Localization system and method

Abstract

To specify the position of a movable body even in a situation where it is difficult to specify the position based on the received radio wave intensity of a beacon signal.SOLUTION: The method includes generating reception data including an area ID of an area in which a receiver is disposed, a received radio wave intensity of a beacon signal, and a reception time; performing image analysis on image data of an imaged area to detect the presence or absence of a movable body in the imaged area, and identifying a movable body ID of the movable body when the movable body is detected; generating image analysis data including the area ID of the area, the presence or absence of the movable body, the movable body ID of the movable body when the movable body is present, and the imaged time; and determining the presence or absence of the movable body using the received radio wave intensity and specifying the presence area based on the strength of the received radio wave intensity when the presence area can be specified, and specifying the presence area based on the image analysis data when the presence area cannot be specified.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a location system and method that utilizes beacons to determine the location of a mobile object. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, location identification systems that use beacons to identify the location of a mobile object such as a human have been known. A location identification system generally comprises a beacon carried by the mobile object, a receiver installed in a building or the like, and a server. A beacon is a transmitter that wirelessly emits a beacon signal once every few seconds within a relatively narrow signal transmission range of a radius of several meters to several tens of meters. Upon receiving the beacon signal, the receiver transmits the ID and received radio wave intensity contained in the beacon signal to a server. The server identifies the location of the mobile object carrying the beacon based on the location of the receiver that received the beacon signal, the strength of the received radio wave intensity, and the angle of incidence. Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a system for identifying a location using a beacon.

[0003] Patent document 1 discloses a system that includes a beacon that is placed at each individual's location in a room and transmits a signal containing the individual's identification information, a receiver placed in the same room, and a server that identifies the individuals present in the room and their locations using the identification information and radio wave intensity received by the receiver. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7388199 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the enclosed spaces of underwater vehicles and underground facilities, it is necessary to accurately grasp the number and location of living organisms such as humans. However, the enclosed spaces of underwater vehicles and underground facilities are sometimes surrounded by structures that easily reflect radio waves, and in such cases, the radio waves from beacons are reflected or multiple radio waves become mixed, making it difficult to accurately measure the received radio wave strength.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to propose a system that, in principle, uses beacons to determine the position of a movable body, which is capable of determining the position of a movable body even in situations where it is difficult to determine the position based on the received radio wave strength of the beacon signal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, a location identification system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: A location identification system for identifying the location of a mobile object having a beacon that transmits a beacon signal in a space consisting of a plurality of areas, a receiver that is disposed in each of the plurality of areas and generates reception data including an area ID of the area in which the receiver is disposed, whether or not the beacon signal has been received in the area, and, if the beacon signal has been received, the received radio wave intensity and the reception time of the beacon signal; a camera arranged in each of the plurality of areas, capturing an image of the area in which the camera is arranged and generating image data including the area ID of the area, the captured image, and the image capture time; an image analysis device that acquires the imaging data, performs image analysis on the captured image to detect the presence or absence of the movable body in the captured area, and if the movable body is detected, identifies the movable body ID of the movable body by performing individual identification, and generates image analysis data including the area ID of the captured area, whether the movable body was detected, the movable body ID of the movable body if the movable body is detected, and the imaging time; a processing device that acquires the received data and the image analysis data for each of the plurality of areas and identifies an area in which the movable body is present among the plurality of areas using the received data and the image analysis data; The processing device is configured to determine whether or not it is possible to locate the presence area using the received radio wave strength, and if it is possible, to locate the presence area based on the strength of the received radio wave strength, and if it is not possible, to locate the presence area based on the image analysis data.

[0008] Furthermore, a position identification method according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes: A location identification method for identifying the location of a movable body having a beacon that transmits a beacon signal in a space consisting of a plurality of areas, comprising: generating reception data in each of the receivers disposed in the plurality of areas, the reception data including the area ID of the area in which the receiver is disposed, whether or not the beacon signal has been received in the area, and, if the beacon signal has been received, the reception radio wave intensity and reception time of the beacon signal; capturing an image of the area with a camera disposed in each of the plurality of areas, and generating image data including the area ID of the area, the captured image, and the image capture time; By performing image analysis on the imaging data, the presence or absence of the movable body in the imaged area is detected, and if the movable body is detected, an individual identification is performed to identify the movable body ID of the movable body, and image analysis data including the area ID of the imaged area, the presence or absence of the movable body, the movable body ID of the movable body if the movable body is present, and the imaging time; and acquiring the received data and the image analysis data for each of the plurality of areas, and identifying an area in which the movable body is present among the plurality of areas using the received data and the image analysis data; Identifying the presence area includes determining whether or not it is possible to locate the presence area using the received radio wave strength, and if it is possible, identifying the presence area based on the strength of the received radio wave strength, and if it is not possible, identifying the presence area based on the image analysis data. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, in a system that, in principle, uses beacons to identify the position of a movable body, the position of the movable body can be identified even in situations where it is difficult to identify the position based on the received radio wave strength of the beacon signal. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a location identification system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a control system of the positioning system. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the imaging database. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data structure of the reception database. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of image analysis data in the identification database. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of identification data in the identification database. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the data configuration of the position log database. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the location specification process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the location specification process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of the verification process. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the location specification process according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Next, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a positioning system 1 according to one aspect of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, a space 10 to which the positioning system 1 is applied has a plurality of areas An (n=a natural number from 1 to N) set therein. Each of the plurality of areas An is assigned a unique area ID. The space 10 according to this embodiment includes two consecutive areas An: a first area A1 and a second area A2. However, the number N of areas An set in the space 10 is not limited to two.

[0012] At least one movable body 15 can move freely through a plurality of areas. Note that although the movable body 15 in this embodiment is a human, the movable body 15 is not limited to a human and may be an animal, a robot, a wheelchair, a vehicle, or other moving body. The movable body 15 carries or has a beacon 2 attached thereto. The positioning system 1 in this embodiment determines the location of an area in which the movable body 15 carrying the beacon 2 is present (hereinafter referred to as a "presence area"). The positioning system 1 includes at least one camera 3 and at least one receiver 4 arranged in each of the plurality of areas, and a processing device 5 connected to the camera 3 and the receiver 4 so as to be able to communicate wirelessly or via a wire.

[0013] Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a control system of the positioning system 1. As shown in Fig. 2, the beacon 2 includes a transmitter 21 that transmits a beacon signal and a battery that supplies power to the transmitter 21. Each beacon 2 is assigned a unique beacon ID. The beacon signal includes the beacon ID. The form of the beacon 2 is not limited as long as it can be carried by the mobile object 15, and it may be, for example, a card type or a tag type.

[0014] The camera 3 is an imaging means that captures an image of the area in which the camera 3 is placed and generates a captured image of the area. The captured image may be a still image or a video. Each camera 3 is assigned a unique camera ID. A correspondence between the camera ID and the area ID is given in advance, and this correspondence can be used to identify the area ID of the area captured by the camera 3. The camera 3 has an imaging unit 31 that captures images and generates imaging data including the captured image, an image analysis unit 33 that performs image analysis on the imaging data and generates image analysis data, and a transmission unit 32 that transmits the image analysis data and the imaging data to the processing device 5.

[0015] The imaging data generated by the imaging unit 31 includes the camera ID of the camera 3, the area ID of the area imaged by the camera 3, the captured image of the area, and the time of image capture. The imaging data may include at least one of the camera ID and the area ID. The image analysis unit 33 performs image analysis using the imaging data and identification data, which will be described later. A known image analysis method according to the purpose can be applied to the image analysis by the image analysis unit 33. The image analysis unit 33 detects the presence or absence of a movable body 15 in the area by performing image analysis of the captured image of the area. If a movable body 15 is present in the area, the image analysis unit 33 performs individual identification processing of the movable body 15 to identify the movable body ID. A known individual identification method can be applied to the individual identification processing. For example, the image analysis unit 33 extracts feature points of the appearance (e.g., face) of the movable body 15 by image analysis of the captured image of the movable body 15, compares the extracted feature points with the appearance information of the identification data, searches for movable body IDs having common or similar appearance information, and identifies the corresponding movable body The image analysis unit 33 generates image analysis data including the area ID, the image capture time, the presence or absence of the movable body 15, and, if the movable body 15 is present, the movable body ID of the movable body 15. In this embodiment, the image analysis unit 33 is provided in the camera 3, but the image analysis unit 33 may be provided in the processing device 5, or an image analysis device having the functions of the image analysis unit 33 may be provided in the position identification system 1 independently of the camera 3 and the processing device 5.

[0016] The receiver 4 includes a receiving unit 41 that receives a beacon signal emitted from the beacon 2, and a transmitting unit 42 that generates received data based on the received beacon signal and transmits the received data. Each receiver 4 is assigned a unique receiver ID. The receiver 4 generates received data at predetermined time intervals and transmits it to the processing device 5. When the receiver 4 receives a beacon signal emitted by the beacon 2, it generates received data including the receiver ID, whether a beacon signal is present, the received radio wave strength of the beacon signal, the beacon ID, and the time. On the other hand, when the receiver 4 does not receive a beacon signal, it generates received data including the receiver ID, whether a beacon signal is present, and the time.

[0017] The processing device 5 can be realized by, for example, a computer including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), memory, an auxiliary storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a communication I / F for connecting to a communication network or other devices via wire or wirelessly, an input device such as a mouse, keyboard, touch sensor or touch panel, and an output device such as a liquid crystal display. Each function of the processing device 5, which will be described later, can be realized by loading a predetermined program stored in the auxiliary storage device into the memory and executing the program with the CPU.

[0018] The processing device 5 has at least one functional unit including a position identification unit 52. The processing device 5 also includes an imaging database 55 that stores imaging data acquired from the camera 3, a receiving database 56 that stores received data acquired from the receiver 4, an identification database 57 that stores identification data and image analysis data acquired from the camera 3, and a position log database 58 that stores position log data.

[0019] When the processing device 5 receives the imaging data from the camera 3, the processing device 5 stores the imaging data in the imaging database 55. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the imaging data stored in the imaging database 55 includes a camera ID, an area ID, an imaging time, and an imaging image.

[0020] When the processing device 5 receives received data from the receiver 4, it stores the received data in the reception database 56. At that time, the processing device 5 derives the area ID of the area in which the receiver 4 is installed from the receiver ID of the receiver 4 using a correspondence relationship between the receiver ID and the area ID stored in advance. In this way, the area ID is associated with the received data. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the information stored in the reception database 56 includes the area ID and the received data. The received data includes the receiver ID, the beacon ID of the beacon signal, the time of reception of the beacon signal, and the received radio wave strength of the beacon signal.

[0021] The identification database 57 stores image analysis data and identification data. When the processing device 5 receives image analysis data from the camera 3, it stores the image analysis data in the identification database 57. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the image analysis data includes an area ID, an image capture time, the presence or absence of a movable body 15, and, if a movable body 15 is present, a movable body ID of the movable body 15. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the identification data includes a movable body ID that identifies the movable body 15, appearance information of the movable body 15, and a beacon ID of the beacon 2 carried by the movable body 15. The movable body ID includes information that identifies the movable body 15, such as the name and personal number. The appearance information of the movable body 15 includes information about the appearance characteristics of the movable body 15, such as the face and the overall captured image. The appearance information of the movable body 15 is used by the image analysis unit 33 to individually identify the movable body 15. Furthermore, by referring to the identification data, it is possible to determine the movable body ID from the beacon ID, or vice versa.

[0022] The position log database 58 stores position log data that records the history of the positions of the area where the movable body 15 exists. As illustrated in Fig. 7, the position log data includes the movable body ID, the beacon ID associated with the movable body ID, the area ID of the area where the movable body 15 exists, and the reception time of the beacon signal used to identify the position (or the capture time of the captured image).

[0023] The position specifying unit 52 uses the received data and the image analysis data to specify the position of the movable body 15. In detail, the position specifying unit 52 performs a position specifying process to specify the area in which the movable body 15 carrying the beacon 2 exists.

[0024] Example 1 Here, a detailed description will be given of the location specification process of the processing device 5. Fig. 8 is a flowchart of the location specification process according to the first embodiment.

[0025] The beacon signal emitted by the beacon 2 is received by receivers 4 in multiple areas. Regardless of whether a beacon signal is present or not, the receiver 4 transmits the received data to the processing device 5 at predetermined time intervals. The camera 3 also captures images and performs image analysis processing as needed, and the image data and image analysis data generated by the camera 3 are sent to the processing device 5 and stored in the image database 55 and the identification database 57.

[0026] The following describes an example of identifying the location of an area in a target time period where a mobile object 15 carrying a target beacon 2 exists. The length of the time period ranges from a few seconds to several tens of seconds, and can be set arbitrarily.

[0027] The processing device 5 acquires reception data including information on a beacon signal that was emitted by a target beacon 2 and received in a target time period (step S01). Here, the processing device 5 extracts reception data including information on a beacon signal that was emitted by a target beacon 2 and received in a target time period from the plurality of reception data in the reception database 56. For example, reception data whose beacon ID is that of the target beacon 2 and whose reception time is included in the target time period is extracted from the plurality of reception data stored in the reception database 56. There may be multiple sets of extracted reception data.

[0028] The processing device 5 acquires the reception data extracted in step S01, and selects reception data for two areas in descending order of received radio wave intensity from the acquired reception data (step S02). For example, reception data for the first area A1 and reception data for the second area A2 are selected from the acquired reception data.

[0029] The processing device 5 determines whether or not it is possible to locate the presence area using the received radio wave strength based on the received radio wave strength of the received data from the two selected areas. Specifically, the processing device 5 calculates the difference between the received radio wave strengths of the received data from the two selected areas, and determines that location is "possible" if the difference in received radio wave strength exceeds a predetermined error range (NO in step S03), and determines that location is "impossible" if the difference in received radio wave strength is within the predetermined error range (YES in step S03). The error range is determined in advance and stored in the processing device 5. The error range is the range within which the presence area of ​​the beacon 2 cannot be accurately identified even when the two received radio wave strengths are compared.

[0030] If the difference in the received radio wave strength between the two selected areas exceeds a predetermined error range (NO in step S03), the processing device 5 identifies the presence area of ​​the movable object 15 carrying the target beacon 2 based on the strength of the received radio wave strength (step S04). The received radio wave strengths of the two selected areas are compared, and the area with the greater received radio wave strength is identified as the presence area. For example, if the received radio wave strength R1 of the first area A1 is greater than the received radio wave strength R2 of the second area A2 by more than the error range, the first area A1 is identified as the presence area.

[0031] On the other hand, if the difference in the received radio wave intensity between the two selected areas is within the error range (YES in step S03), the processing device 5 identifies the position of the movable body 15 carrying the target beacon 2 based on the image analysis results of the captured image. Here, the processing device 5 extracts image analysis data generated from captured images captured in the target time period of the two selected areas from the identification database 57 (step S11). If there is no corresponding image analysis data (NO in step S12), the processing device 5 determines that it is impossible to identify the position of the movable body 15 based on image analysis (step S14). If there is corresponding image analysis data (YES in step S12) and there are zero or multiple areas in which the movable body 15 carrying the target beacon 2 is detected based on the image analysis data (NO in step S13), the processing device 5 determines that it is impossible to identify the position of the movable body 15 based on image analysis (step S14). If there is relevant image analysis data (YES in step S12) and there is one area in which a movable body 15 carrying the target beacon 2 is detected based on that image analysis data (YES in step S13), the processing device 5 identifies that one area as the presence area (step S15).

[0032] The processing device 5 records the area ID of the located existence area, the beacon ID of the target beacon 2, the movable object ID identified from the beacon ID, and the reception time of the beacon signal used for location identification or the imaging time of the captured image in the position log data of the position log database 58, and updates the position log data (step S05). The processing device 5 may also be configured to display or print out the area ID of the located existence area together with the movable object ID to an output device.

[0033] The position log data described above can be used in the image analysis of the image analysis unit 33 to predict the position of the next area in which the movable body 15 will be present. For example, the direction of movement of the movable body 15 can be estimated from the position log data of the movable body 15. For example, the position of the movable body 15 within an area can be identified based on the image analysis results, and the movement and behavior of the movable body 15 can be estimated. Therefore, when identifying the individual movable body 15, if matching candidates for individual identification are narrowed down based on the position log data recorded in the position log database 58, the processing load related to individual identification performed by the image analysis unit 33 can be reduced.

[0034] For example, during image analysis of the first area A1, the image analysis unit 33 can exclude the movable body 15 most recently detected in the second area A2 from the matching candidates for individual identification of the movable body 15 in the first area A1. Furthermore, for example, in the individual identification of the movable body 15 in the first area A1, the image analysis unit 33 can narrow down the matching candidates for individual identification to the movable body 15 most recently detected in the first area A1, a movable body 15 that is about to move to the first area A1, or a movable body 15 most recently detected in an area adjacent to the first area A1, based on the position log data recorded in the position log database 58.

[0035] Example 2 Fig. 9 is a flowchart of a location identification process according to Example 2. As shown in Fig. 9, the location identification process according to Example 2 is the same as the location identification process according to Example 1, except that a confirmation process of step S20 is added. Therefore, the confirmation process of step S20 will be described in detail, and a description that overlaps with Example 1 will be omitted.

[0036] The confirmation process (step S20) is a process for confirming whether the presence area of ​​the target beacon 2 is correct after the presence area of ​​the target beacon 2 is identified based on the strength of the received radio wave intensity in step S04. Fig. 10 is a flowchart of the confirmation process performed by the processing device 5.

[0037] 10, in the confirmation process (step S20), the processing device 5 extracts and acquires image analysis data from the identification database 57 in which a movable body 15 carrying the target beacon 2 was detected during the target time period (step S21). The movable body ID of the movable body 15 carrying the target beacon 2 can be identified using the identification data, and the corresponding image analysis data can be extracted based on the movable body ID and the image capture time. If the processing device 5 does not have the corresponding image analysis data in the identification database 57 (NO in step S22), it is not possible to identify the presence area by image analysis, and the processing device 5 affirms the identification of the presence area in step S04 (step S24).

[0038] If there is corresponding image analysis data in step S21 (YES in step S22) and the area ID of that image analysis data matches the area ID of the existing area (YES in step S23), the processing device 5 confirms the identification of the existing area in step S05 (step S24).

[0039] On the other hand, even if the processing device 5 finds relevant image analysis data in step S21 (YES in step S22), if the area ID of the image analysis data does not match the area ID of the presence area (NO in step S23), or if a movable body 15 carrying the target beacon 2 is detected in multiple areas, the processing device 5 denies the identification of the presence area in step S04, and the position of the movable body 15 cannot be identified and it is determined that the position cannot be identified (step S25).

[0040] As described above, in Example 2, the area in which the target beacon 2 is located is identified based on the received radio wave strength of the beacon signal, and further, the position of the movable body 15 carrying the target beacon 2 can be more accurately identified by detecting the movable body 15 carrying the target beacon 2 through image analysis of the captured image.

[0041] Example 3 Fig. 11 is a flowchart of a location identification process according to the third embodiment. As shown in Fig. 11, the location identification process according to the third embodiment is the same as the location identification process according to the first embodiment, except that a process of step S30 is added. Therefore, the process of step S30 will be described in detail, and a description overlapping with that of the first embodiment will be omitted.

[0042] 11, in the location identification process according to the third embodiment, whether or not the location of the presence area can be identified using the received radio wave intensity is determined based on whether or not reception data including information on the beacon signal transmitted by the target beacon 2 and received during the target time period can be acquired. Specifically, if the processing device 5 can acquire reception data including information on the beacon signal transmitted by the target beacon 2 and received during the target time period in step S01 (YES in step S01), it determines that the location can be identified "possible." If the processing device 5 cannot acquire the reception data on the beacon signal in step S01 (NO in step S01), it determines that the location cannot be identified "possible." If the target reception data cannot be acquired in step S01 (NO in step S01), it identifies the location of the presence area of ​​the movable body 15 by image analysis of the captured image (step S30).

[0043] In step S30, the processing device 5 reads from the identification database 57 image analysis data in which a movable body 15 carrying the target beacon 2 was detected during the target time period, and identifies the location of the presence area based on this image analysis data. If the presence area of ​​the movable body 15 cannot be identified in step S30, the position of the movable body 15 cannot be identified and it is determined that the position cannot be identified. If it is determined that the position cannot be identified, the most recent position of the movable body 15 may be considered to be the currently estimated position of the movable body 15 based on the position log data in the position log database 58. The processing result of step S30 is recorded in the position log data of the position log database 58 (step S06).

[0044] [Summary] A positioning system 1 according to a first aspect of the present disclosure is a positioning system 1 that determines the position of a movable body 15 carrying a beacon 2 that transmits a beacon signal in a space 10 consisting of a plurality of areas, a receiver 4 that is disposed in each of a plurality of areas and generates reception data including the area ID of the area in which it is disposed, whether or not a beacon signal has been received in the area, and, if a beacon signal has been received, the received radio wave intensity and the reception time of the beacon signal; a camera 3 arranged in each of the plurality of areas, capturing an image of the area in which it is arranged and generating image data including the area ID of the area, the captured image, and the image capturing time; an image analysis device (corresponding to the image analysis unit 33 in the above embodiment) that acquires imaging data, performs image analysis on the captured image to detect the presence or absence of a movable body 15 in the captured area, and if a movable body 15 is detected, identifies the movable body ID of the movable body 15 by performing individual identification, and generates image analysis data including the area ID of the captured area, whether or not a movable body 15 was detected, and if a movable body 15 was detected, the movable body ID of the movable body 15, and the imaging time; a processing device (5) that acquires reception data and image analysis data for each of the plurality of areas, and identifies an area among the plurality of areas where a movable body (15) exists using the reception data and image analysis data; The processing device 5 is configured to determine whether or not it is possible to locate the presence area using received radio wave strength, and if it is possible, to locate the presence area based on the strength of the received radio wave strength, and if it is not possible, to locate the presence area based on image analysis data.

[0045] According to the positioning system 1 configured as described above, in situations where it is difficult to identify the presence area of ​​the movable body 15 based on the strength of the received radio wave intensity, the presence area of ​​the movable body 15 is identified by image analysis of the captured image, and in other situations, the presence area of ​​the movable body 15 is identified based on the strength of the received radio wave intensity of the beacon signal. Therefore, the presence area of ​​the movable body 15 can be identified even in situations where it is difficult to identify the presence area of ​​the movable body 15 based on the strength of the received radio wave intensity, such as situations where it is difficult to accurately measure the received radio wave intensity, situations where the beacon signal cannot be received by the receiver 4, or situations where the difference between the received radio wave intensities measured by multiple receivers 4 is slight. In this way, while the positioning system 1 primarily identifies the position of the movable body 15 based on the received radio wave intensity of the beacon signal, it can supplement or strengthen the positioning process by timely combining the results of image analysis of the captured image.

[0046] The position determination system 1 according to the second item of the present disclosure is the position determination system 1 according to the first item, The processing device 5 is configured to select received data from two areas in descending order of received radio wave strength from among received data whose reception time belongs to a predetermined time period, and if the difference in received radio wave strength between the two selected areas exceeds a predetermined error range, identify the area with the stronger received radio wave strength as the presence area, and if the difference in received radio wave strength between the two selected areas is within the error range, identify the area in which the movable body 15 is detected as the presence area based on the image analysis data of the two selected areas.

[0047] According to the position specifying system 1 configured as above, it is possible to specify the area in which the movable object 15 is present, even in a situation where it is difficult to specify the area in which the movable object 15 is present based on the strength of the received radio wave intensity.

[0048] The location identification system 1 relating to the third item of the present disclosure is the location identification system 1 relating to the first or second item, wherein the processing device 5 is configured to identify the presence area based on the received radio wave strength, confirm the identification of the presence area if a movable body 15 is detected in the presence area based on the image analysis data, and deny the identification of the presence area if a movable body 15 is not detected in the presence area based on the image analysis data.

[0049] According to the positioning system 1 having the above configuration, image processing is used to confirm whether the position of the movable object 15 determined based on the strength of the received radio wave intensity is correct. This improves the accuracy of positioning by the positioning system 1. Furthermore, since it is only necessary to perform image analysis on the captured image of the existing area, rather than the entire area, the processing load on the processing device 5 can be reduced.

[0050] The location identification system 1 according to the fourth item of the present disclosure is the location identification system 1 according to the second item, in which the image analysis device 33 is configured to refer to an identification database 57 in which appearance information of the movable body 15 is pre-stored, and to perform individual identification of the movable body 15 by comparing the appearance of the movable body 15 detected in the captured image with the appearance information.

[0051] Furthermore, the location identification system 1 relating to the fifth item of the present disclosure is the location identification system 1 relating to the fourth item, in which the image analysis device 33 is configured to narrow down the matching candidates for individual identification by excluding from the matching candidates the appearance information of the movable body 15 present in an area not subject to analysis based on position log data that stores the position history of the area in which the movable body 15 is present.

[0052] In this way, in the position specifying system 1, by using the created position log data of the presence area, the processing load of the image analysis device 33 relating to individual authentication can be reduced.

[0053] A location identification method according to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure is a location identification method for identifying a location of a movable body 15 carrying a beacon 2 that transmits a beacon signal in a space 10 consisting of a plurality of areas, the method comprising: generating reception data including an area ID of the area in which the receiver 4 is disposed, whether or not a beacon signal has been received in the area, and, if a beacon signal has been received, the received radio wave intensity and the reception time of the beacon signal, in each of the receivers 4 disposed in the plurality of areas; Using the cameras 3 arranged in each of the plurality of areas, the cameras 3 capture images of the areas in which they are arranged, and generate image data including the area ID of the area, the captured image, and the image capture time; By performing image analysis on the imaging data, the presence or absence of a movable body 15 in the imaged area is detected, and if a movable body 15 is detected, an individual identification is performed to identify the movable body ID of the movable body 15, and image analysis data including the area ID of the imaged area, the presence or absence of a movable body 15, the movable body ID of the movable body 15 if a movable body 15 is present, and the imaging time; and acquiring reception data and image analysis data for each of the plurality of areas, and identifying an area in which the movable body 15 is present among the plurality of areas using the reception data and image analysis data; Identifying the presence area involves determining whether or not it is possible to locate the presence area using received radio wave strength, and if it is possible, identifying the presence area based on the strength of the received radio wave strength, and if it is not possible, identifying the presence area based on image analysis data.

[0054] According to the above-described position identification method, in situations where it is difficult to identify the presence area of ​​the movable body 15 based on the strength of the received radio wave intensity, the presence area of ​​the movable body 15 is identified by image analysis of the captured image, and in other situations, the presence area of ​​the movable body 15 is identified based on the strength of the received radio wave intensity of the beacon signal. Therefore, the presence area of ​​the movable body 15 can be identified even in situations where it is difficult to identify the presence area of ​​the movable body 15 based on the strength of the received radio wave intensity, such as situations where it is difficult to accurately measure the received radio wave intensity, situations where the beacon signal cannot be received by the receiver 4, or situations where the difference between the received radio wave intensities measured by multiple receivers 4 is slight. In this way, while the position identification method essentially identifies the position of the movable body 15 based on the received radio wave intensity of the beacon signal, it is possible to supplement or strengthen the position identification process by timely combining the results of image analysis of the captured image.

[0055] The functions performed by the processing device 5 described herein may be implemented in circuitry or processing circuitry, including general-purpose processors, application-specific processors, integrated circuits, ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), CPUs (Central Processing Units), conventional circuits, and / or combinations thereof, programmed to perform the described functions. Processors include transistors and other circuits and are considered circuitry or processing circuitry. A processor may also be a programmed processor that executes a program stored in memory. In this specification, a circuit, unit, or means is hardware that is programmed to perform or executes the described functions. The hardware may be any hardware disclosed herein or any hardware known to be programmed to perform or execute the described functions. When the hardware is a processor, which is considered a type of circuitry, the circuit, means, or unit is a combination of hardware and software used to configure the hardware and / or processor.

[0056] The foregoing disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to limit the disclosure to the form disclosed herein. For example, in the foregoing Detailed Description, various features of the disclosure are grouped together in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure, but some of the features may also be combined. Furthermore, the features included in the present disclosure may be combined into alternative embodiments, configurations, or aspects other than those discussed above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 1: Location identification system 2: Beacon 3: Camera 4: Receiver 5: Processing equipment 10: Space 15: Movable body 33: Image analysis unit (image analysis device) 57: Identification database

Claims

1. A location identification system for identifying the location of a mobile object having a beacon that transmits a beacon signal in a space consisting of a plurality of areas, a receiver that is disposed in each of the plurality of areas and generates reception data including an area ID of the area in which the receiver is disposed, whether or not the beacon signal has been received in the area, and, if the beacon signal has been received, the received radio wave intensity and the reception time of the beacon signal; a camera arranged in each of the plurality of areas, capturing an image of the area in which the camera is arranged and generating image data including an area ID of the area, a captured image, and a capture time; an image analysis device that acquires the imaging data, performs image analysis on the captured image to detect the presence or absence of a movable body in the captured area, and if the movable body is detected, identifies the movable body ID of the movable body by performing individual identification, and generates image analysis data including the area ID of the captured area, whether the movable body was detected, the movable body ID of the movable body if the movable body is detected, and the imaging time; a processing device that acquires the received data and the image analysis data for each of the plurality of areas and identifies an area in which the movable body is present among the plurality of areas using the received data and the image analysis data; The processing device is configured to determine whether it is possible to locate the presence area using the received radio wave strength, and if it is possible, to locate the presence area based on the strength of the received radio wave strength, and if it is not possible, to locate the presence area based on the image analysis data. Location system.

2. the processing device selects the received data of two areas in descending order of received radio wave intensity from the received data whose reception time belongs to a predetermined time period; If the difference in the received radio wave strength between the two selected areas exceeds a predetermined error range, the area with the stronger received radio wave strength is identified as the presence area, When the difference in the received radio wave intensity between the two selected areas is within the error range, the area in which the movable body is detected is identified as the presence area based on the image analysis data of the two selected areas. The location system of claim 1 .

3. The processing device is configured to identify the presence area based on the received radio wave intensity, affirm the identification of the presence area when the movable body is detected in the presence area based on the image analysis data, and deny the identification of the presence area when the movable body is not detected in the presence area based on the image analysis data. The location system of claim 1 .

4. The image analysis device is configured to refer to an identification database in which appearance information of the movable body is stored in advance, and to perform individual identification of the movable body by comparing the appearance of the movable body detected in the captured image with the appearance information. The location system of claim 2 .

5. The image analysis device is configured to narrow down the matching candidates for the individual identification by excluding the appearance information of the movable body that exists in an area that is not an analysis target based on position log data that stores a history of the position of the movable body in the presence area. The location system of claim 4 .

6. A location identification method for identifying the location of a movable body having a beacon that transmits a beacon signal in a space consisting of a plurality of areas, comprising: generating reception data in each of the receivers disposed in the plurality of areas, the reception data including an area ID of the area in which the receiver is disposed, whether or not the beacon signal has been received in the area, and, if the beacon signal has been received, the reception radio wave intensity and reception time of the beacon signal; capturing an image of the area with a camera disposed in each of the plurality of areas, and generating image data including an area ID of the area, a captured image, and a capture time; By performing image analysis on the imaging data, the presence or absence of the movable body in the imaged area is detected, and if the movable body is detected, an individual identification is performed to identify the movable body ID of the movable body, and image analysis data including the area ID of the imaged area, the presence or absence of the movable body, the movable body ID of the movable body if the movable body is present, and the imaging time is generated; and acquiring the received data and the image analysis data for each of the plurality of areas, and identifying an area in which the movable body is present among the plurality of areas using the received data and the image analysis data; The identification of the presence area includes determining whether or not it is possible to locate the presence area using the received radio wave strength, and if it is possible, identifying the presence area based on the strength of the received radio wave strength, and if it is not possible, identifying the presence area based on the image analysis data. Location method.

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