TWI655446B - Visible light positioning system and positioning method - Google Patents

Abstract

A visible light positioning system includes at least one lamp, at least one positioning transceiver element, and a server. The lamp is set at a specific position and has a first identification code, and the first identification code is transmitted in the form of a selected signal. The positioning transceiver element has a second identification code, which includes a receiving element movably receiving the first identification code of the approaching light fixture, and demodulating the first identification code; and a wireless transceiver element for using the first The identification code and the second identification code are transmitted to a receiving end. The server is coupled to the wireless transceiver element through the receiving end to obtain the first identification code and the second identification code, thereby positioning the positioning transceiver element in a space defined by the lamp.

Description

Visible light positioning system and positioning method

This disclosure relates to a positioning technology, and more particularly to a visible light positioning system and positioning method.

For an indoor operating organization, taking a hospital as an example, it contains a large number of mobile medical devices that are often moved in the hospital to meet medical needs, or there are many patients who need to be monitored and observed. Different conditions also move at any time. Generally speaking, it is difficult to effectively and quickly grasp the movement of these devices or personnel.

Another example is that the procedures of medical personnel when performing handover of these devices will be quite complicated and time-consuming. It is generally known that a variety of medical equipment such as physiological monitors, fetal ultrasound monitors, perfusion pumps, blood glucose meters, etc. will be scattered in each ward, and when the medical staff performs shifts, they need to go to each ward to take a check. Quite time consuming.

Hospitals are just one example. Other similar operating organizations have similar issues. In other words, when there is a need to control a large number of instruments and personnel at any time, it will face the problem of not being able to effectively control it immediately.

As the environment of a hospital is an indoor environment, it cannot be located using a general global positioning system (GPS).

Therefore, how to effectively grasp the movement of instruments and / or personnel in an indoor environment is at least one of the problems to be solved in management.

The disclosure provides a visible light positioning system and a positioning method. For example, in an indoor environment, the lighting equipment is used to locate the equipment and / or personnel, so as to effectively grasp the movement status of the equipment and / or personnel.

According to an embodiment, the present disclosure provides a positioning system including at least one lamp, at least one positioning transceiver element, a server, and a display unit. At least one lamp generates at least one optical signal, and the optical signal has a corresponding first identification code. At least one positioning transceiver element receives the optical signal to transmit the first identification code and a second identification code corresponding to the positioning transceiver element. The server receives the first identification code and the second identification code to locate the positioning transceiver element according to the first identification code and the second identification code. A display unit displays the location of the positioning transceiver element.

According to an implementation example, in the aforementioned positioning system, the optical signal is in the form of a pulse.

According to an implementation example, in the aforementioned positioning system, the positioning transceiver element includes a receiving element for movably receiving the first identification code.

According to an embodiment, in the aforementioned positioning system, the receiving element includes a photosensitive element for sensing a light signal emitted by the lamp.

According to an implementation example, in the aforementioned positioning system, the receiving element demodulates the first identification code.

According to an implementation example, in the aforementioned positioning system, the receiving element includes a micro control unit for demodulating the first identification code according to a predetermined clock cycle.

According to an implementation example, in the aforementioned positioning system, the micro control unit identifies the first identification code according to the intensity of the optical signal.

According to an implementation example, in the aforementioned positioning system, the positioning transceiver element includes a wireless transceiver element for transmitting the first identification code and the second identification code to the server.

According to an embodiment, in the aforementioned positioning system, the server includes a receiving end, and the receiving end is coupled to the positioning transceiver to receive the first identification code and the second identification code.

According to an implementation example, the aforementioned positioning system further includes an identification code setting interface for setting the first identification code or the second identification code.

Based on the above, the visible light positioning system and positioning method can be applied indoors, and the movement of instruments and equipment and / or personnel can be effectively grasped through a server.

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present disclosure more comprehensible, embodiments are described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

This disclosure proposes a visible light positioning mechanism, which uses a lighting fixture provided in a space with a fixed position to provide a position reference point for positioning of instruments or personnel in the space.

For example, the lamp disclosed in the present invention controls the light emitting form of the lamp to generate a light signal in the form of a pulse, thereby issuing a lamp-specific identification code. In addition, the positioning and transmitting and receiving elements that can be set on movable instruments and equipment or personnel receive the corresponding lamp identification codes nearby. Here, the positioning transceiver element also has another identification code. Therefore, the positioning transceiver element sends the identification code of the lamp and the identification code of the positioning transceiver element to the server. For example, if it is a wireless network connection method, the server can locate the positioning transceiver element and provide positioning information.

The following describes some implementation examples, but the disclosure is not limited to the implementation examples.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a visible light positioning system according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1, the visible light positioning system 100 may include at least one lamp 108 (for example, a plurality of lamps), at least one positioning transceiver element 106, and a server 110. The server 110 is, for example, a cloud server. Each lamp 108 is disposed at a specific position and has a first identification code, such as id ₁ , id ₂ , id ₃ ,..., Id _{L, respectively} . In one embodiment, the lamp 108 is a fixed position provided on the ceiling of the indoor space. In addition to providing lighting, it also provides a reference position for positioning. The light fixture 108 is turned on or off, for example, by control, and thus generates a light or dark state. In this way, the first identification code of the lamp is transmitted in a selected signal form, such as a pulse form. Each positioning transceiving element 106 has a second identification code ID _n . Here, only one positioning transceiving element 106 is taken as an example. In practical applications, the number is generally multiple but not limited, and it is determined according to needs.

Here, the “off state” of the lamp generally refers to a state of being completely turned off. However, according to the demodulation capability of the positioning transmitting and receiving element 106, it may not necessarily be completely turned off, but a dimmed state, as long as it can distinguish the "on state". That is, the distinction between high and low levels can be demonstrated.

The positioning transceiver element 106 may be configured on a movable instrument or device or on the person 104. For example, the apparatus 102 may include at least one of a physiological monitor, a fetal ultrasound monitor, a perfusion pump, and a blood glucose meter. Regarding the manner in which the positioning transceiver element 106 is disposed on the person 104, for example, the positioning transceiver element 106 may be disposed on an identification card or other object that the person 104 carries.

An implementation example of the detailed architecture of the positioning transceiver element 106 will be described in more detail later. Basically, the positioning transceiving element 106 includes a receiving element that movably receives a corresponding one of the first identification codes and demodulates the first identification code. The positioning transceiving element 106 further includes a wireless transceiving element for transmitting the first identification code id _i and the second identification code ID _n to a receiving end. This receiving end is, for example, a wireless network receiving end, so it can be connected to the server 110.

The server 110 obtains the first identification code id _i and the second identification code ID _n through the receiving end, thereby positioning the positioning transceiver element 106 in the space defined by the lamp 108.

The server 110 obtains the position of the lamp having the first identification code id _i according to the database after receiving the first identification code id _i and the second identification code ID _n through a connection method such as a wireless network to determine the second The position of the identification code ID _n . In an implementation example, the server 110 may further transmit the data of the second identification code ID _n to the display panel 150 of the monitoring center, corresponding to the position of the building 152, indicating the positioning transceiver unit 106 or carrying the positioning transceiver unit 106 The relative position of the person 104 corresponds to the building 152.

The following uses multiple implementation examples to further explain. First, the configuration of the positioning transceiver element 106 will be described. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating various configuration modes of the positioning transceiver element according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Generally speaking, the positioning transceiver element 106 can be set anywhere in the operating system, as long as it can receive the light emitted by the lamp 108 and demodulate the first identification code. In practical applications, it is relatively necessary to monitor mobile objects at any time. Therefore, the positioning transceiving element 106 can be disposed on the apparatus 102 (see FIG. 1). Other configurations may be combined with a helmet, for example (see FIG. 2), and carried by the person 104 at any time. For another example, the equipment 102 may also be an identification card (see FIG. 2) carried by the person 104, and the identification card is also provided with a positioning transceiver element 106. That is, the positioning transceiver 106 is set on a movable object to be monitored. The arrangement of FIG. 2 is only an implementation example, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the lamp 108 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 3, regarding the function of the lamp 108 disclosed in the present disclosure, it may include a micro control unit (MCU) 200 as a control center. The identification code setting interface 202 allows the lamp 108 to set its own identification code. For ease of description, the identification code of the lamp 108 is also referred to as a first identification code (id). In an implementation example, the micro control unit 200 can be converted into a bit string according to the content of the first identification code, which is, for example, data including 8 bits. The lamp 108 has a plurality of light-emitting elements 208, and may be, for example, a light-emitting diode 208, but is not limited to the light-emitting diode 208. A pulse signal is used to regulate the light state (on state) and the dark state (off state) of the light emitting diode 208, wherein the pulse signal corresponds to the bit string of the first identification code. That is, in an implementation example, the micro control unit 200 provides bit data 204 of the first identification code to the lamp driver 206, and the lamp driver 206 generates a driving current for the light emitting device 2 according to the "0" and "1" of the bit data 204. The polar body 208 controls the dark state and the bright state of the light emitting diode 208 according to the timing, which corresponds to the content of the first identification code. In addition, the power supply 210 provides power required by the micro-control unit 200, the lamp driver 206, and the like.

The disclosed embodiment uses the mechanism of the dark state and the light state of the lamp 108 to transmit the content of the first identification code. In the following, another embodiment is used to transmit the first identification code using a Manchester encoding format.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a signal format of the Manchester encoding format according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 4, the Manchester encoding format shows that a plurality of bits of data is used as a data area 250, which is, for example, an 8-bit data area 250. There is a start area 230 in front of the data area 250 and an end area 240 after the data area 250. That is, the start area 230 and the end area 240 define a data area 250. Taking 8-bit data as an example, the data area 250 will include 8 cycles. The "0" or "1" represented by each cycle is determined by the transition mode in the middle. For example, the transition from the high level to the low level is "0", and the transition from the low level to the high level is "1". The bit data of the example of FIG. 4 is [11111111]. The identification code of the lamp 108 will continue to be issued, but due to the high frequency of change, the human eye will not substantially cause the flicker of the lighting.

It can be understood from the above description that, for a visible light fixture for lighting, by controlling its bright and dark states to correspond to the high level and low level of bit data, the function of sending bit data can be realized.

Next, the description will continue to describe the positioning of the transceiver element and the way to connect to the server. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a functional block of a positioning transceiver element and a connection with a server according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 5, the functional architecture of the positioning transceiver element 106 of the visible light positioning system 300 and the connection between the back end and the server 312 and the monitoring center 314 are shown. In one embodiment, the positioning transceiver element 106 may include a light sensing element 302, a power source 304, a micro control unit (MCU) 306, a wireless transceiver 308, and an antenna 310. The power source 304 is, for example, a battery to provide power required for positioning each component in the transceiver element 106. The light-receiving element 302 is, for example, a photodiode or other similarly functioning elements. The light receiving element 302 senses the “light state” and the “dark state” of the light emitted by the corresponding lamp 108. The micro control unit (MCU) 306 demodulates the content of the first identification code (such as id _{i in} FIG. 1) from the “light state” and the “dark state” according to a predetermined clock cycle. In addition, the positioning transceiver 106 also has a second identification code (such as ID _{n in} FIG. 1). The first identification code and the second identification code are connected to the server 312 through the wireless transceiver 308 and the antenna 310. Here, the connection between the positioning transceiver 106 and the server 312 is not limited to a specific method.

The server 312 is an application belonging to the back end. Based on the received first identification code, the server 312 can know the location of the lamp having the first identification code through the database, and further calculate the location of the positioning transceiver element 106 having the second identification code, and reach Positioning function. After that, the server 312 can transmit the location information to the monitoring center 314 for overall management, and at least the movement of the positioning transceiver 106 can be displayed on the monitoring screen in real time relative to the structure of the building. With regard to the position of the person, for example, it can know whether the person is in a danger alert area, etc., so as to facilitate the monitoring center 314 to grasp the movement of the person and the state of the environment.

In addition, if the positioning transceiving element 106 is located at the intersection of two or more lamps 108, it may receive the optical signals from two or more lamps 108 at the same time. The micro control unit (MCU) 306 for locating the transceiver element 106, for example, recognizes according to the strength of the signal, and determines the corresponding lamp 108 according to a set rule. This disclosure is not limited to the determination of positioning. As another example, since the lamps 108 are usually close, the previously sensed lamps can also be maintained. When leaving the previously sensed lamps, the range of another lamp is actually changed, and the intersection area of the lamps 108 is ignored. .

The positioning transceiver 106 may also have more detection functions to provide more monitoring information. A variation of another embodiment is described below. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of a positioning transceiver according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 6, the positioning transceiver 106 may include a power supply 320, a microcontroller 322, a signal demodulator 326, a wireless transceiver 324, an optical sensor 332, a sound sensor 330, and a motion sensor 328. The microcontroller 322 and the signal demodulator 326 can be integrated into a microcontroller unit 327, which includes the functions of the microcontroller unit (MCU) 306 as shown in FIG. The role of the wireless transceiver 324 may also correspond to the wireless transceiver 308 of FIG. 5. The function of the optical sensor 332 may also correspond to the photosensitive element 302 of FIG. 5. Therefore, the positioning transceiving element 106 of this embodiment includes the architecture and functions of the positioning transceiving element 106 previously shown in FIG. 5, for example. However, in this embodiment, the sound sensor 330 or the motion sensor 328, or both can be added. The sound sensor 330 or the motion sensor 328 is also connected to the signal demodulator 326 to obtain a sensing signal. Among them, the sound sensor 330 can be used to sense the surrounding sound of the environment where the transceiver element 106 is located, for example, to determine whether there is a warning sound or an accidental sound. With the positioning information, it can grasp the sudden danger or accident in real time. event. The motion sensor 328 can be used to determine whether an abnormal movement has occurred. For example, patients carrying the positioning transceiver element 106 who need enhanced monitoring may have abnormal movement behavior due to sudden illness, such as a fall, or a sudden Heart disease tremors, etc. The motion sensor 328 helps the monitoring center to grasp the position and physical state of the patient in real time.

With the visible light positioning system disclosed in this disclosure, there are various application modes. In an implementation example, the present disclosure can be applied to a shift location system for medical care, which can include management of lamps, management of personnel and objects, analysis of equipment position and trajectory analysis, control of warning areas, and the like. In addition, with the technology disclosed in this disclosure, it can also detect whether the lamps and / or equipment are faulty.

This disclosure can also be applied to guidance and recording systems in emergency centers or health check centers, for example, including management of lamps, management of personnel and objects, analysis of patient trajectories, time recording, and dwell time at each station.

This disclosure can also be applied to, for example, construction personnel positioning systems, including management of lighting fixtures, construction range settings, alert area settings, personnel trajectory analysis, time recording, alert area control, and alarm detection.

However, the application of the present disclosure is not limited to the illustrated implementation examples. The actual application can be integrated into various compatible systems in accordance with the positioning technology of the present disclosure to strengthen the positioning and monitoring functions, especially in indoor environments. Necessary facilities, which can directly provide the location of personnel or objects.

Further regarding the design change of the positioning transceiver element 106, the photoelectric conversion function can be added to the consideration of power consumption. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating positioning a transceiver element according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 7, the positioning transceiving element 106 may be provided with a photoelectric conversion element 106 a. Since the positioning transceiver element 106 is generally in a lighting environment, it may even receive sunlight in addition to receiving light emitted by the lamp. Therefore, the photoelectric conversion element 106 a is, for example, a solar cell, and can convert light energy into electrical energy to provide the overall use of the positioning transceiver element 106. Therefore, the power supply for positioning the transceiving element 106 can be supplemented and the use time can be increased. In addition, if it is in a bright environment, it can even completely replace the general non-solar battery power supply 304.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an application of the visible light positioning system according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Referring to FIG. 8, taking a floor of a hospital as an example, it includes a building 400 connected to a ward and a central medical station 402. Between the buildings 400 are corridors. The medical staff may push the equipment and leave the medical station 402 to the ward for routine affairs. The positioning transceiving element 106 may be provided on an instrument or carried by a medical staff. According to time and location, information such as the trajectory of the instrument or person who configures the positioning transceiver unit 106, and the time spent in the ward can be obtained. If the function shown in FIG. 6 is cooperated, the environmental status of the area where it is located can be monitored more.

In addition, as for the visible light positioning method, the present disclosure provides a visible light positioning method including setting at least one lamp in a space, wherein each of the lamps is set at a specific position and has a first identification code, and the first signal is emitted in a selected signal form. An identification code; positioning positioning transceiver elements are disposed on the movable body, each of which has a second identification code, including using a receiving element to movably receive the first identification code of the approaching lamp, and demodulate The first identification code; and a wireless transceiver element for transmitting the first identification code and the second identification code to a receiving end. In addition, the receiving end is coupled to the wireless transceiver element and a server, wherein the server obtains the first identification code and the second identification code, so that the positioning transceiver element is in the space defined by the lamp. Positioning.

In an implementation example, for the aforementioned visible light positioning method, the signal form of the lamp is to generate an on state and a off state in a pulse form, thereby transmitting a plurality of bit data of the first identification code.

In an implementation example, for the aforementioned visible light positioning method, the signal form of the lamp is to generate an on state and an off state according to a pulse form of Manchester coding format, thereby transmitting a plurality of bit data of the first identification code.

In an implementation example, for the aforementioned visible light positioning method, the receiving element demodulates the first identification code according to the signal form and according to a light-dark change pattern of light emitted by each of the lamps.

In an embodiment, for the aforementioned visible light positioning method, the receiving element includes a light sensor, and the first identification code is demodulated corresponding to the light and dark change pattern of the light emitted by the lamp.

In an embodiment, for the aforementioned visible light positioning method, the receiving element includes a photodiode.

In an implementation example, for the aforementioned visible light positioning method, the positioning transceiver element further includes a photoelectric conversion element that converts the received light energy into electrical energy for use by the positioning transceiver element.

In an embodiment, for the aforementioned visible light positioning method, the photoelectric conversion element includes a solar cell.

In an implementation example, for the aforementioned visible light positioning method, the positioning transceiver element further includes a sound sensing element, wherein the sensing result of the sound sensing element is also transmitted to the server, which can analyze, for example, whether the positioning transceiver element is located. There is an abnormal warning sound.

In an implementation example, for the aforementioned visible light positioning method, the positioning transceiving element further includes a motion sensing element, wherein the sensing result of the motion sensing element is also transmitted to the server, which can, for example, analyze whether the positioning transceiving element has abnormal movement .

In summary, the visible light positioning system and positioning method disclosed in the present disclosure emits its specific first identification code by regulating the light emitting form of the lamp, and the positioning transceiver element 106 receives the light signal of the lamp to demodulate its first identification. And the second identification code of the positioning transceiver element 106 is transmitted to the server for positioning and environmental monitoring. The disclosure can be used for positioning in an indoor space by using the position of a lamp. In this way, it can be applied to other application systems to provide positioning and monitoring functions.

Although the present disclosure has been disclosed as above by way of example, it is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Any person with ordinary knowledge in the technical field should make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The scope of protection of this disclosure shall be determined by the scope of the attached patent application.

100‧‧‧Visible light positioning system

320‧‧‧ Power Supply

102‧‧‧Equipment

322‧‧‧Microcontroller

104‧‧‧personnel

324‧‧‧Wireless Transceiver

106‧‧‧ Positioning transceiver element

326‧‧‧Signal Demodulator

106a‧‧‧photoelectric conversion element

327‧‧‧Micro Control Unit

108‧‧‧Lighting

328‧‧‧ Motion Sensor

110‧‧‧Server

330‧‧‧Sound sensor

150‧‧‧display panel

332‧‧‧Optical sensor

152‧‧‧Building

400‧‧‧ building

200‧‧‧microcontrol unit (MCU)

402‧‧‧Healthcare Station

202‧‧‧Identifier setting interface

204‧‧‧bit data

206‧‧‧lamp driver

208‧‧‧light-emitting diode

210‧‧‧ Power

230‧‧‧starting area

240‧‧‧End zone

250‧‧‧ Data Area

300‧‧‧Visible light positioning system

302‧‧‧Photosensitive element

304‧‧‧ Power

306‧‧‧Microcontrol unit

308‧‧‧Wireless Transceiver

310‧‧‧ Antenna

312‧‧‧Server

314‧‧‧Monitoring Center

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a visible light positioning system according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating various configurations of positioning the transceiver elements according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a lamp according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a signal format of the Manchester encoding format according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of a positioning transceiver according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of a positioning transceiver according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating positioning a transceiver element according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating an application of the visible light positioning system according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

Claims (10)

A positioning system includes: at least one lamp, each of which generates a distinguishable optical signal, the optical signal having a corresponding first identification code; and at least one positioning transceiver element, which receives at least one adjacent lamp. The optical signal is used to transmit the first identification code and a second identification code corresponding to the positioning transceiver element; a server receives the first identification code and the second identification code so as to be based on the first identification code and the A second identification code locates the positioning transceiver element; and a display unit displays the location of the positioning transceiver element. According to the positioning system described in the first patent application scope, the optical signal is in the form of a pulse. According to the positioning system described in the first item of the patent application scope, the positioning transceiver element includes a receiving element for movably receiving the first identification code. According to the positioning system described in item 3 of the patent application scope, the receiving element includes a photosensitive element for sensing a light signal emitted by the lamp. In the positioning system according to item 3 of the patent application, the receiving element demodulates the first identification code. According to the positioning system described in item 5 of the patent application scope, the receiving element includes a micro control unit for demodulating the first identification code according to a predetermined clock cycle. According to the positioning system described in item 6 of the patent application scope, the micro control unit recognizes the first identification code according to the intensity of the optical signal. According to the positioning system described in the third item of the patent application scope, the positioning transceiver element includes a wireless transceiver element for transmitting the first identification code and the second identification code to the server. According to the positioning system described in the first item of the patent application scope, the server includes a receiving end, and the receiving end is coupled to the positioning transceiver element to receive the first identification code and the second identification code. The positioning system according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, further comprising an identification code setting interface for setting the first identification code or the second identification code.