TWI636274B - A positioning system and a positioning method - Google Patents

Abstract

A positioning system and its positioning method. The positioning system includes a target device, at least one non-optical positioning device, a plurality of optical positioning devices, and a host. The non-optical positioning device and the optical positioning device are disposed in the field. The host determines the coarse position of the target device in the field according to the non-optical positioning signal of the non-optical positioning device. The host selects one or more selected optical positioning devices within the predetermined range of the coarse position from the optical positioning devices. The host dynamically enables the one or more selected optical positioning devices, and the host dynamically disables the remaining optical positioning devices outside of the predetermined ranges of the optical positioning devices.

Description

Positioning system and positioning method

The present invention relates to an electronic system, and more particularly to a positioning system and positioning method.

In the virtual reality display technology, the positioning technology is often referred to to know the location of the user (and the target device) in the field, thereby providing a better human-computer interaction interface. In general, optical positioning devices (eg, Lighthouse) provide higher positioning accuracy over a smaller range of positioning (eg, 5-7 meters). However, the optical positioning signals provided by the optical positioning device are obscured by obstacles such as walls. Therefore, the use of a single set of optical positioning devices to track moving targets is limited by distance and terrain, making the range of positionable tracking smaller.

For large area fields, because the positioning range of the optical positioning device is small, it is necessary to arrange a large number of optical positioning devices at different positions in the field. All of these large number of optical positioning devices must be fully enabled at all times to provide an optical positioning signal to the field without interruption. In this way, regardless of where the target device (eg, the head mounted electronic device) moves to the field, the target device and the host can determine the location of the user in the field by virtue of the optical positioning signal. It is conceivable that these large number of optical positioning devices require a large amount of electrical energy to continuously supply optical positioning signals to the field. If the electrical energy of the optical positioning device is from the battery, continuously supplying the optical positioning signal will accelerate the consumption of power of the battery.

The present invention provides a positioning system and positioning method to adaptively and dynamically enable/disable an optical positioning device.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a positioning system including a target device, at least one non-optical positioning device, a plurality of optical positioning devices, and a host. The non-optical positioning device is configured in the field to provide a non-optical positioning signal. The optical positioning device is configured in a field. Any of the optical positioning devices are used to selectively provide an optical positioning signal to the field. The host is coupled to the target device. The host determines the coarse position of the target device in the field according to the non-optical positioning signal. The host selects one or more selected optical positioning devices within a predetermined range of coarse positions from among the plurality of optical positioning devices. The host dynamically enables the selected optical positioning device. The host dynamically disables the remaining optical positioning devices in the plurality of optical positioning devices that are outside of the predetermined range.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a positioning method suitable for use in a positioning system. The positioning system includes a target device, a host, at least one non-optical positioning device, and a plurality of optical positioning devices. The positioning method includes: configuring the non-optical positioning device in a field, the non-optical positioning device to provide a non-optical positioning signal; configuring the optical positioning device in a field, any of the optical positioning devices a means for selectively providing an optical positioning signal to the field; and determining, based on the non-optical positioning signal, a coarse position of the target device in the field; selecting from the plurality of optical positioning devices at the coarse position One or more selected optical positioning devices within a predetermined range; dynamically enabling one or more of the selected optical positioning devices; and dynamically disabling the plurality of optical positioning devices from a predetermined range The remaining optical positioning devices.

Based on the above, in some embodiments of the present invention, the positioning system and the positioning method may adaptively and dynamically enable and disable the optical positioning device based on the coarse position of the target device to reduce the power consumption of the positioning system.

The above described features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

The term "coupled (or connected)" as used throughout the specification (including the scope of the claims) may be used in any direct or indirect connection. For example, if the first device is described as being coupled (or connected) to the second device, it should be construed that the first device can be directly connected to the second device, or the first device can be A connection means is indirectly connected to the second device. In addition, wherever possible, the elements and/ Elements/components/steps that use the same reference numbers or use the same terms in different embodiments may refer to the related description.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a positioning system 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1 , the positioning system 100 can include a target device 110 , at least one non-optical positioning device 120 , a plurality of optical positioning devices 130 , and a host 140 . The target device 110 is an object that needs to be located or tracked, and the target device 110 is an electronic device having computing, storage, and communication functions. According to design requirements, the target device 110 can be a notebook computer, a smart phone, a head mounted display device, a wearable electronic device, or other electronic devices. This embodiment does not limit the type and structure of the target device 110.

A non-optical positioning device 120 is disposed in the field to provide a non-optical positioning signal NOTS to the field. Therefore, the target device 110 in the field domain can receive the non-optical positioning signal NOTS. In this embodiment, the field is, for example, a space 10 meters wide and 10 meters wide, or a space of other areas and other geometric shapes. This embodiment does not limit the type and scope of the field. According to design requirements, the non-optical positioning device 120 is, for example, an electronic device having a wireless communication module, and the non-optical positioning signal NOTS may be Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3rd Generation (3G), Wireless signals transmitted by wireless communication, such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), or other positioning signals that are not based on optical technology. For example, the non-optical positioning device 120 can provide a conventional radio frequency signal or other non-optical signal to the field as the non-optical positioning signal NOTS. This embodiment does not limit the types of non-optical positioning device 120 and non-optical signal NOTS.

A plurality of optical positioning devices 130 are disposed in the field. Any of these optical positioning devices 130 are used to selectively provide an optical positioning signal OTS to the field. Optical positioning device 130 can provide an optical positioning signal OTS to the field. Therefore, the target device 110 in the field domain can receive the optical positioning signal OTS. According to design requirements, the optical positioning signal OTS can be a laser positioning signal, an infrared optical positioning signal, a visible light positioning signal or other optical positioning signals. For example, the optical positioning device 130 can provide a conventional optical positioning signal or other optical signal to the field as the optical positioning signal OTS. This embodiment does not limit the types of the optical positioning device 130 and the optical positioning signal OTS.

The host 140 is coupled to the target device 110. The host computer 140 is an electronic device having computing, storage, and communication functions, such as a personal computer or a server. This embodiment does not limit the kind of the host 140. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the host 140 and the target device 110 may be two independent electronic devices. According to design requirements, in other embodiments, the host 140 and the target device 110 can be integrated in the same electronic device.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the host 140 can be coupled to the target device 110 by wireless communication for bidirectional signal transmission. In other embodiments, the host 140 can be coupled to the target device 110 by wired communication or other communication methods. In this embodiment, the host 140 can be coupled to the optical positioning device 130 by wireless communication to control whether any one of the optical positioning devices 130 provides an optical positioning signal OTS to the field. In other embodiments, the host 140 can also be coupled to the optical positioning device 130 by wire or other communication means. Depending on the control of the host 140, any of the optical positioning devices 130 can dynamically provide (or not provide) an optical positioning signal OTS to the field.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the target device 110 in the field domain can receive the non-optical signal NOTS, and then transmit the related information corresponding to the non-optical signal NOTS to the host 140. Therefore, the host 140 can calculate the coarse position of the target device 110 based on the non-optical signal NOTS. For example, the non-optical signal NOTS can include a radio frequency signal, and the host 140 can decode the radio frequency signal received by the target device. The host 140 can calculate the roughness of the target device 110 in the field by the signal strength of the radio frequency signal according to a Receiver Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) signal, a beacon signal, or other radio frequency signals. position. For example, host 140 may perform a conventional positioning algorithm or other positioning algorithm based on non-optical signal NOTS to calculate a coarse location of target device 110. The target device 110 may move over time, and the host 140 may dynamically turn on the optical positioning device 130 near the target device 110 according to the coarse position of the target device 110 to turn off the remaining optical positioning device 130 to save power consumption of the optical positioning device 130.

FIG. 2 is a schematic flow chart of a positioning method according to an embodiment of the invention. Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 . In step S210, at least one non-optical positioning device 120 is configured in the field to provide a non-optical positioning signal NOTS. In step S220, a plurality of optical positioning devices 130 are disposed in the field. Any of these optical positioning devices 130 are used to selectively provide an optical positioning signal OTS to the field.

Next, in step S230, the host 140 can determine the coarse position of the target device 110 in the field according to the non-optical positioning signal NOTS. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the target device 110 in the field domain can receive the non-optical positioning signal NOTS issued by the non-optical positioning device 120, and then transmit the related information corresponding to the non-optical signal NOTS to the host. 140. For example, the non-optical positioning signal NOTS is, for example, a Wi-Fi signal, and the target device 110 transmits the signal strength information of the obtained Wi-Fi signal to the host 140. Based on the signal strength information of the Wi-Fi signals from the two non-optical positioning devices 120 at different locations, the host 140 can calculate the target device 110 in the field by a conventional triangulation method (or other algorithm). The rough location. In general, the positioning range of Wi-Fi is larger than the optical positioning range, but the positioning accuracy of Wi-Fi is smaller than the optical positioning accuracy.

In step S240, the host 140 may select one or more selected optical positioning devices within a preset range of the coarse position from the plurality of optical positioning devices 130. The preset range may be determined according to design requirements, such as the positioning range of the optical positioning device 130. For example, the positioning range of the optical positioning device 130 is, for example, 7 meters, so the predetermined range can be set to "a circle having a center of the step S230 as a center and a radius of 7 meters". The host 140 can select the optical positioning device 130 covered by the preset range as a "selected optical positioning device." Since the target device 110 may move, the coarse position calculated at different times and the optical positioning device 130 covered by the preset range may also change. Therefore, the "selected optical positioning device" selected by the host 140 can also dynamically change with time.

Next, in step S250, the host 140 can dynamically enable the selected optical positioning device, such that the selected optical positioning device can provide an optical positioning signal OTS to the field. Accordingly, the host 140 can dynamically turn on the corresponding one or more selected optical positioning devices as the coarse position of the target device 110 changes, such that the optical positioning devices 130 around the target device 110 are all enabled. Since the optical positioning device 130 around the target device 110 can provide the optical positioning signal OTS to the target device 110, the target device 110 and the host 140 can use the optical positioning signal OTS for high-precision positioning.

In addition, in step S250, the host 140 can dynamically disable the remaining optical positioning devices of the plurality of optical positioning devices 130 outside the preset range, even if the "remaining optical positioning devices" stop providing/generating optical Positioning signal OTS. As the coarse position of the target device 110 changes, the target device 110 may be away from the optical positioning range of the "one optical positioning device". At this time, the host 140 may dynamically disable (for example, turn off) the "one optical positioning." Device" to save power consumption. Thus the host 140 can dynamically turn off some of the optical positioning devices 130 that are further from the target device 110. It should be noted that the above enabling and disabling may be performed synchronously or asynchronously. This embodiment does not limit the order of enabling and disabling.

FIG. 3 is an operational scenario diagram of a positioning system according to an embodiment of the invention. The positioning system shown in Figure 3 includes a target device 310, nine non-optical positioning devices, and nine optical positioning devices. Any one of the base stations 311 to 319 shown in Fig. 3 is provided with a non-optical positioning device and an optical positioning device. The target device 310 shown in FIG. 3 can refer to the related description of the target device 110 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Referring to FIG. 3, in this embodiment, the field 300 is, for example, a room 20 meters long and 20 meters wide, and the field 300 is provided with a plurality of base stations 311 to 319. The size of the room, the number of base stations, and the distribution position of the base station are only for convenience of description, and the embodiment is not limited. In this embodiment, the base stations 311 to 319 are respectively electronic devices having the non-optical positioning device 120 and the optical positioning device 130 shown in FIG. The non-optical positioning device 120 of the base stations 311-319 can provide a non-optical positioning signal NOTS (e.g., a Wi-Fi signal) into the field 300, as shown in FIG.

Each base station's Wi-Fi signal has a specific code (ID). When the target device 310 (e.g., a head mounted display) is located within the field 300, the target device 310 will receive the Wi-Fi signals provided by the base stations 311-319 and measure the signal strength of each Wi-Fi signal. The target device 310 can transmit the Wi-Fi signal strength of the base stations 311 to 319 to the host 140 (refer to the related description of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 for details). The host 140 decodes to identify the base station corresponding to each Wi-Fi signal by using an appropriate decoding method. This embodiment does not limit the manner of decoding. Next, the host 140 calculates the signal strength of the Wi-Fi signal of the base stations 311 to 319 by the positioning calculation method (for example, the triangulation method) to calculate the rough position of the target device 310 in the field 300. For example, the host 140 may filter, from the plurality of Wi-Fi signals, at least three valid Wi-Fi signals whose signal strength is greater than a predetermined threshold, such as Wi- transmitted by the base stations 311, 312, 314, and 315. Fi signal. Based on the filtered Wi-Fi signals, the host 140 can calculate the coarse position of the target device 310 in the field 300 by triangulation, as shown in FIG. Based on the coarse location of the target device 310, the host 140 can determine the preset range 320.

Then, according to the preset range 320, the host 140 can select the optical positioning device of the base stations 311, 312, 314, and 315 that are closer to the target device 310 as the "selected optical positioning device." The host 140 can enable the selected optical positioning device to provide an optical positioning signal OTS to the target device 310. In addition, the host 140 can dynamically disable the remaining optical positioning devices outside the preset range 320 of the optical positioning devices 311-319 (for example, the optical positioning devices of the base stations 313, 316-319 shown in FIG. 3). ). The optical positioning signals OTS of different base stations have different specific codes (IDs). The target device 310 can sense the optical positioning signals OTS of the base stations (eg, the base stations 311, 312, 314, and 315), and transmit back information about the optical positioning signals OTS to the host 140 (refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 2 for details). Related instructions). Therefore, the host 140 can determine the precise location of the target device 310 in the field 300 based on the optical positioning signal OTS.

It is worth mentioning that in this embodiment, the selected optical positioning device can simultaneously transmit the optical positioning signal OTS into the field 300. For example, the selected optical positioning device (eg, the optical positioning device of the base station 311, 312, 314, 315) can simultaneously emit an optical positioning signal (eg, an infrared signal) to the target device 310 to improve positioning accuracy.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of determining a rough position of a target device according to an embodiment of the invention. Step S230 shown in FIG. 2 can refer to the related description of FIG. Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4. In step S410, the host 140 may decode the radio frequency signal (non-optical positioning signal NOTS) received by the target device 110. The radio frequency signal is, for example, a Wi-Fi signal having a specific code (ID). The host 140 can decode using an appropriate decoding method to identify the base station to which each Wi-Fi signal corresponds. In step S420, the host 410 can calculate the coarse position of the target device 110 in the field by the signal strength of the radio frequency signal.

The host 140 can dynamically enable the optical positioning device 130 within a predetermined range (i.e., near the target device 110) and dynamically disable the optical positioning device 130 outside of the predetermined range. The enabled optical positioning device 130 (selective optical positioning device) can provide an optical positioning signal OTS to the target device 110. The host 140 can determine the precise location of the target device 110 in the field according to the optical positioning signal OTS received by the target device 110.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of determining the precise position of a target device according to an embodiment of the invention. In step S510, the host 140 can decode the optical positioning signal OTS received by the target device 110. The host 140 can decode using an appropriate decoding method to identify the base station corresponding to each optical positioning signal OTS. This embodiment does not limit the manner of decoding. In step S520, the host 110 can calculate the precise position of the target device 110 in the field by the signal strength of the optical positioning signal OTS.

6A, FIG. 6B and FIG. 6C are schematic diagrams showing the operation of dynamic activation and disabling of a positioning system according to another embodiment of the invention. The positioning system shown in Figures 6A, 6B and 6C includes a target device 610, eight non-optical positioning devices, and eight optical positioning devices. Any of the base stations 611 to 618 shown in Figs. 6A, 6B and 6C is provided with a non-optical positioning device and an optical positioning device. The target device 610 shown in FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C can be referred to the related description of the target device 110 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Referring to FIG. 6A, in this embodiment, the field 600 is, for example, a room 30 meters long and 10 meters wide, and the field 600 is provided with a plurality of base stations 611-618. The size of the room, the number of base stations, and the distribution position of the base station are only for convenience of description, and the embodiment is not limited. In this embodiment, the base stations 611-618 are respectively electronic devices having the non-optical positioning device 120 and the optical positioning device 130 shown in FIG. The non-optical positioning device 120 of the base stations 611-618 can provide a non-optical positioning signal NOTS into the field 600. The optical positioning device 130 of the base stations 611-618 can selectively provide the optical positioning signal OTS into the field 600 in accordance with the control of the host 140. The positioning range of the optical positioning signal OTS (about 5-7 meters) is smaller than the positioning range of the non-optical positioning signal NOTS (about 20-30 meters). In this embodiment, the positioning range of the optical positioning signal OTS is a fan-shaped range. For example, the positioning range of the optical positioning signal OTS generated by the base station 611 is the fan-shaped range 621 shown in FIG. 6A.

In the scenario shown in FIG. 6A, the target device 610 moves to the right of FIG. 6A. The host 140 learns that the target device 610 is located at a coarse position of the field 600 through the non-optical positioning signal NOTS transmitted by the base stations 611-618. Therefore, the host 140 can enable/enable the optical positioning device 130 within the preset range of the coarse position of the target device 610 by wireless communication (for example, the optical positioning device 130 of the base stations 611-614 shown in FIG. 6A), and The optical positioning device 130 (e.g., the optical positioning device 130 of the base stations 615-618 shown in Fig. 6A) is closed/disabled. Since the target device 610 is located in the optical positioning ranges 621, 622, 623 and 624 of the base stations 611, 612, 613 and 614, the target device 610 can receive the optical positioning signals OTS respectively transmitted by the base stations 611, 612, 613 and 614. .

In the scenario shown in Figure 6B, target device 610 continues to move to the right of Figure 6B. The host 140 learns that the target device 610 is located at the current coarse position of the field 600 through the non-optical positioning signal NOTS transmitted by the base stations 611-618. Therefore, the host 140 can enable/disable the optical positioning device 130 (eg, the optical positioning device 130 of the base stations 613-614 shown in FIG. 6B) within the preset range of the coarse position of the target device 610 by wireless communication, and The optical positioning device 130 outside the preset range is closed/disabled (for example, the optical positioning device 130 of the base stations 611 to 612 and the optical positioning device 130 of the base stations 615 to 618 shown in FIG. 6B). Since the target device 610 is located within the optical positioning ranges 623 and 624 of the base stations 613 and 614, the target device 610 can receive the optical positioning signals OTS that are each transmitted by the base stations 613 and 614.

In the scenario shown in FIG. 6C, the host 140 learns that the target device 610 is located at the current coarse position of the field 600 through the non-optical positioning signal NOTS transmitted by the base stations 611-618. Therefore, the host 140 can enable/enable the optical positioning device 130 within the preset range of the coarse position of the target device 610 by wireless communication (for example, the optical positioning device 130 of the base stations 613-616 shown in FIG. 6C), and The optical positioning device 130 (e.g., the optical positioning device 130 of the base stations 611, 612, 617, and 618 shown in Fig. 6C) is closed/disabled. Since the target device 610 is located within the optical positioning ranges 623, 624, 625, and 626 of the base stations 613, 614, 615, and 616, the target device 610 can receive the optical positioning signals OTS transmitted by the base stations 613, 614, 615, and 616, respectively. .

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an operation scenario of a positioning system on an obstacle terrain according to an embodiment of the invention. The positioning system shown in Figure 7 includes a target device 710, four non-optical positioning devices, and four optical positioning devices. Any of the base stations 720, 730, 740 and 750 shown in Fig. 7 is provided with a non-optical positioning device and an optical positioning device. The target device 710 shown in FIG. 7 can refer to the related description of the target device 110 in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Referring to FIG. 7, the field 760 and the field 770 are respectively a room having a length and a width of five meters. A channel and a wall are included between the field 760 and the field 770, and a plurality of base stations are disposed in the field. Any of the base stations 720, 730, 740, and 750 can include the non-optical positioning device 120 and the optical positioning device 130 shown in FIG. The field 760 has a base station 720 and a base station 730, and the field 770 has a base station 740 and a base station 750. The non-optical positioning device 120 of the base stations 720, 730, 740, and 750 can provide a non-optical positioning signal NOTS into the field 760 and the field 770. The host 140 learns that the target device 710 is located at a coarse location of the field 760 and the field 770 through the non-optical positioning signals NOTS transmitted by the base stations 720, 730, 740, and 750. In accordance with control by host 140, optical positioning devices 130 in base stations 720, 730, 740, and 750, respectively, selectively provide optical positioning signals 721, 731, 741, and 751 for optical positioning of target device 710. The positioning ranges of the optical positioning signals 721, 731, 741, and 751 are, for example, 5-7 meters, are fan-shaped, and are blocked and blocked by obstacles such as walls.

In the scenario shown in FIG. 7, target device 710 moves from field 760 to the right of FIG. 7 to field 770. When the target device 710 is located in the field 760, the host 140 learns that the target device 710 is located at a coarse location of the field 760 through the non-optical positioning signals NOTS transmitted by the base stations 720, 730, 740, and 750. The host 140 can enable/disable the optical positioning device 130 (eg, the optical positioning device 130 in the base stations 720, 730 shown in FIG. 7) within a preset range of the coarse position of the target device 710 by wireless communication, and turn off/ Optical positioning device 130 (e.g., optical positioning device 130 of base station 740, 750 shown in Figure 7) is disabled outside of the predetermined range. Accordingly, the optical positioning devices 130 in the base stations 720, 730 provide optical positioning signals 721, 731, respectively, to facilitate optical positioning of the target device 710.

Next, target device 710 moves from field 760 into field 770. When the target device 710 is located in the field 770, the host 140 learns that the target device 710 is located at a coarse location of the field 770 through the non-optical positioning signals NOTS transmitted by the base stations 720, 730, 740, and 750. The host 140 can enable/disable the optical positioning device 130 (eg, the optical positioning device 130 in the base stations 740, 750 shown in FIG. 7) within a predetermined range of the coarse position of the target device 710 by wireless communication, and turn off / Optical positioning devices 130 (e.g., optical positioning devices 130 of base stations 720, 730 shown in Figure 7) are disabled outside of the predetermined range. Accordingly, the optical positioning devices 130 in the base stations 740, 750 provide optical positioning signals 341, 351, respectively, to facilitate optical positioning of the target device 710.

Since the optical positioning signals 721, 731, 741 and 751 are blocked by the wall, the target device 710 may not be in the positioning range of the optical positioning signal 731 and the optical positioning signal 741 for a period of time when passing through the channel (ie, optical positioning cannot be performed). ), causing the target device 710 not to be continuously tracked. Thus, the non-optical positioning device 120 in the base stations 720, 730, 740, and/or 750 can provide a non-optical positioning signal NOTS. The non-optical positioning signal NOTS is, for example, a Wi-Fi signal, and its positioning range is, for example, 20 to 30 meters. Due to the large effective range of Wi-Fi signals, and Wi-Fi signals with refraction, reflection, diffraction and diffusion characteristics, they are less affected by obstacles. When the target device 710 passes the channel between the field 760 and the field 770 and is not within the range of the optical positioning signal, the host (eg, the host 140 shown in FIG. 1) and the target device 710 can continuously track using the Wi-Fi signal. The location of the target device 710.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a positioning system 800 according to another embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 8, the positioning system 800 can include a target device 810, at least one non-optical positioning device 820, a plurality of optical positioning devices 830, and a host 840. The target device 810, the optical positioning device 830, and the host 840 shown in FIG. 8 can be analogized with reference to the related descriptions of the target device 110, the optical positioning device 130, and the host 140 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, and therefore will not be described again. . In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the non-optical positioning device 820 can include a pressure sensing floor mat (not shown). The pressure sensing floor mat is coupled to the host 840 by wireless communication. A pressure sensing floor mat (non-optical positioning device 820) is disposed in the field to sense the coarse position of the target device 810 in the field, thereby generating a non-optical positioning signal NOTS to the host 840. The host 840 determines the coarse position of the target device 810 in the field in accordance with the non-optical positioning signal NOTS.

Specifically, when the target device 810 and/or the user moves in the field, the target device 810 and/or the user applies pressure to the pressure sensing floor mat. The pressure sensing floor mat (non-optical positioning device 820) can convert the sensed effective pressure to a non-optical positioning signal NOTS (eg, an electrical signal) and provide the non-optical positioning signal NOTS to the host 840 by wireless communication. The host 840 determines the coarse position of the target device 810 in the field according to the non-optical positioning signal NOTS (corresponding to step S230 shown in FIG. 2). Subsequently, regarding the optical positioning signal OTS transmitted by the host 840 through the optical positioning device 820 to determine the precise position of the target device 810 in the field, please refer to steps S240 and S250 shown in FIG. 2 and steps S510 and S520 shown in FIG. The description is analogous, so it will not be described again.

FIG. 9 is a flow chart of determining a rough position of a target device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Step S230 shown in FIG. 2 can refer to the related description of FIG. Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 9. In step S910, the pressure sensing floor mat (non-optical positioning device 820) may sense the coarse position of the target device 810 in the field to generate a non-optical positioning signal NOTS to the host 840. Next, in step S920, the host 840 can determine the coarse position of the target device 810 in the field according to the non-optical positioning signal NOTS of the pressure sensing ground pad (non-optical positioning device 820).

In summary, the positioning system and the positioning method described in the above embodiments are based on configuring the non-optical positioning device and the optical positioning device in the field to obtain a rough position of the target device, thereby effectively improving the positioning range. Reduce the power consumption of the positioning system through dynamic enabling and disabling optical positioning devices.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

100‧‧‧ Positioning System
110‧‧‧ Target device
120‧‧‧Optical positioning device
130‧‧‧Non-optical positioning device
140‧‧‧Host
300‧‧‧ Fields
310‧‧‧ Target device
311~319‧‧‧ base station
320‧‧‧Preset range
600‧‧ ‧ field
610‧‧‧ Target device
611~618‧‧‧ base station
621～626‧‧‧Optical positioning range
710‧‧‧ Target device
720, 730, 740, 750‧‧‧ base stations
721, 731, 741, 751‧‧‧ optical positioning signals
760, 770‧‧ field
800‧‧‧ Positioning System
810‧‧‧ Target device
820‧‧‧Non-optical positioning device
830‧‧‧Optical positioning device
840‧‧‧Host
NOTS‧‧‧Non optical positioning signal
OTS‧‧‧ optical positioning signal
S210～S250, S410～S420, S510～S520, S910～S920‧‧‧ steps

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a device for positioning a system according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic flow chart of a positioning method according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is an operational scenario diagram of a positioning system according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic flow chart of determining a rough position of a target device according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic flow chart of determining a precise position of a target device according to an embodiment of the invention. 6A, FIG. 6B and FIG. 6C are operational diagrams of dynamic enabling and disabling of a positioning system according to another embodiment of the invention. FIG. 7 is an operational scenario diagram of a positioning system on an obstacle terrain according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an apparatus for positioning a system according to another embodiment of the invention. FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the rough position of a target device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (16)

A positioning system comprising: a target device; at least one non-optical positioning device disposed in a field to provide a non-optical positioning signal; a plurality of optical positioning devices disposed in the field, wherein the optical Any one of the positioning devices for selectively providing an optical positioning signal to the field; and a host coupled to the target device, wherein the host determines the target device according to the non-optical positioning signal At a rough location of the field, the host selects one or more selected optical positioning devices from the optical positioning devices within a predetermined range of the coarse position, the host dynamically enabling The one or more selected optical positioning devices, and the host dynamically disable the remaining optical positioning devices outside the predetermined range of the optical positioning devices. The positioning system of claim 1, wherein the host is coupled to the target device by a wireless communication method to perform a bidirectional signal transmission. The positioning system of claim 1, wherein the host is coupled to the plurality of optical positioning devices by a wireless communication method to control whether any one of the plurality of optical positioning devices provides the optical positioning Signal to the field. The positioning system of claim 1, wherein the one or more selected optical positioning devices simultaneously transmit the optical positioning signal to the field. The positioning system of claim 1, wherein the at least one non-optical positioning signal comprises a radio frequency signal, and the host decodes the radio frequency signal received by the target device, and the signal of the radio frequency signal The intensity calculates the approximate location of the target device at the field. The positioning system of claim 1, wherein the at least one non-optical positioning device comprises a pressure sensing floor mat, the pressure sensing floor mat sensing the rough of the target device in the field Positioning the non-optical positioning signal to the host, the host determining the coarse position of the target device in the field according to the non-optical positioning signal. The positioning system of claim 1, wherein the host determines the target device according to the optical positioning signal sent by the one or more selected optical positioning devices received by the target device An exact location of the field. The positioning system of claim 7, wherein the host decodes the plurality of optical positioning signals received by the target device, and calculates the target device by signal strengths of the plurality of optical positioning signals The precise location of the field. A positioning method is applicable to a positioning system, the positioning system includes a target device, a host, at least one non-optical positioning device, and a plurality of optical positioning devices, and the positioning method comprises: configuring at least one non-optical positioning device in one field a field, wherein the at least one non-optical positioning device is configured to provide a non-optical positioning signal; a plurality of optical positioning devices are disposed in the field, wherein any one of the optical positioning devices is configured to selectively provide a Optically locating the signal to the field; and determining, according to the non-optical positioning signal, a rough position of the target device in the field; selecting a predetermined range of the coarse position from the optical positioning devices One or more selected optical positioning devices; dynamically enabling the one or more selected optical positioning devices; and dynamically disabling remaining optical positioning of the optical positioning devices outside the predetermined range Device. The positioning method of claim 9, wherein the host is coupled to the target device by a wireless communication method to perform a bidirectional signal transmission. The positioning method of claim 9, wherein the host is coupled to the plurality of optical positioning devices by a wireless communication method to control whether the plurality of optical positioning devices provide the optical positioning signal to the In the field. The positioning method of claim 9, wherein the one or more selected optical positioning devices simultaneously transmit the optical positioning signal to the field. The positioning method of claim 9, wherein the at least one non-optical positioning signal comprises a radio frequency signal, and the step of determining the target device in the coarse position of the field comprises: decoding The radio frequency signal received by the target device; and calculating, by the signal strength of the radio frequency signal, the coarse position of the target device in the field. The positioning method of claim 9, wherein the at least one non-optical positioning device comprises a pressure sensing floor mat, and the step of determining the target device in the coarse position of the field comprises : sensing, by the pressure sensing floor mat, the coarse position of the target device in the field to generate the non-optical positioning signal to the host; and following the non-optical positioning signal by the host Determining the rough location of the target device in the field. The positioning method of claim 9, further comprising: determining, according to the optical positioning signal sent by the one or more selected optical positioning devices received by the target device, the target device A precise location of the field. The positioning method of claim 15, wherein the determining the precise position of the target device in the field comprises: decoding the plurality of optical positioning signals received by the target device And calculating, by the signal strength of the plurality of optical positioning signals, the precise position of the target device in the field.