Information processing device and information processing method

Abstract

To provide a technology that can appropriately determine whether the signal characteristics of a pulse signal have switched midway through its course. [Solution] The information processing apparatus according to the embodiment includes: a signal acquisition unit that acquires signal data including a pulse signal received from an antenna and the reception time of the pulse signal; a 3D data generation unit that measures a forward pulse interval time, which indicates the interval time between a received pulse signal received before the target pulse signal, and a backward pulse interval time, which indicates the interval time between a received pulse signal received before the target pulse signal, in the signal data, and generates 3D data in which the forward pulse interval time, backward pulse interval time, and the reception time of the target pulse signal are shown as coordinates; an identification processing unit that considers the 3D data as a 3D point cloud and identifies whether the signal characteristics of the pulse signal have changed; and an output control unit that outputs the identified result.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to an information processing apparatus and an information processing method. [Background technology]

[0002] The transmission intervals of pulse signals sent sequentially from a source differ from source to source, but each source has its own unique pattern. Therefore, the source is estimated based on the pattern of the interval time of the pulse signals received from the source.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for plotting the intervals before and after a pulse signal within a certain time period Δ in two dimensions, and determining the signal characteristics of the pulse signal from the resulting two-dimensional image. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-028447 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] Patent Document 1 has a problem in that, because the interval time is plotted in two dimensions, information about the reception order of pulse signals within Δ is lost, making it impossible to use this information to determine temporal changes. Furthermore, it is difficult to determine signal characteristics that require reading information from a range beyond Δ. Therefore, when determining whether the signal characteristics of a pulse signal switch midway, it is necessary to appropriately set Δ and check multiple images, and even after checking, if Δ is not appropriately set, it is difficult to determine whether the signal characteristics have switched.

[0006] This invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a technology that can appropriately determine whether the signal characteristics of a pulse signal have switched midway through the process. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The information processing apparatus according to this embodiment includes: a signal acquisition unit that acquires signal data including a pulse signal received from an antenna and the reception time of the pulse signal; a 3D data generation unit that measures a forward pulse interval time, which indicates the interval time between a received pulse signal received before the target pulse signal, and a backward pulse interval time, which indicates the interval time between a received pulse signal received before the target pulse signal, and generates 3D data in which the forward pulse interval time, the backward pulse interval time, and the reception time of the target pulse signal are shown as coordinates; an identification processing unit that considers the 3D data as a 3D point cloud and identifies whether the signal characteristics of the pulse signal have changed; and an output control unit that outputs the identified result.

[0008] The information processing apparatus according to the embodiment includes: a signal acquisition unit that acquires signal data including a pulse signal received from an antenna and the reception time of the pulse signal; a two-dimensional image generation unit that extracts signal data at predetermined intervals from the signal data, measures a forward pulse interval time indicating the interval time between a received pulse signal received before the target pulse signal and a backward pulse interval time received after the target pulse signal in the extracted signal data, calculates coordinate points for each pulse interval set based on the combination of the forward pulse interval time and the backward pulse interval time, and generates a two-dimensional image based on the coordinate points; an image-3D data generation unit that determines the brightness value for each pixel of the two-dimensional image by applying a predetermined resolution to the two-dimensional image, and generates image-3D data using the pixels, the reception time of the received data used to generate the two-dimensional image, and the brightness value; an identification processing unit that considers the image-3D data as a three-dimensional point cloud and identifies whether the signal characteristics of the pulse signal have changed; and an output control unit that outputs the identified result.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of an information processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of the signal characteristic switch determination operation of a pulse signal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of an information processing apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the signal characteristic switch determination operation of a pulse signal according to the second embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a method for determining the luminance value within a pixel according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of an information processing apparatus according to a third embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the signal characteristic switch determination operation of a pulse signal according to the third embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of an information processing apparatus according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the signal characteristic switch determination operation of a pulse signal according to the fourth embodiment.

Embodiments of the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, the information processing apparatus and the information processing method will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, parts with the same number are assumed to perform the same operations, and redundant explanations are omitted. For example, when there are a plurality of identical or similar elements, a common reference numeral may be used to describe them without distinguishing each element, or a branch number may be used in addition to the common reference numeral to describe each element separately.

[0011] [First Embodiment] (composition) Figure 1 is a diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of the information processing device 1 according to the first embodiment. First, the hardware configuration of the information processing device 1 will be described with reference to Figure 1.

[0012] The information processing device 1 is one or more computers and comprises a control unit 10, a program storage unit 20, a data storage unit 30, a communication interface 40, and an input / output interface 50. The control unit 10, the program storage unit 20, the data storage unit 30, the communication interface 40, and the input / output interface 50 are connected to each other via a bus so as to be able to communicate with each other. Furthermore, the communication interface 40 may be connected to an external device so as to be able to communicate with it via a network. In addition, the input / output interface 50 is connected to an input device 51, an output device 52, and an antenna 53 so as to be able to communicate with it.

[0013] The information processing device 1 is configured to determine whether the signal characteristics of a signal (e.g., a pulse signal) received by the antenna 53 have switched (changed). For example, the information processing device 1 generates 3D data from the received pulse signal and estimates whether a switch has occurred using identification technology for the generated 3D data.

[0014] The control unit 10 controls the information processing device 1. The control unit 10 includes a hardware processor such as a central processing unit (CPU). For example, the control unit 10 may be an integrated circuit capable of executing various programs.

[0015] The program storage unit 20 can use a combination of non-volatile memory that allows writing and reading at any time, such as EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), HDD (Hard Disk Drive), and SSD (Solid State Drive), as a storage medium, and non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory). The program storage unit 20 stores programs necessary to execute various processes. In other words, the control unit 10 can realize various controls and operations by reading and executing programs stored in the program storage unit 20.

[0016] The data storage unit 30 is a storage device that uses a combination of non-volatile memory, such as an HDD or memory card, which allows for writing and reading at any time, and volatile memory, such as RAM (Random Access Memory), as storage media. The data storage unit 30 is used to store data acquired and generated during the process in which the control unit 10 executes a program and performs various processing.

[0017] The communication interface 40 includes one or more wired or wireless communication modules. For example, the communication interface 40 includes a communication module that connects to an external device via a network, either wired or wirelessly. The communication interface 40 may also include a wireless communication module that connects to an external device wirelessly, such as a Wi-Fi access point and a base station. Furthermore, the communication interface 40 may include a wireless communication module that connects to an external device wirelessly using short-range wireless technology. In other words, the communication interface 40 can be any general communication interface that can communicate with an external device and send and receive various types of information under the control of the control unit 10.

[0018] The input / output interface 50 is connected to the input device 51, the output device 52, and the antenna 53, etc. The input / output interface 50 is an interface that enables the transmission and reception of information between the input device 51, the output device 52, and the antenna 53. The input / output interface 50 may be integrated with the communication interface 40. For example, at least one of the input device 51 and the output device 52 may be wirelessly connected to the control unit 10, etc. via the communication interface 40 using short-range wireless technology, and information may be transmitted and received using said short-range wireless technology.

[0019] The input device 51 may include, for example, a keyboard or pointing device for the user to input various information. The input device 51 may also include a reader for reading data to be stored in the program storage unit 20 or data storage unit 30 from a memory medium such as a USB memory, or a disk device for reading such data from a disk medium.

[0020] The output device 52 includes a display or the like for displaying the results calculated by the control unit 10. The output device 52 also includes a printer or the like for printing the information displayed on the display.

[0021] Antenna 53 receives signals such as pulse signals transmitted by the transmitter as a transmission wave. Antenna 53 can be any general antenna 53 that is capable of receiving pulse signals. Antenna 53 outputs the received pulse signal to the control unit 10.

[0022] Next, we will describe the details of the software configuration of the information processing device 1. The control unit 10 comprises a signal acquisition unit 101, a 3D data generation unit 102, an identification processing unit 103, and an output control unit 104.

[0023] The signal acquisition unit 101 is an acquisition unit that acquires pulse signals received by the antenna 53. The signal acquisition unit 101 receives pulse signals received by the antenna 53 as input. Upon receiving pulse signals from the antenna 53, the signal acquisition unit 101 sequentially acquires the pulse signals as time progresses. The signal acquisition unit 101 stores the acquired pulse signals as signal data along with the reception time in the signal storage unit 301. The reception time may be an absolute time, or it may be a relative time based on the reception time of the first received signal.

[0024] The 3D data generation unit 102 is a generation unit that generates 3D data based on signal data. For example, the 3D data generation unit 102 selects a target received pulse signal and measures the interval time between pulse signals received before and after the target received pulse signal. Then, it generates 3D data with the measured time and the reception time of the target received pulse signal as the axes (x, y, z), respectively. Details of the method for generating 3D data will be described later.

[0025] The identification processing unit 103 is an estimation unit that estimates the presence or absence of a switch. For example, the identification processing unit 103 considers the 3D data generated by the 3D data generation unit 102 as a 3D point cloud and estimates the presence or absence of a switch in the signal characteristics of the received pulse signal using existing identification techniques from the 3D point cloud.

[0026] The output control unit 104 is a control unit that controls the display of the output device 52. For example, the output control unit 104 controls the identification processing unit 103 to display the estimation result (i.e., the estimation result of whether the signal characteristics have switched) on the display of the output device 52.

[0027] The data storage unit 30 includes a signal storage unit 301. The signal storage unit 301 is used to store the signal data acquired by the signal acquisition unit 101.

[0028] (operation) FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a signal characteristic switch determination operation of a pulse signal according to the first embodiment. The operation of this flowchart is realized by reading and executing a program stored in the program storage unit 20 of the control unit 10 of the information processing apparatus 1.

[0029] The operation of this flowchart starts when the antenna 53 receives a pulse signal and outputs the received pulse signal to the control unit 10.

[0030] In step ST101, the signal acquisition unit 101 acquires signal data. The signal acquisition unit 101 acquires the pulse signal received by the antenna 53 as signal data together with the reception time TOA. Then, the signal acquisition unit 101 stores the acquired signal data in the signal storage unit 301.

[0031] In step ST102, the three-dimensional data generation unit 102 generates three-dimensional data. The three-dimensional data generation unit 102 acquires the signal data stored in the signal storage unit 301. Then, with a target received pulse signal Sc as the target, the three-dimensional data generation unit 102 measures the forward pulse interval time PI post indicating the interval time between the forward received pulse signal S pre received before the target received pulse signal Sc and the target received pulse signal Sc, and the backward pulse interval time PI post indicating the interval time between the backward received pulse signal S post received after the target received pulse signal Sc and the target received pulse signal Sc. Then, for the signal data of a predetermined period, the forward pulse interval time PI pre and the backward pulse interval time PI post are measured. For example, the three-dimensional data generation unit 102 measures the backward pulse interval time PI post indicating the interval time between the signal next to the symmetric received pulse (i.e., the backward received pulse signal S post ) and the target received pulse signal Sc, and repeats this operation for the signal data of a predetermined period.

[0032] ​​The 3D data generation unit 102 generates forward pulse interval time PI pre and the backward pulse interval time PI post From the combination (pulse interval time set), the forward pulse interval time PI pre The coordinate values ​​on the X-axis (first coordinate axis) and the backward pulse interval time PI shown are shown. post Obtain a coordinate point using the coordinate values ​​on the Y-axis (second coordinate axis) that indicate the coordinates.

[0033] In the example above, the forward pulse interval time PI is used. pre The coordinate values ​​are mapped to the X-axis, and the backward pulse interval time PI post The coordinate values ​​are mapped to the Y-axis, but conversely, the forward pulse interval time PI pre The coordinate values ​​are mapped to the Y axis, and the backward pulse interval time PI post The coordinate values ​​can also be mapped to the X-axis.

[0034] Next, the 3D data generation unit 102 combines the coordinate point and the reception time TOA of the target received pulse signal Sc to generate (x,y,z)=(PI pre PI post 3D data D (TOA) sig The 3D data generation unit 102 generates the generated 3D data D. sig This is output to the identification processing unit 103.

[0035] In step ST103, the identification processing unit 103 estimates whether a switch is present or not. The identification processing unit 103 then processes the 3D data D sigThe data is treated as a 3D point cloud, and the presence or absence of a switch in the signal characteristics is estimated using an identification method disclosed, for example, in Reference 1 (Charles R. Qi et al., PointNet++: Deep Hierarchical Feature Learning on Point Sets in a Metric Space, NIPS, 2017). Note that the identification method for determining the presence or absence of a switch using a 3D point cloud is not limited to Reference 1; any identification method capable of identifying two or more states (two or more classes) from a 3D point cloud may be used. Therefore, a detailed explanation of the identification method is omitted here. The identification processing unit 103 outputs the estimated result to the output control unit 104.

[0036] In step ST104, the output control unit 104 indicates whether or not a switch has been activated. The output control unit 104 controls the display of the output device 52 to display the estimated result, informing the user managing the information processing device 1 whether or not the signal characteristics of the pulse signal have been switched.

[0037] (Effects of the first embodiment) According to the first embodiment described above, the information processing device 1 determines the forward pulse interval time PI of the target received pulse signal Sc. pre and the backward pulse interval time PI post In addition, 3D data D using the reception time TOA of the target received pulse signal Sc. sig The information processing device 1 then creates the 3D data D. sig By performing identification processing that treats the data as a three-dimensional point cloud, it is estimated whether the signal characteristics of the pulse signal received by antenna 53 have changed (switched). This allows the information processing device 1 to also consider the reception time of the pulse signal, enabling it to more accurately estimate whether the signal characteristics of the pulse signal have changed.

[0038] [Second Embodiment] (composition) Figure 3 shows an example of a schematic configuration of the information processing device 1 according to the second embodiment. The hardware configuration of the information processing device 1 in Figure 3 is the same as the hardware configuration described in the first embodiment with reference to Figure 1. Therefore, redundant explanations are omitted here.

[0039] The software configuration of the information processing device 1 in Figure 3 differs from the first embodiment in that it includes a two-dimensional image generation unit 105 and an image-to-three-dimensional data generation unit 106.

[0040] The 2D image generation unit 105 is a generation unit that generates a 2D image based on signal data. For example, the 2D image generation unit 105 acquires signal data stored in the signal storage unit 301 and extracts signal data at predetermined intervals from the signal data. Furthermore, the 2D image generation unit generates a 2D image from the received pulse signals in the extracted signal data. Details of the method for generating the 2D image will be described later.

[0041] The image-3D data generation unit 106 is a generation unit that generates image-3D data based on a 2D image. For example, the image-3D data generation unit 106 determines the brightness value for each pixel of a 2D image by applying a predetermined resolution to the 2D image. The image-3D data generation unit 106 then generates image-3D data using the 2D image, the reception time of the signal data, and the brightness value. Details of the method for generating image-3D data will be described later.

[0042] (operation) Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the signal characteristic switch discrimination operation of a pulse signal according to the second embodiment. The operation of this flowchart is achieved by reading and executing a program stored in the program storage unit 20 of the control unit 10 of the information processing device 1.

[0043] The operation of this flowchart begins when antenna 53 receives a signal and outputs the received signal to control unit 10.

[0044] In step ST201, the signal acquisition unit 101 acquires signal data. The signal acquisition unit 101 acquires the signal received by the antenna 53 as signal data along with the reception time TOA. Then, the signal acquisition unit 101 stores the acquired signal data in the signal storage unit 301.

[0045] In step ST202, the 2D image generation unit 105 generates a 2D image. The 2D image generation unit 105 acquires signal data stored in the signal storage unit 301. The 2D image generation unit extracts signal data at predetermined intervals from the acquired signal data. For example, the 2D image generation unit 105 acquires multiple signal data (e.g., N data). N is any positive integer greater than or equal to 2. Here, the predetermined interval may be an interval determined by a predetermined number of received pulse signals. Alternatively, the predetermined interval may be an interval determined by a predetermined time. Furthermore, the extracted signal data may be extracted according to any rule. For example, the extracted signal data may be pulse signals separated by a predetermined number of minutes. For example, the 2D image generation unit 105 may extract signal data corresponding to a sequence of numbers according to a predetermined tolerance.

[0046] Then, the 2D image generation unit 105 sets a forward pulse interval time PI for each of the multiple signal data described in the first embodiment. pre_1 ~PI pre_n and the backward pulse interval time PI post_1 ~PI post_n The following is measured. Here, n is N-1. Furthermore, the 2D image generation unit 105 measures the forward pulse interval time PI pre_1 ~PI pre_n and the backward pulse interval time PI post_1 ~PI post_n The coordinate points (X coordinate value, Y coordinate value) for each of the n × n pulse interval sets, based on the combination of the above, are calculated.

[0047] Next, the 2D image generation unit 105 generates a 2D image by applying a predetermined resolution (pixels) to the calculated coordinate points. For example, the 2D image generation unit 105 determines the brightness value c for each pixel of the 2D image. Here, the resolution can be set arbitrarily. For example, if the resolution is set coarsely (fewer pixels), more signals will enter the same pixel, and if the resolution is set finely (more pixels), fewer signals will enter the same pixel.

[0048] Figure 5 shows an example of a method for determining the brightness value c within a pixel according to the second embodiment. Figure 5(a) shows an example of using a count-based method for determining the luminance value c, and Figure 5(b) shows an example of using a kernel-based method for determining the luminance value c.

[0049] Figure 5(a) shows how the brightness value c is determined according to the number of signals within the same pixel. For example, the 2D image generation unit 105 increases or decreases the brightness value depending on the number of signals within the same pixel. In the example in Figure 5(a), there are two signals (p1 and p2) within the same pixel, so the brightness value c can be set to 2.

[0050] Figure 5(b) shows how the brightness value c is determined based on a value corresponding to a predetermined function for signals that enter the same pixel. For example, the 2D image generation unit 105 applies a function corresponding to the positions of the signals (p1 and p2) and uses the sum of these functions as the brightness value c. For example, if the function is represented as f1 as shown in Figure 5(b), the value (f(p1) + f(p2)) obtained by applying the two signals to this function is used as the brightness value c. Here, the function may be represented in one dimension or two dimensions, and any function may be used. The function may also be used as a weighting according to the position of the signals.

[0051] In step ST203, the 2D image generation unit 105 determines whether there are any unprocessed reception times. For example, the 2D image generation unit 105 determines whether there is any signal data in the signal data that is not used for the 2D image, that is, signal data for reception times that have not been processed. If it is determined that there is signal data for reception times that have not been processed, the process proceeds to step ST204. On the other hand, if it is determined that there is no signal data for reception times that has not been processed, that is, that all signal data has been processed, the process proceeds to step ST206.

[0052] In step ST204, the 2D image generation unit 105 updates the extraction range. The 2D image generation unit 105 updates the extraction range to include unprocessed signal data from the signal data. That is, it may include some already processed signal data as part of the extraction range, or it may include all unprocessed signal data as part of the extraction range. For example, the 2D image generation unit 105 may set the new extraction range to be shifted by one signal data unit from the extraction range of the signal data processed immediately before. Then, the process returns to step ST202.

[0053] In step ST205, the image-3D data generation unit 106 generates image-3D data. First, the 2D image generation unit 105 outputs the processed 2D image and signal data to the image-3D data generation unit 106. The image-3D data generation unit 106 generates image-3D data based on this data.

[0054] The image-3D data generation unit 106 assigns the pixel coordinates of the image to the x and y axes, the reception time TOA of the pulse signal used to generate the image to the z axis, and the brightness value c to the i axis, creating information (x,y,z,i)=(PI). pre PI post The image-3D data generation unit 106 generates ,TOA,c) as image-3D data. The image-3D data generation unit 106 outputs the generated image-3D data to the identification processing unit 103.

[0055] In step ST206, the identification processing unit 103 estimates whether a switch is present or not. The identification processing unit 103 treats the image-3D data as a 3D point cloud and estimates whether the signal characteristics have switched, i.e., whether a switch has occurred in the signal characteristics, using, for example, the identification method disclosed in the aforementioned reference 1. The identification processing unit 103 outputs the estimated result to the output control unit 104.

[0056] In step ST207, the output control unit 104 indicates whether or not a switch has been activated. The output control unit 104 controls the display of the output device 52 to display the estimated result, informing the user managing the information processing device 1 whether or not the signal characteristics of the pulse signal have been switched.

[0057] (Effects of the second embodiment) According to the second embodiment described above, the information processing device 1 generates a two-dimensional image based on signal data. The information processing device 1 also generates image-3D data using the reception time when the two-dimensional image was generated and a brightness value c corresponding to the number of signals contained within a single pixel in the two-dimensional image. The information processing device 1 then performs identification processing treating the image-3D data as a three-dimensional point cloud to estimate whether the signal characteristics of the pulse signal received by the antenna 53 have changed (switched). As a result, the information processing device 1 can also consider the reception time of the pulse signal and estimate more accurately whether the signal characteristics of the pulse signal have changed.

[0058] [Third Embodiment] (composition) Figure 6 shows an example of a schematic configuration of the information processing device 1 according to the third embodiment. The hardware configuration of the information processing device 1 in Figure 6 is the same as the hardware configuration described in the first embodiment with reference to Figure 1. Therefore, redundant explanations are omitted here.

[0059] The software configuration of the information processing device 1 in Figure 6 differs from the first embodiment in that it includes a two-dimensional image generation unit 105 and an image-to-three-dimensional data generation unit 106. The two-dimensional image generation unit 105 and the image-to-three-dimensional data generation unit 106 may be the same as those described using Figure 3. Therefore, redundant explanations are omitted here.

[0060] (operation) Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the signal characteristic switch discrimination operation of a pulse signal according to the third embodiment. The operation of this flowchart is achieved by reading and executing a program stored in the program storage unit 20 of the control unit 10 of the information processing device 1.

[0061] The operation of this flowchart begins when antenna 53 receives a signal and outputs the received signal to control unit 10.

[0062] In step ST301, the signal acquisition unit 101 acquires signal data. The signal acquisition unit 101 acquires the signal received by the antenna 53 as signal data along with the reception time TOA. Then, the signal acquisition unit 101 stores the acquired signal data in the signal storage unit 301.

[0063] In step ST302, the 3D data generation unit 102 generates 3D data. The method for generating the 3D data can be the same as that used in step ST102, as explained with reference to Figure 2. Therefore, redundant explanations are omitted here.

[0064] The processing in steps ST303 to ST306 can be the same as the processing in steps ST202 to ST205, as explained with reference to Figure 4. Therefore, redundant explanations will be omitted here.

[0065] In ST306, the X and Y coordinates of the image-3D data output from the image-3D data generation unit 106 may be scaled by any value. For example, the X and Y coordinates of the 3D data may be scaled by determining a magnification factor so that the maximum value of the X and Y coordinates of the 3D data generated by ST302 is the same as the X and Y coordinates of the 3D data. In addition, the X and Y coordinates of the 3D data may be scaled by matching the mean or median value, or by applying a predetermined arbitrary correction factor to the obtained magnification factor. Furthermore, the relative positional relationship to the 3D data may be changed by adding or subtracting an arbitrary value to the X and Y coordinates of the image-3D data. In this case, the value may be provided by the user in advance, or the maximum value, mean or median value of the X and Y coordinates of the 3D data may be used, as in the case of magnification, and the relative positional relationship can be changed by other methods as long as the TOA is not changed.

[0066] Note that the order of the processes in step ST302 and steps ST303 to ST306 can be reversed, or they can be processed simultaneously.

[0067] In step ST307, the identification processing unit 103 estimates whether a switch has occurred. The identification processing unit 103 considers the 3D data and the image-3D data as 3D point clouds, and estimates whether the signal characteristics have switched, i.e., whether a switch has occurred in the signal characteristics, using, for example, the identification method disclosed in the aforementioned reference 1. In the third embodiment, the identification processing unit 103 estimates whether the signal characteristics have switched based on the 3D data and the image-3D data. This enables a more accurate estimation. The identification processing unit 103 then outputs the estimated result to the output control unit 104.

[0068] In step ST308, the output control unit 104 indicates whether or not a switch has been activated. The output control unit 104 controls the display of the output device 52 to display the estimated result, informing the user managing the information processing device 1 whether or not the signal characteristics of the pulse signal have been switched.

[0069] (Effects of the third embodiment) According to the third embodiment described above, the information processing device 1 generates a two-dimensional image and image-3D data based on signal data. The information processing device 1 also generates image-3D data using the reception time when the two-dimensional image was generated and a brightness value c corresponding to the number of signals contained within one pixel in the two-dimensional image. The information processing device 1 then performs identification processing treating the three-dimensional data and image-3D data as three-dimensional point clouds, thereby estimating whether the signal characteristics of the pulse signal received by the antenna 53 have changed (switched). As a result, the information processing device 1 can also consider the reception time of the pulse signal and estimate more accurately whether the signal characteristics of the pulse signal have changed.

[0070] [Fourth Embodiment] (composition) Figure 8 shows an example of a schematic configuration of the information processing device 1 according to the fourth embodiment. The hardware configuration of the information processing device 1 in Figure 8 is the same as the hardware configuration described in the first embodiment with reference to Figure 1. Therefore, redundant explanations are omitted here.

[0071] The software configuration of the information processing device 1 in Figure 8 differs from the first embodiment in that it includes a two-dimensional image generation unit 105, an image-to-three-dimensional data generation unit 106, and a processing target determination unit 107. The two-dimensional image generation unit 105 and the image-to-three-dimensional data generation unit 106 may be the same as those described using Figure 3. Therefore, redundant explanations are omitted here.

[0072] The processing target determination unit 107 is a determination unit that determines whether signal data is a target for processing by the image-3D data generation unit 106. For example, the processing target determination unit 107 outputs signal data that it determines to be a target for processing to the image-3D data generation unit 106. On the other hand, it outputs signal data that it determines not to be a target for processing to the 3D data generation unit 102.

[0073] (operation) Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the signal characteristic switch discrimination operation of a pulse signal according to the fourth embodiment. The operation of this flowchart is achieved by reading and executing a program stored in the program storage unit 20 of the control unit 10 of the information processing device 1.

[0074] The operation of this flowchart begins when antenna 53 receives a signal and outputs the received signal to control unit 10.

[0075] In step ST401, the signal acquisition unit 101 acquires signal data. The signal acquisition unit 101 acquires the signal received by the antenna 53 as signal data along with the reception time TOA. Then, the signal acquisition unit 101 stores the acquired signal data in the signal storage unit 301.

[0076] In step ST402, the processing target determination unit 107 determines whether the signal data is to be processed by the 2D image generation unit 105. The processing target determination unit 107 retrieves the signal data stored in the signal storage unit 301. Then, the processing target determination unit 107 determines whether the signal data is to be processed by the 2D image generation unit 105. For example, if the 2D image generation unit 105 creates a 2D image based on signal data skipping every three signals, the processing target determination unit 107 outputs the corresponding signal data to the 2D image generation unit 105 and outputs the remaining signal data to the 3D data generation unit 102. In this way, the processing target determination unit 107 outputs the signal data used by the 2D image generation unit 105 to the 2D image generation unit 105, and outputs the signal data not used by the 2D image generation unit 105 to the 3D data generation unit 102.

[0077] The processing in steps ST403 to ST406 can be the same as the processing in steps ST202 to ST205, as explained with reference to Figure 4. Therefore, redundant explanations will be omitted here.

[0078] Furthermore, in ST406, the X and Y coordinates of the image-3D data output from the image-3D data generation unit 106 may be scaled by any value. For example, the X and Y coordinates of the 3D data may be scaled by determining a magnification factor so that the maximum value of the X and Y coordinates of the 3D data generated by ST302 is the same as the X and Y coordinates of the 3D data. In addition, the X and Y coordinates of the 3D data may be scaled not only to the maximum value, but also to the mean or median, or a predetermined arbitrary correction factor may be applied to the obtained magnification factor. Moreover, the relative positional relationship to the 3D data may be changed by adding or subtracting an arbitrary value to the X and Y coordinates of the image-3D data. In this case, the value may be provided in advance by the user, or the maximum value, mean or median of the X and Y coordinates of the 3D data may be used, as in the case of magnification, and the relative positional relationship can be changed by other methods as long as the TOA is not changed.

[0079] In step ST407, the 3D data generation unit 102 generates 3D data. Based on the acquired signal data, the 3D data generation unit 102, using the same method as in step ST102 described with reference to Figure 2, adds c as the i-coordinate to the combination of the coordinate point and the reception time TOA of the target received pulse signal Sc, and generates (x,y,z,i)=(PI). pre PI post 3D data D, TOA, c) sig The 3D data generation unit 102 generates the generated 3D data D. Here, c may be a predetermined value or any value. sig This is output to the identification processing unit 103.

[0080] In step ST408, the identification processing unit 103 estimates whether a switch has occurred. The identification processing unit 103 considers the 3D data and the image-3D data as 3D point clouds, and estimates whether the signal characteristics have switched, i.e., whether a switch has occurred in the signal characteristics, using, for example, the identification method disclosed in the aforementioned document 1. In the fourth embodiment, the image-3D data generated by the 2D image generation unit 105 loses the time axis, which may cause the same problems as in the aforementioned Patent Document 1. Therefore, the 3D data generation unit 102 generates 3D data using the signal data that was not used to generate the 2D image by the 2D image generation unit 105. This allows the 3D data to complement the time information lost by the image-3D data. This enables the identification processing unit 103 to estimate whether the signal characteristics have switched with greater accuracy. The identification processing unit 103 then outputs the estimated result to the output control unit 104.

[0081] In step ST409, the output control unit 104 indicates whether or not a switch has been activated. The output control unit 104 controls the display of the output device 52 to display the estimated result, informing the user managing the information processing device 1 whether or not the signal characteristics of the pulse signal have been switched.

[0082] Furthermore, the fourth embodiment can encompass the second embodiment. For example, if a two-dimensional image is generated using all signal data, the process does not proceed to step ST407. In other words, the process of the fourth embodiment is equivalent to the process shown in Figure 4.

[0083] (Effects of the fourth embodiment) According to the fourth embodiment described above, the information processing device 1 generates a two-dimensional image and image-3D data based on signal data. The information processing device 1 also generates image-3D data using the reception time when the two-dimensional image was generated and a brightness value c corresponding to the number of signals contained within one pixel in the two-dimensional image. The information processing device 1 then performs identification processing treating the three-dimensional data and image-3D data as three-dimensional point clouds, thereby estimating whether the signal characteristics of the pulse signal received by the antenna 53 have changed (switched). The image-3D data loses its time axis, but the three-dimensional data compensates for this time axis information. As a result, the information processing device 1 can more accurately estimate whether the signal characteristics of the pulse signal have changed.

[0084] [Other embodiments] While several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be carried out in a variety of other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0085] 1…Information Processing Device 10…Control Unit 101...Signal acquisition unit 102...3D Data Generation Unit 103...Identification Processing Unit 104…Output Control Unit 105...2D image generation unit 106…Image-3D data generation unit 107... Processing target determination unit 20...Program memory unit 30...Data storage unit 301... Signal memory unit 40…Communication Interface 50… Input / Output Interface 51…Input device 52…Output device 53… Antenna

Claims

1. A signal acquisition unit that acquires signal data including a pulse signal received from an antenna and the reception time of the pulse signal, A three-dimensional data generation unit measures the forward pulse interval time, which indicates the interval time between a received pulse signal received before the target pulse signal, and the backward pulse interval time, which indicates the interval time between a received pulse signal received before the target pulse signal, in the signal data, and generates three-dimensional data in which the forward pulse interval time, the backward pulse interval time, and the reception time of the target pulse signal are used as coordinates. An identification processing unit that considers the three-dimensional data as a three-dimensional point cloud and identifies whether the signal characteristics of the pulse signal have changed, An output control unit that outputs the identified result, An information processing device equipped with the following features.

2. The system further includes a two-dimensional image generation unit that extracts signal data at predetermined intervals from the aforementioned signal data, calculates coordinate points for each pulse interval set based on the combination of the forward pulse interval time and the backward pulse interval time for each of the multiple received pulse signals in the extracted signal data, and generates a two-dimensional image based on the coordinate points. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The system further comprises an image-to-3D data generation unit that determines the brightness value of each pixel of the two-dimensional image by applying a predetermined resolution to the two-dimensional image, and generates image-to-3D data using the pixels, the reception time of the received data used to generate the two-dimensional image, and the brightness value, The identification processing unit further identifies whether the signal characteristics of the pulse signal have changed based on the image-3D data. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

4. The aforementioned image-3D data generation unit determines the brightness value according to the number of signal data points within the same pixel. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3.

5. The aforementioned image-3D data generation unit determines the brightness value according to the function value corresponding to the position of the signal data within the same pixel. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3.

6. The two-dimensional image generation unit determines whether there are any unprocessed reception times in the signal data, and if there are any unprocessed reception times, it updates the extraction range for extracting the signal data. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

7. The extraction range includes at least a portion of the pulse signals corresponding to the unprocessed reception times. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6.

8. The predetermined interval is an interval determined by a predetermined number of pulse signals. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

9. The aforementioned predetermined interval is an interval determined by a predetermined time. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

10. The extracted signal data consists of pulse signals separated by a predetermined number of minutes. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

11. A signal acquisition unit that acquires signal data including a pulse signal received from an antenna and the reception time of the pulse signal, A two-dimensional image generation unit extracts signal data at predetermined intervals from the aforementioned signal data, measures a forward pulse interval time indicating the interval time between received pulse signals received before the target pulse signal and the received pulse signal received after the target pulse signal in the extracted signal data, calculates coordinate points for each pulse interval set based on the combination of the forward pulse interval time and the backward pulse interval time, and generates a two-dimensional image based on the coordinate points. An image-to-3D data generation unit determines the brightness value of each pixel of the two-dimensional image by applying a predetermined resolution to the two-dimensional image, and generates image-to-3D data using the pixels, the reception time of the received data used to generate the two-dimensional image, and the brightness value. An identification processing unit that considers the aforementioned image-3D data as a 3D point cloud and identifies whether the signal characteristics of the pulse signal have changed, An output control unit that outputs the identified result, An information processing device equipped with the following features.

12. A processing target determination unit determines whether the signal data is to be processed by the two-dimensional image generation unit, A 3D data generation unit measures, in the signal data determined not to be processed, a forward pulse interval time indicating the interval between a received pulse signal received before the target pulse signal and a received pulse signal received after the target pulse signal, and generates 3D data in which the forward pulse interval time, the backward pulse interval time, the reception time of the target pulse signal, and a fixed value are used as coordinates. The identification processing unit further comprises the identification processing unit which further identifies whether the signal characteristics of the pulse signal have changed based on the three-dimensional data. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11.

13. The two-dimensional image generation unit determines whether there are any unprocessed reception times in the signal data, and if there are any unprocessed reception times, it updates the extraction range for extracting the signal data. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11.

14. An information processing method executed by the processor of an information processing device, The process involves acquiring signal data including the pulse signal received from the antenna and the time of reception of the pulse signal, In the aforementioned signal data, the forward pulse interval time, which indicates the interval time between the received pulse signal received before the target pulse signal, and the backward pulse interval time, which indicates the interval time between the received pulse signal received after the target pulse signal, are measured. To generate three-dimensional data in which the forward pulse interval time, the backward pulse interval time, and the reception time of the target pulse signal are shown as coordinates, The three-dimensional data is treated as a three-dimensional point cloud to identify whether the signal characteristics of the pulse signal have changed, Outputting the identified result, An information processing method comprising:

15. The process involves acquiring signal data including the pulse signal received from the antenna and the time of reception of the pulse signal, Extracting signal data at predetermined intervals from the aforementioned signal data, In the extracted signal data, the forward pulse interval time, which indicates the interval time between the received pulse signal received before the target pulse signal, and the backward pulse interval time, which indicates the interval time between the received pulse signal received after the target pulse signal, are measured. Calculate the coordinate points for each pulse interval set based on the combination of the forward pulse interval time and the backward pulse interval time, To generate a two-dimensional image based on the aforementioned coordinate points, The luminance value of each pixel of the two-dimensional image is determined by applying a predetermined resolution to the two-dimensional image. To generate image-3D data using the aforementioned pixels, the reception time of the received data used to generate the 2D image, and the brightness value, The aforementioned image-3D data is treated as a 3D point cloud to identify whether the signal characteristics of the pulse signal have changed, Outputting the identified result, An information processing method comprising:

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