WO2017187487A1

WO2017187487A1 - Position specifying system and position specifying method

Info

Publication number: WO2017187487A1
Application number: PCT/JP2016/062946
Authority: WO
Inventors: 倉科守; 添田武志; 山▲崎▼貴司
Original assignee: 富士通株式会社
Priority date: 2016-04-25
Filing date: 2016-04-25
Publication date: 2017-11-02
Also published as: JPWO2017187487A1; JP6683250B2

Abstract

This position specifying system is provided with: a radio wave transmitter that transmits radio waves; a radio wave receiver that repeatedly moves along a predetermined path and receives the radio waves transmitted from the radio wave transmitter present within a radio wave reception range; and an information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus has: an acquisition unit that acquires the reception result of the radio waves at a given point of time, from the radio wave receiver; a specification unit that specifies the position of the radio wave receiver at the given point of time; and a calculation unit that calculates the position of the radio wave transmitter on the basis of the position of the radio wave receiver at the given point of time and the reception result of the radio waves at the given point of time.

Description

LOCATION SYSTEM AND LOCATION METHOD

This case relates to a location identification system and location identification method.

One way to improve productivity in factories is to properly arrange workers (people) based on work analysis. When performing work analysis, it is important to accurately grasp the positions and flow lines of workers working in the factory. Therefore, various methods for managing the position of the worker have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2009-36586 A

In the above technique, the worker is detected by the detection means provided at a predetermined position of the rail, and there is a possibility that the detailed position of the worker cannot be specified depending on the arrangement method. Alternatively, in order to specify the detailed position of the worker, there is a possibility that a large number of detection means must be provided.

This case has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a position specifying system and a position specifying method capable of specifying a detailed position of an operator.

In one aspect, the positioning system includes a radio wave transmitter that transmits radio waves, and a radio wave that repeatedly moves along a predetermined route and receives the radio waves transmitted from the radio wave transmitter that exists within a radio wave reception range. A receiver, an acquisition unit for acquiring a reception result of the radio wave at a certain time from the radio wave receiver, a specifying unit for specifying a position of the radio wave receiver at the certain time, and the radio wave receiver at the certain time An information processing device including a calculation unit that calculates a position of the radio wave transmitter based on the position and the reception result of the radio wave at the certain time.

It is possible to specify the detailed position of the worker.

It is a schematic diagram showing composition of a position specific system concerning one embodiment. It is a figure which illustrates the floor of the factory to which a position specifying system is applied. FIG. 3A is a diagram illustrating a radio wave reception range of the receiver, and FIG. 3B is a diagram illustrating an arrangement example when the receiver is fixedly arranged. It is a figure which shows the example of arrangement | positioning and the movement of a receiver in one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows another example of arrangement | positioning and a movement of a receiver. It is a figure which shows another example of arrangement | positioning and a movement of a receiver. It is a figure which shows an example of the moving method of a receiver. It is a figure which shows an example of apparatus layout information. It is a figure which shows the example of a division | segmentation of the area used as the object which pinpoints an operator's position. It is a figure which shows an example of worker relevant information. FIG. 11A is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the information processing apparatus, and FIG. 11B is a functional block diagram of the information processing apparatus. It is a figure which shows an example of a transmitter detection table. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the worker position specific process which information processing apparatus performs. FIGS. 14 (a) to 14 (c) are diagrams (part 1) for explaining the identification of the worker's position, and FIG. 14 (d) shows the worker's position when a fixedly arranged receiver is used. It is a figure explaining specification of a position. FIG. 15A to FIG. 15C are diagrams (part 2) for explaining the identification of the position of the worker. FIGS. 16A to 16C are diagrams (part 3) for explaining the specification of the position of the operator. It is a figure which shows an example of an operator location information table. It is a figure explaining the other example of a receiver.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the position specifying system will be described.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a configuration of a position specifying system 100 according to an embodiment. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the position specifying system 100 is a system for specifying the position at a certain point in time of an operator who works on the floor F1 of the factory where the devices A to O are arranged.

As shown in FIG. 1, the location system 100 includes a radio wave transmitter (hereinafter referred to as a transmitter) 30-1 to 30-m (m is an arbitrary integer), a radio wave receiver (hereinafter referred to as a receiver). 20-1 to 20-n (where n is an arbitrary integer), a database server 60, and an information processing apparatus 50. The receivers 20-1 to 20-n and the information processing apparatus 50 are connected via a wired or wireless network 80 such as the Internet, LAN (Local Area Network), WAN (Wide Area Network), or the like. The information processing apparatus 50 and the database server 60 are connected via a network such as a LAN. In the following description, the transmitters 30-1 to 30-n are referred to as transmitters 30 and the receivers 20-1 to 20-n are referred to as receivers 20 unless otherwise distinguished.

The transmitter 30 is, for example, a beacon device and transmits radio waves (beacon signals). The radio wave transmitted from the transmitter 30 includes transmitter ID information that is an identifier for uniquely identifying the transmitter 30. In this embodiment, in order to specify the position of the worker by specifying the position of the transmitter 30, the transmitter 30 is attached to each worker who works in the floor F1 of FIG. In the present embodiment, the transmitter 30 is attached to the helmet worn by the operator so that the radio wave transmission surface is on the upper side, but may be attached to other positions. Further, the radio wave transmitting surface does not necessarily have to be directed upward as long as the receiver 20 can receive the radio wave from the transmitter 30.

The receiver 20 is a beacon receiver, for example, and receives radio waves transmitted from the transmitter 30 existing in the radio wave reception range. In the present embodiment, the receiver 20 performs radio wave reception processing for receiving radio waves transmitted from the transmitter 30 at a predetermined time interval (for example, 2 ms). Each time the radio wave receiving process is performed, the receiver 20 transmits the time point when the radio wave receiving process is performed and the radio wave reception result to the information processing apparatus 50.

Here, the arrangement of the receiver 20 in this embodiment will be described. In the present embodiment, the radio wave reception range R20 of the receiver 20 is a circle having a radius r centered on the receiver 20, as shown in FIG. Therefore, in order to specify the position of the operator (transmitter 30) in the floor F1 shown in FIG. 2, the receiver is arranged so that the radio wave reception range R20 covers an area where the transmitter 30 may exist. 20 need to be arranged. Here, when the receiver 20 is fixedly arranged, the receiver 20 is arranged as shown in FIG. 3B, for example, in order to cover an area where the transmitter 30 may exist. In this case, a total of 22 receivers 20 are arranged.

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the receiver 20 repeatedly moves along a predetermined route at a constant period. In other words, the receiver 20 repeats returning from the initial position to the original position (initial position) through a predetermined route. More specifically, the receiver 20 repeatedly moves along a predetermined route so that the movement locus of the radio wave reception range R20 covers an area where the transmitter 30 may exist. As a result, radio waves from the transmitter 30 can be received in an area where the transmitter 30 may exist, and the number of receivers 20 can be reduced.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, a plurality of receivers 20 are arranged and moved in the floor F1. In FIG. 4, the arrow represents the direction in which the receiver 20 moves. In FIG. 4, receivers 20-1 to 20-4 that reciprocate on lines L1 to L4, respectively, receivers 20-5 and 20-6 that are arranged on a concentric circle C1 and move on the circumference of the circle C1, A receiver 20-7 that moves on the circumference of a circle C2 different from the circle C1 is disposed. When the receivers 20-1 to 20-4 reciprocate on the lines L1 to L4, respectively, it becomes possible to receive radio waves from the transmitter 30 existing in the regions R1 to R4. Further, when the receivers 20-5 and 20-6 move on the circumference of the circle C1, it is possible to receive radio waves from the transmitter 30 existing in the region R5. Further, when the receiver 20-7 moves on the circumference of the circle C2, it is possible to receive radio waves from the transmitter 30 existing in the region R6. As described above, as shown in FIG. 4, the receiver 20 is arranged and repeatedly moved along a predetermined route, so that the transmitter 30 is transmitted by the seven receivers 20 in the area F 1 for specifying the position of the worker. It is possible to receive radio waves from.

For example, the receiver 20 may be arranged and moved as shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, the receivers 20-1 and 20-2 that move so that the movement locus becomes the rectangle P1 and the receivers 20-3 and 20-4 that move so that the movement locus becomes the rectangle P2 are arranged. Has been. By moving the receivers 20-1 and 20-2 so that their movement trajectory is the rectangle P1, it becomes possible to receive radio waves from the transmitter 30 existing in the region R7. In addition, the receivers 20-3 and 20-4 move so that the movement trajectory is a rectangle P2, so that radio waves from the transmitter 30 existing in the region R8 can be received. As a result, in FIG. 5, the radio waves from the transmitter 30 can be received by the four receivers 20 in the area F 1 that is the target for specifying the position of the worker. Note that the movement trajectory of the receiver 20 is not limited to a rectangle, and may be, for example, a polygon such as a triangle or a pentagon.

Further, for example, the receiver 20 may be arranged and moved as shown in FIG. In FIG. 6, receivers 20-1 to 20-8 moving on different circles C3 to C10 are arranged. When the receivers 20-1 to 20-8 move on the circles C3 to C10, respectively, it becomes possible to receive radio waves from the transmitters 30 existing in the regions R9 to R16. As a result, in FIG. 6, the radio waves from the transmitter 30 can be received by the eight receivers 20 in the area F 1 that is the target for specifying the position of the worker.

The receiver 20 is arranged so that the radio wave receiving surface is downward. Thereby, the radio wave from the transmitter 30 attached to the worker so that the radio wave transmission surface is upward can be received more reliably.

The receiver 20 may move on a track installed above (for example, the ceiling) above the area where the operator works, or can fly in a three-dimensional manner, flying on a pre-programmed route. It may be moved by a drone device. Or you may move by being fixed to the member M1 attached to rotating shaft S1 as shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, when the member M1 rotates in the direction of the arrow by the rotation of the rotation shaft S1, the receiver 20 fixed to the member M1 repeatedly moves on the circumference. The moving method of the receiver 20 may be appropriately determined according to the layout of the place (factory or the like) where the position specifying system 100 is introduced and the constraint conditions.

In the present embodiment, the moving speed a of the receiver 20 that moves on the line (for example, the receiver 20-1 in FIG. 4) is set as follows.
a = {(S1-S2) / n-πr ² } / 2xr (1)
And the moving speed b of the receiver 20 moving on the circumference (for example, the receiver 20-5 in FIG. 4) is
b = 2 (S1-S2) / nxr ² (2)
Set to. Here, S1 is the area of an area in which the radio wave from the transmitter 30 can be received when the receiver 20 moves (for example, in the case of the receiver 20-1 in FIG. 4, the area R1, FIG. 4). In the case of the receiver 20-5, the region R5), r is the radius of the radio wave reception range of the receiver 20, n is the number of the receivers 20, S2 is the area where the radio wave reception ranges of the receivers 20 overlap, and x is the transmission This represents a cycle for specifying the position of the machine 30. Thereby, the position of the transmitter 30 can be specified with the desired period x using n receivers 20. That is, the radio wave from the transmitter 30 can be received by any one of the n receivers 20 for each period x.

1, the database server 60 manages the device layout information 61 and the worker related information 63.

Here, the device layout information 61 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 shows an example of data of the device layout information 61. As shown in FIG. 8, the device layout information 61 includes fields of “position”, “area classification”, and “device name”. The “position” field stores the coordinates (x, y) of each divided area when the entire area that is the target for specifying the position of the worker is divided as shown in FIG. 9, for example. . In the “area classification” field, information indicating the classification of the area specified by the coordinates described above is stored. In the present embodiment, an “apparatus area” indicating that the apparatus (manufacturing apparatus) is arranged, an “work area” indicating that the worker is working, an “apparatus area”, and “work” One of “blank areas” indicating that it does not correspond to any of the “areas” is stored. In the “device name” field, when “area classification” is “device area”, the names of devices arranged in the area are stored. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, it is assumed that the devices A to O are arranged, and an area indicated by hatching is defined as a work area. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8, the area classification of the position (1, 1) is “working area”, the area classification of the position “3, 1” is “blank area”, and the area of the position (3, 3). The classification is “device area” and the device name is “A”.

Next, the worker related information 63 will be described with reference to FIG. The worker related information 63 is a table that associates the worker with the transmitter 30. As shown in FIG. 10, the worker related information 63 includes fields of “worker ID” and “transmitter ID”. The “worker ID” field stores an identifier (for example, an employee number) for uniquely identifying the worker. The “transmitter ID” field stores an identifier for uniquely identifying the transmitter 30 attached to the worker identified by the worker ID. Therefore, by referring to the worker-related information 63, it is possible to specify the worker who has attached the transmitter 30 identified by the transmitter ID from the “transmitter ID”.

Returning to FIG. 1, the information processing apparatus 50 acquires the reception result of the radio wave transmitted by the transmitter 30 from the receiver 20 and specifies the position of each transmitter 30. The information processing apparatus 50 has a hardware configuration as shown in FIG. Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 11A, the information processing apparatus 50 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 511, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 512, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 513, and a storage device (HDD: HDD). Hard Disk Drive) 514, a network interface 515, a portable storage medium drive 517 that can read data stored in the portable storage medium 516, and the like. Each component of the information processing apparatus 50 is connected to the bus 518. The CPU 511 executes a program stored in the ROM 512 or the HDD 514 (including the worker position specifying program) or a program read by the portable storage medium drive 517 from the portable storage medium 516, whereby the information processing apparatus 50. Is made to function as each part of FIG.11 (b).

Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 11B, the information processing apparatus 50 functions as an acquisition unit, an acquisition unit 51 as a specific unit, and a calculation unit 53 when the CPU 511 executes a program.

The acquisition unit 51 acquires (receives) the time when the receiver 20 executes the radio wave reception process and the reception result of the radio wave from the receiver 20. In addition, when the receiver 20 has received a radio wave from the transmitter 30, the acquisition unit 51 acquires information on the transmitter ID included in the received radio wave.

Further, the acquisition unit 51 specifies the position of the receiver 20 at the time when the receiver 20 executes the radio wave reception process. The position of the receiver 20 when the radio wave reception process is performed is that the receiver 20 repeatedly moves along a predetermined route, so that the initial position of the receiver 20 and the time elapsed since the receiver 20 started moving. It can be calculated based on time. Further, for example, a sensor for detecting the receiver 20 may be provided on a line on which the receiver 20 moves, and the position of the receiver 20 may be specified based on the output value of the sensor. Further, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System) sensor or the like may be attached to the receiver 20, and the position of the receiver 20 may be specified based on the output value of the GPS sensor.

The acquisition unit 51 records the information acquired from the receiver 20 and the specified position of the receiver 20 in the transmitter detection table 55.

Here, the transmitter detection table 55 will be described. FIG. 12 shows an example of the transmitter detection table 55. As shown in FIG. 12, the transmitter detection table 55 includes fields of “date”, “time”, “receiver ID”, “receiver position”, and “transmitter ID”. In the “date” field, the date when the receiver 20 performs the radio wave reception process is stored. In the “time” field, information indicating the time when the receiver 20 performs the radio wave reception process is stored. In the present embodiment, the number of time steps after the receiver 20 starts moving is stored in the “time” field. The number of time steps indicates the time when the time obtained by multiplying the number of time steps by the time interval at which the receiver 20 performs radio wave reception processing has elapsed since the start of movement of the receiver 20. In the “receiver ID” field, an identifier for uniquely identifying the receiver 20 is stored. The “receiver position” field stores the position of the receiver 20 specified by the acquisition unit 51 when the receiver 20 performs the radio wave reception process. In the field of “transmitter ID”, when the receiver 20 receives a radio wave, information of a transmitter ID for uniquely identifying the transmitter 30 that has transmitted the radio wave is stored. If it is not received, no data is registered.

The calculation unit 53 calculates the position of each worker at a certain point in time based on the data registered in the transmitter detection table 55. Specifically, the calculation unit 53 calculates the position of each worker by performing the worker position specifying process shown in FIG.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the worker position specifying process performed by the calculation unit 53. The process of FIG. 13 is executed when, for example, the information processing apparatus 50 requests execution of the worker position specifying process.

In the process of FIG. 13, first, in step S11, the calculation unit 53 extracts data at different time points t and t + Δt of the same receiver at which the radio wave reception ranges overlap from the data registered in the transmitter detection table 55. . Δt is set within a range where radio wave reception ranges at time t and time t + Δt overlap.

In subsequent step S13, the calculation unit 53 determines whether or not the receiver 20 is receiving radio waves at time t. If the receiver 20 is receiving radio waves at time t, the determination in step S13 is affirmed, and the calculation unit 53 proceeds to step S15.

When the process proceeds to step S15, the calculation unit 53 determines whether or not the radio wave is received from the same transmitter 30 as the transmitter 30 that has transmitted the radio wave received by the receiver 20 at the time t at the time t + Δt. When determination here is denied, the calculation part 17 transfers to step S17.

When the process proceeds to step S17, the calculation unit 53 identifies the radio wave reception range at time t that does not overlap with the radio wave reception range at time t + Δt.

In subsequent step S 19, based on the device layout information 61, the calculation unit 53 specifies an area excluding the device area from the range specified in step S 17 as the position of the transmitter 30 at time t. The reason why the device area is excluded is that the transmitter 30 cannot exist in the device area.

Here, for example, it is assumed that the transmitter 30 is located at the position (1, 7) at the time t and the time t + Δt, and the receiver 20 is present at the positions shown in FIGS. 14 (a) and 14 (b). At this time, since the transmitter 30 exists in the radio wave reception range R20 as shown in FIG. 14A at the time point t, the receiver 20 receives the radio wave of the transmitter 30 (step S13 / YES). On the other hand, at time t + Δt, as shown in FIG. 14B, the transmitter 30 does not exist within the radio wave reception range R20, and therefore the receiver 20 does not receive the radio waves from the transmitter 30 (step S15 / NO).

In this case, as shown in FIG. 14 (c), the calculation unit 53 identifies the radio wave reception range at time t (region RA + RB in FIG. 14 (c)) that does not overlap with the radio wave reception range at time t + Δt (step S17). Then, the calculation unit 53 identifies an area RB excluding the device area (area RA) from the identified range (area RA + RB) as the position where the transmitter 30 exists at time t (step S19). In the case of FIG. 14C, the calculation unit 53 uses the coordinates (1, 7), (1, 8), (2, 6), and (2, 7) as the position where the transmitter 30 exists at the time t. Identify the area shown. Note that when the area of the region RB that overlaps the area indicated by each coordinate is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the calculation unit 53 may set the area as the position where the transmitter 30 exists at the time t. For example, in FIG. 14C, when the area of the region RB that overlaps the area indicated by the coordinates (1, 8) and (2, 6) is less than a predetermined threshold, the calculation unit 53 uses the coordinates ( The area indicated by the coordinates (1, 7) and (2, 7) excluding the area indicated by (1, 8) and (2, 6) may be specified as the position where the transmitter 30 was present at time t. . Furthermore, the calculation unit 53 may specify any one area among the areas included in the specified area as the position where the transmitter 30 exists. For example, the calculation unit 53 may specify an area where the center of gravity of the specified area exists as the position where the transmitter 30 exists. Or the calculation part 53 may specify the area where the area where the specified area and the area shown by each coordinate overlap is the largest as the position where the transmitter 30 existed (for example, FIG.14 (c)). The area indicated by the coordinates (1, 7). The same applies to other cases described below.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the radio wave reception result from the transmitter 30 at the time point t and the radio wave from the transmitter 30 at the time point t + Δt deviated from the time point t by the time interval Δt within the overlapping range of the radio wave reception ranges. The position of the transmitter 30 is specified using the reception result of. This makes it possible to specify the position of the transmitter 30 in more detail when using the fixedly arranged receiver 20 or using only the reception result of the radio wave from the transmitter 30 at the time t. it can. Specifically, in the fixedly arranged receiver 20, as shown in FIG. 14D, a region RB ′ obtained by removing the device area (region RA ′) from the radio wave receiving range R20 of the receiver 20 is a transmitter. 30 is specified as the position where it exists. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14C, in the present embodiment in which the position of the transmitter 30 is specified based on the radio wave reception results at the time t and the time t + Δt, the position where the transmitter 30 exists is further narrowed down. Yes. Even when the receiver 20 is fixedly arranged, the position of the transmitter 30 can be specified in more detail by overlapping the radio wave reception range of the receiver 20, but in this case, the number of receivers 20 arranged This increases the cost of introducing the system. In the present embodiment, the position of the transmitter 30 can be specified in more detail using fewer receivers 20 than when the receivers 20 are fixedly arranged.

Incidentally, when the determination in step S15 of FIG. 13 is affirmed, the calculation unit 53 proceeds to step S25.

When the process proceeds to step S25, the calculation unit 53 identifies an area where the radio wave reception range at the time point t + Δt overlaps with the radio wave reception range at the time point t.

In subsequent step S27, based on the device layout information 61, the calculation unit 53 specifies a region in which the device area is excluded from the region specified in step S25 as the position of the transmitter 30 at time t.

Here, for example, as shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, it is assumed that the transmitter 30 is located at the position (1, 7) at the time t and the time t + Δt. At this time, since the transmitter 30 exists in the radio wave reception range R20 at both the time point t and the time point t + Δt, the receiver 20 receives the radio wave of the transmitter 30 (step S13 / YES, step S15 / YES). .

In this case, the calculation unit 53 identifies an area where the radio wave reception range at time t + Δt and the radio wave reception range at time t overlap (area RA + RB in FIG. 15C) as shown in FIG. 15C (step S25). ). Then, the calculation unit 53 identifies a region (region RB) excluding the device area (region RA) from the identified region (RA + RB) as a position where the transmitter 30 exists at time t (step S27). In the case of FIG.15 (c), the calculation part 53 is a coordinate (1,7), (1,8), (2,6), (2,7) as a position where the transmitter 30 existed at the time t. The area indicated by (2, 8) is specified. As described above, even when the radio wave from the transmitter 30 is received at both the time point t and the time point t + Δt, in the present embodiment, the fixedly arranged receiver 20 is used (see FIG. 14D), or Compared with the case where only the reception result of the radio wave from the transmitter 30 at the time t is used, the position of the transmitter 30 can be specified in more detail.

By the way, in FIG. 13, when the determination of step S13 is negative, that is, when the receiver 20 is not receiving radio waves at time t, the calculation unit 53 proceeds to step S29.

When the process proceeds to step S29, the calculation unit 53 determines whether or not the receiver 20 is receiving radio waves at the time point t + Δt. When judgment here is affirmed, it transfers to step S31.

When the process proceeds to step S31, the calculation unit 53 specifies the radio wave reception range at time t + Δt that does not overlap with the radio wave reception range at time t.

In subsequent step S33, based on the device layout information 61, the calculation unit 53 specifies a region in which the device area is excluded from the region specified in step S31 as the position of the transmitter 30 at time t.

Here, for example, as shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B, it is assumed that the transmitter 30 is located at the position (1, 7) at the time t and the time t + Δt. At this time, since the transmitter 30 does not exist within the radio wave reception range R20 as shown in FIG. 16A at the time t, the receiver 20 does not receive the radio waves from the transmitter 30 (step S13 / NO). On the other hand, at time t + Δt, as shown in FIG. 16B, since the transmitter 30 exists in the radio wave reception range R20, the receiver 20 receives the radio waves of the transmitter 30 (step S29 / YES).

In this case, as shown in FIG. 16C, the calculation unit 53 identifies a radio wave reception range at time t + Δt (region RA + RB in FIG. 16C) that does not overlap with the radio wave reception range at time t (step S31). Then, the calculation unit 53 identifies an area RB excluding the device area (area RA) from the identified range (area RA + RB) as the position where the transmitter 30 exists at time t (step S33). In the case of FIG.16 (c), the calculation part 53 is a coordinate (1,6), (1,7), (1,8), (2,7) as a position where the transmitter 30 existed at the time t, and The area indicated by (2, 8) is specified. As described above, in the present embodiment in which the position of the transmitter 30 is specified based on the radio wave reception results at the time point t and the time point t + Δt, when the fixed receiver 20 is used (see FIG. 14D), or Compared with the case where only the reception result of the radio wave from the transmitter 30 at the time t is used, the position of the transmitter 30 can be specified in more detail.

After the process of step S19, S27, or S33 is completed, the calculation unit 53 proceeds to step S21 and updates the worker position information table 57.

FIG. 17 shows an example of the worker position information table 57. As shown in FIG. 17, the worker position information table 57 includes fields of “worker ID”, “time point”, and “worker position”. The “worker ID” field stores an identifier for uniquely identifying the worker. The worker ID can be acquired from the worker-related information 63 (see FIG. 10) based on information on the transmitter ID included in the radio wave transmitted from the transmitter 30. The time point t is stored in the “time point” field. In the “worker position” field, the position of the transmitter 30 calculated by the calculation unit 53 is stored.

Returning to FIG. 13, after the end of step S 21 or when the determination of step S 29 is denied, the calculation unit 53 proceeds to step S 23.

In step S23, the calculation unit 53 determines whether all data has been processed. If the determination is negative, the process returns to step S11. If the determination is positive, all the processes in FIG. 13 are terminated.

The position of the worker at each time point can be specified by the above processing of FIG. Further, the flow line of the worker can be specified from the position of the worker at each time point stored in the worker position information table 57.

As described above in detail, according to the present embodiment, the position specifying system 100 includes the transmitter 30 that transmits radio waves and the transmitter that repeatedly moves along a predetermined route and exists within the radio wave reception range. A receiver 20 that receives the radio wave transmitted from 30; an acquisition unit 51 that acquires a radio wave reception result at a certain point in time from the receiver; and a position of the receiver 20 at the certain point in time; and the reception at a certain point in time And an information processing apparatus 50 having a calculation unit 53 that calculates the position of the transmitter 30 based on the position of the machine 20 and the reception result of radio waves. Since the receiver 20 repeatedly moves along a predetermined route and receives the radio wave of the transmitter 30, reception is smaller than in the case where the receiver 20 is fixedly arranged in an area for specifying the position of the transmitter 30. The position of the transmitter 30 can be specified using the machine 20 (for example, FIG. 3B and FIG. 4).

Further, in the present embodiment, the calculation unit 53 is based on the radio wave reception result at different time points where radio wave reception ranges overlap, that is, the radio wave reception result at the time point t and the radio wave reception result at the time point t + Δt. The position of the transmitter 30 is calculated. Thereby, compared with the case where the position of the transmitter 30 is specified using the receiver 20 fixedly arranged and the position of the transmitter 30 is specified using only the reception result of the radio wave at the time t. Thus, the position of the transmitter 30 can be specified in more detail (for example, FIG. 14C and FIG. 14D).

In the present embodiment, the position specifying system 100 includes a plurality of receivers 20, and the plurality of receivers 20 are arranged on concentric circles and move on the circumference of the concentric circles (for example, FIG. 4 receivers 20-5 and 20-6), at least two receivers 20 each moving on the circumference of a different circle (for example, receivers 20-1 to 20-8 in FIG. 6), on a predetermined line At least one receiver 20 that reciprocates (for example, the receivers 20-1 to 20-4 in FIG. 4), or at least one receiver 20 that moves so that the movement trajectory of the receiver 20 becomes a polygon (for example, , And receivers 20-1 to 20-4) of FIG. As a result, the receiver 20 can be arranged and moved in accordance with the shape of the area that is the target for specifying the position of the worker and the constraint conditions, and the position of the worker can be specified in detail.

Further, in the present embodiment, the area of the region for which the position of the transmitter 30 is specified is S1, the radius of the radio wave reception range of the receiver 20 is r, the number of the receivers 20 is n, and the radio waves between the receivers 20 When the area where the reception ranges overlap is S2, and the period for acquiring the position of the transmitter 30 is x, the moving speed a of the receiver 20 is calculated from the above-described equation (1) when the receiver 20 moves on the line. When the moving speed a is set and the receiver 20 moves on the circumference, it is set to the moving speed a calculated from the above equation (2). Thereby, the position of the transmitter 30 can be specified with the desired period x using n receivers 20.

In the present embodiment, the transmitter 30 is attached to an operator so that the radio wave transmission surface faces upward, and the receiver 20 is installed so that the radio wave reception surface faces downward. Thereby, the receiver 20 can receive the radio wave of the transmitter 30 more reliably.

In the present embodiment, the receiver 20 moves on a previously installed track, moves by a drone device capable of three-dimensional movement, or moves fixed by a member attached to a rotating shaft. To do. As a result, the receiver 20 can be repeatedly moved along a predetermined route by a method suitable for a factory or the like where the position specifying system 100 is introduced.

In the above embodiment, the receiver 20 may have directivity in a direction in which the radio wave from the transmitter 30 can be received. In this case, for example, the receiver 20 rotates around the predetermined route (on the circumference C1) while changing the receivable direction DR as shown in FIG. Move repeatedly. in this case,
It is desirable that the time required for the receivable direction DR to return from the initial position to the initial position again is sufficiently shorter than the time required for the receiver 20 to return from the initial position to the initial position through a predetermined path. It is desirable that it is 1/10 or less. Thereby, compared with the said embodiment, the position of the transmitter 30 can be specified in detail. Note that the receiver 20 may alternately perform an operation of returning the receivable direction DR from the initial position to the initial position again and an operation of moving along a predetermined route. 18 shows only the receiver 20-5 among the receivers 20-1 to 20-7 in FIG. 4, but the other receivers 20 can also receive radio waves from the transmitter 30. It is possible to repeatedly move along a predetermined route while changing the receivable direction.

Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the acquisition part 51 specified the position of the receiver 20 at the time of performing a radio wave reception process, the position of the receiver 20 at the time of the calculation part 53 performing a radio wave reception process is specified. It may be calculated. For example, the calculation unit 53 can specify the position of the receiver 20 based on the information regarding the time point stored in the transmitter detection table 55. In this case, the “receiver position” field may be omitted from the transmitter detection table 55.

In the above embodiment, it is preferable that the moving speed of the receiver 20 is faster than 1 m / sec, which corresponds to the speed at which a human walks. Thereby, the position of the transmitter 30, that is, the position of the worker can be specified more accurately.

Further, in the above embodiment, the transmitter 30 is attached to the worker and the receiver 20 repeatedly moves along a predetermined route. However, the receiver 20 is attached to the worker and the transmitter 30 is predetermined. The route may be repeatedly moved. In this case, the information processing apparatus 50 specifies the position of the receiver 20 based on the position of the transmitter 30 at a certain time and the reception result of the radio wave acquired from the receiver 20. Even in such a configuration, the information processing apparatus 50 can specify the position of the operator by specifying the position of the receiver 20 as in the above embodiment.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. It can be changed.

Claims

A radio transmitter for transmitting radio waves,
A radio wave receiver that repeatedly moves along a predetermined route and receives the radio wave transmitted from the radio wave transmitter that exists within the radio wave reception range;
An acquisition unit for acquiring a reception result of the radio wave at a certain time from the radio wave receiver, a specifying unit for specifying a position of the radio wave receiver at the certain time, a position of the radio wave receiver at the certain time, An information processing apparatus comprising: a calculation unit that calculates a position of the radio wave transmitter based on a reception result of the radio wave at a certain time point;
A positioning system comprising:
The calculation unit calculates the position of the radio wave transmitter based on the reception result of the radio wave of the radio wave receiver at different time points when the radio wave reception ranges overlap.
The location system according to claim 1.
The radio receiver has directivity in a direction in which radio waves from the radio transmitter can be received,
The radio wave receiver repeatedly moves along the predetermined route while changing the receivable direction.
The position specifying system according to claim 1 or 2.
A plurality of the radio wave receivers;
A plurality of radio wave receivers arranged on a concentric circle and moving on a circumference of the concentric circle; at least two radio wave receivers moving on the circumference of different circles; Including at least one radio receiver that reciprocates on a line, or at least one radio receiver that moves so that a movement locus of the radio receiver is a polygon.
The position specifying system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The area of the area where the radio wave receiver can receive the radio wave from the radio wave transmitter when the radio wave receiver moves is S1, the radius of the radio wave reception range of the radio wave receiver is r, and the radio wave receiver When the number is n, the area where the radio wave reception ranges of the radio wave receivers overlap is S2, and the period for obtaining the position of the radio wave transmitter is x, the moving speed a of the radio wave receiver is:
When the radio receiver moves on a line,
a = {(S1-S2) / n-πr 2 } / 2xr
And
When the radio receiver moves on the circumference,
a = 2 (S1-S2) / nxr 2
The location system of claim 4, wherein
The radio wave transmitter is attached to an operator so that the radio wave transmission surface faces upward,
The radio wave receiver is installed such that the radio wave receiving surface faces downward.
The position specifying system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The radio wave receiver moves on a previously installed line, moves by a drone device capable of three-dimensional movement, or moves fixed to a member attached to a rotating shaft,
The position specifying system according to any one of claims 1 to 6.
The position specifying system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a moving speed of the radio wave receiver is faster than 1 m / sec.
A radio wave transmitter that repeatedly travels a predetermined route to transmit radio waves,
A radio receiver for receiving the radio wave transmitted from the radio wave transmitter present in the radio wave reception range;
An acquisition unit that acquires the reception result of the radio wave at a certain time from the radio wave receiver, a specifying unit that specifies a position of the radio wave transmitter at the certain time, a position of the radio wave transmitter at the certain time, An information processing apparatus comprising: a calculation unit that calculates a position of the radio wave receiver based on a reception result of the radio wave at a certain time point;
A positioning system comprising:
Move a predetermined route repeatedly to a radio receiver that receives radio waves transmitted from radio transmitters that exist in the radio wave reception range,
Obtain the reception result of the radio wave at a certain time from the radio wave receiver,
Identify the position of the radio receiver at the point in time,
Based on the position of the radio wave receiver at the certain time point and the reception result of the radio wave at the certain time point, the position of the radio wave transmitter is calculated.
Location method.
In the calculation process, the position of the radio wave transmitter is calculated based on the radio wave reception result of the radio wave receiver at different time points where the radio wave reception ranges overlap.
The position specifying method according to claim 10.
In the moving process, the radio wave receiver having directivity in a direction capable of receiving radio waves from the radio wave transmitter is repeatedly moved along the predetermined route while changing the receivable direction.
The position specifying method according to claim 10 or 11.
Repeatedly move a predetermined route to a radio transmitter that transmits radio waves,
From the radio wave receiver that receives the radio wave transmitted from the radio wave transmitter that exists in the radio wave reception range, obtain the reception result of the radio wave at a certain point in time,
Identify the position of the radio wave transmitter at the certain point in time,
Calculating the position of the radio wave receiver based on the position of the radio wave transmitter at the certain time point and the reception result of the radio wave at the certain time point;
Location method.