RU2273055C1 - Method for operative escorting and controlling of mobile objects - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: technologies for monitoring mobile objects.

SUBSTANCE: coordinates of position of mobile object are determined based on data of navigation signals, received from global radio-navigation system satellites, for example, GPS system and/or based on image of cell communication field. Images are compared of observed cell communication operators base stations field, containing numbers of at least one cell phone communication operator of current network, area and base station, and also up to seven numbers of channels of base stations, received in current position, with standard numbers, stored in database of dispatching station and/or controller of object. Information packet is generated with additional including into it of status information from separate subsystems of object. Further aforementioned information packet is transformed to electric signal and this signal is transferred through communication system to dispatching station. Periodical information receipt is performed from current or other objects, its processing, storage and displaying on electronic local area map, generated in form of database from arbitrary cartographic material with restoration of projection formula based on control points with known coordinates. Appropriate message is formed and transferred via communication system in form of information packet for appropriate object for its control in accordance to given program, using digital method, packet of transferred information.

EFFECT: improved speed of operation, precision and trustworthiness of determining of position of vehicles, people and other mobile objects, including those within rooms and subway stations.

6 cl, 2 dwg

Description

The invention relates to the field of monitoring of moving objects and can be used in systems of protection and search for cars, in corporate control systems, informatization and protection of large companies, monitoring the location and movement of personnel, children, elderly people in a limited area (within the same city) , and on the territory of a separate continent.

There are many different methods and systems for dispatching and monitoring moving objects with synchronous transmission of information, implemented on the basis of modern means of satellite radio navigation, means of mobile (mainly cellular) public radio communications and electronic cartography.

Known devices for searching for stolen cars, as a rule, contain a cell phone transceiver, a microcontroller and a specialized receiver of satellite radio navigation system signals, hidden inside each protected car and installed, for example, in the control room, a control and display unit, which is a personal computer with software electronic cartography module, a pairing device and a cellular, satellite or radiotelephone (see Andrianov V.I., Sokolo in A.V. Automotive Security Systems.Handbook. - St. Petersburg: BHV - St. Petersburg - Arlit, 2000, p. 174, 178-181, 209-233, 236-246, 254-263).

The disadvantage of such devices are:

Rigid binding to a certain type of communication equipment: cell phone or radio station. Each of these options has its advantages and disadvantages:

Radio communication provides the fastest data exchange with the control center, allows you to interrogate dozens of objects within a few seconds; no monthly fee. However, the radio station itself is quite expensive, has large dimensions, power consumption, requires the installation of an external antenna. In addition, creating a good radio coverage field in a large city is very difficult and expensive. This method of communication is better suited for small (several kilometers) sections of not very rough terrain that are not covered by cellular communications.

A cell phone has a significantly lower cost, size and power consumption. It usually does not require an external antenna; the cellular communications field covers habitable areas of almost the whole world. However, the cost of services of mobile operators is quite high, especially when finding an object in another city (state). The second and more significant drawback is the low speed of exchange by cell phone. In a minute, it is possible to interrogate no more than 5-6 objects, and each communication session lasts at least 2-3 seconds. If the exchange is carried out using short messages (SMS), then the delay in their transmission can be several seconds or even minutes, depending on the network load.

A satellite phone provides data transfer from anywhere in the world, however, it has all the shortcomings of cellular communication (slow, requires an even higher monthly fee), it is much larger and more energy-consuming.

It is often impossible to determine the location of objects in the territory of large cities, which account for the largest number of car thefts and thefts committed for the sale, sale of components and parts, personal use, criminal acts, etc. (see Andrianov V.I., Sokolov A.V. Automotive Security Systems. Reference Guide. - St. Petersburg: BHV - St. Petersburg, Arlit, 2000, p. 7). This is due to the fact that in large cities, characterized by dense buildings with tall buildings, "shadow shadows" prevail, where the level of satellite radio navigation signals is lower than the threshold level of sensitivity of portable navigation receivers, usually installed in guarded vehicles (see Andrianov V.I., Sokolov AV Car security systems. Reference manual. - St. Petersburg: BHV St. Petersburg, Arlit, 2000, p. 182, 237).

A known method of monitoring the movement of vehicles, implemented in the patent of the Russian Federation 2158963, G 08 G 5/06, publ. 2000.11.10, consisting in the fact that radio signals from the satellites of the global system, for example, from the GPS system, are received on the corresponding vehicle, the coordinates of the vehicle (TS) location in real time are determined, an information packet is formed with the additional inclusion of a number and status code separate subsystems of the vehicle, transmit this package to the control center via a dedicated digital channel, where this package is processed and the subsystems of the vehicle are managed through the dedicated digital anal.

There is also a method of monitoring the transportation of goods described in the patent of the Russian Federation 2157565, IPC G 08 G 1/123, publ. 2000.10.10, which consists in the fact that on a mobile vehicle receive navigation signals from satellites of the global radio navigation system, for example, from the GPS system, determine the coordinates of the location, time and speed of the vehicle, form a packet of information with the inclusion of its code number and status of the subsystems of the vehicle, convert the specified packet of information in an electrical signal for transmission over a channel of a cellular communication system, transmit this signal in real time through a cellular communication system (GSM) to a control room where information is received periodically In this way, from this and other vehicles, they are processed, stored and displayed on an electronic map of the area, and when an emergency occurs, they form and transmit the corresponding message in the form of an information package to the appropriate vehicle via GSM, upon receipt of which separate monitoring subsystems are turned on / off and vehicle controls or establish two-way voice communication via GSM.

The disadvantages of these methods include the following:

1) when the vehicle leaves the GSM system at the control room, information about its location is lost, which leads to data distortion and distorted control of the corresponding vehicle when it enters the radio visibility zone again, that is, the speed of vehicle control from the control room decreases;

2) on the vehicle when receiving information from the control room there is no protection against unauthorized access, for example, by third parties, which can lead to incorrect actions of individual subsystems of the vehicle.

The disadvantages of the software implementation of control and monitoring centers include their tight binding to one standard (manufacturer) of electronic terrain maps. This leads to the fact that for the deployment of the system in a new area (city) the production of cards for it by the manufacturer-monopolist can cost several thousand dollars and take a long time.

By technical nature, the closest to the proposed invention is a method of operational tracking and control of land vehicles, described in the patent of Russian Federation 2217797, G 08 G 1/123, publ. 2003.11.27, which consists in the fact that on a mobile vehicle they receive navigation signals from satellites of the global radio navigation system, for example, from the GPS system, they determine the coordinates of the location, time and speed of the vehicle from their data, form an information package with additional state of individual subsystems of the vehicle, convert the specified packet of information into an electrical signal, transmit this signal discretely, in real time through a cellular communication system to the central th dispatch center, where information is periodically received from this and other vehicles, it is processed, stored and displayed on an electronic map of the area, and when an emergency occurs, they form and transmit the corresponding message in the form of an information packet to the appropriate vehicle through a cellular communication system, when received on a vehicle, separate subsystems are turned on / off, moments of exit and moments of entry of a vehicle from the visibility range of cells are recorded howl communication systems and between these moments on the vehicle are stored and accumulated information packets, and when entering the zone of visibility accumulated packets of information transmitted in this manner to the central control station, where they are treated appropriately and make decisions. This method is adopted as a prototype.

The disadvantage of the prototype method is the tight binding to cellular communications, which covers only densely populated areas, and to a GPS-based coordinate system that works poorly in narrow city streets and does not work at all in rooms, and even less so in the subway.

The technical result of the invention is to increase the efficiency, accuracy and reliability of determining the location of cars, people and other moving objects, including in rooms and at subway stations.

The technical result is achieved by the fact that in the known method, which includes receiving on a moving object navigation signals from the satellites of the global radio navigation system, for example, from the GPS system, determining the location coordinates of the object from their data, generating an information package with additionally included in it the state of individual object subsystems, conversion the specified packet of information into an electrical signal, the transmission of this signal through a communication system to a control center, periodic reception of information from this, etc. of objects at the control room, its processing, storage and display on an electronic map of the area, the formation and transmission of the corresponding message through the communication system in the form of a packet of information to the corresponding object for its management, the coordinates of the location of the object are additionally determined by the picture of the cellular communication field by comparing the picture of the observed fields of base stations of mobile operators containing the numbers of at least one mobile operator of the current network, region and base station, as well as about seven channel numbers of base stations received at a given location, with reference points characterizing the picture of the fields of base stations of mobile operators, containing a similar set of numbers and stored in the database of the control room and / or the object’s controller. Information is transmitted according to a given program, using the digital method, a packet of transmitted information, which is presented in the form of a set of binary signals containing data on waypoints with their coordinates and states of the subsystems of the object, or an analog method, a packet of information, in which it is presented in the form of frequency modulated parcels, and an electronic map of the area is formed in the form of a cartographic database by displaying coordinate information against a background of arbitrary cartographic material. In addition, the information packet may be further transmitted to a mobile station, in particular a user's mobile phone.

The determination of the coordinates of the location of the object from the observed pattern of the cellular communication field containing the current numbers of the cellular operator, region and base station, as well as up to seven channel numbers of base stations received at this location, ensures the formation of such a set of numbers that is a unique characteristic of the receiving location, something like a fingerprint. In this case, a database of reference points containing similar data is created, and then the field pattern observed at the location of the moving object is compared with them, and the closest point is found by the correlation method. As experiments have shown, the accuracy of this method ranges from 100 to 500 meters in urban conditions, but drops sharply outside the city, in open areas, reaching 2-3 kilometers. If you use field pictures from several mobile operators, the total picture becomes much more "motley" due to the different location of base stations in different networks, and the accuracy of determining the coordinates can be increased by 2-3 times. This method is significantly inferior in accuracy to satellite, however, it is completely indispensable when the desired moving object is in enclosed spaces or in the subway, i.e. loss of information about the location of the object at the time of temporary disconnection of the navigation receiver or the impossibility of its operation is prevented, associated, for example, with the closure of a significant part of the celestial sphere by materials opaque to radio waves (metal, concrete). In addition, there is no need for a rather expensive satellite receiver, and the size and power consumption of the device are significantly reduced. In the minimum version, only one miniature microcircuit is required that is connected to the cell phone jack. The database of control points can be stored in the controller of the object and contain several hundred landmarks, which is enough to transfer information to a mobile point, in particular the user's mobile phone, or in the computer of the central control center and contain millions of points, which provides more accurate determination of the location of the object.

In accordance with a given program, depending on the location of the object, digital or analog methods of transmitting information are used.

The transmission of a packet of information in the form of a set of binary signals is suitable for communications, which are digital in nature: cellular and satellite phones, trunk radio stations. In this case, the information package contains data on waypoints with their coordinates and states of subsystems of an object, for example, a car (arrival times, speeds and courses of an object, current vehicle mileage and hours of movement and idle hours). This approach reduces the cost of paying for cellular communications, which is especially important when finding an object in another city, state.

The analog transmission method in the form of frequency-modulated packages is adapted for communications, which are mainly intended for the transmission of voice messages, such as conventional radio stations. The work with frequency-modulated parcels, firstly, provides communication over a radio station (in those conditions when cellular communication is unavailable or requires a quick survey of a large number of objects in a limited area), and secondly, it allows the control center to communicate with the cellphone of the device at the object through landline telephone modem. This method can also be used with cellular (satellite) telephones when it is economically justified (a short sound packet is cheaper than sending a message) or when such a packet will be delivered faster.

Using the cartographic database of the central control center, formed by displaying coordinate information against a background of arbitrary cartographic material, provides independence from a particular manufacturer of electronic maps and the ability to quickly create a cartographic database of a new area.

Figure 1 presents a structural diagram of operational support and control of moving objects, consisting of object controllers hidden on mobile objects connected via cellular and / or satellite and / or radio channels to a central control center connected via the Internet and / or telephone lines with servers for the distribution and transmission of information connected via the Internet and / or telephone lines to end-user computers, end-user cell phones.

Figure 2 presents the functional block diagram of the controller of the object and the central control room.

The object’s controller contains a satellite navigation receiver 1, means of communication 2 (cell and / or satellite phone and / or radio station), a microcontroller 3, an on-board power converter 4, a backup power supply 5, and the control room has installed communications 6 (cellular and / or satellite, and / or landline telephone and / or radio station), a pairing device 7 and an indicating unit 8 (a computer having a cartographic base of a given area 9).

The microcontroller is configured to correlate the picture of the observed cellular communication field with the picture of the field at control points (for example, public transport stops), information about which is stored in the memory of the microcontroller and / or the control panel. The microcontroller can be implemented, for example, based on the 8-bit microprocessor Microchip Pic16F88.

A cell phone can be used, for example, a Siemens C35 or a Siemens Module M20 cellular modem.

The navigation receiver can be made, for example, in the form of a receiver of the navigation satellite system GPS NAVSTAR model Evermore Tistar 25.

As a control room, information distribution servers and client computers, personal computers of the IBM PC type can be used, equipped with peripheral equipment and, if necessary, means of collecting and transmitting information. The software base of these computing tools are well-known software tools for functioning in the Windows-98 / NT / XP environment, created on the basis of the Borland Builder 6 language.

The use of radio stations or satellite phones is justified if it is intended to search for objects in areas that do not have cellular coverage (remote and inaccessible areas). In some cases, to ensure a particularly small size and power consumption of the device, a satellite navigation receiver, a converter and a backup power supply may be excluded from its composition. This version of the device can be suitable for monitoring the position of people even in rooms and subway tunnels.

The method is implemented as follows.

The controller of the moving object, constantly, 1 time per second, determines its coordinates using a satellite navigation receiver in a known manner and / or a cell phone communication means in accordance with the claimed method. The operation of the microcontroller 3 occurs in accordance with the program recorded in its memory.

Periodically (1 per second), the satellite navigation receiver 1 receives signals from the global satellite navigation system. To determine the geographical coordinates (Fi, La), it is necessary that signals from at least four satellites are simultaneously received. GPS - satellites transmit two types of data - almanac and ephemeris. The almanac contains the parameters of the orbits of all satellites. Each satellite transmits an almanac for all satellites. The almanac data are not very accurate and valid for several months. The ephemeris data contains corrections of the parameters of the orbits and the timing for each satellite, which is necessary for high-precision determination of coordinates. The geographic coordinates of the moving object are determined in the GPS receiver 4 by digitally processing the received signals in accordance with the standard algorithm for solving navigation equations (trilateration, that is, calculating the location of the object according to the results of measuring its distances to points with given coordinates) and an almanac received from satellites.

If it is impossible to measure the coordinates of the object according to GPS data, they are determined by the picture of the cellular communication field according to the claimed method.

Data on the coordinates and / or the picture of the cellular field is either accumulated in the memory of the microcontroller 3 or, with the frequency set according to the program, is transmitted to the control center via a cell and / or satellite phone and / or radio station. The received information is stored in a local database, displayed on the background of the cartographic database 7 of the dispatch center, transmitted directly to client computers via a local network and / or telephone channel and / or Internet.

The choice of the method and the communication channel is made either automatically according to the recorded program, or at the command of the central control center.

With the digital method of transmitting information, the microcontroller 3 or the computer of the control room 8 transmits a set of binary signals adapted to the used communication medium 2 (6) through one or more digital lines, which cause the communication medium to send or receive a binary message via radio channel containing necessary information. At the opposite end of the communication channel, a similar digital communication device 6 (2) receives this message and gives it in the form of a set of binary signals to the microcontroller 3 or the computer of the control center 8.

With the analog method of transmitting information, the microcontroller 3 or the computer of the control room 8 generates a short frequency-modulated package containing the necessary information and sends it to the microphone input of the communication device 2 (6), which sends the specified package to the radio channel. At the opposite end of the communication channel, the receiver of the communication device 6 (2) perceives this package, converts it into an analog signal at the output of the loudspeaker, which is connected to the corresponding input of the microcontroller 3 or the computer of the control room 8. Frequency filtering, noise removal, message demodulation and verification are performed . If the result of the checks is successful, the message is accepted.

Thus, when the controller is fully equipped with the necessary means of communication, its communication with the control room is not violated (provided) anywhere in the world.

Together with the coordinate information, data is transmitted on the state of the entire object block and sensors (analog and digital) connected to it. When changing the values on the monitored sensors, or when the values of the analog sensors go beyond the set values, certain messages are transmitted to the user's control room and / or cell phone in the same way as when an alarm is triggered.

When creating a cartographic database, the paper map is first scanned, and the electronic one is converted to standard image files such as JPEG. Then the scattered pieces of the image are combined into one large electronic card. After that, six or more control points are indicated on the map, the coordinates of which are known quite accurately. It can be the intersection lines of meridians and parallels, if they are indicated on the map, settlements whose coordinates can be taken from the directory, or some points that are easy to find on the map (for example, street intersections), the coordinates of which are measured by any satellite GPS receiver . An increase in the number of control points leads to an increase in the accuracy of the display. After all this, we assume that the projection formula, that is, the dependence of the coordinates on our map on geographical coordinates, is polynomial, and we calculate the coefficients of the polynomial that ensure the maximum correspondence of the calculated coordinates of the control points with the given ones. Then, inverse polynomials are calculated that convert the map coordinates to geographical ones.

An additional possibility of transmitting information to a user's mobile cell phone provides the possibility of operational communication with a moving object. It is enough to send a message with a specific request to the cell phone installed in the object’s controller, and the controller will respond with a specified program with a message indicating the nearest landmark (for example, stopping public transport), the distance to it, the route traveled, downtime and movement time, etc. . In addition, upon receipt of certain messages at the facility, the necessary actions (for example, blocking the engine) can be performed. At the same time, the control center constantly monitors the coordinates of the car, and its owner using his cell phone from time to time finds out the current position of his car and the distance traveled.

Power supplies 4, 5 provide continuous operation of the device. In case of malfunction of the main unit, for example, if the power supply network of the object is disturbed, the device’s power switches to the backup power source 5. In this case, the microcontroller 3 controls the charge and discharge of the battery, and depending on the remaining capacity it can change the frequency of alarm messages according to the programmed algorithm, prolonging the autonomous operation of the power supply and the device as a whole.

If the parking time of the car (when its speed is zero) has exceeded the set, the satellite receiver 1 is turned off for a while, reducing power consumption, then turns on again, determines the current speed, and if it is again zero, the indicated cycle is repeated, which saves the car battery energy.

Using a device for interfacing with executive devices, the microcontroller 3 can control the executive devices of the facility, including its security devices, by commands received via the appropriate communication channels from the control room and / or user.

A purely autonomous mode of operation of the device is possible, for example, when accompanying a container with a load, in conditions of complete absence of external power. Then the microcontroller is programmed to work in "sleep" mode, when for a certain time all peripheral devices (navigation receiver, communications, etc.) are completely or partially turned off to save energy. And only at the specified time is it fully turned on, coordinates are determined, a message is issued, and sleep mode is set again.

If there are several control centers, a large number of users, the need for a higher level of information security, and in other cases, information distribution servers can be added to the system.

Thus, the construction of a system of operational support and control of moving objects in the manner described above can improve the efficiency, accuracy and reliability of determining the location of cars, people and other moving objects, including in rooms and at metro stations. Preliminary tests suggest the possibility of industrial use of the proposed method.

Claims (6)

1. The method of operational tracking and control of moving objects, which consists in the fact that the moving object receives navigation signals from the satellites of the global radio navigation system, for example, from the GPS system, they determine the location coordinates from their data, form an information package with additional state of individual subsystems included in it of a moving object, the indicated packet of information is converted into an electrical signal, this signal is transmitted through a communication system to a control room, where information is periodically transmitted they are taken from this and other objects, they are processed, stored and displayed on an electronic map of the area and a packet of information is generated for transmission to the object, characterized in that the coordinates of the object are additionally determined by comparing the picture of the observed field of the base stations of mobile operators containing at least at least one cellular operator of the current network, region and base station, as well as up to seven channel numbers of base stations received at a given location, with reference points, character yuschimi picture fields base stations of cellular carriers and contain the same set of numbers, the information is transmitted on a given program is digital or analog methods using an appropriate communication system and an electronic map of the area is formed as a map database by mapping coordinate information on the background of random cartographic material. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that a database is formed on the basis of an array of reference points in the object’s controller or the control room’s computer. 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that when transmitting information digitally, the information is presented in the form of a set of binary signals containing data about waypoints with their coordinates and states of the subsystems of the object. 4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that when transmitting information by the analog method, the information is presented in the form of a frequency-modulated package. 5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that the information packet is additionally transmitted to a mobile point, in particular a user's mobile phone. 6. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that the information packet is additionally transmitted to a mobile point, in particular a user's mobile phone.

Images