Data processing device, data processing method and program

Abstract

The data registration device includes a point-cloud-data-reading unit, a determination unit, and an output unit. The point-cloud-data-reading unit reads point cloud data including position information indicating three-dimensional positions of points. The determination unit determines whether or not points included in the point cloud data are to be used for designing the location of a wireless station, on the basis of information obtained from map data in correspondence with the position information for the point cloud data. The output unit outputs, as station location design data, point cloud data that includes position information for points determined to be used in the station location design, and does not include position information for points determined to not be used in the station location design.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a data processing device, a data processing method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] IEEE802.11ay has proposed a use case for utilizing millimeter wave bands in communication network infrastructure (see Reference 1).

[0003] (Reference 1) "Changes to IEEE 802.11ay in support of mmW Distribution Network Use Cases", [online], Internet <https: / / mentor.ieee.org / 802.11 / dcn / 17 / 11-17-1022-00-00ay-changes-to-ieee-802-11ay-in-support-of-mmw-mesh-network-use-cases.pptx> ,2017

[0004] In millimeter-wave radio, if there is no line of sight between the transmitting and receiving stations, a large drop in signal level or line disconnection occurs, so the placement of radio stations is designed based on whether there is line of sight. Therefore, there is a method for determining line of sight using point cloud data (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). Point cloud data is measured using a laser, so point cloud information is generated only when an object is present. In the above-mentioned conventional technology, point cloud data for points existing between radio stations (between two points) is extracted from the acquired point cloud data, and the presence or absence of obstruction is assessed by evaluating the extracted point cloud data. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0005] [Non-Patent Document 1] "Millimeter wave band station setting support tool", [online], Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, [Retrieved August 1, 2022], Internet<https: / / www.rd.ntt / as / history / wireless / wi0212.html> ,2019 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] By using point cloud data, it is possible to determine the shielding between wireless stations caused by trees, signs, exterior structures, etc., which cannot be evaluated using city map data, etc. However, because point cloud data is large in volume, there is an issue that it takes time to extract point cloud data for points that exist between wireless stations (between two points) from large volumes of point cloud data.

[0007] In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a data processing device, a data processing method, and a program that can extract point cloud data used to determine visibility between wireless stations from acquired point cloud data. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A data processing device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a point cloud data reading unit that reads point cloud data including position information indicating three-dimensional positions of points; a determination unit that determines whether or not points included in the point cloud data are to be used for radio station location design based on information obtained from map data corresponding to the position information; and an output unit that outputs, as station location design data, point cloud data that includes position information of points that have been determined to be used for station location design but does not include position information of points that have been determined not to be used for station location design.

[0009] A data processing method according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a reading step of reading point cloud data including position information indicating three-dimensional positions of points; a determination step of determining whether or not points included in the point cloud data will be used for station location design based on information obtained from map data corresponding to the position information; and an output step of outputting, as station location design data, point cloud data including position information of points determined to be used for station location design and not including position information of points determined not to be used for station location design.

[0010] One aspect of the present invention is a program that causes a computer to function as the above-described data processing device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the present invention, it is possible to extract point cloud data used for determining visibility between wireless stations from the acquired point cloud data. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of a data registration device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining point cloud data used in station placement design according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of point cloud data according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing of the data registration device according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a flow diagram of a subroutine of the data registration device according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] 1 is a device configuration diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of a data registration device according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a data registration device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The data registration device 1 is an example of a data processing device. The data registration device 1 can be realized by, for example, a computer device. FIG. 1 shows only functional blocks related to this embodiment. The data registration device 1 includes a map database (DB) 2, a file storage unit 3, a map data reading unit 4, a point cloud data reading unit 5, a height determination unit 6, a building shell determination unit 7, a point cloud data registration unit 8, and a point cloud data DB 9.

[0015] The map data DB2 includes information related to map data such as topographical data and building outline data. The topographical data includes elevation data. The building outline data is building information that indicates the location and outline of a building on a map.

[0016] The file storage unit 3 stores a point cloud data file. A point cloud data file is a file containing one or more point cloud data. A point cloud data file may contain multiple point cloud data separated into groups based on predetermined conditions. The point cloud data may be acquired by any acquisition method, such as an MMS (Mobile Mapping System), a drone, or a backpack. The point cloud data includes at least information indicating the relationship between position information and points. The position information is, for example, information on latitude, longitude, and height. The height may be height above ground or altitude.

[0017] The map data reading unit 4 reads map data from the map data DB 2. The point cloud data reading unit 5 reads point cloud data from a point cloud data file stored in the file storage unit 3. If the data registration device 1 does not have the file storage unit 3, the point cloud data reading unit 5 may read the point cloud data from, for example, a point cloud data file stored in a portable recording medium or another device that can communicate with the data registration device 1.

[0018] The height determination unit 6 obtains the elevation of the point indicated by the position information of the point cloud data read by the point cloud data reading unit 5 from the map data read by the map data reading unit 4. The elevation obtained from the map data corresponds to a ground height of 0 [m] at that point. The height determination unit 6 compares the elevation indicated by the position information of the point cloud data with a threshold. The threshold is calculated by adding a predetermined value (e.g., 50 [cm]) to the elevation obtained from the map data. In other words, if the height indicated by the position information of the point cloud data is an elevation, the height determination unit 6 subtracts the elevation obtained from the map data to convert it to ground height and compares it with the threshold. If the position information of the point cloud data indicates ground height, the height determination unit 6 compares the ground height with a predetermined threshold value (e.g., 50 [cm]).

[0019] The building shell determination unit 7 determines whether the position information of the point cloud data corresponds to a position caused by the building shell, based on the map data read by the map data reading unit 4. The point cloud data registration unit 8 registers the point cloud data, which includes data such as position information of points determined to be used for wireless station location design based on the determination results of the height determination unit 6 and the building shell determination unit 7, but does not include data such as position information of points determined not to be used for wireless station location design, in a point cloud data DB9 as data for wireless station location design. The point cloud data DB9 is a data storage unit for wireless station location design. The point cloud data DB9 stores point cloud data used for wireless station location design.

[0020] Figure 2 is a diagram explaining point cloud data used in base station design. Figure 2 shows a map of a certain area. The map includes the locations of building perimeters. High-frequency radio waves, such as those in the millimeter wave band, have a high tendency to travel in a straight line. If the line of sight from a wireless base station is blocked by a building or other object, the radio waves cannot propagate beyond that point, making communication impossible. For this reason, if it is clear that there is blockage by the perimeter of a building, there is no need to use point cloud data or the like to evaluate the presence or absence of line of sight for the area beyond the blockage between the base station and the building perimeter. In Figure 2, symbol A indicates the perimeter of a building that blocks the line of sight from base station B. Area C is an area on the map where there is no blockage from base station B by the perimeter of a building.

[0021] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of point cloud data. Obstructions within a city are not limited to building exteriors; there are also trees, signs, exterior structures, utility poles, and other objects that are not shown in commercially available map information. For example, area C shown in Figure 2 also contains obstructions that cannot be obtained from map data. Radio wave propagation in high frequency bands such as the millimeter wave band is also affected by these obstructions. In order to evaluate the impact of these obstructions that are not shown in map data, it is necessary to utilize point cloud data.

[0022] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 3, the information acquired as point cloud data includes point cloud data D generated by building exteriors and point cloud data E generated by the ground such as roads. Building exteriors can be evaluated using data such as map data. In addition, because the height above ground of base stations is greater than 0, ground information is not required to determine the line of sight between the base station and terminal stations.

[0023] Therefore, the data registration device 1 is designed to handle point cloud data acquired by measurement, etc., excluding data on points related to building exteriors and data on points at low heights above ground, such as the ground. This reduces the volume of point cloud data, easing the process of evaluating point cloud data for visibility assessment and increasing the speed.

[0024] 4 is a flow diagram showing the processing of the data registration device 1. The data registration device 1 performs the processing of steps S12 and S13 on the point cloud data file read from the file storage unit 3 or a group of point cloud data in the read point cloud data file (step S11).

[0025] The point cloud data reading unit 5 of the data registration device 1 reads unprocessed point cloud data from the point cloud data file to be processed or from the group to be processed within the point cloud data file. The data registration device 1 evaluates the point cloud data read by the point cloud data reading unit 5 (step S12).

[0026] The point cloud data reading unit 5 determines whether the process of step S12 has been completed for all point cloud data included in the point cloud data file to be processed or the group to be processed in the point cloud data file (step S13). If the point cloud data reading unit 5 determines that the process has not been completed (step S13: NO), the data registration device 1 reads point cloud data that has not yet been evaluated from the point cloud data file to be processed or the group to be processed in the point cloud data file, and performs the process of step S12.

[0027] If the point cloud data reading unit 5 determines that the process of step S12 has been completed for all point cloud data included in the point cloud data file to be processed or the group to be processed in the point cloud data file (step S13: YES), the point cloud data reading unit 5 returns to step S11. If there is an unprocessed point cloud data file or an unprocessed group in the point cloud data file, the point cloud data reading unit 5 sets it as a new processing target and repeats the processes of steps S12 to S13. As described above, the data registration device 1 performs evaluation on all point cloud data.

[0028] Fig. 5 is a flow diagram of the subroutine "evaluate point cloud data" in step S12 of Fig. 4. First, the point cloud data reading unit 5 reads unevaluated point cloud data from the processing target (step S21). The point cloud data reading unit 5 outputs the read point cloud data to the height determination unit 6.

[0029] The height determination unit 6 determines whether the ground height obtained from the position information of each point in the point cloud data is greater than a threshold value (step S22). If the height indicated by the position information of the point cloud data is the ground height, the height determination unit 6 determines whether the ground height is greater than a threshold value. If the height indicated by the position information of the point cloud data indicates altitude, the height determination unit 6 outputs the latitude and longitude indicated by the position information to the map data reading unit 4. The map data reading unit 4 acquires altitude information of the point corresponding to the latitude and longitude input from the height determination unit 6 based on the map data read from the map data DB2. The map data reading unit 4 outputs the acquired altitude information to the height determination unit 6. The height determination unit 6 calculates the ground height by subtracting the altitude indicated by the information returned from the map data reading unit 4 from the altitude indicated by the position information of the point cloud data. The height determination unit 6 determines whether the calculated ground height is greater than a threshold value.

[0030] The height determination unit 6 notifies the building shell determination unit 7 of information about points determined to have a height above the threshold. The building shell determination unit 7 determines whether each point notified by the height determination unit 6 is due to a building shell (step S23). Building shell data in map data often includes a building ID that identifies the building and information about the positions of the vertices of the building's shell. For this reason, any means may be used to determine whether a point represented by point cloud data is due to a building shell, such as whether the latitude and longitude indicated by the position information of the point in the point cloud data are on the building shell line obtained from the map data, or whether they are within the area enclosed by the building shell. For example, the building shell line can be obtained by connecting the positions of the vertices of the building shell indicated by the building shell data.

[0031] The building shell determination unit 7 notifies the point cloud data registration unit 8 of the data of the points determined to be attributable to the building shell. The point cloud data registration unit 8 registers, in the point cloud data DB9, the point cloud data including the position information of the points determined to have a height above ground greater than the threshold in step S22 and determined not to be attributable to the building shell in step S23 as data to be used for station placement design (step S24). For example, the point cloud data registration unit 8 may generate the point cloud data to be registered in the point cloud data DB9 by excluding, from the point cloud data read in step S21, data including the position information of the points determined to have a height above ground less than the threshold in step S22 and the points determined to be attributable to the building shell in step S23. Alternatively, the point cloud data registration unit 8 may extract, from the point cloud data read in step S21, data including the position information of the points determined to have a height above ground greater than the threshold in step S22 and determined not to be attributable to the building shell in step S23, to generate new point cloud data and register the new point cloud data in the point cloud data DB9. The point cloud data registered in the point cloud data DB9 may be divided into a plurality of point cloud data.

[0032] On the other hand, the point cloud data registration unit 8 classifies the point cloud data of points determined in step S22 to have a height above the threshold or less and points determined in step S23 to not correspond to the building shell as having been evaluated and not requiring DB registration (step S25), and does not register them in the point cloud data DB 9. For example, as described above, the point cloud data to be registered in the point cloud data DB 9 may be generated from the point cloud data read in step S21, excluding data including position information of points determined in step S22 to have a height above the threshold or less and points determined in step S23 to be due to the building shell, so that the point cloud data of points classified as having been evaluated and not requiring DB registration may not be registered in the point cloud data DB 9.

[0033] The data registration device 1 may sequentially perform the processes of steps S22 and S23 for each point included in the point cloud data. The point cloud data registration unit 8 registers in the point cloud data DB 9 point cloud data that includes data such as position information of points determined as YES in both steps S22 and S23, but does not include data such as position information of points determined as NO in step S22 and points determined as NO in step S23.

[0034] In addition, in the above, the data registration device 1 outputs the point cloud data used for station placement design by registering it in the point cloud data DB9, but it may also output it by, for example, transmitting it to another device or recording it on a portable recording medium.

[0035] The data registration device 1 may be realized by multiple computer devices connected to a network. In this case, each functional unit of the data registration device 1 may be realized by any of the multiple computer devices. The same functional unit may also be realized by multiple computer devices. For example, one or more of the map data DB2, file storage unit 3, and point cloud data DB9 may be realized by a computer device different from the map data reading unit 4, point cloud data reading unit 5, height determination unit 6, building outline determination unit 7, and point cloud data registration unit 8. For example, the map data DB2 and file storage unit 3 may each be realized by multiple computer devices. For example, the functions of the map data reading unit 4, point cloud data reading unit 5, height determination unit 6, building outline determination unit 7, and point cloud data registration unit 8 may be realized in a distributed manner by multiple computer devices.

[0036] According to the above-described embodiment, the data registration device 1 extracts data of points included in the acquired 3D point cloud data, based on map data, whose height above ground exceeds a predetermined threshold and that are not related to building exteriors, and registers the extracted data in a database as 3D point cloud data for wireless station location design. This reduces the amount of point cloud data used during station location design, enabling faster station location design processing.

[0037] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the data registration device 1. The data registration device 1 includes a processor 71, a storage unit 72, a communication interface 73, and a user interface 74.

[0038] The processor 71 is a central processing unit that performs calculations and control. The processor 71 is, for example, a CPU (central processing unit) or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit). The processor 71 reads and executes programs from the storage unit 72. The storage unit 72 further has a work area when the processor 71 executes various programs. The communication interface 73 is connected to other devices so as to be able to communicate with them. The user interface 74 is an input device such as a keyboard, a pointing device (a mouse, a tablet, etc.), a button, a touch panel, etc., and a display device such as a display. Human operations are input via the user interface 74.

[0039] At least some of the functions of the data registration device 1 are realized by the processor 71 reading and executing a program from the storage unit 72. The program of the data registration device 1 may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include portable media such as flexible disks, optical magnetic disks, ROMs, and CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into computer systems. The program of the data registration device 1 may be transmitted via a telecommunications line. At least some of the functions of the data registration device 1 may be realized using hardware such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). The map data DB2, the file storage unit 3, and the point cloud data DB9 may be realized using the storage unit 72.

[0040] According to the above-described embodiment, the data processing device includes a point cloud data reading unit, a determination unit, and an output unit. The data processing device is, for example, the data registration device 1 of the embodiment. The point cloud data reading unit reads point cloud data including position information indicating the three-dimensional positions of points. The determination unit determines whether or not points included in the point cloud data are to be used for station location design, based on information obtained from map data corresponding to the position information. The determination unit corresponds, for example, to the height determination unit 6 and the building shell determination unit 7 of the embodiment. The output unit outputs, as station location design data, point cloud data of points that include position information of points determined to be used for station location design, but do not include position information of points determined not to be used for station location design. The output unit corresponds, for example, to the point cloud data registration unit 8 of the embodiment.

[0041] The map data may include building information indicating the location and outline of a building. The determination unit determines whether a point of the location information relates to the outline of a building based on the building information obtained from the map data corresponding to the location information, and determines to use the point of the location information for the station location design if the point does not relate to the outline of the building, and determines not to use the point of the location information for the station location design if the point relates to the outline of the building.

[0042] The map data may include information on topography. The determination unit determines to use the point of the location information for the station location design when the height above ground obtained based on the information on topography obtained from the map data corresponding to the location information and the information on the height of the point indicated by the location information exceeds a threshold, and determines not to use the point of the location information for the station location design when the height above ground does not exceed the threshold.

[0043] The map data may include topographical information and building information indicating the location and outline of a building. The determination unit determines to use a point for station location design when the ground height obtained based on the topographical information obtained from the map data corresponding to the location information and information on the height of the point indicated by the location information exceeds a threshold and when it is determined, based on the building information obtained from the map data corresponding to the location information, that the point of the location information relates to the outline of a building. The determination unit also determines not to use a point for station location design when the ground height obtained based on the topographical information obtained from the map data corresponding to the location information and information on the height of the point indicated by the location information does not exceed the threshold, or when it is determined, based on the building information obtained from the map data corresponding to the location information, that the point of the location information relates to the outline of a building.

[0044] The output unit may register the station placement design data in the station placement design data storage unit, and may not register the point cloud data including the position information of points determined not to be used for station placement design in the station placement design data storage unit.

[0045] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configurations are not limited to these embodiments, and include designs within the scope of the present invention that do not deviate from the gist of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1 Data registration device 2 Map data database 3 File storage section 4 Map data loading section 5 Point cloud data reading section 6 Height determination section 7 Building Enclosure Determination Unit 8 Point cloud data registration section 9 Point cloud data DB 71 processors 72 Memory section 73 Communication Interface 74 User Interface

Claims

1. a point cloud data reading unit that reads point cloud data including position information indicating three-dimensional positions of points; a determination unit that determines whether or not points included in the point cloud data are to be used for determining visibility in a radio station location design, based on information obtained from map data corresponding to the location information; an output unit that registers point cloud data, which includes position information of points determined to be used for visibility determination and does not include position information of points determined not to be used for visibility determination, as station placement design data in a station placement design data storage unit of the device itself, transmits the data to another device, or outputs the data by recording it on a portable recording medium; A data processing device comprising:

2. the map data includes building information indicating the location and outline of a building; the determination unit determines whether or not the point of the location information relates to an outline of a building, based on the building information obtained from the map data in correspondence with the location information, and determines that if the point of the location information does not relate to the outline of a building, the point of the location information is to be used for visibility determination, and if the point of the location information relates to the outline of a building, the point of the location information is not to be used for visibility determination.

2. The data processing device according to claim 1.

3. The map data includes topographical information, the determination unit determines that the point of the location information should be used for visibility determination when the height above ground obtained based on information on topography obtained from the map data corresponding to the location information and information on height of the point indicated by the location information exceeds a threshold, and determines that the point of the location information should not be used for visibility determination when the height above ground does not exceed the threshold.

2. The data processing device according to claim 1.

4. The map data includes information on topography and building information indicating the location and outline of a building, The determination unit determine that the point of the location information is to be used for visibility determination when the height above ground obtained based on the topographical information obtained from the map data corresponding to the location information and the height information of the point indicated by the location information exceeds a threshold value, and when it is determined that the point of the location information is related to the outer periphery of a building based on the building information obtained from the map data corresponding to the location information, If the height above ground obtained based on the topographical information obtained from the map data corresponding to the location information and the height information of the point indicated by the location information does not exceed a threshold, or if it is determined that the point of the location information is related to the outer periphery of a building based on the building information obtained from the map data corresponding to the location information, it is determined that the point of the location information is not to be used for visibility determination.

2. The data processing device according to claim 1.

5. A data processing method executed by a data processing device, comprising: a reading step of reading point cloud data including position information indicating three-dimensional positions of points; a determination step of determining whether or not points included in the point cloud data are to be used for determining visibility in a radio station location design, based on information obtained from map data corresponding to the location information; an output step of registering point cloud data, which includes position information of points determined to be used for visibility determination and does not include position information of points determined not to be used for visibility determination, as station placement design data in a station placement design data storage unit of the device itself, transmitting the data to another device, or recording the data on a portable recording medium to output the data; A data processing method comprising:

6. Computer, A program that causes the data processing device according to claim 1 to function.

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