Method and apparatus for providing a raw mapping data package for a building and method and apparatus for creating a digital map for a building

Abstract

Method for providing a raw mapping data package (RKDP) for a building using a mobile device (1) comprising at least one mapping sensor whose measurement signal contributes to determining the position of the mobile device (1), in which - starting from a predefined reference position (REF_POS) at a periphery of the building, the respective course of the measurement signal of the respective is detected by the mapping sensor, - depending on which the raw mapping data package (RKDP) is determined and sent to a Communication interface (5) of the mobile device (1) is provided and - at least one additional reference position (REF_POS_Z) is assigned to the respective course of the measurement signal of the respective mapping sensor at the periphery of the building and at least one additional reference position (REF_POS_Z) is included in the raw mapping data package (RKDP).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a method and a device for providing a raw mapping data package for a building. It further relates to a method and a device for creating a digital map for a building.

[0002] Digital maps are used in a variety of ways today, for example in the field of navigation. Digital maps of building interiors, also known as indoor maps, are also gaining in importance. These provide a basis for wayfinding even within relevant buildings, such as shopping centers. One challenge in creating a digital map for a given building is the fundamental requirement for floor plans as a basis, such as CAD drawings, evacuation plans, or simplified orientation plans. In many cases, however, no floor plans are available, or only outdated ones. Positioning using a GNSS receiver (GNSS being an abbreviation for a Global Navigation Satellite System, such as GPS or Galileo) is generally not possible inside buildings due to the fundamental lack of reception of the corresponding signals.

[0003] US 2013 / 0332065A1 describes that inertial and other dead reckoning navigation sensors are subject to drift and other errors, which are taken into account in the development and use of navigation methods.

[0004] US 2013 / 0332065A1 further describes how convex SLAM can be used in connection with tracking a device. Appropriate local sensors (for example, accelerometers, gyroscopes, GPS receivers, magnetometers, barometric pressure sensors, or distance sensors) are activated and data is received.

[0005] Furthermore, sensor data is received and processed. In addition, features are recognized (for example, inertial sensors could detect a stairwell or an elevator) and limitations are resolved.

[0006] A procedure that can be used to determine a navigation solution may include the acquisition of the dead reckoning navigation path, parameter initialization, global optimization, local optimization, and finally the final navigation solution.

[0007] Previous restrictions can be passed on based on motion models (e.g., the maximum speed of a person), and the passing on can be limited, for example, based on information about building restrictions.

[0008] US 2013 / 0332065A1 further describes that another test course was completed in an underground test facility, with at least five people being tracked through the entire facility.

[0009] A mesh communication network was established at several points using radio equipment. The navigation system was automatically initialized using a combination of GPS, available outside the structure, and distance anchors placed at three known locations outside.

[0010] As part of the mission scenario, shunting anchors were "dropped" at each of the three key network points. The positions of the inner points were unknown to the navigation system, so the positions of the deployed remote anchors were estimated by the navigation system.

[0011] US 2009 / 0043504A1 describes a system and method for locating, tracking, and / or monitoring the status of personnel and / or assets (collectively, "tracked objects") both indoors and outdoors. Tracking data obtained from any number of sources using any number of tracking methods (e.g., inertial navigation and signal-based methods) can be provided as input to a mapping application. The mapping application can use a variety of mapping tools to generate position estimates for tracked persons in order to make corrections to the tracking data. The mapping application can also use information from building data, if available, to improve position estimates.Indoor tracking methods, including sensor fusion, map matching, and mapping, can be implemented to collect tracking data from one or more tracked individuals and calculate a more accurate tracking estimate for each. To improve outdoor tracking data, outdoor tracking methods can be implemented by combining tracking estimates such as inertial tracking with magnetic and / or compass data (where available) and GPS (where available).

[0012] US 2013 / 0267260A1 describes a method for receiving a conceptual map of a navigable area, wherein the conceptual map contains two or more topological elements related to each other in the conceptual map by a first set of dimensions. One or more ground-truth measurements or topological constraints are applied to the first set of dimensions of the conceptual map to provide a modified map with corrected dimensions. Furthermore, an estimated location of the mobile station is mapped to the modified map.

[0013] WO 2011 / 033 100 A1 describes a method for creating a map with location-based data on the probability of a person's future movement in a spatial environment, such as a building, forest, tunnel system, or public space, in particular a shopping center, airport, or train station. In the method according to the invention, at least one person is provided with one or more sensors (e.g., inertial sensors, gyroscopes, optical sensors) for odometric measurement, whereby the odometry is subject to errors due to inherent measurement inaccuracies of the sensors. The at least one person moves on foot through the spatial environment. Information about the step length and / or step direction and / or orientation of the sensor or the person (so-called odometric information) is determined from the measurement signals of the sensors.Based on this odometry information, a map is created using a Bayes estimator, whose state variable space includes the person's step length, odometry errors, and location-related data on the probabilities of the person's future movement.

[0014] Hyojeong Shin, Yohan Chon, Hojung Cha: “Unsupervised Construction of an Indoor Floor Plan Using a Smartphone”, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Part C: Applications and Reviews, vol.42,no.6, pp. 889-898 (2012) describes an indoor pedestrian tracking system that automatically creates an indoor floor plan using a smartphone.

[0015] M. Hardegger et al.: “ActionSLAM on a smartphone: At-home tracking with a fully wearable system”, 2013 International Conference on Indoor Positioning and Indoor Navigation (IPIN), pp. 1-8 (2013) describes an Android smartphone app that performs location tracking in home and office environments.

[0016] M. Inokuchi et al.: “Autonomous Recognition of Emergency Site by Wearable Sensors”, 2012 IEEE International Conference on Green Computing and Communications (GreenCom), pp. 400-409 (2012) describes a method for creating an indoor map by a first responder team.

[0017] RM Faragher, C. Sarno, M. Newman: “Opportunistic radio SLAM for indoor navigation using smartphone sensors”, 2012 IEEE Position Location and Navigation Symposium (PLANS), pp. 120-128 (2012) describes a system that uses only sensors available in a smartphone to provide an indoor positioning system.

[0018] One objective of the invention is to provide a method and a device for providing a raw map mapping data package for a building, which is simple and reliable. Another objective of the invention is to provide a method and a device for creating a digital map for a building, which is simple and reliable.

[0019] The problem is solved by the features of the independent patent claims. Advantageous embodiments are characterized in the dependent claims.

[0020] According to a first aspect, the invention is characterized by a method or a corresponding device for providing a raw mapping data package for a building by means of a mobile device comprising at least one mapping sensor. The mapping sensor is designed such that its measurement signal contributes to determining the position of the mobile device.

[0021] The mapping sensor is characterized solely by the fact that its measurement signal contributes to determining the position of the mobile device. For example, the mapping sensor can be an inertial sensor and / or a magnetic field sensor, particularly a compass sensor, and / or a radio signal strength sensor whose measurement signal is representative of the signal strength of a radio signal, such as a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth signal. Starting from a predefined reference position at the periphery of a building, the respective path of the measurement signal from the mapping sensor is recorded, and based on this, the raw mapping data packet is determined and made available at a communication interface of the mobile device.

[0022] The communication interface is generally designed for external communication with the mobile device and can, for example, be a mobile network interface. However, it is also possible for the communication interface to serve internal communication within the mobile device. The mobile device can, for example, be a mobile phone, and thus, in particular, a smartphone.

[0023] WLAN is an abbreviation for Wireless Local Area Network and refers to a local wireless network that is specified, for example, according to one of the standards of the IEEE 802.11 family. Bluetooth is a standard according to IEEE 802.15.1.

[0024] The provision of the raw mapping data package at the communication interface of the mobile device should also be understood to mean that it can be provided at the communication interface divided into any number of partial data packages.

[0025] In this context, a building refers to a unit that is to be mapped as part of the desired mapping project and can therefore include not only an individual building but also a building complex. The term "building" also encompasses underground structures of any kind, such as underground parking garages or underground train stations.

[0026] Furthermore, according to the first aspect, at least one additional reference position at the periphery of the building is assigned to the respective course of the measurement signal from the respective mapping sensor; that is, a temporal relationship is established between the respective additional reference position and the respective course of the respective measurement signal. This at least one additional reference position is included in the raw mapping data package and thus also used in generating the digital map.

[0027] The additional reference position can be determined, for example, based on a position signal from a GNSS receiver in the mobile device or based on user input. It can be determined, for instance, when the GNSS receiver's position signal is provided based on a current reception of sufficiently good GNSS satellite signals, which is generally possible at the building's periphery. This additional reference position is then assigned to the respective entrances of the building. This allows the user of the mobile device to move towards the building's periphery at various times while walking through the interior, thus enabling the assignment of an additional reference position.In this way, a particularly precise determination of the building's internal structure is possible when creating the digital map, especially when no measurement signal from a non-inertial sensor is available.

[0028] According to a second aspect, the invention is characterized by a method and a device for creating a digital map of a building. In this context, a raw mapping data package is provided, which was obtained in the manner described in the first aspect.

[0029] Furthermore, positional data for the building's exterior contour is provided, to which the raw mapping data package is assigned. Based on the positional data of the building's exterior contour and the raw mapping data package, a digital map is generated that is representative of the building's interior structure. The building's interior structure includes, for example, rooms and / or areas within the building. It can also include access points to individual rooms, such as those with doors.

[0030] This approach allows the user to simply walk along the relevant internal structure of the building, recording the respective path of the measurement signal from each mapping sensor. Based on this signal path, the raw mapping data package is then used to generate a digital map of the building. This eliminates the need for floor plans and avoids the need for extensive surveying of the building.

[0031] In this way, the current internal structure of the building can be mapped precisely and easily, even though it often changes over time.

[0032] In this context, the understanding that positional data for the building's exterior contour can usually be easily provided is utilized. Such exterior contours are available, for example, in cadastral maps or freely accessible from aerial photographs. Coupled with the reference position at the building's periphery, which can thus be precisely aligned with the respective positional data of the building's exterior contour, the digital map can be easily generated.

[0033] According to an advantageous implementation of the first aspect, an interesting location is assigned as an interesting location record via user input, and the respective interesting location record is included in the raw mapping data package. In this way, the user of the mobile device can easily mark features along their route, such as the beginning and / or end of a doorway, the position of a wall, or the like. User input can be provided, for example, via an input device on the mobile device. A button for pressing the corresponding button could also be provided for this purpose.

[0034] According to a further advantageous embodiment of the first aspect, the mobile device comprises at least two mapping sensors, namely at least one inertial sensor and at least one non-inertial sensor. Inertial sensors are used to measure accelerations and / or rotation rates. Examples of inertial sensors are an accelerometer and / or a rotation rate sensor, which is also referred to as a gyroscopic sensor or gyrometer.

[0035] The respective non-inertial sensor is therefore a sensor whose measurement signal is representative of an environmental characteristic of the mobile device. It could, for example, be a magnetic field sensor or a radio signal strength sensor. By evaluating the respective course of the measurement signal from both the at least one inertial sensor and the at least one non-inertial sensor when creating the digital map of the building, the building's internal structure can be determined with particular precision.

[0036] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the reference position and / or the additional reference position is each a pose, meaning that in addition to the actual position it also includes an orientation.

[0037] According to an advantageous implementation of the second aspect, a digital base map for the building is provided. Furthermore, the digital map for the building is determined based on this digital base map. In this way, existing internal structures of the building can be adapted, enriched, and / or refined within the digital base map. For example, the respective positions of doors in individual rooms can be included, depending on the raw mapping data package.

[0038] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the digital map for the building is determined using a predefined optimization method. Advantageously, in this context, the optimization method includes simultaneous localization and map representation, also known as Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), which is particularly useful in the field of robotics.

[0039] The device for providing the raw mapping data package is, in particular, the mobile device or the terminal computing unit of the mobile device.

[0040] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the schematic drawings. These show: Fig. 1 a system comprising a mobile terminal and an evaluation unit, Fig. 2 a flowchart of a program that is executed in the mobile device 1, Fig. 3 another flowchart of another program that is processed in evaluation unit 19, Fig. 4 a graphic representation of the outer contour of a building, Fig. 5 the graphic representation of the building's outer contour with a raw path, Fig. 6. The graphical representation of the building's outer contour with a corrected path and Fig. 7 the graphic representation of the building's exterior contour together with the graphic representation of the building's interior structure.

[0041] Elements of the same construction or function are marked with the same reference symbols across all figures.

[0042] A system comprises one mobile device 1 ( Fig. 1) and an evaluation unit 19. The evaluation unit 19 can also be referred to as a device for creating a digital map DK.

[0043] The mobile device 1 is, in particular, a mobile phone, and thus specifically a smartphone. The mobile device 1 has an input unit 3, which includes, for example, a touch-sensitive screen, also known as a touchscreen. However, it may also have dedicated input elements, such as a button.

[0044] Furthermore, the mobile device 1 has a communication interface 5, which is specifically designed for communication with external devices and which may, for example, be a mobile communication interface. However, it is also possible that the communication interface 5 is intended for internal communication within the mobile device 1.

[0045] Furthermore, another communication interface 7 is provided, which is configured, for example, for communication with a WLAN. In addition, another communication interface 9 is provided, which is configured, for example, for communication via Bluetooth.

[0046] Furthermore, the mobile device 1 has at least one, and in particular several, mapping sensors. The measurement signal of the respective mapping sensor contributes to determining the position of the mobile device 1. Examples of mapping sensors are an accelerometer 11, a gyrometer 13, a magnetic field sensor 15, in particular a compass sensor, and a radio signal strength sensor 17. The measurement signal of the radio signal strength sensor 17 is representative of the signal strength of a radio signal, such as a WLAN and / or a Bluetooth radio signal. The mobile device also includes a terminal processing unit 18 comprising program and data memory. It may also include a GNSS receiver 16.

[0047] The evaluation unit 19 is typically configured externally to the mobile device 1. It can be configured on one or more processing units and thus also distributed. For example, it can be configured in a backend. The evaluation unit 19 is configured to communicate with the mobile device 1 directly or indirectly via the communication interface 5. In principle, the evaluation unit 19 can also be configured in a single unit with the mobile device 1.

[0048] Evaluation unit 19 also has a program and data memory.

[0049] A program that provides a raw mapping data package (RKDP) is stored in the program and data memory of the mobile device and is executed in processing unit 18 during the operation of the mobile device 1. The program is started in step S1, in which variables can be initialized if necessary.

[0050] In step S3, it is checked whether the mobile device 1 is located at a predefined reference position REF_POS on the periphery of a building. The predefined reference position REF_POS is located, for example, at an entrance of the building. Thus, for instance, a user input via input unit 3 can signal that the mobile device 1 has now occupied the predefined reference position REF_POS. Alternatively, a position signal from a GNSS receiver 16 of the mobile device can also be used to determine that the mobile device 1 is at the predefined reference position REF_POS. The periphery corresponds to the outer contour of the building.

[0051] If it was not detected in step S3 that the mobile device 1 is located at the reference position REF_POS, the processing will be continued again in step S3, possibly after a specified waiting period.

[0052] Otherwise, processing continues in step S5. In step S5, starting from the predefined reference position REF_POS, the profiles of the respective measurement signals MS1, MS2, MS3, MS4 of the accelerometer 11, the gyrometer 13, the magnetic field sensor 15, and the radio signal strength sensor 17 are recorded. It should be noted that a subset of these sensors or additional sensors may also be present, and their respective measurement signal profiles can likewise be recorded in step S5.

[0053] In an optional step S7, it is determined whether the mobile device 1 occupies an additional reference position REF_POS_Z. The respective additional reference position REF_POS_Z is characterized by its location at the periphery of the building. If the additional reference position REF_POS_Z is identified in step S7, it is assigned to the respective path of the respective measurement signals MS1, MS2, MS3, MS4, i.e., in particular, a temporal assignment. The additional reference position REF_POS_Z can be determined, for example, based on the position signal of the GNSS receiver 16 or based on user input via the input unit 3.

[0054] In step S9, the system checks whether a point of interest is currently occupied via user input using input unit 3 and, if so, saves it as a point of interest (POI) record. The user input regarding the respective point of interest can, for example, indicate the beginning and / or end of a doorway and / or the position of a wall or similar feature. This information is then assigned to the point of interest record.

[0055] In step S11, it is checked whether an end-of-visit identifier FIN is set. This can be set, for example, via user input using input unit 3 and thus indicates that the user of the mobile device has completed walking through the interior structure of the building. It is particularly advantageous if the end-of-visit identifier FIN is set when the user, after walking through the interior structure, is back at the periphery of the building.

[0056] If the condition of step S11 is not met, processing continues again in step S5. Otherwise, processing continues in step S13. In step S13, the raw mapping data package RKDP is determined based on the respective recorded profile of the measurement signal MS1, MS2, MS3, MS4 from the accelerometer 11, the gyrometer 13, the magnetic field sensor 15, and the radio signal strength sensor 17. The profiles of the measurement signals can then be stored directly in the raw mapping data package RKDP or, alternatively, after preprocessing. Furthermore, if the optional step S7 was performed, any additional reference position REF_POS_Z detected there is included in the raw mapping data package. The same applies if the optional step S9 was performed.In this case, the respective identified interesting location data set POI is included in the raw mapping data package RKDP.

[0057] The raw mapping data package RKDP is then provided at communication interface 5 and thus made available to the evaluation unit 19. For this purpose, the raw mapping data package RKDP can also be split into any number of sub-packets and provided at communication interface 5.

[0058] The program is terminated in step S15.

[0059] Another program for creating a digital map of the building is stored in the program and data memory of evaluation unit 19 and is executed there during operation of evaluation unit 19. It is executed in one step S19 ( Fig. 3) started, in which variables can be initialized if necessary.

[0060] In step S21, the raw mapping data package RKDP is provided, which was previously provided at communication interface 5 by the mobile device 1.

[0061] In step S23, position data POS_AK of the building's outer contour is provided, to which the raw mapping data package RKDP is assigned. The building's outer contour corresponds to the building's periphery, regardless of the other details of this example.

[0062] The position data can be provided, for example, simply by evaluating cadastral maps and / or data obtained through aerial photographs.

[0063] In an optional step S25, a digital base map (GK) for the building is provided. The digital base map (GK) can, for example, include information about the building's internal structure. It can be determined in any way, such as using any existing floor plans of the building or based on a previously determined digital map (DK) of the building.

[0064] In step S27, the digital map DK is determined depending on the raw mapping data package RKDP and the position data POS_AK of the building's outer contour and, if necessary, depending on the digital base map GK.

[0065] The determination of the digital map DK is carried out using a predefined optimization method, which preferably includes simultaneous localization and map creation, also known as SLAM. SLAM is currently used particularly in the field of robotics, where a robot simultaneously creates a map of its environment and estimates its pose within this map. In this context, the data contained in the raw mapping data package are used, such as the representations of the respective trajectories of the measurement signals MS1, MS2, MS3, MS4 of the accelerometer 11, the gyrometer 13, the magnetic field sensor 15, and the radio signal strength sensor 17, as well as the predefined reference position REF_POS and the optionally assigned or associated additional reference position REF_POS_Z and the optionally assigned or associated point of interest data record POI.

[0066] In step S29, the program is then terminated. The digital map DK can be stored in the program and data memory of the evaluation unit 19. It can, for example, be made available to the mobile device 1 and thus subsequently enable precise navigation within the building.

[0067] In the Fig. Figure 4 is a graphic representation 21 of the building's outer contour, where 23, 25, and 27 are graphic representations of entrances. In the Fig. Figure 5 additionally shows a graphical representation 29 of a raw path, as it results from data in the raw mapping data package RKDP, particularly before applying the respective optimization method. It is clearly evident here that the raw path contains errors, as it extends to areas outside the building. This is due, for example, to the fact that the measurement signal profiles of the inertial sensors, for instance, become erroneous with increasing distance from the reference position REF_POS, for example, due to signal drift or similar factors. Furthermore, in the Fig. 5 still perceptible environmental features 31, 33, 35 are shown, which are, for example, WLAN access points, also referred to as WLAN access points.

[0068] The points marked with an "x" are points of interest, represented by a respective Point of Interest (POI) data record, whereby the respective points of interest were assigned by means of a respective user input.

[0069] In the Fig. Figure 6 is a graphical representation of a corrected path 37, after application of the optimization method in step S27.

[0070] In the Fig. 7 is then also a graphic representation 39 of the interior structure of the building, which was then determined in step S27 depending on the corrected path and using the interesting location data sets POI and, if necessary, the digital base map GK, and thus represents the graphic representation of the digital map DK as a whole.

[0071] The digital map DK can also include metadata, such as names, opening hours or similar information about shops or areas in the respective building.

[0072] The mobile device 1 can be any standard, commercially available mobile device 1 in terms of hardware. The digital map DK can also include information about the position of the respective doors of the individual rooms. Providing the raw mapping data package RKDP simply requires a walk along the interior structure of the building, which is easy and cost-effective to implement. Reference sign 1 mobile device 3 Input unit 5 Communication interface 7 additional communication interfaces 9 more communication interfaces 11 Accelerometer 13 gyrometers 15 Magnetic field sensor 16 GNSS receivers 17 Radio signal strength sensor 18 terminal computing unit 19 evaluation units 21 graphic representation of an outer contour of the building 23, 25, 27 graphical representation of inputs 29 graphical representation raw path x graphic representation of an interesting place 31, 33, 35 perceptible environmental feature 37 graphical representation of corrected path 39 graphic representations of the building's interior structure REF_POS Reference position MS1-4 measurement signal REF_POS_Z Additional reference position POI interesting place data set FIN end identifier RKDP Raw Mapping Data Package POS_AK Position data of an outer contour of the building GK digital base map DK digital map S1-S29 Steps 1 - 29

Claims

[1] Method for providing a raw mapping data package (RKDP) for a building by means of a mobile device (1) comprising at least one mapping sensor whose measurement signal contributes to determining the position of the mobile device (1), in which - starting from a predefined reference position (REF_POS) at a periphery of the building, the respective course of the measurement signal of the respective is detected by the mapping sensor, - depending on which the raw mapping data package (RKDP) is determined and sent to a Communication interface (5) of the mobile device (1) is provided and - at least one additional reference position (REF_POS_Z) is assigned to the respective course of the measurement signal of the respective mapping sensor at the periphery of the building and at least one additional reference position (REF_POS_Z) is included in the raw mapping data package (RKDP). [2] Method according to claim 1, wherein an interesting place is assigned as an interesting place record (POI) by means of a user input and the respective interesting place record (POI) is included in the raw mapping data package (RKDP). [3] Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the mobile terminal (1) comprises at least two mapping sensors, namely at least one inertial sensor and at least one non-inertial sensor. [4] Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the reference position (REF_POS) and / or the additional reference position (REF_POS_Z) is each a position. [5] Method for creating a digital map (DK) for a building, wherein - a raw mapping data package (RKDP) is provided which was determined by a method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, - Position data (POS_AK) of an outer contour of the building to which the raw mapping data package (RKDP) is assigned is provided, and - depending on the position data (POS_AK) of the building's outer contour and the raw mapping data package (RKDP), the digital map (DK) for the building is determined, which is representative of the building's interior structure. [6] The method of claim 5, wherein - a digital base map (GK) for the building is provided, and - depending on the digital base map (GK), the digital map (DK) for the building is determined. [7] Method according to one of claims 5 or 6, wherein the determination of the digital map (DK) for the building is carried out using a predetermined optimization method. [8] Method according to claim 7, wherein the specified optimization method comprises simultaneous localization and mapping. [9] Device for providing a raw mapping data package (RKDP) for a building, configured to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 5. [10] Device for creating a digital map for a building, which is configured to perform a method according to any one of claims 6 to 8.

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