Detection system

Abstract

When detecting the location of the terminal that transmitted the signal based on the direction from which the signal arrived, false detections due to reflection are suppressed. [Solution] The radio 24 is positioned low enough to touch the floor in the height direction of the gate device 2's housing. A reflection adjustment member 26 is provided in the wall area above the radio 24. Therefore, signals from the mobile terminal 3 located outside the width direction of the passage Pa are difficult to reach directly. Furthermore, when the signal from the mobile terminal 3 reaches the radio 24 via multipath, it must be reflected at least once by the wall above the radio 24, and the reflection adjustment member 26 is provided at that reflection point. The reflection adjustment member 26 easily absorbs signals from the radio 24. Therefore, signals from the mobile terminal 3 passing outside the passage Pa are difficult to reach the radio 24 via multipath.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a detection system that detects users entering and leaving a facility using a wireless device that receives signals.

Background Art

[0002] Detection systems for detecting the entry and exit of users are used in various facilities for receiving paid services, such as railways, theaters, event venues, etc. In recent years, detection systems for detecting these users have come to use wireless devices instead of magnetic recording media as electronic passes such as tickets held by users.

[0003] For example, in recent years, railway ticket gates using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) have become widespread. NFC (Near Field Communication), which is a type of RFID, has also been standardly installed in smartphones, and in particular, in Japan, it has become possible to use the NFC installed in smartphones to use ticket gates.

[0004] By the way, in order to determine whether a passerby can pass through a single gate, only one passerby trying to pass through that gate must be identified. For this reason, for example, the above-described conventional technology uses NFC, in which the communicable distance is limited to about 10 centimeters among RFID.

[0005] However, when the communicable distance is limited in this way, when a passerby passes through a gate, it is necessary to perform a series of operations of searching for the owned electronic pass from clothing, a bag, etc., changing it to the hand, and then holding it up to the NFC wireless device of the ticket gate, which is complicated.

[0006] Therefore, instead of limiting the communication range to one person, systems are being considered that can detect pedestrians in a wider area, along with their locations. On the other hand, these systems, by expanding the range in which pedestrians are detected, also create the need to distinguish between those who are trying to pass through the gate and those who are not.

[0007] Patent Document 1 discloses a station management system, an automatic ticket gate, and a central management server that allow users carrying smartphones to pass through automatic ticket gates while keeping the smartphones in their pockets. The technology described in this document uses a human detection sensor to detect users passing through the passage inside the automatic ticket gate. When a user is detected within a predetermined reading range centered on the entrance and exit of the automatic ticket gate, an ID is requested, and the opening and closing of the door is controlled based on whether these IDs match.

[0008] Patent Document 2 discloses a radar ranging device comprising: a gate means that provides a first range gate that starts in front of a predetermined ranging position in a radar video signal and a second range gate that has the same time width as the first range gate and ends behind the ranging position and later than the first range gate; an integration means that integrates the radar video signal within each range gate for each range gate; an error detection means that performs a predetermined weighted calculation process on these integral values ​​and determines the error in the ranging position and the receiving position as a ranging error based on the result of this weighted calculation process; and a distance calculation means that determines the target distance based on this ranging error.

[0009] Patent Document 3 discloses a gate control system comprising: an antenna that transmits a question radio wave to a predetermined question range on at least one of the first area side or the second area side of the entrance / exit of a gate body installed at the boundary between a first area and a second area where the entry and exit of users are managed, and an antenna that receives a response radio wave transmitted when a mobile terminal carried by a user receives this question radio wave; and a display control unit that outputs a command to a display device to display a question range image on the road surface that shows the question range to which the antenna transmits the question radio wave.

[0010] Patent Document 4 discloses a communication system in which a communication device having a wireless communication interface that is compatible with the Bluetooth standard and has multiple antennas receives radio waves transmitted from a single antenna of a communication terminal, acquires angle information and radio wave strength information based on the result, and if these meet predetermined conditions, transmits a request to the communication terminal to establish wireless communication compatible with the Bluetooth standard. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0011] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-129067 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2002-341017 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-69664 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-111962 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0012] In the aforementioned patent document, signals transmitted by terminals, etc., can be reflected off various objects and may reach wireless devices, etc. (automatic ticket gates, radar rangefinders, antennas, communication devices) via multiple paths, i.e., multipath. Therefore, when a wireless device receives a signal that has been reflected off, for example, a casing, it may incorrectly detect the location of the terminal that transmitted the signal.

[0013] One of the objectives of the present invention is to suppress false detections due to reflection when detecting the position of a terminal that transmitted a signal based on the direction from which the signal arrived. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] The present invention provides, as a first aspect, a detection system including a reflection adjustment member that covers a region included in a wall surface facing a space and adjusts reflection of a signal in the region, and a radio that is provided below the region and receives a signal from a terminal in the space.

[0015] According to the detection system of the first aspect, when detecting the position of a terminal that has transmitted a signal based on the arrival direction of the signal, false detection due to reflection can be suppressed.

[0016] In the detection system of the first aspect, a configuration in which the reflection adjustment member is a member that absorbs the signal may be adopted as a second aspect.

[0017] According to the detection system of the second aspect, when a signal transmitted by a terminal reaches the reflection adjustment member, it is absorbed and it becomes difficult to be received by the radio.

[0018] In the detection system of the first aspect, a configuration in which the reflection adjustment member is a member that changes the direction in which the signal is reflected upward may be adopted as a third aspect.

[0019] According to the detection system of the third aspect, when a signal transmitted by a terminal reaches the reflection adjustment member, it is reflected upward and it becomes difficult to be received by the radio.

[0020] In the detection system of the first aspect, a configuration in which the reflection adjustment member is a member that diffusely reflects or scatter-reflects the signal may be adopted as a fourth aspect.

[0021] According to the detection system of the fourth aspect, when it reaches the reflection adjustment member, it diffusely reflects or scatter-reflects and it becomes difficult to be received by the radio.

[0022] In the detection system of the first aspect, a configuration in which the radio is an array antenna provided on a surface having a normal line upward from the region may be adopted as a fifth aspect.

[0023] According to the detection system of the fifth aspect, compared with a configuration in which an array antenna is not provided on a surface having a normal line upward from the area covered by the reflection adjustment member, it is easier for the radio to receive a signal from a terminal passing above the wall surface. In the detection system of the first aspect, the detection system further includes an arrival direction detection unit that detects the arrival direction of the signal received by the radio, and the arrival direction detection unit further includes a peak selection unit that estimates the arrival direction of the signal directly propagated from the terminal by selecting the arrival direction having the strongest peak from among a plurality of candidates. A configuration characterized by this may be adopted as the sixth aspect. According to the detection system of the sixth aspect, it is possible to specify a configuration in which the arrival direction having the strongest peak is selected as the direct wave from among a plurality of arrival direction candidates. In the detection system of the sixth aspect, the peak selection unit is configured to perform a component separation process for separating the signal component and the noise component of the signal by eigenvalue decomposition of the correlation matrix of the signal. A configuration characterized by this may be adopted as the seventh aspect. According to the detection system of the seventh aspect, the signal component and the noise component can be separated by eigenvalue decomposition of the correlation matrix, and the accuracy of peak selection can be improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0024] [Figure 1] A diagram showing the configuration of a detection system 9 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] A block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control device 1. [Figure 3] A block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server device 4. [Figure 4] A diagram showing an example of the configuration of the ticket DB 421. [Figure 5] A diagram showing an example of the configuration of the mobile terminal 3 and the gate device 2. [Figure 6] A diagram showing an example of a plan view of the gate device 2 including the gate 25. [Figure 7] A diagram showing an example of a right side view of the gate device 2 including the gate 25. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of a front view of a gate device 2 equipped with a gate 25. [Figure 9] A diagram illustrating the orientation of the normal vector in the area where radio unit 24L is installed. [Figure 10] A diagram showing an example of the arrangement of radio equipment in a conventional gate device relative to the direction of travel. [Figure 11] A diagram showing an example of the arrangement of the radio 24 in the gate device 2 relative to the direction of travel. [Figure 12] A diagram showing an example of the arrangement of wireless devices in the vertical direction in a conventional gate device. [Figure 13] A diagram showing an example of the arrangement of the radio 24 in the gate device 2 in the vertical direction. [Figure 14] This diagram illustrates an example of a conventional wireless device receiving signals from a mobile device located in a passageway. [Figure 15] This diagram shows an example of a radio 24 receiving a signal from a mobile device located in the passageway. [Figure 16] A diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the detection system 9. [Figure 17] A flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the server device 4 in the detection system 9. [Figure 18] A figure showing an example of the reflection adjustment member 26 in a modified example. [Figure 19] A block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the direction of arrival detection unit in this modified example. [Figure 20] A flowchart showing an example of the operation of server device 4 related to this modified example. [Figure 21] A diagram showing direct propagation and reflected propagation signals. [Figure 22] A diagram showing the received intensity of directly propagated and reflected signals. [Figure 23] This figure shows a modified example in which the direction of arrival detection unit is implemented by the processor 11 of the control device 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0025] <Embodiment> <Configuration of the detection system> Figure 1 shows the configuration of a detection system 9 according to an embodiment of the present invention. This detection system 9 includes a control device 1, a gate device 2, a mobile terminal 3, a server device 4, and a communication line 5.

[0026] Pedestrian U is a person (also called a user) attempting to pass through passage Pa. Mobile terminal 3 is a terminal device carried by pedestrian U in a pocket or similar place on their clothing, and it emits a carrier wave carrying information signals.

[0027] Gate device 2 is installed in passage Pa. Gate 25 is a component of gate device 2. Gate device 2 and control device 1 determine whether pedestrian U is allowed to pass through gate 25 installed in passage Pa by detecting the carrier wave transmitted from the mobile terminal 3 owned by pedestrian U. If pedestrian U does not have the authority to pass, gate device 2 closes the gate to prevent pedestrian U from passing. On the other hand, if pedestrian U has the authority to pass, gate device 2 opens the gate to allow pedestrian U to pass. Gate device 2 determines that pedestrian U has the authority to pass through passage Pa if the mobile terminal 3 carried by pedestrian U is authenticated by control device 1 or server device 4, and determines that pedestrian U does not have the authority to pass if the mobile terminal 3 is not authenticated.

[0028] The carrier wave emitted by the mobile terminal 3 may be audible sound, ultrasound, light, etc., but the mobile terminal 3 shown in Figure 1 emits radio waves as its carrier wave. This mobile terminal 3 is, for example, a wearable device equipped with BLE (Bluetooth® Low Energy) functionality, a smartphone, etc., and emits BLE advertisements.

[0029] The control device 1 is a device that controls the gate device 2, and is, for example, a computer. Furthermore, the control device 1 shown in Figure 1 exchanges information with the server device 4 via the communication line 5.

[0030] Server device 4 is a device that stores ticket data of pedestrian U associated with mobile terminal 3 and provides it to control device 1 via communication line 5. Ticket data is data indicating an electronic ticket (electronic pass) that permits pedestrian U to pass through passage Pa.

[0031] Communication line 5 is a line that connects the control device 1 and the server device 4 in a way that enables communication, either by wire or wirelessly. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, this communication line 5 also connects the mobile terminal 3 and the server device 4 in a way that enables communication, either wirelessly. Communication line 5 may be, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), the Internet, an intranet, or a combination thereof.

[0032] <Control device configuration> Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the control device 1. The control device 1 shown in Figure 2 has a processor 11, a memory 12, and an interface 13. These are connected to each other so that they can communicate with one another, for example, by a bus.

[0033] Memory 12 includes RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), a solid-state drive, a hard disk drive, etc., and stores computer programs (hereinafter simply referred to as "programs").

[0034] The processor 11 controls the control device 1 by reading and executing a program from the memory 12. The processor 11 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). Alternatively, the processor 11 may be, for example, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or may include an FPGA. Furthermore, this processor may have an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or other programmable logic device, and control may be performed by these.

[0035] Interface 13 is a communication circuit that connects the control device 1 to external devices such as the gate device 2 via wired or wireless connections. Furthermore, this interface 13 may also connect the control device 1 to various external devices, such as the server device 4, via a communication line 5, enabling communication between them.

[0036] <Server configuration> Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of server device 4. The server device 4 shown in Figure 3 has a processor 41, memory 42, and interface 43. These are connected to each other so that they can communicate with one another, for example, by a bus.

[0037] The processor 41 controls the server device 4 by reading and executing a program from memory 42. The processor 41 is, for example, a CPU. Alternatively, the processor 41 may be, for example, an FPGA, or may include an FPGA. Furthermore, this processor may have an ASIC or other programmable logic device, and control may be performed by these.

[0038] Interface 43 is a communication circuit that connects the server device 4 to other external devices, etc., by wire or wireless connection. This interface 43 may also connect the server device 4 to various external devices such as the control device 1 and the mobile terminal 3 via a communication line 5, enabling communication between them.

[0039] Memory 42 includes RAM, ROM, a solid-state drive, a hard disk drive, etc., and stores programs. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, memory 42 stores the ticket DB 421.

[0040] <Ticket DB structure> Figure 4 shows an example of the configuration of the ticket DB 421. This ticket DB 421 is a database that stores the ticket data described above. The ticket DB 421 shown in Figure 4 has a mobile device compatibility table 4211 and a ticket data table 4212.

[0041] The mobile device correspondence table 4211 is a table that associates the mobile device ID and ticket ID items. The mobile device ID is the identification information for mobile device 3. The ticket ID is the identification information for the ticket data. This ticket ID identifies the ticket data given to passerby U who owns mobile device 3 identified by the mobile device ID. In other words, the ticket ID is authentication information related to passerby U's passage. This mobile device correspondence table 4211 stores one ticket ID for one mobile device ID. However, the mobile device correspondence table 4211 may store two or more ticket IDs for one mobile device ID.

[0042] The ticket data table 4212 is a table that is associated with each ticket ID listed in the mobile device compatibility table 4211, and stores the contents of the ticket data identified by that ticket ID, item by item. The ticket data table 4212 shown in Figure 4 is a table associated with ticket ID "T11", and stores items such as "expiration date", "section", "amount", and "status".

[0043] For example, when the processor 41 of the server device 4 receives a query from the control device 1 regarding a certain mobile terminal ID, it refers to the ticket DB 421 and identifies the ticket ID corresponding to this mobile terminal ID. Then, the processor 41 reads the expiration date, section, amount, status, etc. from the ticket data table 4212 corresponding to the identified ticket ID and processes the query.

[0044] Furthermore, if two or more ticket IDs are stored for a single mobile terminal ID, the server device 4 may determine a ticket ID that represents one ticket data to be used for the transaction, in accordance with predetermined rules. For example, if each of the two or more ticket IDs is associated with a type such as "commuter pass" or "deposit," the server device 4 may prioritize using the commuter pass if the section to be used is within the range of the commuter pass.

[0045] <Configuration of mobile terminals and gate devices> Figure 5 shows an example of the configuration of a mobile terminal 3 and a gate device 2. The mobile terminal 3 shown in Figure 5 is a smartphone or the like, and has a processor 31, memory 32, interface 33, operation unit 34, and display unit 35. These are connected to each other so that they can communicate with one another, for example, by a bus.

[0046] The processor 31 controls the mobile terminal 3 by reading and executing a program from the memory 32. The processor 31 is, for example, a CPU. Alternatively, the processor 31 may be, for example, an FPGA, or may include an FPGA. Furthermore, this processor may have an ASIC or other programmable logic device, and control may be performed by these.

[0047] Memory 32 includes RAM, ROM, a solid-state drive, etc., and stores programs.

[0048] Furthermore, memory 32 stores the mobile terminal ID 321. This mobile terminal ID 321 is identification information that identifies the mobile terminal 3, which is the device itself. If the mobile terminal 3 is a smartphone, the mobile terminal ID 321 may include, for example, the MAC (Media Access Control) address, IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity), MEID (Mobile Equipment Identifier), ICCID (IC Card Identifier), IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity), etc.

[0049] The control unit 34 is equipped with various control elements such as control buttons, a keyboard, a touch panel, and a mouse for issuing various instructions. It receives operations and sends signals corresponding to the operations to the processor 31. These operations include, for example, pressing keys on the keyboard or making gestures on the touch panel.

[0050] The display unit 35 has a display screen such as a liquid crystal display and displays images under the control of the processor 31. A transparent touch panel of the operation unit 34 may be placed on top of the display screen. Note that the mobile terminal 3 does not necessarily have an operation unit 34 and a display unit 35. The mobile terminal 3 may be operated from an external device via the interface 33, or may present information to an external device. In this case, the mobile terminal 3 may be, for example, a ring-type, wristband-type, goggle-type glasses-type wearable device or terminal device.

[0051] Interface 33 is a communication circuit that connects the mobile terminal 3 to other external devices wirelessly. This interface 33 may also connect the mobile terminal 3 to various external devices via a communication line such as an intranet or the internet.

[0052] Furthermore, under the control of the processor 31, interface 33 transmits the mobile terminal ID 321, which has been read from memory 32, via radio waves. Interface 33 transmits, for example, the mobile terminal ID 321 in the advertisement signal described above.

[0053] As described above, the gate device 2 is a device that detects the carrier wave emitted from the mobile terminal 3 owned by pedestrian U and determines whether or not to allow pedestrian U to pass. The gate device 2 shown in Figure 5 has a processor 21, memory 22, interface 23, radio 24, and gate 25. These are connected to each other so that they can communicate with one another, for example, by a bus.

[0054] The processor 21 controls the gate device 2 by reading and executing a program from the memory 22. The processor 21 is, for example, a CPU. Alternatively, the processor 21 may be, for example, an FPGA, or may include an FPGA. Furthermore, this processor 21 may have an ASIC or other programmable logic device, and control may be performed by these.

[0055] Interface 23 is a communication circuit that connects the gate device 2 to other external devices, etc., by wire or wireless connection. This interface 23 may connect the gate device 2 to various external devices in a communicative manner via a communication line such as an intranet or the internet. The interface 23 shown in Figure 5 connects the gate device 2 to the control device 1 in a communicative manner.

[0056] Memory 22 includes RAM, ROM, a solid-state drive, a hard disk drive, etc., and stores programs.

[0057] Gate 25 is located in passage Pa. In other words, gate 25 is an example of a gate located in a passage. This gate 25 is a component that is driven under the control of processor 21 to close passage Pa. When a pedestrian U, who has been determined by processor 21 not to have the authority to pass through passage Pa, attempts to pass through passage Pa, gate 25 closes passage Pa to prevent the pedestrian U from passing through.

[0058] Furthermore, the gate device 2 may have, for example, an LED (light-emitting diode) that lights up when the gate 25 is closed to inform pedestrians U that their passage is blocked. Alternatively, the gate device 2 may emit sound from a speaker to inform pedestrians U that their passage is blocked.

[0059] The radio 24 receives transmission signals, such as advertisement signals, transmitted from the mobile terminal 3. In other words, this radio 24 is an example of a radio that receives signals from a terminal. This radio 24 is composed of, for example, an array antenna. In this case, the radio 24 determines the direction of arrival of the above-mentioned transmission signals based on the phase difference of the transmission signals received by each antenna constituting the array antenna, using the so-called AoA (Angle of Arrival) method.

[0060] For example, when the wireless device 24 receives a BLE advertisement signal transmitted by the mobile terminal 3, it extracts the CTE (Constant Tone Extension) contained in the end of the advertisement signal. Then, the wireless device 24 obtains the mobile terminal ID carried by the extracted CTE.

[0061] <Configuration of the gate device> The following diagram shows the space in which each component of the gate device 2 is arranged as an xyz right-handed coordinate system. Among the coordinate symbols shown in the diagram, the symbol with a dot inside a circle represents an arrow pointing from the back of the paper to the front. In space, the direction along the x-axis is called the x-axis direction. Furthermore, within the x-axis direction, the direction in which the x component increases is called the +x direction, and the direction in which the x component decreases is called the -x direction. The y and z components are also defined as the y-axis direction, +y direction, -y direction, z-axis direction, +z direction, and -z direction, respectively, according to the above definitions.

[0062] Figure 6 shows an example of a plan view of a gate device 2 equipped with a gate 25. Specifically, Figure 6 shows the gate device 2 as viewed from the ceiling side downwards (-z direction). This gate device 2 consists of two units: a right-side device 2R and a left-side device 2L. The right-side device 2R and the left-side device 2L are arranged so as to flank a single passage Pa. For example, the right-side device 2R shown in Figure 6 is positioned to the right of a pedestrian U traveling along passage Pa in the direction of travel D1 (+x direction). The left-side device 2L shown in Figure 6 is positioned to the left of this pedestrian U.

[0063] The gates 25R and 25L (hereinafter referred to as gate 25 unless otherwise distinguished) shown in Figure 6 are movable members provided along the passage Pa. Gate 25R is provided on the right-side device 2R facing the passage Pa. Gate 25L is provided on the left-side device 2L facing the passage Pa. Gate 25 is, for example, a plate-shaped member that is pivotably fixed to the housing by a hinge and is connected to a drive device (not shown) controlled by the processor 21. When the processor 21 permits the passage of pedestrians U, gate 25 is retracted parallel to the passage Pa, and when the passage of pedestrians U is prohibited, it swings to block the passage Pa from the left and right, respectively. Gate 25 is provided to prevent the passage of pedestrians U traveling along the direction of travel D1.

[0064] In other words, the drive device (not shown) that drives this gate 25 is an example of a drive device that drives and closes the gate before an unauthenticated terminal can pass through the passage.

[0065] The radios 24R and 24L shown in Figure 6 (hereinafter referred to as radio 24 unless otherwise distinguished) receive transmission signals from the portable terminal 3. The portable terminal 3 is carried by pedestrian U as they travel along the passage Pa in the direction of travel D1. Therefore, the portable terminal 3 is located in the space above the passage Pa. The "space above the passage Pa" is the space through which pedestrian U intends to pass, and will also be referred to as the "passage space" in the following explanation.

[0066] Furthermore, these radios 24 are installed on the side of the gate device 2 that is in the direction of travel D1 (the side in the -x direction).

[0067] Figure 7 shows an example of a right side view of a gate device 2 equipped with a gate 25. Specifically, the example in Figure 7 shows the gate device 2 viewed from the right side towards the left (+y direction). To show the side of the gate device 2 facing the passage Pa, the right-side device 2R is omitted, and only the left-side device 2L is shown.

[0068] Furthermore, the components of the right-side device 2R are the same as those of the left-side device 2L, and are arranged symmetrically with respect to a plane parallel to the xz-plane passing through the center of the passage Pa. Therefore, the left-side device 2L shown in Figure 7, its constituent radio 24L, and the reflection adjustment member 26L will be described below, and the description of the right-side device 2R, radio 24R, and reflection adjustment member 26R will be omitted.

[0069] As shown in Figure 7, the radio 24L is installed on the wall surface of the left-side device 2L facing the passageway. A reflection adjustment member 26L is provided in the area above (+z direction) the radio 24L. This reflection adjustment member 26L is a member that adjusts the reflection of the signal transmitted from the mobile terminal 3. In other words, the reflection adjustment member 26L is a member that changes the reflection of the signal compared to the area of ​​the wall surface on which it is installed. That is, this reflection adjustment member 26L is an example of a reflection adjustment member that covers an area included in the wall surface facing the space and adjusts the reflection of the signal in this area.

[0070] In the example shown in Figure 7, the reflection adjustment member 26L is a component made of a material that absorbs radio waves. Examples of materials that absorb radio waves include those with a silicone base. For example, this reflection adjustment member 26L is a radio wave absorber made of a material in which high-performance metal powder is filled into silicone rubber, or a material in which soft magnetic metal powder is mixed into silicone resin. By selecting the base material and the material to be filled or mixed into that base material, it is possible to adjust the frequency range of the radio waves to be absorbed between several hundred MHz and several GHz. The reflection adjustment member 26 may be designed to easily absorb, for example, the 2.4 GHz radio waves used in the Bluetooth® standard. In other words, this reflection adjustment member 26 is an example of a reflection adjustment member that absorbs signals.

[0071] Furthermore, the radio 24L is positioned below the area where the reflection adjustment member 26L is provided, and as described above, it receives signals from the mobile terminal 3 located in the passage space. In other words, this radio 24L is an example of a radio that is positioned below the area (where the reflection adjustment member is provided) and receives signals from a terminal located in the space (through which pedestrians are passing).

[0072] Figure 8 shows an example of a front view of a gate device 2 equipped with a gate 25. Specifically, Figure 8 shows the gate device 2 as viewed in the direction of travel D1 (+x direction) of a pedestrian U. As shown in Figure 8, the radio 24L of the left device 2L is located below the area where the reflection adjustment member 26L is provided, and the radio 24R of the right device 2R is located below the area where the reflection adjustment member 26R is provided.

[0073] Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating the orientation of the normal to the region where the radio 24L is installed. The reflection adjustment member 26L shown in Figure 9 is installed in region A1, which is part of the wall surface of the left-side device 2L that faces the passage space. The normal N1 of the surface constituting this region A1 is oriented approximately parallel to the -y direction, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 9.

[0074] On the other hand, the radio 24L is located in region A2, which is below region A1 where the reflection adjustment member 26L is provided. The normal vector N2 of the surface constituting region A2 where the radio 24L is provided is upward compared to the normal vector N1, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 9. In other words, the normal vector N2 contains a larger component in the +z direction compared to the normal vector N1. In this example, the radio 24L is composed of an array antenna.

[0075] Therefore, this radio 24L is an example of a radio in which an array antenna is mounted on a plane having a normal that is upward above the region (where the reflection adjustment member is provided).

[0076] Figure 10 shows an example of the arrangement of radio equipment in a conventional gate device relative to the direction of travel. Figure 10 shows a conventional gate device 7 viewed from the ceiling side downwards (-z direction). The gate device 7 consists of a right-side device 7R and a left-side device 7L. Radio equipment 74R and 74L (hereinafter referred to as radio equipment 74 unless otherwise distinguished) are provided near the center in the x-axis direction of the housings of the right-side device 7R and the left-side device 7L, respectively.

[0077] As shown in Figure 10, the conventional radio 74 was not positioned at least in front of the pedestrian U in the direction of travel D1. Therefore, when the mobile terminal 3 was located in front of the gate device 7 in the direction of travel D1, the radio signal transmitted from the mobile terminal 3 could be reflected by the housing of the right-side device 7R, which is located in front of the radio 74L, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 10, and reach the radio 74L. In other words, with the conventional placement of the radio 74, there was a possibility of receiving the signal via multipath.

[0078] Figure 11 shows an example of the arrangement of the radio 24 in the gate device 2 relative to the direction of travel. The radio 24 is located on the side of the gate device 2's casing that is closer to the pedestrian U in the direction of travel D1. In other words, there is little to no wall surface of the casing in front of the radio 24. Therefore, when the mobile terminal 3 is located in front of the gate device 2 in the direction of travel D1, the radio signal transmitted from the mobile terminal 3 reaches the radio 24 directly. That is, the radio 24 is less likely to receive signals via multipath compared to the conventional radio 74.

[0079] Figure 12 shows an example of the arrangement of wireless devices in a conventional gate device in the vertical direction. Figure 12 shows a conventional gate device 7 as viewed from the direction of travel D1 (+x direction) of a passerby U. As shown in Figure 12, the wireless devices 74 are each installed at approximately 30% of the height (+z direction) from the top of the gate device 7 housing.

[0080] Thus, because the conventional radio 74 was located relatively high up on the casing, it could receive signals from, for example, the mobile terminal 3 located outside the width of the passage Pa, directly via the path shown by the solid line in Figure 12. Furthermore, because the conventional radio 74 has no processing applied to its upper area, it could also receive signals from the aforementioned mobile terminal 3 via the multipath route shown by the dashed line.

[0081] Figure 13 shows an example of the vertical arrangement of the radio 24 in the gate device 2. As shown in Figure 13, the radio 24 is positioned low in the height direction of the gate device 2's housing, for example, to the point where it touches the floor. A reflection adjustment member 26 is provided in the wall area above the radio 24. Therefore, signals from the mobile terminal 3 located outside the width direction of the passage Pa are unlikely to reach the radio 24 directly. Furthermore, when the signal from the mobile terminal 3 reaches the radio 24 via multipath, it must be reflected at least once by the wall above the radio 24, and the reflection adjustment member 26 is provided at that reflection point. The reflection adjustment member 26 easily absorbs signals from the radio 24. Therefore, signals from the mobile terminal 3 passing outside the passage Pa are unlikely to reach the radio 24 via multipath.

[0082] Figure 14 shows an example of a conventional radio receiving a signal from a mobile terminal in a passageway. When the mobile terminal 3 is located inside the width of the passageway Pa, the conventional radio 74 directly receives the signal emitted by the mobile terminal 3. However, there is no reflection adjustment member provided above this radio 74. Therefore, the radio 74 may also receive this signal via multipath, as shown by the dashed line in Figure 14.

[0083] Figure 15 shows an example of the radio 24 receiving a signal from a mobile terminal in a passageway. When the mobile terminal 3 is located inside the width direction of the passageway Pa, the radio 24 directly receives the signal emitted by that mobile terminal 3.

[0084] On the other hand, the signal emitted from the mobile terminal 3 must be reflected at least once by the upper wall before reaching the radio 24 via multipath. Since the wall is equipped with a reflection adjustment member 26, there is a high probability that the signal will be absorbed before reaching the radio 24. Furthermore, even if not all of the signal is absorbed during reflection, the signal may be attenuated because the path is longer via multipath compared to receiving radio waves directly. Therefore, the signal from the mobile terminal 3 passing inside the passage Pa is also unlikely to reach the radio 24 via multipath.

[0085] <Functional configuration of the detection system> Figure 16 shows an example of the functional configuration of the detection system 9. Note that the communication line 5 and the interfaces of each component are omitted in Figure 16.

[0086] The processor 11 of the control device 1 functions as the authentication request unit 111 shown in Figure 16 by reading and executing a program stored in the memory 12.

[0087] Furthermore, the processor 21 of the gate device 2 functions as the information acquisition unit 211 and gate control unit 212 shown in Figure 16 by reading and executing the program stored in the memory 22.

[0088] Furthermore, the processor 41 of the server device 4 functions as the authentication unit 411 and area determination unit 412 shown in Figure 16 by reading and executing the program stored in the memory 42.

[0089] The information acquisition unit 211 acquires information including the direction of arrival of the signal received by the radio 24. In addition to the direction of arrival of the signal, this information also includes intensity information indicating the strength of the signal, and authentication information carried on the signal itself. When the information acquisition unit 211 acquires the information of the signal received by each of the radio 24, it supplies this acquired information to the control device 1.

[0090] The authentication request unit 111 sends the information supplied by the information acquisition unit 211 to the server device 4 and requests authentication of the passerby U who is carrying the mobile terminal 3 that transmitted the signal.

[0091] When the authentication unit 411 receives a request from the authentication request unit 111, it extracts information on the direction of arrival of the signal and the signal strength from the information contained in the request and transmits this to the area determination unit 412.

[0092] The area determination unit 412 identifies the location of the mobile terminal 3 based on the information regarding the direction of arrival and the strength of the signal received from the mobile terminal 3. The area determination unit 412 then determines whether the mobile terminal 3 is located in the passage space above the passage Pa where the gate device 2 is installed. The area determination unit 412 transmits the result of the determination to the authentication unit 411.

[0093] When the authentication unit 411 determines that the mobile terminal 3 is located in the passage space, it extracts the mobile terminal ID of the mobile terminal 3 from the information included in the request received from the authentication request unit 111. The authentication unit 411 then refers to the ticket DB 421 in memory 42 to find this mobile terminal ID. If the authentication unit 411 finds the mobile terminal ID in the ticket DB 421, it refers to the ticket data table 4212 associated with the ticket ID linked to this mobile terminal ID and determines whether the mobile terminal 3 identified by this mobile terminal ID has the authority to pass through the gate device 2 described above. If the authentication unit 411 determines that the mobile terminal 3 has the authority to pass through the gate device 2, it communicates the success of authentication to the control device 1. On the other hand, if the mobile terminal ID is not found in the ticket DB 421, or if the authentication unit 411 determines that the mobile terminal 3 does not have the authority to pass through the gate device 2, it communicates the authentication failure to the control device 1.

[0094] When the authentication request unit 111 receives the authentication result from the authentication unit 411, it sends an instruction to the gate control unit 212 according to the content of the result. Specifically, when the authentication request unit 111 receives an authentication failure, it sends a control signal to the gate control unit 212 to close the gate 25. The gate control unit 212 controls the opening and closing of the gate 25 according to the control signal it has received.

[0095] <Operation of each component of the detection system> Figure 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the server device 4 in the detection system 9. For example, the processor 41 of the server device 4 performs the processing shown in Figure 17 at predetermined intervals. First, the processor 41 determines whether or not it has received an authentication request from the control device 1 (step S101). If it determines that it has not received an authentication request (step S101; NO), the processor 41 terminates processing. If it determines that it has received an authentication request (step S101; YES), the processor 41 extracts angle (direction of arrival) and intensity information from the received authentication request (step S102).

[0096] Next, the processor 41 determines, based on the extracted angle and intensity information, whether the mobile terminal 3 that transmitted the signal is located within a predetermined range (step S103). If it is determined that the mobile terminal 3 is not located within the predetermined range (step S103; NO), the processor 41 terminates the process.

[0097] On the other hand, if it is determined that the mobile terminal 3 is located within a predetermined range (step S103; YES), it is determined whether or not there is only one mobile terminal 3 (step S104). If it is determined that there is more than one mobile terminal 3 located within the range (step S104; NO), the processor 41 proceeds to step S108 and notifies the gate device 2 that passage is prohibited (step S108).

[0098] If it is determined that there is only one mobile terminal 3 located within range (step S104; YES), the processor 41 extracts the mobile terminal ID from the received authentication request and authenticates the mobile terminal 3 based on this mobile terminal ID (step S105).

[0099] The processor 41 then determines whether or not authentication was successful (step S106). If it determines that authentication was successful (step S106; YES), the processor 41 notifies the gate device 2 of permission to pass (step S107).

[0100] If it is determined that authentication was unsuccessful, that is, that authentication failed (step S106; NO), the processor 41 proceeds to step S108 and notifies the gate device 2 that passage is prohibited (step S108).

[0101] By performing the processes described above, the detection system 9 according to the present invention can suppress false detections due to reflection when detecting the position of the terminal that transmitted the signal based on the direction of arrival of the signal.

[0102] The configurations, shapes, sizes, and arrangements described in the above embodiments are merely schematic representations to the extent that the present invention can be understood and implemented. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments and can be modified in various forms as long as it does not deviate from the scope of the technical idea set forth in the claims.

[0103] <Variation> The above describes the embodiment, but the contents of this embodiment can be modified as follows. Furthermore, the following modifications may be combined.

[0104] <1> In the embodiment described above, the server device 4 received an inquiry from the control device 1 and authenticated the mobile terminal 3, and the control device 1 received the authentication result from the server device 4 and controlled the gate device 2. However, the authentication of the mobile terminal 3 may be performed by the control device 1. In this case, for example, the authentication information may be included in the transmitted signal itself, such as the advertising signal contained in the radio waves emitted by the mobile terminal 3. In this case, the detection system 9 does not need to have the server device 4.

[0105] <2> The control device 1 and the gate device 2 may constitute a single device. For example, the functions of the processor 11 and memory 12 of the control device 1 may be realized by the processor 21 and memory 22 of the gate device 2.

[0106] <3> In the embodiment described above, the reflection adjustment member 26 was a member that absorbed signals, but any member that alters the reflection of signals may have a low absorption function. For example, the reflection adjustment member 26 may be a member that adjusts the inclination of the surface on which the signal is reflected, thereby making it difficult for the signal to reach the radio equipment 24 located below.

[0107] Figure 18 shows an example of a reflection adjustment member 26 in a modified example. The reflection adjustment member 26 shown in Figure 18 is a member whose surface facing the passage Pa is processed in a stepped shape. Due to this processing, the signal arriving from the mobile terminal 3 located above the gate device 2 is reflected by the surface whose normal is upward, so the direction of reflection is also upward. As a result, the signal transmitted by the mobile terminal 3 is reflected upward from the reflection position, making it difficult for it to reach the radio 24 located below the reflection adjustment member 26.

[0108] Therefore, in this modified example, the reflection adjustment member 26 is an example of a reflection adjustment member that changes the direction in which the signal is reflected upward.

[0109] <4> The reflection adjustment member 26 may be processed to have fine, irregular irregularities on the surface facing the passage Pa, or it may be formed from a material that is originally uneven and has irregularities and is almost matte. In this case, the signal transmitted by the mobile terminal 3 will be diffusely or randomly reflected, so it will be easily attenuated and will have difficulty reaching the radio 24. Therefore, in this modified example, the reflection adjustment member 26 is an example of a reflection adjustment member that causes the signal to be diffusely or randomly reflected.

[0110] <5> In the embodiment described above, the processor 41 of the server device 4 received an authentication request from the control device 1 and extracted information on the direction and intensity of the received signal from the authentication request. However, even if a reflection adjustment member 26 is provided on the wall surface of the gate device 2, the radio 24 may still receive a reflected signal. In this case, the processor 41 must identify the signal that is directly reaching the radio 24 from the mobile terminal 3 from among a group of signals and determine its direction of arrival. At this time, it is desirable for the processor 41 to identify the direction of arrival with the strongest peak among these group of signals as the true direction of the mobile terminal 3.

[0111] Figure 19 is a block diagram showing the detailed configuration of the direction of arrival detection unit according to this modified example. In this modified example, the processor 41 of the server device 4 reads and executes a program stored in the memory 42, thereby functioning as a direction of arrival detection unit 413 in addition to the authentication unit 411 and the area determination unit 412. This direction of arrival detection unit 413 has a peak selection unit 4131. The signal received by the radio 24 of the gate device 2 is supplied to the control device 1 via the information acquisition unit 211. The authentication request unit 111 of the control device 1 passes this signal to the peak selection unit 4131 of the direction of arrival detection unit 413. The peak selection unit 4131 calculates the correlation matrix of this signal and performs component separation processing to separate the signal component from the noise component by performing eigenvalue decomposition on the correlation matrix. For this component separation processing, a method such as the MUSIC method (Multiple Signal Classification) is used.

[0112] The peak selection unit 4131 calculates multiple candidate directions of arrival using the signal components obtained by the component separation process. The peak selection unit 4131 then estimates the direction of arrival of the signal propagating directly from the mobile terminal 3 by selecting the direction of arrival with the strongest peak from among these candidates. This estimated direction of arrival information is supplied to the area determination unit 412. The area determination unit 412 determines whether the estimated direction of arrival is within a pre-set passable area and transmits the determination result to the authentication unit 411. The authentication unit 411 transmits the success or failure of the area determination and authentication to the control device 1. In this way, by the close cooperation between the direction of arrival detection unit 413 and the area determination unit 412, the detection system 9 can more effectively reduce the influence of reflected waves and pinpoint the terminal's location with high accuracy.

[0113] Therefore, the detection system 9 in this modified example is an example of a detection system that further includes an arrival direction detection unit that detects the direction of arrival of a signal received by a radio. Furthermore, the arrival direction detection unit 413 in this modified example is an example of an arrival direction detection unit that further includes a peak selection unit that estimates the direction of arrival of a signal propagating directly from a terminal by selecting the direction of arrival with the strongest peak from among a plurality of candidates. And the peak selection unit 4131 in this modified example is an example of a peak selection unit configured to perform component separation processing that separates the signal component and noise component of a signal by eigenvalue decomposition of the signal correlation matrix.

[0114] The peak selection unit 4131 facilitates the estimation of the true direction of the mobile terminal 3 by separating noise components from the signal received by the radio 24 through component separation processing. However, if the noise components are sufficiently suppressed at the time of reception by the radio 24, component separation processing is not necessary.

[0115] Figure 20 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the server device 4 according to this modified example. In this flowchart, the processor 41 of the server device 4 receives an authentication request from the control device 1 (S101) and generates a correlation matrix of the received signal using the received authentication request (S201). This correlation matrix shows the correlation relationship between the signals of each antenna. Next, the processor 41 decomposes the correlation matrix into eigenvalues ​​to separate the signal component from the noise component (S202). This separation process allows the server device 4 to significantly reduce the effects of noise and reflected waves. Finally, the processor 41 calculates several candidate directions of arrival based on the separated signal components and extracts the direction of arrival with the strongest peak from among them as the direct wave from the target terminal (S203). This extracted direction of arrival information is used in subsequent signal determination (S103).

[0116] Figure 21 shows directly propagated and reflected signals. Even if a reflection adjustment member 26 is installed on the wall surface facing the passageway, the signal transmitted by the mobile terminal 3 may be reflected by the reflection adjustment member 26 and reach the radio 24. This signal may also be reflected from surfaces other than the wall and reach the radio 24. The mobile terminal 3 shown in Figure 21 transmits a signal to its surroundings. At this time, the radio 24R shown in Figure 21 receives the signal directly from the mobile terminal 3 at an incident angle θ1. This signal is called the directly propagated signal.

[0117] On the other hand, the signal transmitted from the mobile terminal 3 is reflected by the walls of the left device 2L and the right device 2R, respectively. These signals can be reflected despite the presence of the reflection adjustment members 26 on the walls as described above. At this time, the radio 24R receives the signal reflected twice from the direction of incidence angle θ2 and the signal reflected once from the direction of incidence angle θ3. These signals are called reflected propagated signals. In other words, the radio 24 receives both the directly propagated signal and the reflected propagated signal, so the signals are acquired in superposition. The gate device 2 then supplies this superpositioned signal directly to the control device 1, which in turn supplies it to the server device 4. The server device 4 only needs to determine the true direction in which the mobile terminal 3 is located by analyzing the signal supplied from the gate device 2.

[0118] Figure 22 shows the received intensity of directly propagated and reflected signals. The horizontal axis of Figure 22 represents the incident angle θ of the received signal, and the vertical axis represents the received intensity P of that signal. The dashed line in Figure 22 shows the received intensity distribution when using the conventional beamformer method. This curve shows that the peak indicating the direction of arrival of the radio waves has a gentle spread (broad), and the peak of the reflected wave (reflected signal) overlaps with the peak of the direct wave (directly propagated signal), making them difficult to distinguish.

[0119] On the other hand, the curve shown as a solid line in Figure 22 is a curve showing the received intensity distribution when the component separation processing according to this modified example is performed. This curve shows that the peaks of the direct wave and the reflected wave are clearly separated, and each peak is extremely sharp. This is the result of the eigenvalue decomposition of the correlation matrix performed by the peak selection unit 4131, which effectively separates the signal component and the noise component. From these sharp peaks, it becomes possible to determine the direction of arrival with higher accuracy. In this modified example, the peak selection unit 4131 determines the position of the mobile terminal 3 by estimating the direction of arrival with the highest peak from the distribution shown in Figure 22.

[0120] In the example described above, the direction of arrival detection unit and the peak selection unit were implemented by the processor 41 of the server device 4, but they may also be implemented by the processor 11 of the control device 1 or the processor 21 of the gate device 2. Figure 23 shows a modified example in which the direction of arrival detection unit is implemented by the processor 11 of the control device 1. In this configuration, the direction of arrival detection unit 112 and the peak selection unit 1121 included therein are implemented by the processor 11 of the control device 1. The signal received by the radio 24 is passed to the direction of arrival detection unit 112 of the control device 1 via the information acquisition unit 211, and is supplied to the peak selection unit 1121 within the direction of arrival detection unit 112. The peak selection unit 1121 calculates the correlation matrix of the signal and removes noise components from the signal by performing component separation processing. As a result, the direction of arrival detection unit 112 narrows down the direction of arrival to one. This configuration has the advantage of reducing the load on the server device 4 because the component separation processing is performed by the control device 1.

[0121] Thus, this modified detection system, by combining a physical configuration such as a reflection adjustment member with a software configuration such as eigenvalue decomposition of the correlation matrix, can suppress false detections caused by reflected waves, which were difficult to solve with conventional technology. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0122] 1...Control device, 11...Processor, 111...Authentication request unit, 112...Arrival direction detection unit, 1121...Peak selection unit, 12...Memory, 13...Interface, 2...Gate device, 21...Processor, 211...Information acquisition unit, 212...Gate control unit, 22...Memory, 23...Interface, 24, 24L, 24R...Radio, 25, 25L, 25R...Gate, 26, 26L, 26R...Reflection adjustment member, 2L...Left side device, 2R...Right side device, 3...Mobile terminal, 31...Processor, 32...Memory, 321...Mobile terminal ID, 33 ...Interface, 34...Operation Unit, 35...Display Unit, 4...Server Device, 41...Processor, 411...Authentication Unit, 412...Area Determination Unit, 413...Direction of Arrival Detection Unit, 4131...Peak Selection Unit, 42...Memory, 421...Ticket DB, 4211...Mobile Terminal Compatibility Table, 4212...Ticket Data Table, 43...Interface, 5...Communication Line, 7...Gate Device, 74, 74L, 74R...Radio Device, 7L...Left Side Device, 7R...Right Side Device, 9...Detection System, A1...Area, A2...Area, D1...Direction of Travel, N1...Normal, N2...Normal

Claims

1. A reflection adjustment member that covers a region included in a wall surface facing space and adjusts the reflection of signals in that region, A wireless device provided below the aforementioned region, which receives signals from terminals in the aforementioned space, A detection system having

2. The reflection adjustment member is a member that absorbs the signal. The detection system according to claim 1.

3. The reflection adjustment member is a member that changes the direction in which the signal is reflected upward. The detection system according to claim 1.

4. The reflection adjustment member is a member that causes the signal to be diffusely reflected or scattered. The detection system according to claim 1.

5. The aforementioned radio is an array antenna mounted on a plane having a normal vector that is upward from the aforementioned region. The detection system according to claim 1.

6. The detection system further includes an arrival direction detection unit that detects the direction of arrival of the signal received by the radio, The aforementioned direction of arrival detection unit further includes a peak selection unit that estimates the direction of arrival of a signal propagating directly from the terminal by selecting the direction of arrival with the strongest peak from among a plurality of candidates. The detection system according to feature 1.

7. The peak selection unit is configured to perform component separation processing to separate the signal component and noise component of the signal by eigenvalue decomposition of the correlation matrix of the signal. The detection system according to claim 6.

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