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    • 专利摘要:
    The present invention relates to a method for determining a target device associated with one or more beacons of known position. The method comprises: - transmitting with a transmitter device a plurality of signals of different transmission signal power, said transmitter device being the target device or a beacon of said beacons, - receiving at least two of the plurality of transmitted signals with a receiver device, said transmitter device being receiver device is the target device or a beacon, - estimating the location of the target device via information about the distance between the transmitter device and the receiver device.
    公开号:BE1022275B1
    申请号:E2011/0080
    申请日:2011-02-09
    公开日:2016-03-09
    发明作者:Pieter Crombez；John Gesquiere；Brecht Strubbe
    申请人:Televic Healthcare Nv；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    METHOD AND DEVICE FOR DETERMINING THE LOCATION
    FROM A TARGET WHITE
    FIELD OF THE INVENTION
    The present invention generally relates to the field of positioning or locating a target device. The target device is in particular an object or device transported or carried by a person.
    BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
    There is a wide variety of systems for positioning resources or people that are either stationary or mobile. Such ;; Each system includes a number of target devices that are attached to the items to be located and a number of reference devices where the location is known to the system. Although existing systems are functional and prove their reliability for a specific application and / or environment, they are often complex, expensive and inaccurate, especially when that environment is different or changing.
    Traditional systems are based on radio frequency signals (RF signals) and apply triangulation, the target device transmitting an RF signal to be received by at least three reference devices. The position can be estimated based on the signal strength received or the time (time difference) of arrival.
    Other systems propose the use of infrared technology (IR technology). IR radiation is limited by walls and is very power generating.
    In addition, vision range communication is required that is never insured in a mobile positioning system. Still other systems represent ultrasound. This technology is less sensitive to obstacles and is also hindered by walls and is therefore more suitable for (small) zone location systems. An example of such a solution is provided in patent application EP2065726 Ά2. One problem with these types of acoustic localization systems is that they require high output power and high drive voltages and that an opening in the target and reference devices is required. An additional problem is the limited range due to a strong weakening and the very limited capacity. The waves move very slowly and the bandwidth is therefore very limited, which limits the amount of data transmitted and the time it takes for the medium (which is the time that no other target device can be located).
    OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
    The present invention is directed to providing a localization or positioning system with high accuracy and independently of the technology used.
    Summary
    This invention proposes a system and method used for locating a target device within a restricted zone, preferably within, wherein "target" can be understood as a means or device worn by humans and primarily intended for locating the wearer. More specifically, the invention relates to a method and system for locating targets in any building or institution where automated locating is suitable and which either one or a combination of larger open spaces such as a cafeteria and a rough indoor environment with many walls, such as rooms in a corridor. Although the advantages of the invention are most evident in an indoor environment, the proposed solution can also be applied in an outdoor environment, e.g. in a garden.
    In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a method for determining a location of a target device in connection with one or more beacons with a known position in a space. The method comprises the steps of: - transmitting with a transmitter device a number of signals with different transmission signal power, said transmitter device being said target device or a beacon of said one or more beacons, - receiving at least two of the number signals sent to a receiver device, the receiver device being the target device or a beacon of said one or more beacons and different from the transmitter device, and determining for the at least two received signals an indication of the received signal power, - estimating the location of the target device via information about the distance between the transmitter device and the receiver device derived from a weighted sum of the indications of the received signal power of the at least two received
    Signals, the weights of the weighted sum taking into account the different transmission signal powers.
    The proposed solution is based on the use of stepped output powers of the transmitted signals to locate the target device that can move around a space. This space is in particular an indoor environment that contains a mixture of open spaces and small zones surrounded by walls such as a corridor with rooms. Alternatively, the space can be a garden, a parking area, a warehouse, an operating room, ...
    When utilizing these different stepped output powers, the location determination according to the invention is capable of adapting itself to the specific environment. A successful measurement performed at a lower output power has a higher reliability level. In smaller zones surrounded by walls, a small output power has a higher reliability that it remains within the room, so that the location method converges in the direction of a proximity measurement. In larger zones, the higher output power ensures sufficient range and the location method converges more to a traditional triangulation. With this invention, the accuracy achieved is considerably improved in problematic zones (with more walls) such as chambers.
    The method of the invention is deployed in a configuration that includes a target device to be located and one or more beacons with a known position and that can communicate with the target device. The proposed method can be initiated either by the target device or by the beacon (if there is only one beacon) or one of the beacons (in case there are a plurality of beacons). Consequently, either the target device or a beacon can act as a transmitter device with which at least two signals with different transmission signal power are sent. These transmitted signals are received by a receiver device, being the one target device or beacon that was not used as a transmitter device (in the case of only one beacon) or, if there is more than one beacon, the target device or a beacon of the number of beacons is not used as a channel. For the received signals, an indication of the received signal power is determined by the receiver device.
    A weighted sum of the indications of the received signal power of the at least two received signals is then taken, the weights of the weighted sum taking into account said different transmission signal powers. Distance information is derived from the weighted sum, i.e. information about the distance between the transmitter and the receiver device. If the target device acts as the transmitter or receiver device (or both), the location of said target device can then be estimated via the distance information.
    In an advantageous embodiment, the information about the transmission signal power is included in the transmission signals. A data field is held in the transmission signal for encapsulating this information.
    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the indication of the received signal power is derived from the signal strength, e.g. the RSSI, and / or from a connection quality indication. Such a connection quality is a metric of the current quality of the received signal. The connection quality provides an estimate of how easily a received signal can be demodulated by accumulating the magnitude of the error between ideal constellations and the received signal. It therefore depends on the modulation format. On the other hand, RSSI is simply a signal strength indicator. She is not concerned about the "quality" or "correctness" of the signal. Connection quality is not concerned with the actual signal strength, but the signal quality is often related to signal strength. It should be noted that the use of other parameters can also be considered for weighting through sent power.
    The target device and the beacons are preferably arranged for both transmitting and receiving, i.e. they are to be considered as transceivers. In a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the receiver device sends a response to the received signal using a signal with a transmit signal power depending on the information about the transmit signal power contained in the received signal. Accordingly, the transmit signal power applied to the response signal is determined by the transmit power used for the original message. This offers the advantage that two different measurements that result in two data pairs (transmitted power, received power) are obtained with only one single bidirectional communication connection. In this way the power is selected so that there is a high reliability that the signal arrives at its destination. Too low and too high powers are therefore avoided, thereby improving the efficiency of the method described in this invention. However, the invention is not limited to bidirectional communication and can also be used with only unidirectional communication.
    In a scenario with more than one beacon, information about the identity of the transmitter device is advantageously included in the transmission signals. This identity information can then be used to send the response.
    When such identity information is applied, the receiver device preferably performs a step of correlating the incoming measurements / data with the information about the identity of the transmitter device. In the case of unidirectional communication, this identity information is used to connect the measurements from the same transmitting device. In the case of bi-directional communication, the measurement data of the two connections can be interconnected on condition that the result of the first communication (identity and indication of the received signal power) is encapsulated in the second communication signal.
    In one embodiment, the reliability of the measurements based on the correlation between transmitted power and received power can be estimated, e.g. they must follow the same trend.
    In one embodiment, a received signal is given zero weight in the estimation step if the received signal power is not in correlation with the different transmission signal powers. Indeed, such anomalies should not be considered in the location estimate, since the reliability of information from such measurements is likely to be questionable. The decision to remove a measurement is based on an adaptive threshold that depends on the transmit signal power and the trend of these transmit powers and receive powers.
    In a preferred embodiment, a lower transmission signal power is given a higher weight. When a signal sent with a low transmitting power is received, it is known that the receiver device is located in a small perimeter around the transmitter. Such information must make a significant contribution to the distance information used for location estimation.
    In a situation where more than one beacon is used, the location estimate is based on a multilateration, performed by the weighting of a series of error functions determined for the received signal powers. In a situation where only one beacon is used or in which only information from a single transmitter device (i.e. a beacon or target device) is available, the location is preferably based on proximity, performed by a weighted sum of the received signal powers based on the transmitted signal powers.
    In an advantageous embodiment, the weights further take into account the geometry of the space. Also taking the geometry into account adds further information and improves accuracy.
    The method as described is mainly independent of the technology used which is one of the main means of the proposed solution. This is opposed to prior art solutions that were designed to determine the location specifically with e.g. radio frequency or ultrasonic communication technology. The invention is advantageously applied to RF technology, but it is also possible, for example, to consider the ultrasonic signals. In an advantageous embodiment, this feature is utilized in the method by combining more than one technology for signal communication. This further improves reliability. In such a case, the weights preferably further consider the communication technology used to transmit the plurality of signals with different transmission signal power.
    In a second aspect, the invention relates to a processing device for determining a location of a target device in connection with one or more beacons with a known position in a space. The processing device comprises: - receiving means for receiving indications of the received signal power of at least two signals sent with different transmission signal power from a target device or a beacon of said one or more beacons, - calculating means adapted to determine a weighted sum of the indications of the received signal power, the weights of the weighted sum taking into account the different transmission signal powers and being adapted to estimate the location of the target device via information about the distance between transmitter device and receiver device derived from said weighted sum.
    Such a device is indeed suitable for use with the method as explained above. The processing device receives from the receiver device the indications of the received signal power of the at least two signals sent by a transmitter device. The processing device calculating means determines the weighted sum, extracts distance information from the weighted sum, and calculates an estimate of the location of the target device.
    The invention further relates to a target device for use in the method as previously described which comprises such a processing device. In this case, the intelligence of the processing unit is therefore present in the target device.
    Alternatively, the processing unit is integrated in a beacon. The invention thus relates in one aspect to such a beacon which comprises the processing unit.
    In a further aspect the invention relates to a system for determining a location of a target device in a space, the system comprising - the processing device as described earlier - one or more beacons arranged for sending and receiving signals and a target device adapted to communicate with said one or more beacons and for sending and receiving signals, wherein the target device and one or more beacons are adapted to determine an indication of the received signal power of a received signal and to communicate with the processing device.
    In this scenario, the intelligent processing device is a centrally deployed, autonomous device that is capable of communicating with the target device and / or the one or more beacons.
    Brief description of the drawings
    FIG. 1 illustrates a representative arrangement with both small rooms with walls and larger open spaces. At least one reference device (i.e., a beacon) is arranged in some rooms and not in others.
    FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the invention in which a transmitting device transmits a number of signals at different transmission output power. These signals are received by a receiver device which determines an indication of the received signal power. The order in which the transmit output power is adjusted is not limited to the profiles shown.
    FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment based on bi-directional communication. The output power of the response is based on the sent output power of the initial communication link.
    FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment based on unidirectional communication. The communication can be initiated by the target device or by the reference device.
    FIG. 5 illustrates a representative embodiment in which multiple reference devices are used to improve the accuracy of the location method. A number of communication flows are visualized.
    FIG. 6 explains the concept of correlation of measurement data based on the available transmit output power data.
    FIG. 7 shows the principles of an adaptive threshold used for interpreting the measurement data. Again, the transmit output power is used as a parameter.
    FIG. 8 illustrates that the invention can be applied to various technologies based on stepped output powers. The accuracy can be further improved by combining multiple technologies. The technology parameter can be taken into account in the weighing algorithm.
    Detailed description of the invention
    The present invention utilizes different output powers of transmitted signals to obtain a more accurate location. Although the transmit power can be adjustable in traditional systems, this is only done for power saving reasons and not as a location-determining means. A major advantage of the invention lies in its independence from the technology used. Moreover, it is designed for an indoor environment that includes many walls as well as large open interior spaces and enclosed outdoor spaces.
    FIG. 1 illustrates a system according to one embodiment of the invention installed on an exemplary indoor environment. This environment comprises a number of rooms with at least one reference device with a priori known location, a number of rooms with less than one reference device per room, a corridor and a large open space. In the embodiment shown, each reference device comprises either a transmitter or a receiver, or both.
    The system comprises at least one targeting device whose location is to be determined. This target device could be attached to resources, people or any item whose location you want to know. The target device has a unique ID associated with the identity of the item. Target and reference devices are able to communicate with each other.
    Furthermore, a processing device for determining a location of a target device is required. In the embodiment shown, this processing device is an autonomous device that is capable of communication with the target device and / or the one or more reference devices. In another embodiment, this processing device is included in the targeting device or in a reference device.
    Both target and reference devices are capable of initiating a communication sequence for localizing purposes. Other forms of communication such as configuration, data transmission to a server are not considered at this point. In one embodiment, this communication sequence is unidirectional. E.g. a reference device sends signals to the target without the target device responding to the initiating reference device or, vice versa, the target device sends signals to one or more reference devices. In another embodiment, this communication sequence is bidirectional: the receiving device returns a response to the initiator of the sequence. Consequently, the target device or a reference device can act as a transmitter device.
    Reference devices are referred to as devices whose location is known at the processing device responsible for locating target devices. Both terms are used throughout this description. Having a known location does not necessarily mean that this location must be fixed.
    Description of the communication sequence and signals for locating a target device
    The method first comprises transmitting with a transmitter device two or more signals with a different transmission signal power. The transmitter device is either the target device or a beacon of the one or more beacons present in the system.
    Secondly, these signals are received by a receiver device. The receiver device is the target device or, if the target device already acts as a transmitter, a beacon of said one or more beacons and is clearly different from said transmitter device. The receiver device determines an indication of the received power for each of the received signals sent with different output powers.
    The indication of the received signal power is derived from the signal strength, e.g. the RSSI, and / or from a connection quality indicator (LQI). On the other hand, RSSI is simply a signal strength indication and does not care about the "quality" or "correctness" of the signal. LQI does not care about the actual signal strength, but the signal quality is often connected to the signal strength. This is because a strong signal tends to be less affected by sound and is therefore perceived as "purer" or "more correct" by the receiver.
    When the transmitter device sends a signal at a specific configurable output power, this information about the signal power must be included in the transmitted signal. A preferred way to accomplish this is to use a data field in the transmission signal that encapsulates this information.
    An exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2 illustrates the above principles: the transmitting device sends a signal at output power P1 and encapsulates this information in a data field of the signal. This signal is received by a receiver device which determines, for example by measurement, an indication of the received power. Additionally, the receiver decodes the message and connects the measured received power indication to the transmitted signal power as decoded from the message.
    When multiple devices are used, such as most often happens in a lifelike configuration, the unique ID of the transmitting device is also encapsulated in the data field.
    In an advantageous embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 3, the communication between target device and reference device is bidirectional. The receiver device then sends a response to the received signal using a signal with a transmit signal power depending on the information about the transmit signal power in the received signal. Consequently, the transmit signal power used in the response signal is determined by the transmit power used for the original message. In this way, different measurements resulting in two data pairs (transmitted power, received power) with only one single bidirectional communication link are obtained. The power is selected so that there is high reliability that the signal arrives at its destination. Too low and too high powers are therefore avoided, which improves the effectiveness of the method described in this invention.
    The invention is not limited to bidirectional communication and can only be applied with unidirectional communication (Fig. 4). In such an embodiment, there is no feedback over the selected transmission signal powers to the transmitter device. It is therefore possible that the signal does not arrive at its destination at the lowest output power, while the transmitter is not informed of this error. In the case of bi-directional communication, no response means that the signal has not arrived. The transmitter device can therefore adjust its output power in a more intelligent way.
    In a scenario with more than one beacon (see Fig. 5), the identity information of the transmitter device that is encapsulated in the data package is used with the incoming measurements / data in a correlation step.
    In the case of unidirectional communication (e.g. communication from reference device B to target device T or from target device T to reference device D), the measurements originating from the same transmitting device are connected to each other using this identity information.
    In the case of bi-directional communication (e.g. communication from reference device C to target device T and back or from target device T to reference device A and back), the measurement data of the two connections can be interconnected on condition that the result of the first communication (ID and indication of the received signal power) is encapsulated in the second communication signal. In this case, the identity information is also used to send the response (addressing).
    In this case, correlation is understood to mean transmission power and receiving power following the same trend, eg when the transmission power is doubled, the same trend must be visible in the receiving power, clearly within a certain margin. This margin can be defined by an adaptive threshold, the threshold being defined by examining the trend line.
    In FIG. 6, this is further explained by applying a method to the example of a bidirectional scenario (which is one of the options in Fig. 5). A typical communication and processing flow is described below.
    Device A (target or beacon) sends a signal at a given output power that contains its ID and the value of the transmitted output power TP0Ut. This signal is received by device B which stores an indication of the received signal power RPmeas. Device B then decodes the message and also stores the transmit signal power and both IDs of the transmit and receive device. This results in the first line in the table shown in FIG. 6. Device B then sends a response. In this way she encapsulates the processed data in the data field (with the exception of her own ID, because she has a specific area in this example). The output power used depends on the transmit signal power of the first signal. The response is then received by device A which performs the same steps as described above to generate the second line of the table. The first line was stored directly from the data field of the received message. As a final step, device A performs the correlation step. For example, if the transmit signal power is TPout, 2 twice TPout, i, the processor verifies whether this trend is also visible in the indication of received signal power RPout, 2 and RP0Ut, i · The permitted deviation is determined based on an adaptive threshold.
    As explained in FIG. 7, this threshold depends on the transmit output power and the variance in received signal powers. In this way this threshold is adaptive, in contrast to traditional average determining approaches, in which outliers based on a fixed threshold are filtered. In this invention, the threshold of properties of the transmitted signal, i.e., its output power, depends.
    Investigation of this trend can give an indication of the reliability of the measurements. Alternatively, investigation of this trend may lead to an abrupt change in the situation.
    Sufficient data points must be taken into account to evaluate whether a measured value far from the trend line is a real outlier or whether there is a change in the trend line due to a change in the environment, such as, for example, the target device that has left the room or severely weakened signals due to wall penetration.
    The evaluation and interpretation of trends and changes can be improved if the proposed method, which as already mentioned is technology dependent, is applied to multiple technologies.
    In an advantageous embodiment, RF technology can be combined with ultrasound. Both technologies have different propagation properties and experience a different impact from, for example, walls. Combining both trend lines can provide information on how a measurement that falls outside the trend should be considered as an outlier or as a change in the environment. An abrupt change only in the ultrasonic measurements, for example, can be explained if the target device has left the chamber. If only the RF measurement represents this change, this can be considered as an outlier caused by, for example, a metal object that blocks the signal.
    In one embodiment, a received signal is given zero weight in the estimation step if the received signal power is not in line with the different transmission signal powers of the processing described above. Indeed, such anomalies should not be considered in the location estimate, since the reliability of information from such measurements is likely to be questionable.
    Description of the method / algorithm for determining the location of a target device
    An important step in the method of the invention relates to estimating the location of the target device via information about the distance between sender and receiver. The information is derived from a weighted sum of the indications of the received signal power, the weights of the weighted sum taking into account the different transmission signal powers.
    In conventional systems, the transmitter device repeats its message a number of times in order to improve the reliability and to allow the average to be determined. In this invention, on the other hand, the transmitted output power is configurable as explained above to adjust the receiving perimeter around the node, thereby combining the benefits of proximity measurements (minimum output power) distance determination technologies. The interpretation of all measurements based on those signals sent with various output powers is done in a processor that assigns weights, processes the IDs and preferably performs a multilateral algorithm in case multiple beacons are used to further calculate the location of the target device .
    When a signal with low transmitting power is received, it is known that the receiving device is located in a small perimeter around the transmitter. If multiple receiver devices receive this signal, one even knows the direction based on multilateration, as explained further below. A smaller perimeter or a closer proximity means that there is less spread on the measurements (eg because there may be fewer obstacles in the way). Consequently, in a preferred embodiment, a higher weight is given to a lower transmit signal power. This specific measurement then has a significant contribution to the distance information used for the location estimate.
    The ratio between received signal powers and distance information is given by the traditional path loss model that is well known in the art. In this model there is a logarithmic relationship between power and distance. The path loss coefficient must be chosen so that the additional loss in an indoor environment is taken into account.
    A dynamic path loss model can also be used to dynamically adjust the path loss coefficient based on the incoming measurements to its environment.
    Since the weights are a function of the output signal power sent, the assignments of their value also follow the same algorithmic law.
    In a preferred embodiment, the sum over all weights of the measurements from a single reference device is normalized to one.
    In a situation where only one beacon is used or where only information from a single transmitter device is available (i.e. a beacon or target device), the location is preferably based on proximity, performed by a weighted sum of the received signal powers based on the various transmitted signal powers. The algorithm advantageously starts with a transmission at minimum output power which is then gradually increased. The sent message is received at a certain point in time. Ideally, the following messages sent at higher power should also be received. When information from different perimeters is present, the reliability level of the measurement data from that node as explained below can be improved.
    An example is given for only two measurements. However, the idea can be generalized, as those skilled in the art immediately understand. - Measurement at t1 results in RSSInlftx corresponding to a transmitted signal from node ηχ with transmit power Pni, ti = Pi · - Measurement at t2 results in RSSInlit2 corresponding to a transmitted signal from node ηχ with transmit power Pni, t2 = P2 ·
    The two measurements are then weighted and normalized as follows:
    In this way, the reliability of the average / normalized RSSI from a specific node can be repeatedly improved. The weight is connected to the output power sent as described above.
    In a situation where more than one beacon is used, the location estimate is preferably based on multilateration, performed by weighting a series of error functions determined for the received signal powers. Consequently, the error functions here are indications of the received signal power. In this way, measurements of multiple reference nodes within a given time interval can be combined to improve location accuracy. The more data is available, the more accurate the result becomes.
    As explained above, the reliability of the output power measurements depends and the stepped output power approach is therefore a suitable means of assigning weight to the various measurements.
    In an exemplary embodiment, the weighted multilateration is carried out as follows: - For each measurement, the error function f ±, f between estimated and measured distance is defined as follows:
    for t = 1..M (# beacons) for f = 1..N (# power levels) where (x, y) is the position of the target device being searched for, (xi, y ±) is the known position of the reference node or is a beacon used in that measurement and is a distance estimate based on the indication of the received signal power. - Apply the least squares methodology to minimize the F error function.
    Wj being the weights that are proportional to the power output as described above.
    In an advantageous embodiment, the weights further take into account the geometry of the space. Also taking the geometry into account adds further information and improves accuracy. For example, if the coordinates of a third reference device are in a straight line with two other reference devices, the weights are reduced because of the high sensitivity of the multilateral matrix.
    The method as described is mainly independent of the technology used, as illustrated in FIG. 8. As described previously, the use of multiple technologies was introduced for the evaluation and interpretation of trends and changes in measurements performed by a receiver device. It is also possible to use multiple technologies in the weights which therefore take into account the communication technology used for transmitting the different set of signals with different transmission signal power: wj = w 1 (output transmit power). W 2 (communication technology)
    The algorithm described above is executed in the processing device for determining a location of a target device. This processing device receives all indications of received powers and information required to calculate the weights and the weighted sum and multi-rotation to determine the location of the target. The processing device may optionally be part of the target device or the reference device. Alternatively, it is an autonomous processing device that can communicate with target device and / or one or more reference devices.
    Although the present invention has been explained with reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing exemplary embodiments, and that the present invention can be practiced with various changes and modifications. without deviating from the scope of protection. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and any changes that are within the meaning and range of equivalence of the invention. conclusions are, therefore, intended to be included. In other words, it is expected to include all modifications, variations or equivalents that fall within the scope of the underlying basic principles and whose main features are claimed in this patent application. Furthermore, the reader of this patent application understands that the words "comprising" or "include" do not exclude other elements or steps, that the word "a" does not exclude a number, and that a single element, such as a computer system, a processing unit or another integrated unit can perform the functions of various means cited in the claims. Reference characters in the claims should not be considered as limiting the respective claims concerned. The terms "first", "second", "third", "a", "b", "c" and the like, when used in the description or in the claims, are introduced to distinguish between similar elements or steps and do not describe necessarily a sequential or chronological order. Similarly, the terms "upper", "lower", "upper", "lower" and the like are introduced for descriptive purposes and not necessarily to indicate relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms thus used are interchangeable under suitable conditions and embodiments of the invention of the present invention may operate in other sequences or in orientations different from those described or explained above.
    权利要求:
    Claims (12)
    [1]
    CONCLUSIONS
    Method for determining a location of a target device in connection with one or more beacons with a known position in a space, the method comprising the steps of: - transmitting with a transmitter device a number of signals with a different transmit signal power, wherein said transmitter device is said target device or a beacon of said one or more beacons, - receiving at least two of said number of transmitted signals with a receiver device, said receiver device said target device or a beacon of said one or more beacons and is different from said transmitter device, and determining for said at least two received signals an indication of the received signal power, - estimating the location of said target device via information about the distance between said transmitter device and said receiver device derived from a weighted sum of the indications of the received signal power of said at least two received signals, the weights of the weighted sum taking into account said different transmission signal powers.
    [2]
    A method for determining a location according to claim 1, wherein information about the transmission signal power is included in said transmission signals.
    [3]
    Method for determining a location according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said indication of the received signal power is derived from the signal strength and / or from a connection quality indication.
    [4]
    A method for determining a location according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein a received signal is given zero weight in the estimation step if the received signal power is not in correlation with the different transmission signal powers.
    [5]
    A method for determining a location according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a higher transmission signal power is given a higher weight.
    [6]
    A method for determining a location according to any of claims 2 to 5, wherein said receiver device transmits a response with a transmission signal power depending on said information about the transmission signal power in the received signal.
    [7]
    A method for determining a location according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein more than one beacon is used and wherein the estimate is based on a multilateration performed by the weighting of a series of error functions determined for the received signal powers.
    [8]
    A method for determining a location according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said weights further take into account the geometry of the space.
    [9]
    A method for determining a location according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said weights further take into account the communication technology used for transmitting said plurality of signals with different transmission signal power.
    [10]
    10. - Processing device for determining a location of a target device in connection with one or more beacons with a known position in a space, the processing device comprising: - receiving means for receiving indications of the received signal power of at least two signals sent with different transmit signal power by a target device or a beacon of said one or more beacons, calculating means adapted to determine a weighted sum of said indications of the received signal power, the weights of the weighted sum taking into account said different transmit signal power and being arranged for estimating the location of said target device via information about the distance between transmitter device and receiver device derived from said weighted sum.
    [11]
    A target device for use in the method according to any of claims 1 to 9, comprising a processing device according to claim 10.
    [12]
    12. - System for determining a location of a target device in a space, said system comprising: - the processing device according to claim 10, - one or more beacons adapted to send and receive signals and a target device adapted to be connected standing with said one or more beacons and for sending and receiving signals, said target device and one or more beacons being adapted to determine an indication of the received signal power of a received signal and to communicate with the processing device.
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    EP2469298B1|2015-02-18|
    EP2469298A1|2012-06-27|
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    法律状态:
    2019-11-20| MM| Lapsed because of non-payment of the annual fee|Effective date: 20190228 |
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    EP010196755.2|2010-12-23|
    EP10196755.2A|EP2469298B1|2010-12-23|2010-12-23|Method and device for determining location of a target|
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