A positioning system and positioning method for sharing UWB base stations across regions in a closed space

Abstract

The present invention discloses a positioning system and positioning method for sharing a UWB base station across regions in a closed space, wherein the UWB base station is connected to a plurality of signal transceiver antennas, which are directly connected to the UWB base station or installed in another adjacent region through a through-wall cable, and the adjacent regions share one UWB base station. The UWB base station is installed using a single-base-station multi-antenna method, and adjacent closed regions share the same base station, thereby ensuring positioning accuracy while reducing the number of required base stations and reducing costs; the signal transceiver antenna is installed in a closed region adjacent to the closed region where the base station is located through a through-wall cable, thereby solving the problem of large attenuation of UWB signals through walls; there is no need to precisely install antenna angles or other auxiliary measurement equipment, and the positioning accuracy is high; the number of the closed region where the tag is located is determined by a positioning tag strong correlation base station determination method, and the method is simple, and further accurate positioning is performed using algorithms such as TOF, which has high reliability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of indoor positioning and communication technology, and in particular to a positioning system and a positioning method for sharing a UWB base station across regions in a closed space. Background Art

[0002] UWB indoor positioning uses a wireless carrier communication technology, that is, it does not use a sinusoidal carrier, but uses nanosecond-level non-sinusoidal narrow pulses to transmit data. Therefore, it occupies a wide spectrum range and has the advantages of high positioning accuracy, fast data transmission, strong multipath resolution, and low power consumption.

[0003] According to the regulations of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the United States, the bandwidth frequency of 7.5GHz between 3.1GHz and 10.6GHz is the frequency range used by UWB technology. The electromagnetic waves with a spectrum of 250MHz to 3GHz can effectively penetrate most building materials, but as the frequency increases, the attenuation of electromagnetic wave signals above 3.1GHz passing through walls is very large, so the UWB positioning system has poor wall penetration ability. At present, mainstream positioning algorithms such as TOF, TDOA, and AOA use the communication ranging and time difference between tags and multiple base stations to achieve tag positioning. However, since the UWB signal attenuates greatly when penetrating walls, especially walls with steel bars or warehouse walls, the positioning accuracy requirements can only be achieved by increasing the number of base stations; in general, in order to achieve the positioning accuracy requirements, at least three UWB base stations should be deployed in each closed area, which leads to an increase in the cost of the positioning system under the same area and an increase in the limitations of the use scenarios of the UWB positioning system. The AOA positioning algorithm based on single base station and multiple antennas uses the angles measured by the tag communicating with different antennas of the same base station to achieve tag positioning, which can reduce the number of base stations. However, the current AOA algorithm has high requirements for the measurement accuracy of signal angles. It is very difficult to accurately measure signal angles and is sensitive to signal obstruction. It is difficult to apply in practice and the positioning error is relatively large. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a positioning system and a positioning method for sharing UWB base stations across regions in a closed space. Through the design of the UWB base station, adjacent closed areas share one UWB base station and the UWB signal passes through the wall without attenuation, which greatly reduces the number of UWB base stations and reduces the cost of the positioning system. There is no need to accurately install antenna angles or other auxiliary measurement equipment, and there will be no errors due to angle measurement. The actual application is easy and the positioning accuracy is high.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0006] A UWB base station is shared across regions in a closed space. The UWB base station is connected to multiple signal transceiver antennas. The signal transceiver antennas are directly connected to the UWB base station or installed in another adjacent area through a wall-penetrating cable. The adjacent areas share one UWB base station.

[0007] The UWB base station can receive UWB signals in multiple adjacent closed areas by connecting multiple signal transceiver antennas installed in adjacent areas, allowing multiple closed areas to share one UWB base station, greatly reducing the number of UWB base stations that need to be installed and reducing costs; wall-penetrating cables can transmit the signals received by the signal transceiver antennas to the UWB base station without attenuation, solving the problem of significant attenuation of UWB signal strength when penetrating walls and improving positioning accuracy.

[0008] The present invention also provides a positioning system for sharing UWB base stations across regions in a closed space, including a positioning tag, several UWB base stations as described above connected to the positioning tag, and a data processing system connected to the UWB base station, wherein the positioning tag is fixed on a movable object to be positioned and sends a UWB signal to the UWB base station; the closed space is divided into multiple closed areas, each of which is equipped with at least three signal transceiver antennas, and a signal transceiver antenna in each adjacent closed area is connected to the same UWB base station through a wall cable or directly; the UWB base station receives the UWB signal through the signal transceiver antenna and transmits it to the data processing system, and the data processing system analyzes and locates the received UWB signal. The connection between the positioning tag and the UWB base station is a communication connection, and the connection between the UWB base station and the data processing system is a network cable connection.

[0009] Preferably, the positioning system further comprises a clock distributor, which is respectively connected to the UWB base station and the data processing system by wire, so that the clocks of all base stations in the positioning system are synchronized, thereby improving the accuracy of positioning.

[0010] Preferably, the data processing system comprises a data transmission unit, a closed area determination unit where the positioning tag is located, and a position calculation unit for the positioning tag in the closed area, which are connected in sequence. The data transmission unit is used to transmit data signals such as time and distance, the closed area determination unit where the positioning tag is located is used to preliminarily determine the closed area where the tag is located, and the position calculation unit for the positioning tag in the closed area is used to calculate the specific position of the positioning tag in the closed area.

[0011] The present invention also provides a positioning method for a cross-region shared UWB base station positioning system in a closed space as described above, comprising the following steps:

[0012] S1. Determine the closed area where the positioning tag is located: number all the closed areas divided in the closed space, and mark each UWB base station according to the number of the closed area where the signal transceiver antenna connected to it is installed; when the positioning tag sends out a UWB signal and is received by multiple UWB base stations, the closed area with the largest number of appearances in the markings of the multiple UWB base stations is determined to be the area where the positioning tag is located; the present invention refers to this method of determining the position of the closed area where the positioning tag is located as a positioning tag strongly correlated base station determination method;

[0013] S2. Calculation of the position of the positioning tag in the closed area: After determining the closed area where the positioning tag is located, the specific position of the positioning tag in the area is calculated using the TDOA positioning algorithm, the TOF positioning algorithm or the TOA positioning algorithm.

[0014] The present invention provides a positioning system and a positioning method for sharing a UWB base station across regions in a closed space.

[0015] 1. The UWB positioning base station is installed using a single-base-station multi-antenna method, so that adjacent closed areas share the same base station. Compared with the traditional single-base-station single-antenna positioning system, the number of base stations required to be deployed in multiple closed areas is reduced while ensuring the positioning accuracy in a single closed area, thereby reducing the cost of the positioning system;

[0016] 2. The signal transceiver antenna is installed in a closed area adjacent to the closed area where the base station is located through a wall-penetrating cable, which solves the problem of large attenuation of UWB signals through walls, especially walls with steel bars or warehouse walls;

[0017] 3. Compared with the traditional single-base station multi-antenna positioning method (AOA positioning algorithm) that measures the distance and angle between the base station and the mobile tag, it does not require precise installation of antenna angles or other auxiliary measurement equipment, and will not cause errors due to angle measurement. It is less difficult to apply in practice and has high positioning accuracy.

[0018] 4. The present invention determines the number of the closed area where the tag is located by the strong correlation base station determination method of the positioning tag, which does not require other complex algorithms and the method is simple; and further uses TOF, TDOA or TOA algorithm to accurately locate the positioning tag in the closed area, with high reliability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the UWB base station in Example 1;

[0020] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a UWB base station installed on a straight-line wall;

[0021] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a UWB base station installed on a T-shaped wall;

[0022] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a UWB base station installed on a cross-shaped wall;

[0023] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a positioning system for sharing UWB base stations across regions in a closed space provided in Example 2;

[0024] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a traditional UWB base station positioning system;

[0025] Figure 7 It is a structural principle diagram of a positioning system for sharing UWB base stations across regions in a closed space of the present invention with a clock distributor;

[0026] Figure 8 It is a principle block diagram of the positioning system of the present invention for sharing UWB base stations across regions in a closed space.

[0027] Figure numerals: 1. Positioning tag; 2. UWB base station; 3. Signal transceiver antenna; 4. Wall cable; 5. Wall; 51. I-shaped wall; 52. T-shaped wall; 53. Cross-shaped wall; 6. Data processing system; 601. Data transmission unit; 602. Closed area determination unit where the positioning tag is located; 603. Position calculation unit for the positioning tag in the closed area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with specific implementation methods.

[0029] Example 1

[0030] A cross-regional sharing of UWB base stations in a closed space, such as Figure 1-4 As shown, the UWB base station 2 is connected to multiple signal transceiver antennas 3, and the signal transceiver antennas 3 are directly connected to the UWB base station 2 or installed in another adjacent area through a wall-penetrating cable 4, and the adjacent areas share one UWB base station 2.

[0031] The straight wall installation structure of UWB base station 2: Figure 2As shown, a straight wall 51 divides a closed space into two closed areas a and b. When the UWB base station 2 is located in the closed area b, the UWB base station 2 is connected to two signal transceiver antennas 3, one of which passes through the straight wall 51 through a wall-penetrating cable 4 and is installed on the other side of the straight wall 51, i.e., the closed area a, for receiving the UWB signal of the closed area a and transmitting the signal to the UWB base station 2 without attenuation through the wall-penetrating cable 4, and the other signal transceiver antenna 3 is directly connected to the UWB base station 2, for receiving the UWB signal of the closed area b and transmitting it to the UWB base station 2; thereby, the two closed areas a and b on both sides of the straight wall 51 share one UWB base station 2, thereby saving one UWB base station and solving the problem of significant attenuation of the signal strength through the wall.

[0032] T-shaped wall mounting structure of UWB base station 2: Figure 3 As shown, the T-shaped wall 52 divides a closed space into three closed areas c, d, and e. When the UWB base station 2 is set on one side of the T-shaped wall 52, taking the closed area d as an example, the UWB base station 2 is connected to three signal transceiver antennas 3, one of which is directly connected to the UWB base station 2, that is, installed in the closed area d, for receiving the UWB signal in the closed area d and transmitting it to the UWB base station 2, and the other two signal transceiver antennas 3 are respectively installed in the closed area c and the closed area e through the T-shaped wall 52, respectively receive the UWB signals in these two areas and transmit the signals to the UWB base station 2 without attenuation through the wall-penetrating cable 4, thereby realizing that the three closed areas c, d, and e separated by the T-shaped wall 52 share one UWB base station 2, saving two UWB base stations and solving the problem of significant attenuation of the signal strength through the wall.

[0033] The cross-shaped wall mounting structure of the UWB base station 2 is as follows: Figure 4 As shown, the cross-shaped wall 53 divides a closed space into four closed areas f, g, h, and i. When the UWB base station 2 is arranged on one side of the cross-shaped wall 53, taking the closed area f as an example, the UWB base station 2 is connected to four signal transceiver antennas 3, one of which is directly connected to the UWB base station 2, that is, installed in the closed area f, for receiving the UWB signal in the closed area f and transmitting it to the UWB base station 2, and the other three signal transceiver antennas 3 are respectively installed in the closed area g, the closed area h, and the closed area i through the cross-shaped wall 53, respectively receive the UWB signals in these three areas and transmit the signals to the UWB base station 2 without attenuation through the wall-penetrating cable 4, thereby realizing that the four closed areas separated by the cross-shaped wall share one UWB base station 2, saving three UWB base stations and solving the problem of significant attenuation of the signal strength through the wall.

[0034] Example 2

[0035] This embodiment provides a positioning system for sharing UWB base stations across regions in a closed space, such as Figure 5 As shown, it includes a positioning tag 1, several UWB base stations 2 as described in Example 1 connected to the positioning tag 1, and a data processing system connected to the UWB base station 2. The positioning tag 1 is fixed on a movable object that needs to be positioned and sends a UWB signal to the UWB base station 2; the enclosed space is divided into multiple enclosed areas by a wall 5, and at least three signal transceiver antennas 3 are installed in each enclosed area. A signal transceiver antenna 3 in each adjacent enclosed area is connected to the same UWB base station 2 through a wall cable 4 or directly; the UWB base station 2 receives the UWB signal through the signal transceiver antenna 3 and transmits it to the data processing system, and the data processing system analyzes and locates the received UWB signal. The connection between the positioning tag 1 and the UWB base station 2 is a communication connection, and the connection between the UWB base station 2 and the data processing system is a network cable connection.

[0036] According to the following Figure 5 The positioning system of this embodiment is specifically described:

[0037] like Figure 5 As shown, the closed space is divided into five square closed areas A, B, C, D, and E by walls. The four closed areas A, B, C, and D form a field-shaped closed area. The closed area E is adjacent to the two closed areas B and D and is located on their right side. In this embodiment, in order to ensure positioning accuracy and reduce positioning errors caused by occlusion, four UWB base stations 2 are arranged in a single closed area. Figure 6 To adopt the traditional UWB base station positioning system, four UWB base stations need to be installed in each of the five closed areas, so the number of base stations required to be installed is 4*5=20; Figure 5 In the positioning system of the UWB base station provided by the embodiment 1 of the present invention, the UWB base station 2 is shared by adjacent closed areas by using the wall-penetrating cable 4. Assuming that the UWB base station 2 (such as the UWB base station 2 with a straight wall mounting structure) is used, Figure 2 ) has X; using a T-shaped wall mounting structure of the UWB base station 2 (such as Figure 3 ) has Y; using a cross-shaped wall mounting structure of the UWB base station 2 (such as Figure 4 ) has Z; the number of UWB base stations 2 to be installed is the number of conventional UWB base stations required to be installed minus the number of base stations saved by the present invention, ie 20-X-2Y-3Z; according to Figure 6 From the closed area layout, we can see that X=5, Y=1, and Z=1, so the number of UWB base stations 2 that need to be installed is 10. Compared with the traditional positioning system, half of the UWB base station installation amount is saved, greatly reducing the cost of the positioning system.

[0038] The layout of UWB base stations is as follows: Figure 5 As shown, by sharing one UWB base station 2 among multiple closed areas, it is ensured that each closed area has four available UWB base stations 2; four UWB base stations 2 are respectively arranged at the four corners of the closed area A. A , O AB , O AC , O ABCD , where O A Connect a signal transceiver antenna 3 to receive UWB signals in the closed area A; AB A straight-line wall structure is used to connect two signal transceiver antennas 3 to receive UWB signals from two closed areas A and B; AC A straight wall structure is used to connect two signal transceiver antennas 3 to receive UWB signals from two closed areas A and C; ABCD A cross-shaped wall structure is used to connect four signal transceiver antennas 3 to receive UWB signals from four closed areas A, B, C, and D; two UWB base stations O are respectively arranged at two corners of closed area B away from closed area A. BE , O BDE , where O BE A straight-line wall structure is used to connect two signal transceiver antennas 3 to receive UWB signals from two closed areas B and E; BDE A T-shaped wall structure is used to connect three signal transceiver antennas 3 to receive UWB signals from three closed areas B, D, and E; two UWB base stations O are respectively arranged at two corners of closed area C away from closed area A. C , O CD , where O C Connect a signal transceiver antenna 3 to receive UWB signals in the closed area C; CD A straight wall structure is used to connect two signal transceiver antennas 3 to receive UWB signals from two closed areas C and D; a UWB base station O is installed in the corner of the closed area D away from the closed areas B and C. DE , O DE A straight-line wall structure is used to connect two signal transceiver antennas 3 to receive UWB signals from two closed areas D and E; BE , O BDE , O DE The three UWB base stations can all receive the UWB signals emitted in the closed area E. Therefore, according to the principle of ensuring four UWB base stations in each closed area, only one more UWB base station 2 needs to be installed in the closed area E. Thus, the five closed areas A, B, C, D, and E each have four UWB base stations 2 available, ensuring the accuracy of positioning in the entire closed space.

[0039] like Figure 7As shown, the positioning system also includes a clock distributor, which is connected to the UWB base station and the data processing system through a synchronous clock line to keep the clocks of all UWB base stations in the system synchronized.

[0040] like Figure 8 As shown, the data processing system 6 includes a data transmission unit 601, a closed area determination unit 602 where the positioning tag is located, and a position calculation unit 603 for the positioning tag in the closed area, which are connected in sequence. The data transmission unit 601 is used to transmit data signals such as time and distance, the closed area determination unit 602 where the positioning tag is located is used to preliminarily determine the closed area where the positioning tag is located, and the position calculation unit 603 for the positioning tag in the closed area is used to calculate the specific position of the positioning tag in the closed area.

[0041] Example 3

[0042] This embodiment provides a positioning method for the above-mentioned cross-region shared UWB base station positioning system in a closed space, including the following steps:

[0043] S1. Determine the closed area where the positioning tag 1 is located: number all the closed areas divided in the closed space, and mark each UWB base station 2 according to the number of the closed area where the signal transceiver antenna 3 connected to it is installed; when the positioning tag 1 sends out a UWB signal and is received by multiple UWB base stations 2, it is determined that the closed area with the largest number of occurrences in the markings of the multiple UWB base stations 2 is the area where the positioning tag 1 is located;

[0044] S2. Calculation of the position of the positioning tag 1 in the closed area: After determining the closed area where the positioning tag 1 is located, the specific position of the positioning tag 1 in the area is calculated using a TDOA positioning algorithm, a TOF positioning algorithm or a TOA positioning algorithm.

[0045] When the positioning system of the present invention is used to locate the positioning tag 1, since multiple closed areas share one UWB base station 2, when multiple UWB base stations 2 receive UWB signals, it is necessary to first determine the closed area where the positioning tag 1 that sends the signal is located; Figure 5 As shown, the five closed areas are numbered A, B, C, D, and E, and each UWB base station 2 is marked according to the number of the closed area where the signal transceiver antenna 3 connected to it is installed, that is, the UWB base station O A Indicates a UWB base station that only receives UWB signals in closed area A, UWB base station O AB Indicates the UWB base station shared by closed areas A and B, UWB base station O BDE Indicates the UWB base station shared by closed areas B, D, and E, UWB base station O ABCDIndicates the UWB base station shared by closed areas A, B, C, D, and so on. When the positioning tag 1 sends a signal and is received by multiple UWB base stations 2, it is determined that the closed area with the largest number of occurrences in the markings of the multiple UWB base stations 2 is the area where the positioning tag 1 is located. That is, when O BE , O BDE , O DE , O E When the four UWB base stations 2 receive the UWB signal, the closed area number E appears the most times, so it is determined that the positioning tag 1 is located in the closed area E. The present invention refers to this method of determining the closed area where the positioning tag is located as a positioning tag strong correlation base station determination method;

[0046] In this embodiment, when more than four UWB base stations simultaneously receive the signal sent by the same positioning tag, only the four UWB base stations with the strongest signal strength are selected to determine the position of the closed area where the positioning tag is located. In the present invention, if each closed area has N (N ≥ 3) UWB base stations available, and when the number of UWB base stations that receive the signal sent by the same positioning tag is greater than N, only the N UWB base stations with the strongest signals are selected to determine the position of the closed area where the positioning tag is located, and no other complex algorithms are required.

[0047] After determining the closed area where the positioning tag 1 is located, the specific position of the positioning tag 1 in the area is calculated using a TDOA positioning algorithm, a TOF positioning algorithm or a TOA positioning algorithm.

[0048] The above is a detailed introduction to the positioning system and positioning method for sharing UWB base stations across regions in a closed space provided by the present invention. Specific examples are used herein to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the methods and central ideas of the present invention. The directional terms mentioned, such as up, down, left, right, front or back, etc., are only reference directions to the accompanying drawings. The directional terms used are used to illustrate and are not used to limit the present invention. It should be pointed out that for those skilled in the art, without departing from the principles of the present invention, the present invention may be improved and modified in a number of ways, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A positioning system for sharing a UWB base station across regions in a closed space, wherein the UWB base station is connected to a plurality of signal transceiver antennas, wherein the signal transceiver antennas are directly connected to the UWB base station or installed in another adjacent region through a wall-penetrating cable, and the adjacent regions share one UWB base station, characterized in that: It includes a positioning tag, several UWB base stations connected to the positioning tag, and a data processing system connected to the UWB base station, wherein the positioning tag is fixed on a movable object to be positioned and sends a UWB signal to the UWB base station; the enclosed space is divided into a plurality of enclosed areas, each of which is equipped with at least three signal transceiver antennas, and a signal transceiver antenna in each adjacent enclosed area is connected to the same UWB base station through a wall-penetrating cable or directly; the UWB base station receives the UWB signal through the signal transceiver antenna and transmits it to the data processing system, and the data processing system analyzes and locates the received UWB signal; The positioning system also includes a clock distributor, which is connected to the UWB base station and the data processing system respectively; The data processing system comprises a data transmission unit, a closed area determination unit where the positioning tag is located, and a position calculation unit for the positioning tag in the closed area, which are connected in sequence.

2. A positioning method for a cross-region shared UWB base station positioning system in a closed space as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1. Determine the closed area where the positioning tag is located: number all the closed areas divided in the closed space, and mark each UWB base station according to the number of the closed area where the signal transceiver antenna connected to it is installed; when the positioning tag sends out a UWB signal and is received by multiple UWB base stations, it is determined that the closed area with the largest number of occurrences in the marks of the multiple UWB base stations is the area where the positioning tag is located; S2. Calculation of the position of the positioning tag in the closed area: After determining the closed area where the positioning tag is located, the specific position of the positioning tag in the area is calculated using the TDOA positioning algorithm, the TOF positioning algorithm or the TOA positioning algorithm.

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