Specifically, the information determined by the positioning unit 220 is information on whether a specific terminal exists within a predetermined area at a specific time.

The distinction can be classified into an identifier such as a MAC address of the sensed radio signal.

The statistics unit 230 may generate the statistical data using the information determined by the positioning unit 220.

The statistical data generated by the statistics unit 230 can be used in various places such as retail marketing.

Specifically, an example of statistical data that can be generated by the statistics unit 230 with reference to FIG. 1 will be described. In FIG. 1, it is assumed that the first area 20 corresponds to the A store. The statistics unit 230 generates information on the time when the first terminal 11 enters the store A using the first time information existing in the first area 20 .

The statistics unit 230 may generate information on the time the holder of the first terminal 11 stays at the store A by using the time that the first terminal 11 exists in the first area 20 have.

The statistics unit 230 may also generate information on how the holder of the first terminal 11 is mainly located in the range corresponding to the first region 20. In order to generate such information, the position of the terminal, from which the positioning unit 220 transmits the sensed radio signal by using the strength of the sensed radio signal and / or the signal-to-noise ratio, It is possible to additionally generate information about where it is applicable.

The statistic unit 230 refers to the time that the first terminal 11 existing in the first area 20 exists in the first area 20 after the first terminal 11 is not present in the first area 20, 1 < / RTI > terminal 11 to the store A for a specific period of time.

4 is a configuration diagram different from that of FIG. 3 of the terminal positioning apparatus.

The terminal positioning apparatus 200 may have the configuration shown in FIG. The terminal positioning apparatus 200 includes a processor 42 for executing a command, a storage 43 for storing terminal positioning program data, a memory 44 such as a RAM, a network interface 45 for transmitting / receiving data to / And a data bus 41 connected to the processor 42 and the memory 44 and serving as a data movement path.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a terminal positioning method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The description of the terminal positioning apparatus 200 and the terminal positioning system according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied to the terminal positioning method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

An example in which the terminal positioning method according to an embodiment of the present invention measures the position of the terminal will be described with reference to FIG.

The first terminal 11 broadcasts the first radio signal (S505). The radio signal broadcast by the first terminal 11 may be, for example, a signal broadcast to detect the AP.

The sensing device 100 senses the first radio signal (S510). The sensing device 100 transmits information on the sensed first wireless signal to the terminal positioning device 200 (S515).

The terminal positioning apparatus 200 determines whether the first terminal 11 exists in a predetermined area by using the information about the first wireless signal transmitted from the sensing apparatus 100 (S520).

The second terminal 12 can transmit the second radio signal to a specific target using a specific channel (S525).

The sensing device 100 senses the transmitted second radio signal (S530). The sensing device 100 transmits information on the sensed second wireless signal to the terminal positioning device 200 (S535).

The terminal positioning apparatus 200 determines whether the second terminal 12 exists in a specific area using the second wireless signal transmitted from the sensing apparatus 100 (S540).

The third terminal 13 broadcasts a third radio signal for detecting the AP (S545).

The sensing device 100 may sense the third wireless signal (S550). The sensing device 100 may ignore the sensed third wireless signal if the sensed third wireless signal does not meet predetermined conditions (S555). The predetermined condition may be a condition related to the strength of the sensed radio signal, the signal-to-noise ratio, and the like. For example, the predetermined condition may be set to drop or ignore the sensed radio signal when the strength of the sensed radio signal is equal to or less than a predetermined signal. Alternatively, the predetermined condition may be set to drop or ignore the sensed radio signal when the signal-to-noise ratio of the sensed radio signal is higher than a predetermined value.

The sensing apparatus 100 may not transmit the radio signal dropped or ignored to the terminal positioning apparatus 200. [

On the other hand, referring to FIG. 6, the sensing apparatus 100 may be configured to unconditionally transmit information on the sensed wireless signal to the terminal positioning apparatus 200. [

6 is a flowchart illustrating another example of a terminal positioning method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6, the sensing device 100 unconditionally transmits information about the sensed wireless signal to the terminal positioning device 200 (S610). The terminal positioning apparatus 200 determines whether the third terminal 13 exists in a specific area (S620). The terminal positioning apparatus 200 can determine that the strength of the third wireless signal is weak and does not exist in the predetermined area.

7 to 13, a terminal positioning apparatus and method according to another embodiment of the present invention for accurately measuring the position of a terminal using three or more sensing apparatuses, and a system using the terminal positioning apparatus and method will be described.

FIG. 7 shows that three or more sensing devices exist in a terminal positioning system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, each of the three or more sensing devices may have regions 71, 72, and 73 capable of sensing a radio signal. The sensible areas 71, 72, and 73 may be different from the predetermined areas described in FIGS.

For example, the area in which the first sensing device 100A can sense is from the first sensing device 100A to the distance from the first sensing device 100A. That is, the spherical surface 71 having the radius RA as the center of the first sensing device 100A can be a sensing area of the first sensing device 100A.

The second sensing device 100B may be an area in which the ball 72 having a radius of RB can be sensed. In addition, the third sensing device 100C0 may be a region in which a sphere 73 whose radius is RC is sensible.

If the performance of the first sensing device 100A, the second sensing device 100B, and the third sensing device 100C are the same, RA, RB, and RC may be the same.

In Figs. 7 to 13, predetermined areas are the same as those described in Figs. 1 to 6.

In FIG. 7, each of three or more sensing devices has three or more sensing devices described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

That is, each of the three or more sensing devices can sense a radio signal transmitted from the terminal.

8 is a diagram showing that each of three or more sensing devices transmits information about a sensed radio signal to a terminal positioning device.

Referring to FIG. 8, each of the three or more sensing devices may transmit information on the sensed wireless signal to the terminal positioning device 200. [

The terminal positioning apparatus 200 can measure the position of the terminal that has transmitted the sensed radio signal using the information on the sensed radio signal transmitted from each of the three or more sensing devices.

Specifically, the terminal positioning apparatus 200 can measure the position of the same terminal using information obtained by sensing three or more sensing devices of a radio signal transmitted at a specific time from the same terminal.

More specifically, for example, the terminal positioning apparatus 200 can measure the position of the terminal that has transmitted the sensed wireless signal using the triangulation method.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a method of measuring a position of a terminal where a terminal positioning apparatus transmits a sensed wireless signal using a triangulation method.

Referring to FIG. 9, the first sensing device 100A, the second sensing device 100B, and the third sensing device 100C receive the first radio signal transmitted from the first terminal 11, respectively.

The distance between the first terminal 11 and the first sensing device 100A is DA. The distance between the first terminal 11 and the second sensing device 100B is DB. The distance between the first terminal 11 and the third sensing device 100C is DC. DB is the shortest and DC is the longest.

If the performance of the first sensing device 100A, the second sensing device 100B and the third sensing device 100C are the same, the intensity of the signal received by the second sensing device 100B is the largest, The signal intensity received by the receiver 100C will be the smallest.

The terminal positioning apparatus 200 determines whether or not the first terminal 11 is distant from the first sensing device 100A using the intensity and / or the signal-to-noise ratio of the first wireless signal sensed by the first sensing device 100A DA).

The first terminal 11 will be located at some point away from the first sensing device 100A by DA. That is, the first terminal 11 will be located at a certain point forming the sphere 91 having the radius of DA centered on the first sensing device 100A.

The terminal positioning apparatus 200 determines whether the first terminal 11 is located at a distance from the second sensing apparatus 100B using the intensity and / or the signal-to-noise ratio of the first wireless signal sensed by the second sensing apparatus 100B DB).

The first terminal 11 will be located at some point away from the second sensing device 100B by DB. That is, the first terminal 11 will be located at a certain point forming the sphere 92 having the DB as the radius centered on the second sensing device 100B.

The terminal positioning apparatus 200 determines whether the first terminal 11 is away from the third sensing device 100C by using the intensity and / or the signal-to-noise ratio of the first wireless signal sensed by the third sensing device 100C DC).

The first terminal 11 will be located at some point away from the third sensing device 100C by DC. That is, the first terminal 11 will be located at a certain point forming the sphere 93 having the DC as the radius centering on the third sensing device 100C.

The terminal positioning apparatus 200 can measure that the first terminal 11 is located at the intersection P1 formed by the three spheres 91,

The description with reference to FIG. 9 relates to an example in which the terminal positioning apparatus 200 measures the position of the terminal, but is not limited thereto.

Alternatively, the terminal positioning apparatus 200 may measure the vicinity of the center of the region belonging to all three regions as the position of the terminal when there is no intersection formed by the three.

In addition, in order to improve the accuracy, the terminal positioning apparatus 200 may use not more than three sensing devices but more than four sensing devices.

The terminal positioning apparatus 200 can distinguish terminals that have transmitted a wireless signal using identifier information such as a MAC address of a wireless signal.

10 is a diagram showing an example of a radio signal sensing method of three or more sensing devices.

More than three sensing devices may sense a broadcasted radio signal or a radio signal transmitted to a particular target via a particular channel.

In the case of a broadcast radio signal, a radio signal is transmitted through all channels, but a radio signal transmitted to a specific target can be transmitted through a specific channel.

Even if a radio signal is transmitted through a specific channel, noise may be generated in adjacent channels due to interference or the like.

The noise will be described with reference to Fig.

Referring to FIG. 10, when the first terminal 11 transmits the first radio signal through the channel 4, it can sense the first radio signal through the channels 2 and 3 very weakly.

Also, when the second terminal 12 transmits the second radio signal through the channel 8, it is possible to sense the first radio signal through the channels 2 and 3 very weakly.

Therefore, if a plurality of sensing devices sense different channels in the course of sensing a radio signal, the position of the terminal may be erroneously measured due to noise.

11 shows an example in which the position of a terminal is erroneously measured due to noise.

Referring to FIG. 11 and FIG. 11 together with FIGS. 9 and 10, the first sensing device 100A senses the first radio signal in the channel 4 at a specific time. At the same specific time, the third sensing device 100C also senses the first radio signal on channel 4. [ However, at the same specific time, the second sensing device 100B senses the first radio signal in channel 3. [

Therefore, the intensity of the first radio signal sensed by the second sensing device 100B is weaker than that of the first radio signal sensed by the channel 4. That is, the terminal positioning apparatus 200 measures the position of the first terminal 11 based on the intensity information of the first radio signal sensed by the second sensing apparatus 100B.

Therefore, the terminal positioning apparatus 200 can determine that the first terminal 11 is located at a point away from the second sensing device 100B by DB ', which is longer than the DB.

As a result, the terminal positioning apparatus 200 can measure that the first terminal 11 is located at the specified time at the wrong position P2.

In order to solve this problem, three or more sensing apparatuses of the terminal positioning system according to another embodiment of the present invention can periodically change and synchronize the sensing channel.

12 is a diagram for explaining an example of a periodic change of a sensing channel by three or more sensing devices.

Referring to FIG. 12, three or more sensing devices may change a sensing channel to sense a wireless signal periodically or aperiodically.

The preset bar can be set and changed according to the state of the communication system, the setting of the user, and the like. For example, the predetermined bar may be set to change the channel to be sensed at an interval at which the influence of noise due to interference can be ignored.

More specifically, for example, when a wireless signal is transmitted through a specific channel as shown in FIG. 10, if two neighboring channels are affected, a predetermined bar periodically changes a channel to be sensed at five intervals Can be set.

In FIG. 12, a radio signal is first sensed on channel 1, then a radio signal is sensed on channel 6, and then channels 16, 21, 2, 7, The sensing channel is changed in order.

The predetermined bar may be set to a specific channel, not to a specific interval. For example, a channel to be sensed may be set according to the user's setting without specific rules such as 1, 5, 11, 19, 24, 4, 12, 20, 2 ???.

As the sensing device senses a radio signal transmitted from a plurality of terminals quickly and accurately, the terminal positioning device 200 can accurately measure the position of the terminal and accurately track the position of the terminal. In addition, it is possible to generate various accurate statistical data by using the precisely measured terminal location information.

Therefore, the moment when the sensing device changes a channel to be sensed according to a predetermined setting may be quick. For example, the sensing device may change the sensing channel to sense the radio signal on all channels within approximately two seconds.

A terminal positioning system according to another embodiment of the present invention includes three or more sensing devices.

All of the three or more sensing devices must sense a radio signal on the same channel at the same time as described above with reference to FIG. 11, so that the accurate position of the terminal can be measured.

Accordingly, at least three sensing devices may perform periodic or aperiodic synchronization to sense a radio signal on the same channel at the same time.

An example of the synchronization method will be described. Synchronization can be performed based on one of the three or more sensing devices. More specifically, for example, the first sensing device 100A may periodically transmit a synchronization signal to the second sensing device 100B and the third sensing device 100C.

The second sensing device 100B and the third sensing device 100C may receive a synchronization signal and sense a radio signal on the same channel at the same time as the first sensing device 100A.

In order for the terminal positioning apparatus 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention to accurately measure the position of the terminal, synchronization may be continuously performed in a short time.

For example, three or more sensing devices can perform synchronization every 10 ms to 20 ms.

The time interval to be synchronized may be set in consideration of an interval at which the sensing channel is changed according to a predetermined setting.

In addition, the time interval for synchronizing with the time interval for changing the sensing channel according to a predetermined setting may be changed in consideration of the number of terminals that are present on average in an area where the sensing device senses the wireless signal.

The configuration of the terminal positioning apparatus 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention may be the same as that of the terminal positioning apparatus 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention described with reference to FIGS.

However, the receiving unit 210 of the terminal positioning device 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention receives information on the wireless signal sensed from three or more sensing devices.

The positioning unit 220 of the terminal positioning apparatus 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention can measure the precise position of the terminal using the information about the wireless signal sensed from three or more sensing apparatuses.

In addition, the positioning unit 220 of the terminal positioning apparatus 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention can grasp the position of the terminal within a certain range in consideration of the strength of the sensed radio signal and / or the signal-to-noise ratio. For example, the positioning unit 220 may determine only the position of the terminal that transmitted the radio signal when the strength of the sensed radio signal is equal to or greater than a predetermined intensity or the signal-to-noise ratio is less than a predetermined level.

The statistics unit 230 of the terminal positioning apparatus 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention can store location information measured for each terminal by time.

Also, the statistics unit 230 of the terminal positioning apparatus 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention can generate more various and reliable statistical data by using the measured position of the terminal.

13 is a diagram illustrating an example of statistical data generated by a statistical unit of a terminal positioning apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention.

An example of the statistical data generated by the statistics unit 230 of the terminal positioning apparatus 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

Before explaining FIG. 13, it is assumed that three or more sensing devices sense radio signals transmitted from terminals existing in the store A and the terminal positioning device 200 measures the positions of terminals present in the store A do. It is assumed that the information shown in FIG. 13 is information corresponding to a period of one day.

13, the customer ID means an ID determined according to an identifier of a terminal that has transmitted a radio signal such as a MAC address of a radio signal.

That is, one customer ID can be thought of as one MAC address, one terminal, or one store visitor.

The statistics unit 230 may generate statistical data on the entry time of each terminal based on the time measured for the first time that each terminal is inside the store.

The statistic unit 230 can generate statistical data on the residence time of the first floor of each store on the basis of the time when the location of each terminal is located in the area corresponding to the first floor store.

The statistics unit 230 can generate statistical data on the residential two-floor residence time of each terminal based on the time when the location of each terminal was located in the area corresponding to the second floor store.

The statistics unit 230 determines whether the location of each terminal is changed from the first floor of the store to the second floor within a predetermined interval or from the second floor to the first floor of the store, Can be generated.

Alternatively, the statistics unit 230 generates statistical data on the number of the first and second floor round trips of each terminal based on the case where the position of each terminal passes through the stairs or the escalator that can move between the first floor and the second floor of the store You may.

The statistic unit 230 may generate statistical data on the location of each terminal based on the information about the area located for the longest time among the intervals in which each terminal divides the area of the store.

The statistic unit 230 may generate statistical data on the number of recent visits for each terminal based on the number of times of entering the store during a predetermined period.

The example of the statistical data described with reference to FIG. 13 is an example of the data that the statistics unit 230 can generate using the location information of the terminal according to time, and other statistical data can be generated.

For example, the statistics unit 230 may calculate the number of visitors, the number of visitors who are present in a specific area, the number of visitors to the outside of the store, the ratio of visitors to the outside of the store, Rate, or frequency of re-visit.

In another example, the statistics unit 230 can classify the number of store visitors and information by various visit times such as during the weekday, weekday, lunch time, and sale period. As another example, the statistics unit 230 can classify visitors based on the number of visits to stores, the visit period of stores, and the like.

14 is a flowchart of a terminal positioning method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The terminal positioning method according to another embodiment of the present invention can be applied to the terminal positioning apparatus 200 and the system according to another embodiment of the present invention described with reference to FIGS.

Referring to FIG. 14, the first terminal 11 broadcasts a first radio signal through all channels (S1410).

The first sensing device 100A senses the first radio signal (S1420). The second sensing device 100B senses the first wireless signal (S1430). The third sensing device 100C also senses the first wireless signal (S1440).

The first sensing device 100A provides information on the sensed first wireless signal to the terminal positioning device 200 (S1450). The second sensing device 100B provides information about the sensed first wireless signal to the terminal positioning device 200 (S1460). The third sensing device 100C also provides information about the sensed first wireless signal to the terminal positioning device 200 (S1470).

The terminal positioning apparatus 200 may determine the location of the first terminal 11 using the information about the first wireless signal provided from the first sensing device 100A, the second sensing device 100B, and the third sensing device 100C, (S1480).

In addition, the terminal positioning apparatus 200 can generate the statistical data using the measured location information of the first terminal 11 (S1490).

15 is a flowchart illustrating another example of a terminal positioning method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 15, the second terminal 12 transmits a second radio signal using a specific channel (S1505).

The first sensing device 100A, the second sensing device 100B and the third sensing device 100C can perform channel change and synchronization (AA) before sensing the transmitted second wireless signal.

Specifically, the first sensing device 100A, the second sensing device 100B, and the third sensing device 100C can change the sensing channel, which is the channel to be sensed (S1510, S1515, S1520).

In FIG. 15, it is shown that all the sensing devices change the sensing channel. However, when performing the synchronization process, all the sensing devices may not periodically change the sensing channel.

In FIG. 15, only the sensing device which is a reference of synchronization as in the first sensing device 100A periodically changes the sensing channel, and the remaining sensing devices are synchronized (S1525, S1530, S1535, S1540) So that the sensing channel can be changed.

After the synchronization, the first sensing device 100A, the second sensing device 100B, and the third sensing device 100C may sense the second radio signal (S1545, S1550, and S1555).

The second radio signal may not be detected in the changed and synchronized sensing channel. However, since the channel is changed at a fast cycle and synchronization is continued, the probability of detecting the second radio signal is very high. In addition, the wireless signal transmitted from the second terminal 12 can transmit not only the second wireless signal but also other wireless signals, and can sense a wireless signal for measuring the position of the second terminal 12.

The first sensing device 100A, the second sensing device 100B and the third sensing device 100C can provide information about the sensed second radio signal to the terminal positioning device 200 (S1560, S1565 , S1570).

The terminal positioning apparatus 200 may be configured such that the first sensing device 100A, the second sensing device 100B and the third sensing device 100C sense information of the second wireless signal, The position can be measured (S1275).

Also, the terminal positioning apparatus 200 can generate the statistical data using the measured second terminal 12 location information (S1580).

The present invention can accurately measure the position of a terminal even if a separate application is not installed in the terminal.

In addition, the present invention can measure the position of a terminal without transmitting a separate request signal to the terminal, and without transmitting a separate signal to the sensing device in the sensing device.

In addition, the present invention can accurately measure the position of a terminal without using an access point (AP).

In addition, the present invention can generate various statistical data through the measured location information of the terminal and the identifier information such as the MAC address.

Using the various statistical data generated, it is possible to facilitate analysis of a visitor's pattern at a store or the like. In addition, it is possible to provide more effective and diverse data at low cost without having to mobilize an infrared sensor, CCTV, or manpower in order to analyze a visitor's pattern at a store or the like.

Each component of FIG. 2 may refer to software or hardware such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). However, the components are not limited to software or hardware, and may be configured to be in an addressable storage medium and configured to execute one or more processors. The functions provided in the components may be implemented by a more detailed component or may be implemented by a single component that performs a specific function by combining a plurality of components.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, You will understand. It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive.

Claims (36)

delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete A first sensing device for sensing a first radio signal transmitted from a first terminal to a specific target at a first time through a specific channel of the mobile communication network;
A second sensing device that senses the first wireless signal transmitted from the first terminal to the specific target through the specific channel of the mobile communication network at the first time; And
And a third sensing device for sensing the first wireless signal transmitted from the first terminal to the specific target through the specific channel of the mobile communication network at the first time,
The first sensing device changes a channel for sensing a radio signal according to a predetermined setting,
The predetermined bar may include:
The changed channel is set to be a channel that can periodically ignore the influence of noise due to interference with the channel of the immediately preceding period,
The first sensing device includes:
A synchronization signal is transmitted to the second sensing device and the third sensing device to sense a radio signal through the same channel at the same time every cycle shorter than the cycle of changing the channel,
The second sensing device and the third sensing device perform synchronization with the first sensing device using the synchronization signal,
The first sensing device, the second sensing device, and the third sensing device may include:
When the channel is changed according to the preset channel, the first radio signal transmitted from the second terminal different from the first terminal that transmitted the first radio signal sensed in the immediately previous cycle is transmitted to another specific target through another specific channel of the mobile communication network 2 wireless signal,
Wherein the specific target for receiving the first radio signal transmitted through the specific channel and the other specific target for receiving the second radio signal through the other specific channel are selected from the first sensing device, Is not one of the third sensing devices,
Wherein the other specific channel is the same as the changed channel or belongs to a range affected by noise due to interference based on the changed channel. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete

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