Assignment of installation locations for each of the multiple electronic locks

Abstract

A method is provided for assigning installation locations for each of a plurality of electronic locks (12a-g), the method being performed in a location determination unit (1), the method comprising: obtaining the distance and direction between pairs of electronic locks based on the wireless transceivers of the pairs of electronic locks (42); storing the identifiers, distances, and directions of each electronic lock (12a-g) in the pair (45); determining a derivation map (4) of the pair of electronic locks (12a-g) (48); obtaining a reference map (5) including installation locations (13a-g) (50), wherein the reference map (5) covers the area where the electronic locks (12a-g) are installed; and assigning the identifier of each electronic lock (12a-g) to one of the installation locations (13a-g) in the reference map (5) based on the derivation map (4) and the reference map (5) (52).

Description

Technical Field

[0001]

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of electronic locks, and specifically to allocating installation positions for each of a plurality of electronic locks.

Background Art

[0002]

[0002] Typical floors of a building may have dozens to hundreds of rooms, and each room is equipped with an electronic lock for managing the entry and exit of authorized personnel and guests. For the mechanical installation and software settings of new locks, the responsible person needs to follow rather complex procedures. The installation staff walks around looking at unfamiliar floor plans and stops many times for lock installation.

[0003]

[0003] Since each lock corresponds to a specific physical space with various access management rules, it is important to ensure an accurate mapping between the lock ID and its installation position. Therefore, the locksmith has to bear the extra burden of recording the identifier and the position of each installed electronic lock. Then, another person or the same person inputs the combination into the configuration software before uploading different adjustment test data to the access management system. After that, the locks can each play their roles in providing access management to various areas within the building.

[0004]

[0004] The procedure for allocating locks to installation positions is complex and error-prone. Improving this procedure would be highly beneficial.

Summary of the Invention

[0005]

[0005] One objective is to improve the allocation of installation positions for a plurality of electronic locks.

[0006]

[0006] According to a first embodiment, a method is provided for assigning installation locations for each of a plurality of electronic locks, each of the plurality of electronic locks comprising a wireless transceiver, the method being performed in a location determination unit. The method includes determining a common coordinate system; obtaining the distance and direction between a pair of electronic locks based on the wireless transceivers of the pair of electronic locks; adjusting the direction and origin to fit the common coordinate system; storing the identifier of each electronic lock in the pair, the distance between the electronic locks, and the direction between the electronic locks; determining a derivation map of the pair of electronic locks based on the obtained distance and direction; obtaining a reference map including installation locations for the electronic locks, wherein the reference map covers the area where the electronic locks are installed; and assigning the identifier of each electronic lock to one of the installation locations in the reference map by matching the derivation map and the reference map based on the derivation map and the reference map.

[0007]

[0007] The method further includes repeatedly obtaining and storing distance and direction for multiple pairs of electronic locks before determining the derived map.

[0008]

[0008] The method may further include determining that the distance between a pair of electronic locks is less than a threshold distance. In this case, the storage is performed only if the distance between the pair of electronic locks is less than a threshold distance.

[0009]

[0009] The method may further include selecting a reference node which is one electronic lock from among a plurality of electronic locks. In this case, determining a common coordinate system includes determining a common coordinate system in relation to the reference node.

[0010]

[0010] The derived map may take the form of a graph structure. Each node in the graph represents an electronic lock, and the edges of the graph represent the distance between electronic locks. In this case, the reference map is in the form of a graph structure, where each node in the graph represents an installation location, and the edges of the graph represent the distance between installation locations.

[0011]

[0011] The assignment may include mapping the derived map to a reference map.

[0012]

[0012] Each wireless transceiver may support ultra-wideband (UWB).

[0013]

[0013] Each wireless transceiver may support Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).

[0014]

[0014] The reference map may include data for each installation location, indicating which of the 0 or more other installation locations are within the line of sight.

[0015]

[0015] According to a second embodiment, a position determination unit is provided for assigning an installation location for each of a plurality of electronic locks, each of the plurality of electronic locks having a wireless transceiver. The position determination unit comprises a processing circuit and a memory circuit for storing instructions, which, when executed by the processing circuit, cause the position determination unit to determine a common coordinate system; obtain the distance and direction between pairs of electronic locks based on the wireless transceivers of the pairs of electronic locks among the plurality of electronic locks; adjust the direction and origin to fit the common coordinate system; store the identifier of each electronic lock in the pair, the distance between the electronic locks, and the direction between the electronic locks; determine a derivation map of the pair of electronic locks based on the obtained distance and direction; obtain a reference map including the installation locations for the electronic locks, wherein the reference map covers the area where the electronic locks are installed; and assign the identifier of each electronic lock to one of the installation locations in the reference map by matching the derivation map and the reference map based on the derivation map and the reference map.

[0016]

[0016] According to a third embodiment, a computer program is provided for assigning installation locations for each of a plurality of electronic locks, each of the plurality of electronic locks equipped with a wireless transceiver. The computer program includes computer program code, which, when executed on a location determination unit, causes the location determination unit to determine a common coordinate system; obtain the distance and direction between pairs of electronic locks based on the wireless transceivers of the pairs of electronic locks among the plurality of electronic locks; adjust the direction and origin to fit the common coordinate system; store the identifier of each electronic lock in the pair, the distance between the electronic locks, and the direction between the electronic locks; determine a derived map of the pair of electronic locks based on the obtained distance and direction; obtain a reference map including installation locations for the electronic locks, wherein the reference map covers the area where the electronic locks are installed; and assign the identifier of each electronic lock to one of the installation locations in the reference map by matching the derived map and the reference map based on the derived map and the reference map.

[0017]

[0017] According to a fourth aspect, a computer program product is provided which includes a computer program according to the third aspect, and computer-readable means having non-temporary memory in which the computer program is stored.

[0018]

[0018] In general, all terms used in the claims shall be construed in accordance with their ordinary meaning in the art unless otherwise expressly defined herein. All references to an element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc. shall be openly interpreted as referring to at least one instance of that element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc. unless otherwise expressly stated. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not need to be performed exactly in the order disclosed unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0019] Next, embodiments will be described by way of examples while referring to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are as follows.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0020] [Figure 1] It is a schematic diagram showing an applicable environment for the embodiments presented in this specification. [Figure 2A-B] It is a schematic diagram showing how a derived map can be aligned with a coordinate system. [Figure 3A-B] It is a schematic diagram showing how the true position of an electronic lock can be determined. [Figure 4] It is a schematic diagram showing how a derived map can be mapped to a reference map. [Figure 5A-B] It is a flowchart showing an embodiment of a method for allocating installation locations for each of a plurality of electronic locks. [Figure 6] It is a schematic diagram showing components of the positioning unit of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] An example of a computer program product equipped with computer-readable means is shown.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021]

[0027] Next, aspects of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings show specific embodiments of the present invention. However, these aspects can be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limiting. Rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example so that the present disclosure is comprehensive and complete and the scope of all aspects of the present invention is fully conveyed to those skilled in the art. Throughout this specification, similar numbers refer to similar elements.

[0022]

[0028] According to the embodiments presented in this specification, the process of determining the installation position for electronic tablets is significantly improved. Each tablet has, for example, a wireless transceiver based on ultra-wideband (UWB). The derived map is determined based on measurements of the distance and direction between pairs of electronic tablets. The derived map includes the distance and direction between the electronic tablets 12 in a common coordinate system. A reference map including the installation position for the electronic tablets is obtained. The reference map can be based on, for example, a floor plan. Then, the derived map is mapped to the reference map, and thereafter, the installation position for each electronic tablet within the reference map is determined.

[0023]

[0029] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an environment to which the embodiments presented in this specification are applicable. A floor plan of a physical location 3 including a plurality of electronic tablets 12a-g for securing access to each protected physical space is shown, where access is provided by a corridor 7. Each electronic tablet 12a-g is provided at its respective installation position 13a-g. The physical location may be, for example, a building or a floor of a building.

[0024]

[0030] Each electronic tablet 12a-g includes a wireless transceiver. The wireless transceiver enables determination of the distance and relative direction of a corresponding pair of electronic tablets with respect to each other. For example, each wireless transceiver can be an ultra UWB transceiver that provides such functionality. Alternatively or additionally, the wireless transceiver supports BLE (Bluetooth low energy) or a suitable cellular communication technology such as 5G or 6G. Note that whenever the term "node" is used in this specification, it refers to an electronic tablet, a door closer, or a reader including a transceiver, unless otherwise specifically indicated. Therefore, in this specification, "node" and "electronic tablet" are used interchangeably.

[0025]

[0031] The direction can be determined, for example, using the angle of arrival (AoA) or the phase difference of arrival (PDoA).

[0026]

[0032] AoA is also known as the direction of arrival. Such an indicator can be obtained from the receiver's amplitude response, or by using the phase difference of arrivals with at least two antennas of the receiver. More than two antennas can be used to increase the reliability and / or accuracy of direction determination. AoA measurement can be obtained based on beamforming. In this method, the signal strength received simultaneously from each antenna can be compared to the antenna pattern to determine the direction of the transmitter. Note that if there are only two receiving antennas, the AoA algorithm will arrive at two possible values ​​for the direction relative to the other node. The correct value can be determined, for example, based on the procedure shown in Figure 3A-B below.

[0027]

[0033] PDoA utilizes the phase information of the received signal at the receiving antenna. An antenna array is used in which adjacent antennas are spaced at a certain distance apart. PDoA is determined as the phase difference received by the antennas in the array due to the propagation distance from the signal source. Each antenna in the array observes the phase shift of the signal. The determination of PDoA utilizes the physical distance between antennas in the array and the design of the antenna array.

[0028]

[0034] Wave propagation is considered a plane wave in the far field and does not change with increasing distance from the point source. Therefore, wave propagation is ideal information for PDoA. In a two-antenna system, each antenna alternates in the measurement phase. The two receiving antennas in the array are within half a wavelength (phase difference of 180 degrees) so that it is possible to determine which antenna is closer to the transmitter.

[0029]

[0035] When the antenna spacing is half a wavelength, the phase difference starts from 0 degrees (-180, 180). The smallest phase difference is always the correct value, so measurement errors are not possible.

[0030]

[0036] Distance can be determined using, for example, propagation time, time difference of arrival (TDoA), or received signal strength (RSS).

[0031]

[0037] Propagation time is the time it takes for a radio signal to travel between two nodes. Depending on the time synchronization between the two nodes, it can be Time to Arrive (ToA) or Time to Arrive (TDoA). ToA is based on the calculation of the time of arrival from the node. This type of measurement may be based on unidirectional or round-trip propagation, depending on the time-based measurement and clock synchronization requirements. In the case of round-trip propagation, it is based on two-way ranging and does not depend on clock synchronization between the two nodes.

[0032]

[0038] According to the embodiments presented herein, a derivation map is determined that defines the geometric relationship (distance and direction) between electronic locks 12a-g based on the direction and distance between each pair of electronic locks 12a-g. Another input is a reference map that defines the installation positions 13a-g for the electronic locks 12a-g, which may be based on a floor plan or the like.

[0033]

[0039] The position determination unit 1 is provided to determine which (potential) installation location 13a-g each electronic lock 12a-g will be installed in, based on the matching of the derived map 4 and the reference map 5. The position determination unit 1 may be provided in the form of a server, a smartphone (an application / app running on the smartphone), or any other computer device capable of executing embodiments of the method described later for determining the installation location for each electronic lock 12a-g.

[0034]

[0040] Figure 2A-B is a schematic diagram showing how derived map 4 can be aligned to a coordinate system. When using UWB radio, each node knows the position of neighboring nodes in its own local coordinate system. To determine the position of each node in a set of nodes on the network, a common coordinate system is used, in which each node has its own coordinates. The distance between two nodes does not change between coordinate systems, but it may be necessary to rotate or translate the coordinate systems of all nodes to fit a particular coordinate system.

[0035]

[0041] Let's consider two nodes, 12a and 12b. In order to adjust the coordinate system of node 12b to the same direction as the coordinate system of node 12a, it is necessary to rotate the coordinate system of node 12b. After detecting the position (x, y) coordinates of the adjacent node, the direction of the node's local coordinate system is converted to the direction of the common coordinate system. This adjustment angle α is obtained from the orientation information of node 12b.

[0036]

[0042] The new coordinates of each node after rotation are given by the following equation: x_new=x_old*cos(α)+y_old*sin(α) y_new=-x_old*sin(α)+y_old*cos(α)

[0037]

[0043] This approach converts the node coordinates from the local coordinate system to the common coordinate system, making it possible to construct a network of nodes in the common coordinate system even if the measurements are based on the local coordinate system.

[0038]

[0044] Figure 3A-B is a schematic diagram showing how the true location of an electronic lock can be determined. When two antennas are used to determine the direction, the direction will be one of two possible values. As a result, the location of an adjacent node can be one of two possible locations (the true location and the false location). Next, we will describe the two steps for determining the true location.

[0039]

[0045] In the first procedure shown in Figure 3A, the true position can be determined using a triangulation algorithm. This procedure can be used when there are two or more adjacent nodes to a known position. Here, we have a first node 12a, a second node 12b, and a third node 12c. Both the first node 12a and the second node 12b have known positions and are adjacent to the third node 12c, which determines the true position.

[0040]

[0046] From the perspective of the first node 12a, the third node 12c has two possible positions 12ca and 12ca'. Similarly, from the perspective of the second node 12b, the third node has two possible positions 12cb and 12cb'. The position of the third node 12c can be determined as the position where the estimates of the third node 12c from both the first node 12a and the second node 12b coincide (within the margin of error). The position of the third node 12c can be determined as the centroid of these two neighboring points 12ca and 12cb. Alternatively, the position of the third node 12c can be determined as the weighted average of the two neighboring points. Alternatively, the position of the third node 12c can be determined as the position of one of the two neighboring points.

[0041]

[0047] It should be noted that more estimates regarding the third node can be found using additional nodes.

[0042]

[0048] Figure 3B shows the procedure for determining the true position of a node when the only node whose position is known is the first node 12a. Figure 3B is provided in the coordinate system of the first node 12a, where the known position of the first node 12a is at the origin.

[0043]

[0049] If the first node 12a and the second node 12b are adjacent, the two nodes will have information about each other. Specifically, the first node 12a has two estimates 12b' and 12b'' of the second node.

[0044]

[0050] In this procedure, it is assumed that the orientation of the second node 12b relative to the estimated first node 12a, and the position of the first node, are always determined to be offset from the second node 12b. Therefore, a mirror estimate of the first node 12a from the second node 12b does not need to be considered. This estimate determining the position of the second node 12b from the first node 12a can be based, for example, on the orientation of the second node, of which only one of two possible positions is possible.

[0045]

[0051] According to the above, there are two estimated values ​​12b' and 12b' for the position of the second node 12b from the first node 12a. Furthermore, there are two estimated values ​​12ab' and 12ab'' from which the position of the first node 12a can be inferred from the second node 12b, and each estimated value is the (same) offset from the respective estimated values ​​12b' and 12b'' for the position of the second node 12b. In this embodiment, the offsets are downward and leftward offsets.

[0046]

[0052] Next, using the estimated value 12ab' of the first node 12a, which is close to the known position of the first node 12a (i.e., the origin), we determine which of the estimates 12b' or 12b'' of the second node 12b was used to estimate the best estimate of the position of the first node 12a. In this case, the estimate 12b' of the second node 12b in the upper right was used. Therefore, it is inferred that the estimate 12b' of the second node 12b in the upper right corresponds to the true position of the second node 12b.

[0047]

[0053] This approach only works for specific estimations and is therefore used only in the worst-case scenario where a node has only one adjacent node. Furthermore, this approach estimates the first adjacent position after selecting a reference node, or based on a predefined reference node.

[0048]

[0054] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing how the derived map can be mapped to the reference map. Here, the derived map 4 includes three electronic locks 12a-c, and the three electronic locks 12a-c are nodes in the reference map 5 that include three installation locations 13a-c.

[0049]

[0055] The mapping algorithm aims to map each electronic lock 13a-c in the derived map 4 to its installation location 13a-c in the reference map 5. This yields a list of installed electronic locks 12a-c to which installation locations 13a-c are assigned. As shown in Figure 4, the complexity of this mapping can be reduced if both the derived map 4 and the reference map 5 are in the form of graph structures. Here, the graph of the derived map is denoted as G, and the graph of the reference map 5 as G1. A graph structure is a concept from discrete mathematics in which there are many nodes (also called vertices). Between at least some nodes, there are edges (i.e., lines) with lengths that represent a specific distance. For the derived map 4, the nodes represent electronic locks 13a-c, and the edges represent the distance between two connected nodes. For the reference map 5, the nodes represent the installation locations 13a-c of electronic locks 12a-c, and the edges represent the distance between two connected nodes.

[0050]

[0056] The graph structure of reference map 5 can be derived from a floor plan (see, for example, Figure 1) based on a list of 2D coordinates for each installation location. All these coordinates are provided in a single coordinate system. One installation location can function as the reference node, which is placed at the origin and defines the direction of rotation and the origin of the coordinate system. Optionally, each installation location includes data on its orientation in the coordinate system (e.g., in degrees, radians, or directions such as north, northeast, east) indicating the orientation of the electronic lock when installed. Optionally, reference map 5 includes data on which node pairs are within (and / or outside) the line of sight (LoS). Typically, LoS is required for accurate UWB positioning, and node pairs not within LoS can be ignored as possible pairs when generating derived map 4 and / or mapping derived map 4 against reference map 5. Optionally, node pairs whose distance from each other is less than a threshold are considered adjacent nodes, as they are deemed to provide sufficiently reliable data for generating the derived map. Furthermore, at least in UWB, direction measurement can be inaccurate due to multipath transmissions reflecting off the opposite wall of the corridor; therefore, threshold distances can be set to exclude adjacent electronic locks on the same side of the corridor. One threshold distance found to strike a good balance is approximately twice the width of the corridor at the installation location. When threshold distances are applied, node pairs that are far apart from each other are not considered adjacent. Such thresholds can be set to values ​​such as a few meters, for example, between 5 and 10 meters.

[0051]

[0057] The graph of reference map 5 can be formed based on the floor plan. Here, graph G1(N,E) refers to the graph for the reference map. Graph G1 contains a set of nodes N as installation locations, and E represents the edges of graph G1. Under the arbitrary choice condition, a node is such that i,j∈N, and then E ij If ∈E, i and j are on opposite sides of each other, meaning they are not adjacent (this can be determined based on their orientation). If there are no nodes on opposite sides of each other, this condition can be ignored. i and j are neighboring nodes within LoS that can be reached in one hop, and the distance between i and j is less than a threshold.

[0052]

[0058] Each node N has an associated position attribute, which is its 2D coordinates relative to a reference node in graph G1 located at the origin.

[0053]

[0059] Each edge E has an associated weight, i.e., a length representing the distance between nodes.

[0054]

[0060] The goal of the mapping algorithm is to match two graphs G and G1 using patterns and then find the mappings between nodes.

[0055]

[0061] Next, we will explain in more detail how graph matching and node mapping are implemented between graphs G and G1.

[0056]

[0062] Two graphs are identical if they have the same number of nodes and edge weights. Nevertheless, if the number of nodes in the two graphs is not the same (for example, because the reference graph has fewer nodes due to filtering out nodes that are not in the LoS), the matching algorithm can still function by removing nodes from the derived map where a certain error exceeds a threshold. While graph structures are effective tools for visualization and analysis, accurate graph matching or detection of graph isomorphism is not a suitable solution here because the coordinates obtained from positioning algorithms are not precise. To address this situation, we traverse all nodes in the network to find nodes that are close to nodes in the other graph. Here, positional attributes related to coordinates are compared.

[0057]

[0063] The matching algorithm aims to find matches between nodes of two graphs G and G1 with the minimum matching error. The matching error is defined as the mismatch between each pair of matched nodes in the two graphs and between their edges.

[0058]

[0064] The matching algorithm iterates through each node, finding the minimum distance between two nodes. Once the first match between nodes is found, the edges of those nodes are compared. The number of edges and their weights are compared, and the error weights are calculated.

[0059]

[0065] Each node is mapped to another node on the graph with the smallest error weight. This process is repeated until all nodes and their possible matches are compared.

[0060]

[0066] Two graphs G(N,E) and G1(N1,E1) generate an n×m matrix P, where n and m are the number of nodes in graphs G and G1. In one embodiment, n and m have the same value, i.e., the number of electronic locks is the same as the number of installation locations 13. Alternatively, the number of installation locations may be greater than the number of electronic locks. Each element of P iJ Each element of P is the distance between node i in G and node j in G1. The n×m dimension mapping matrix B is the most promising for node-to-node mapping. In each row of B, the element with the smallest error weight in the corresponding row of P is given a value of 1, and all other elements in the row of B are given a value of 0, resulting in a mapping between nodes in G and G1, with a value of 1. Next, edges are evaluated. One element of this evaluation is comparing the same number of edges for corresponding nodes in G and G1. Another element is comparing the edge weights for corresponding nodes in G and G1. The aggregate of these factors (including the distance between corresponding nodes, which can be arbitrarily selected) is calculated to obtain the error weights.

[0061]

[0067] In the second iteration, the second smallest element of P is compared, and matrix B is updated accordingly. The error weights are calculated, and the mapping with the smallest error weight is stored in matrix B. The algorithm continues until all nodes and possible mappings have been processed.

[0062]

[0068] As explained above, the error weight is calculated as the sum of the differences between the distances between nodes (the distance between their coordinates) and the weights of each edge.

[0063]

[0069] If a reference node exists, the number of iterations is determined according to the number of nodes in the graph. In this case, since the reference is known, the mapping is not complex and mainly depends on how accurate the derived graph is. The graph comparison involves checking the proximity between the node coordinates of the derived graph and the node coordinates of the reference graph, which corresponds to a linear comparison between derived map 4 and reference map 5 in Figure 4.

[0064]

[0070] In one embodiment, if there is no LoS ​​between the electronic lock 12 and the reference node, the derived map can be repeatedly constructed. Here, each new node has an LoS with the reference node or a previous node added to the derived map.

[0065]

[0071] As a result of the mapping, the first electronic lock 12a is mapped to the first installation position 13a, the second electronic lock 12b is mapped to the second installation position 13b, and the third electronic lock 12c is mapped to the third installation position 13c.

[0066]

[0072] If there are no predefined reference nodes, the mapping procedure becomes more complex. The reference point in the derived graph can be any node, and there are no common reference nodes between derived map 4 and reference map 5.

[0067]

[0073] Reference map 5 is created using its reference points. If the orientation of each installation position 13a-c is known, the graph can be changed by changing the origin node, and as a result the coordinate system is changed.

[0068]

[0074] When the origin of the coordinate system is changed using coordinate transformation rules to correspond to a different installation location 13, the new coordinates of a point or node are calculated. This process is repeated for all installation locations 13a-c. Therefore, the number of reference graphs generated corresponds to the number of nodes in reference map 5.

[0069]

[0075] In the embodiment shown in Figure 4, since there are three installation positions 13a-c, three different reference graphs are generated, with each installation position 13a-c serving as a reference point.

[0070]

[0076] When a new reference node is selected for the graph, the coordinate system is rotated so that the orientation of the new reference node defines the orientation of the coordinate system. For example, the coordinate system can be rotated so that the orientation of the reference node corresponds to 0 degrees, 90 degrees, etc., as long as the orientation of the reference node consistently corresponds to one direction within the coordinate system.

[0071]

[0077] Once the set of reference graphs is generated, derived map 4 is mapped to each of the reference graphs according to the mapping algorithm described above. As the final result of the mapping, the mapping that minimizes the overall error weight is selected. Then, each electronic lock is associated with its installation location.

[0072]

[0078] When there is no common reference point and the floor plan is symmetrical, ambiguity can arise during mapping. In this case, it is difficult to determine which direction the derived map 4 corresponds to the reference map 5. For example, if there are four nodes, with one node at each corner of a square, there are two ways to map to the reference map 5, and it is difficult to determine the correct method.

[0073]

[0079] One way to solve this is to have a common reference point between the reference map 5 and the derived map 4. This eliminates the ambiguity.

[0074]

[0080] One method is to have the lock installer input which installation location 13 the first electronic lock 12 was installed at. As a result, a common reference point is created in both the derived map 4 and the reference map 5.

[0075]

[0081] Another approach is to have a node in a known location already in the vicinity, such as a gateway or some other type of node, which can then be used as the origin for both the base map 5 and the derived map 4.

[0076]

[0082] Alternatively, the lock installer could wear a telephone or other device equipped with a corresponding transceiver (e.g., a UWB transceiver). The installer could begin the installation process by indicating the location of one of the locks (e.g., the first lock installed) in the installation app on their mobile phone, and this node would become the common reference point for Derivation Map 4 and Reference Map 5. The installer could also indicate the location of the locks using a floor plan (corresponding to the reference map) displayed in the user's mobile phone app.

[0077]

[0083] Figures 5A-B are flowcharts illustrating an embodiment of a method for assigning installation locations to each of the multiple electronic locks 12a-g. As described above, each electronic lock 12a-g is equipped with a wireless transceiver. For example, each wireless transceiver can support UWB. This method is performed in the location determination unit 1. The difference between the embodiment in Figure 5A and the embodiment in Figure 5B is that Figure 5A shows an approach in which the derived map is completed before mapping to the reference map, whereas Figure 5B shows an iterative approach in which the derived map is updated for each node and mapping to the reference map is performed.

[0078]

[0084] In the arbitrary reference node selection step 40, the position determination unit 1 selects a reference node which is one of the multiple electronic locks. In some cases (as described above), the reference node is predetermined, and such a reference node is used here. In one embodiment, a reference node is selected from among the electronic locks in which the number of opposing electronic locks exceeds a threshold. An opposing electronic lock can be determined to be an electronic lock that is within ±x degrees (for example, ±60 degrees) from directly opposite the electronic lock in question.

[0079]

[0085] In the arbitrary coordinate system determination step 41, the position determination unit 1 determines a common coordinate system to be used for the derived map. When the reference node selection step 40 is performed, the common coordinate system is determined in relation to a reference node. That is, the reference node defines both the origin (translation) and direction (rotation) of the coordinate system.

[0080]

[0086] In distance and direction acquisition step 42, the position determination unit 1 acquires the distance and direction between a pair of electronic locks from among the plurality of electronic locks 12a-g based on the wireless transceivers of the pair of electronic locks. The distance and direction can be measured by one or more wireless transceivers as described above. In this step, the identifier of each electronic lock in the pair is also acquired.

[0081]

[0087] In the arbitrary conditional distance < threshold step 43, the position determination unit 1 determines if the distance between the pair of electronic locks 12a-g is less than the threshold distance. In this case, the method proceeds to either the adjustment step 44 or the storage step 45.

[0082]

[0088] In adjustment step 44, the position determination unit 1 adjusts the direction and origin to fit the common coordinate system. This step includes aligning the common coordinate system with the coordinate system of the reference map, i.e., the mutual coordinate system between the derived map and the reference map. Note that there may be transformations between the direction and origin and the common coordinate system, and / or between the reference map and the common coordinate system.

[0083]

[0089] In memory step 45, the position determination unit 1 stores the identifiers of each pair of electronic locks 12a-g, the distance between the electronic locks 12a-g, and the direction between the electronic locks 12a-g.

[0084]

[0090] As shown in Figure 5A, in the optional conditional pair addition step 46, the position determination unit 1 determines whether there are additional pairs whose distance and direction should be determined. Note that each pair can be evaluated from both of the two electronic locks 12 of that pair. If there is at least one additional pair, the method returns to the distance and direction acquisition step 42. Otherwise, the method proceeds to the derivation map determination step 48. If the optional conditional pair addition step 46 is not performed, the derivation map can be constructed iteratively for each node. In this case, as shown in Figure 5B, the conditional pair addition step 46 is instead performed after the assignment step 52.

[0085]

[0091] In the derivation map determination step 48, the position determination unit 1 determines the derivation map 4 of the pair of electronic locks 12a-g based on the obtained distance and direction, for example as described above. The derivation map 4 may take the form of a graph structure. Each node in the graph represents an electronic lock 12a-g, and the edges in the graph represent the distance between the electronic locks.

[0086]

[0092] In the reference map acquisition step 50, the position determination unit 1 acquires a reference map 5 that includes the installation locations 13a-g for the electronic locks, and the reference map 5 covers the area where the electronic locks 12a-g are installed. The reference map 5 is obtained based on a floor plan that covers the installation locations. The reference map can be obtained by reading from local or remote memory, or by requesting the provision of the reference map from local or remote resources. This reference map can be transmitted to the position determination unit 1 via a communication network such as an Internet Protocol (IP) based network. As described above, the reference map 5 may take the form of a graph structure. Each node in the graph represents an installation location 13a-g, and the edges in the graph represent the distance between installation locations 13a-g.

[0087]

[0093] Optionally, the reference map 5 includes data for each installation location 13a-g, indicating which of the other installation locations 13a-g (0 or more) are within the line of sight. The mapping can exclude pairs in the derived map that are not within the line of sight.

[0088]

[0094] In assignment step 52, the position determination unit 1 assigns each identifier of the electronic locks 12a-g to one of the installation locations 13a-g in the reference map 5, based on the derived map 4 and the reference map 5. This is done by matching the derived map 4 and the reference map 5. Optionally, assignment 52 includes mapping the derived map 4 with the reference map 5 as described above, and then the assignment includes associating the identifier of each electronic lock in the derived map 4 with the installation location of the corresponding node in the reference map 5.

[0089]

[0095] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing the components of the position determination unit 1 of Figure 1 according to one embodiment. The processing circuit 60 is provided using one or any combination of suitable central processing units (CPU), graphics processing units (GPU), multiprocessors, neural processing units (NPU), microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), etc., which can execute software instructions 67 stored in the memory circuit 64, which may be computer program products. The processing circuit 60 may also be implemented using application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc. The processing circuit 60 may be configured to perform the method described above with reference to Figure 4.

[0090]

[0096] The memory circuit 64 may be any combination of random access memory (RAM) and / or read-only memory (ROM). The memory circuit 64 further includes non-temporary persistent storage. The non-temporary persistent storage may be, for example, one or a combination of magnetic memory, optical memory, solid-state memory, or remote-mount memory.

[0091]

[0097] The data memory 66 is provided for reading and / or storing data during the execution of software instructions in the processing circuit 60. The data memory 66 may be any combination of RAM and / or ROM.

[0092]

[0098] The position determination unit 1 further includes an I / O interface 62 for communicating with external entities and / or internal entities.

[0093]

[0099] Other components of the position determination unit 1 are omitted in this specification in order to avoid obscuring the concepts presented herein.

[0094]

[0100] Figure 7 shows one embodiment of a computer program product 90 equipped with computer-readable means. In this computer-readable means, the computer program 91 can be stored in non-temporary memory. The computer program can cause a processing circuit to execute the methods according to the embodiments described herein. In this embodiment, the computer program product 90 is in the form of removable solid-state memory, for example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) drive. As described above, the computer program product can also be embodied in the memory of a device, as in the computer program product 64 in Figure 6. Although the computer program 91 is schematically shown here as part of removable solid-state memory, the computer program can be stored in any method suitable for the computer program product, such as other types of removable solid-state memory or optical discs such as CDs (Compact Discs), DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs), or Blu-ray Discs.

[0095]

[0101] Herein, we present a list of embodiments enumerated from a different perspective.

[0096]

[0102] 1. A method for assigning installation locations for each of a plurality of electronic locks, wherein each of the plurality of electronic locks is equipped with a wireless transceiver, the method is performed in a location determination unit, and the method is Based on the wireless transceivers of the pair of electronic locks among the plurality of electronic locks, the distance and direction between the pair of electronic locks are obtained. The identifier of each electronic lock in the pair, the distance between the electronic locks, and the direction between the electronic locks are stored. Based on the acquired distance and direction, determine the derivation map of the pair of electronic locks, Obtaining a reference map including the installation location for an electronic lock, wherein the reference map covers the area where the electronic lock is installed. Based on the derivation map and the reference map, each identifier of the electronic lock is assigned to one of the installation locations in the reference map. A method that includes this.

[0097]

[0103] 2. The method according to Embodiment 1, further comprising repeatedly obtaining and storing the distance and direction for multiple pairs of electronic locks before determining the derivation map.

[0098]

[0104] 3. The method according to Embodiment 1 or 2, further comprising determining that the distance between the pair of electronic locks is less than a threshold distance, wherein the storage is performed only if the distance between the pair of electronic locks is less than the threshold distance.

[0099]

[0105] 4. Determine the common coordinate system, Adjust the direction and origin to conform to the aforementioned common coordinate system. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 3, further comprising:

[0100]

[0106] 5. Further includes selecting a reference node which is one of the plurality of electronic locks, The method according to Embodiment 4, wherein determining the common coordinate system includes determining the common coordinate system in relation to the reference node.

[0101]

[0107] 6. The derivation map is in the form of a graph structure, where each node in the graph represents an electronic lock, and the edges of the graph represent the distance between electronic locks. The method according to any one of Embodiments 1 to 5, wherein the reference map is in the form of a graph structure, each node in the graph represents an installation location, and the edges in the graph represent the distance between the installation locations.

[0102]

[0108] 7. The method according to Embodiment 6, wherein the assignment includes mapping the derived map to the reference map.

[0103]

[0109] 8. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 7, wherein each wireless transceiver supports ultra-wideband (UWB).

[0104]

[0110] 9. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 8, wherein each wireless transceiver supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).

[0105]

[0111] 10. The method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 9, wherein the reference map includes data for each installation location indicating which of the 0 or more other installation locations are within the line of sight.

[0106]

[0112] 11. A position determination unit for assigning an installation position for each of a plurality of electronic locks, wherein each of the plurality of electronic locks is equipped with a wireless transceiver, and the position determination unit is Processing circuit, and A memory circuit that stores instructions. The system is equipped with such a mechanism, and when the instruction is executed by the processing circuit, the position determination unit, Based on the wireless transceivers of the pair of electronic locks among the plurality of electronic locks, the distance and direction between the pair of electronic locks are obtained. The identifier of each electronic lock in the pair, the distance between the electronic locks, and the direction between the electronic locks are stored. Based on the acquired distance and direction, determine the derivation map of the pair of electronic locks, Obtaining a reference map including the installation location for an electronic lock, wherein the reference map covers the area where the electronic lock is installed. Based on the derivation map and the reference map, each identifier of the electronic lock is assigned to one of the installation locations in the reference map. A position determination unit that performs the following action.

[0107]

[0113] 12. A computer program for assigning installation locations for each of a plurality of electronic locks, wherein each of the plurality of electronic locks is equipped with a wireless transceiver, and the computer program includes computer program code, and when the computer program code is executed on the location determination unit, the location determination unit Based on the wireless transceivers of the pair of electronic locks among the plurality of electronic locks, the distance and direction between the pair of electronic locks are obtained. The identifier of each electronic lock in the pair, the distance between the electronic locks, and the direction between the electronic locks are stored. Based on the acquired distance and direction, determine the derivation map of the pair of electronic locks, Obtaining a reference map including the installation location for an electronic lock, wherein the reference map covers the area where the electronic lock is installed. Based on the derivation map and the reference map, each identifier of the electronic lock is assigned to one of the installation locations in the reference map. A computer program that performs a certain action.

[0108]

[0114] 13. A computer program product comprising a computer program as described in Embodiment 12, and computer-readable means having non-temporary memory in which the computer program is stored.

[0109]

[0115] The aspects of this disclosure are described above primarily with reference to several embodiments. However, as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, other embodiments are also possible within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Thus, although various aspects and embodiments are disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will also be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope, and the true scope is indicated by the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for assigning installation locations for each of a plurality of electronic locks (12a-g), wherein each of the plurality of electronic locks (12a-g) is equipped with a wireless transceiver, and the method is performed in a position determination unit (1), and the method is Determining a common coordinate system (41), Based on the wireless transceivers of the pair of electronic locks (12a-g) among the plurality of electronic locks, the distance and direction between the pair of electronic locks are obtained (42), Adjusting the direction and origin to conform to the common coordinate system (44), The identifiers of each of the pair of electronic locks (12a-g), the distance between the electronic locks (12a-g), and the direction between the electronic locks (12a-g) are stored (45), Based on the acquired distance and direction, a derivation map (4) of the pair of electronic locks (12a-g) is determined (48), Obtaining a reference map (5) including installation locations (13a-g) for the electronic lock (50), wherein the reference map (5) covers the area where the electronic lock (12a-g) is installed, Based on the derived map (4) and the reference map (5), the derived map (4) and the reference map (5) are matched to assign each of the identifiers of the electronic locks (12a-g) to one of the installation positions (13a-g) in the reference map (5) (52) A method that includes this.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising repeatedly obtaining (46) and storing the distance and direction for a plurality of pairs of electronic locks (12a-g) before determining (48) the derivation map.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising determining (43) that the distance between the pair of electronic locks (12a-g) is less than a threshold distance, wherein the storage is performed only if the distance between the pair of electronic locks (12a-g) is less than the threshold distance.

4. The process further includes selecting a reference node which is one of the plurality of electronic locks (40), The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein determining the common coordinate system (41) includes determining the common coordinate system in relation to the reference node.

5. The derivation map (4) is in the form of a graph structure, where each node in the graph represents an electronic lock (12a-g), and the edges of the graph represent the distance between electronic locks. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the reference map (5) is in the form of a graph structure, each node of the graph represents an installation position (13a-g), and the edges of the graph represent the distance between the installation positions (13a-g).

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the assignment (52) includes mapping the derived map (4) with the reference map (5).

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein each wireless transceiver supports ultra-wideband (UWB).

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein each wireless transceiver supports Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the reference map (5) includes data for each installation location (13a-g) indicating which of the 0 or more other installation locations (13a-g) is within the line of sight.

10. A position determination unit (1) for assigning an installation position for each of a plurality of electronic locks (12a-g), wherein each of the plurality of electronic locks (12a-g) is equipped with a wireless transceiver, and the position determination unit (1) Processing circuit (60), and A memory circuit (64) that stores the instruction (67). The system is equipped with such a mechanism, and when the instruction (67) is executed by the processing circuit, the position determination unit (1) is configured to: Determining a common coordinate system, Based on the wireless transceivers of the pair of electronic locks (12a-g) among the plurality of electronic locks, the distance and direction between the pair of electronic locks are obtained. Adjusting the direction and origin to conform to the aforementioned common coordinate system, The identifier of each of the pair of electronic locks (12a-g), the distance between the electronic locks (12a-g), and the direction between the electronic locks (12a-g) are stored. Based on the acquired distance and direction, the derivation map (4) of the pair of electronic locks (12a-g) is determined, Obtaining a reference map (5) including the installation locations (13a-g) for the electronic lock, wherein the reference map (5) covers the area where the electronic lock (12a-g) is installed. Based on the derivation map (4) and the reference map (5), the derivation map (4) and the reference map (5) are matched to assign each of the identifiers of the electronic locks (12a-g) to one of the installation positions (13a-g) in the reference map (5). A position determination unit (1) that performs the following action.

11. A computer program (67, 91) for assigning installation locations for each of a plurality of electronic locks (12a-g), wherein each of the plurality of electronic locks (12a-g) is equipped with a wireless transceiver, the computer program includes computer program code, and when the computer program code is executed on the location determination unit (1), the location determination unit (1) is configured to Determining a common coordinate system, Based on the wireless transceivers of the pair of electronic locks (12a-g) among the plurality of electronic locks, the distance and direction between the pair of electronic locks are obtained. Adjusting the direction and origin to conform to the aforementioned common coordinate system, The identifier of each of the pair of electronic locks (12a-g), the distance between the electronic locks (12a-g), and the direction between the electronic locks (12a-g) are stored. Based on the acquired distance and direction, the derivation map (4) of the pair of electronic locks (12a-g) is determined, Obtaining a reference map (5) including the installation locations (13a-g) for the electronic lock, wherein the reference map (5) covers the area where the electronic lock (12a-g) is installed. Based on the derivation map (4) and the reference map (5), the derivation map (4) and the reference map (5) are matched to assign each of the identifiers of the electronic locks (12a-g) to one of the installation positions (13a-g) in the reference map (5). A computer program (67, 91) that causes the computer to perform the following action.

12. A computer program product (64, 90) comprising a computer program according to claim 11, and computer-readable means having non-temporary memory in which the computer program is stored.

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