Estimation device, program, and estimation system

Abstract

To realize a precise positional estimation of an apparatus while reducing the pressure on the limitation of the number of apparatuses which are connected together simultaneously.SOLUTION: The estimation device includes an estimation unit for estimating the position of a second communication device on the basis of a radio communication based on a specified communications standard between at least one first communication device and the second communication device. The specified communications standard is for a communication including at least two communication stages of a first stage and a second stage. The first stage is a communication stage in which information for establishing the second stage is sent or received. The second stage is a communication stage in which a safer communication than in the first stage is possible. The estimation unit estimates the position of the second communication device on the basis of a communication request to request a shift to the second stage which is sent or received between the first communication device and the second communication device in the first stage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an estimation device, a program, and an estimation system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, technologies for estimating the location of a device based on wireless communication have been developed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for estimating the location of a mobile terminal based on Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy (BLE) communication between an in-vehicle device and the mobile terminal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-012634 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, devices that use communication standards such as BLE may have limitations on the number of devices that can be connected simultaneously for wireless communication compliant with that communication standard. Therefore, the more devices that are connected to realize device location estimation, the more pressure there is on such limitations.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to realize highly accurate location estimation of a device while easing the pressure of the limit on the number of devices that can be connected simultaneously. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, according to one aspect of the present invention, an estimation device is provided, which includes an estimation unit that estimates the location of at least one first communication device and a second communication device based on wireless communication conforming to a specified communication standard, wherein the specified communication standard is a standard for communication including at least two communication stages, a first stage and a second stage, the first stage is a communication stage in which information for establishing the second stage is transmitted and received, and the second stage is a communication stage in which communication with higher security is possible compared to the first stage, and the estimation unit estimates the location of the second communication device based on a connection request requesting a transition to the second stage transmitted and received between the first communication device and the second communication device in the first stage.

[0007] In addition, in order to solve the above problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program that causes a computer to realize an estimation function that estimates the position of at least one first communication device and a second communication device based on wireless communication that complies with a specified communication standard, wherein the specified communication standard is a standard for communication that includes at least two communication stages, a first stage and a second stage, the first stage is a communication stage in which information for establishing the second stage is sent and received, and the second stage is a communication stage that enables communication that is more secure than the first stage, and the program causes the estimation function to estimate the position of the second communication device based on a connection request that requests a transition to the second stage that is sent and received between the first communication device and the second communication device in the first stage.

[0008] In addition, in order to solve the above problem, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an estimation system comprising at least one first communication device and an estimation device that estimates the position of the second communication device based on wireless communication conforming to a specified communication standard between the first communication device and a second communication device, wherein the specified communication standard is a standard for communication including at least two communication stages, a first stage and a second stage, the first stage is a communication stage in which information for establishing the second stage is transmitted and received, and the second stage is a communication stage in which communication with higher security is possible compared to the first stage, and the estimation device estimates the position of the second communication device based on a connection request requesting a transition to the second stage that is transmitted and received between the first communication device and the second communication device in the first stage. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to realize highly accurate location estimation of a device while easing the pressure imposed by the limit on the number of devices that can be connected simultaneously. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an estimation system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a flow of authentication of the portable device 20 according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a flow of acquiring information used for position estimation of the second communication device 210 according to the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a flow of location estimation by the second communication device 210 according to the present embodiment and control by the controlled device 130 based on the result of the location estimation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configurations are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0012] <1. Embodiment> <<1.1. System configuration example>> First, a configuration example of an estimation system 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an estimation system 1 according to this embodiment.

[0013] As shown in FIG. 1, the estimation system 1 according to this embodiment may include a first communication device 110, an estimating device 120, a controlled device 130, a second communication device 210, and a control device 220.

[0014] The first communication device 110, the estimating device 120, and the controlled device 130 according to this embodiment may be mounted on a moving body 10, for example, as shown in FIG.

[0015] On the other hand, the second communication device 210 and the control device 220 according to this embodiment are mounted on a portable device 20 different from the moving object 10.

[0016] (Mobile 10) The moving body 10 according to this embodiment may be a vehicle such as a car, an aircraft, or a ship.

[0017] (First communication device 110) At least one first communication device 110 according to this embodiment is mounted on the moving object 10. Note that Fig. 1 illustrates a case where three first communication devices 110A to 110C are mounted on the moving object 10.

[0018] When a plurality of first communication devices 110 are mounted on the mobile object 10, the mounting positions of the first communication devices 110 may be different from each other.

[0019] For example, if the moving body 10 is a vehicle, the first communication devices 110A to 110C may be installed in a dispersed manner near the driver's seat, near the passenger seat, near the rear seat, and so on.

[0020] Each of the first communication devices 110 according to this embodiment performs wireless communication with the second communication device 210 mounted on the portable device 20 in accordance with a prescribed communication standard.

[0021] For this reason, the first communication device 110 according to this embodiment includes an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio signals that comply with a prescribed communication standard.

[0022] Wireless communication conforming to a specified communication standard between each of the first communication devices 110 and the second communication device 210 is used by the estimation device 120 to estimate the position of the second communication device 210 (the position of the portable device 20).

[0023] Furthermore, one of the first communication devices 110 performs wireless communication with the second communication device 210 for authenticating the portable device 20 .

[0024] Here, the above-defined communication standard may be a standard under which communication is carried out including at least two communication stages, namely, a first stage and a second stage.

[0025] For example, the first stage may be a communication stage in which information is sent and received to establish the second stage, and the second stage may be a communication stage that allows for more secure communication than the first stage.

[0026] Also, for example, wireless communication may be performed in different frequency bands (channels) in the first stage and the second stage, or information on the channel to be used for wireless communication in the second stage may be transmitted and received in the first stage.

[0027] Also, for example, in the second stage, packets are exchanged at regular intervals.

[0028] An example of the above-defined communication standard is BLE.

[0029] In the case of BLE, the second stage may be a communication stage in which a connection state is established and packets are transmitted and received between devices, whereas the first stage may be a stage before the second stage in which advertisement broadcasting, advertisement scanning, etc. are performed.

[0030] In addition, in the case of BLE, only some of the signals such as advertisements transmitted and received in the first stage can be encrypted, whereas all of the signals transmitted and received in the second stage can be encrypted. Therefore, the second stage can be said to be a communication stage that enables more secure communication than the first stage.

[0031] In the case of BLE, an advertisement channel is used in the first stage and a data channel is used in the second stage. The advertisement channel and the data channel are different channels.

[0032] In the case of BLE, in the second stage, packets are exchanged at a set connection interval. In the second stage, even if there is no data to send, empty packets are sent. If the packet exchange is interrupted, the second stage is terminated.

[0033] On the other hand, the specified communication standard may be Wi-Fi (registered trademark) Direct.

[0034] In the case of Wi-Fi Direct, the first stage may be a communication stage in which beacon transmission and scanning, association processing, authentication processing (4-way handshake or EAPoL), etc. are performed, while the second stage may be a communication stage in which the first stage is completed, a connection is established between devices, and packet transmission and reception is performed.

[0035] In addition, in the case of Wi-Fi Direct, the second stage begins after association processing, authentication processing, etc. are performed in the first stage, so the second stage can be said to be a communication stage that allows for more secure communication than the first stage.

[0036] In addition, in the case of Wi-Fi Direct, the beacon transmitted and scanned in the first stage includes channel information.

[0037] In the case of Wi-Fi Direct, in the second stage, the access point periodically updates the multicast key (GTK) and sends a key update notification (EAPoL Group Key Message) to the stations connected to it. On the other hand, the stations that receive the key update notification perform the appropriate key update process and return a key update acceptance (EAPoL Group Key Message).

[0038] The above describes specific examples of prescribed communication standards. In the following, we will mainly use the case where BLE is adopted as the prescribed communication standard.

[0039] (Estimation device 120) The estimation device 120 of this embodiment includes an estimation unit 125 that estimates the position of the second communication device 210 based on wireless communication that complies with a specified communication standard between at least one first communication device 110 and a second communication device 210.

[0040] Since the second communication device 210 according to this embodiment is mounted on the portable device 20, it can be said that the estimation unit 125 estimates the position of the portable device 20.

[0041] In addition, the estimation unit 125 of this embodiment controls the controlled device 130 based on the estimated location of the second communication device 210 and the result of authentication of the second communication device 210 based on wireless communication between one of the first communication devices 110 and the second communication device 210.

[0042] The estimation unit 125 according to this embodiment may cause the controlled device 130 to perform a specified operation if it estimates that the second communication device 210 is located within a specified range and the authenticity of the portable device 20 is confirmed in the authentication.

[0043] The functions of the estimation unit 125 according to this embodiment are realized by various processors. The details of the functions of the estimation unit 125 according to this embodiment will be described later.

[0044] (Controlled device 130) The controlled device 130 according to this embodiment may be any of various devices that perform a specified operation under the control of the estimating device 120 .

[0045] As shown in FIG. 1, when the controlled device 130 is mounted on the moving body 10, the controlled device 130 may be, for example, a locking / unlocking device that locks and unlocks a door provided on the moving body 10 as a specified operation.

[0046] For example, the estimation device 120 may cause the controlled device 130 to unlock the door if it estimates that the second communication device 210 is located within a specified range from the mobile body 10 and the authentication confirms the authenticity of the portable device 20.

[0047] However, controlled device 130 and the prescribed operation are not limited to the above example.

[0048] For example, controlled device 130 may be an engine, in which case the prescribed action may be to allow or restrict engine start.

[0049] Furthermore, for example, controlled device 130 may be a lighting device. In this case, the specified operation may be to turn on or off the light.

[0050] (Portable Device 20) The portable device 20 according to this embodiment is carried by a user of the mobile object 10 (for example, the owner of the mobile object 10, or a person authorized by the owner to use the mobile object 10, etc.).

[0051] Although not shown in FIG. 1, the portable device 20 may be equipped with an input device that accepts operations by the user, a display device that displays various types of information, and the like.

[0052] The portable device 20 according to this embodiment may be, for example, a smartphone, a tablet, a wearable device, or the like.

[0053] (Second communication device 210) The second communication device 210 according to this embodiment performs wireless communication with at least one first communication device 110 in accordance with a prescribed communication standard.

[0054] For this reason, the second communication device 210 according to this embodiment includes an antenna for transmitting and receiving radio signals that comply with a prescribed communication standard.

[0055] (Control device 220) The control device 220 according to this embodiment comprehensively controls each device mounted on the portable device 20.

[0056] The functions of the control device 220 are realized by various processors.

[0057] The above describes an example of the configuration of the estimation system 1 according to this embodiment. Note that the above configuration described with reference to Fig. 1 is merely an example, and the configuration of the estimation system 1 according to this embodiment is not limited to this example.

[0058] For example, the first communication device 110 , the estimating device 120 , and the controlled device 130 do not necessarily have to be mounted on the moving object 10 .

[0059] Furthermore, the function of controlling the controlled device 130 based on the result of the location estimation of the second communication device 210 and the result of authentication of the portable device 20 may be realized by a configuration separate from the estimating device 120 .

[0060] The configuration of the estimation system 1 according to this embodiment can be flexibly modified according to specifications and operations.

[0061] <<1.2. Portable Device 20 Certification>> Next, authentication of the portable device 20 according to this embodiment will be described in detail.

[0062] According to this embodiment, the authentication of the portable device 20 may be performed independently of the estimation of the location of the second communication device 210 .

[0063] For example, authentication of the portable device 20 according to this embodiment may be performed prior to estimating the location of the second communication device 210.

[0064] On the other hand, authentication of the portable device 20 according to this embodiment may be initiated after the location of the second communication device 210 has been estimated.

[0065] On the other hand, the authentication of the portable device 20 according to this embodiment may be performed in parallel with the estimation of the location of the second communication device 210 .

[0066] FIG. 2 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of authentication of the portable device 20 according to this embodiment.

[0067] FIG. 2 shows an example of a sequence in which the first communication device 110A authenticates the portable device 20 in the configuration shown in FIG.

[0068] FIG. 2 also shows an example of a sequence when BLE is adopted as the prescribed communication standard.

[0069] In the example shown in FIG. 2, first, the first communication device 110A broadcasts an advertisement (S102).

[0070] Next, the second communication device 210 scans for the advertisement broadcasted in step S102 (S104).

[0071] Furthermore, the second communication device 210 transmits a connection request (CONNECT_IND) to the first communication device 110A based on the advertisement scanned in step S104 (S106).

[0072] After transmitting the connection request in step S106, the second communication device 210 transitions to the Connection State.

[0073] Furthermore, the first communication device 110A that received the connection request in step S106 also transitions to the Connection State, thereby establishing a connection between the first communication device 110A and the second communication device 210, i.e., the second stage described above (S108).

[0074] When the second stage is established, the first communication device 110A transmits an authentication information request to the second communication device 210, requesting the transmission of information (authentication information) required for authenticating the second communication device 210 (S110).

[0075] The authentication information may be, for example, the identifier of the second communication device 210, a password, or a calculation result calculated from a random number included in the authentication information request and a specified function.

[0076] The second communication device 210, which has received the authentication information request in step S110, returns an authentication information response including authentication information (S112).

[0077] The first communication device 110A, which has received the authentication information response in step S112, authenticates the second communication device 210 based on the authentication information included in the authentication information response (S114).

[0078] The first communication device 110A transmits the result of the authentication in step S114 to the estimating device 120 (S116).

[0079] The above has described the authentication flow of the portable device 20 according to this embodiment. Note that the above flow described with reference to Fig. 2 is merely an example, and the authentication flow of the portable device 20 according to this embodiment is not limited to this example.

[0080] For example, the above describes the case where the first communication device 110A broadcasts an advertisement and the second communication device 210 scans for the advertisement.

[0081] Alternatively, the advertisement may be broadcast by the second communication device 210 and scanned by the first communication device 110A.

[0082] In this case, the first communication device 110A that has scanned the advertisement may transmit a connection request to the second communication device 210.

[0083] Also, for example, in the above description, a case has been described in which two signals, an authentication information request and an authentication information response, are transmitted and received to achieve authentication.

[0084] However, various sequences widely used in the field of authentication technology can be applied to the authentication of the portable device 20 according to this embodiment.

[0085] The authentication of the portable device 20 according to this embodiment can be flexibly modified according to the specifications and operation.

[0086] <<1.3. Estimating the location of the second communication device 210>> Next, the location estimation of the second communication device 210 according to this embodiment will be described in detail.

[0087] As described above, when a certain communication standard is used to connect to other devices, there may be a limit imposed on the number of devices that can be simultaneously connected depending on the communication standard.

[0088] However, in recent years, a wide variety of devices have become widespread, and it is conceivable that a user may have a plurality of devices to which the portable device 20 is to be constantly connected.

[0089] For example, when the portable device 20 is a smartphone, the above-mentioned device may be an earphone, a headphone, a wearable device, a PC, a tablet, a keyboard, a display, a mouse, a game pad, or the like.

[0090] If the second communication device 210 installed in the portable device 20 is already connected to multiple devices such as those described above, a situation may arise in which the second communication device 210 is unable to newly connect to the first communication device 110 used to estimate the position of the portable device 20.

[0091] In order to realize the position estimation of the second communication device 210 in the above situation, it is necessary to disconnect the second communication device 210 from the currently connected device and then newly connect the second communication device 210 to the first communication device 110.

[0092] In this case, the more first communication devices 110 that are required to connect to the second communication device 210 for position estimation of the second communication device 210, the fewer other devices that can connect to the second communication device 210, which may cause inconvenience to the user.

[0093] The technical concept of this embodiment was conceived with the above points in mind, and realizes highly accurate location estimation of the device while easing the pressure of the limit on the number of devices that can be connected simultaneously.

[0094] For this reason, one of the features of the estimation unit 125 of this embodiment is that it estimates the position of the second communication device 210 based on a connection request requesting a transition to the second stage that is transmitted and received between the first communication device 110 and the second communication device 210 in the first stage.

[0095] If the specified communication standard is BLE, the connection request may be CONNECT_IND.

[0096] On the other hand, if the specified communication standard is Wi-Fi Direct, the connection request may be, for example, an Association Request.

[0097] The following describes an example of the flow of location estimation when the specified communication standard is BLE.

[0098] FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the flow of acquiring information used for position estimation of the second communication device 210 according to this embodiment.

[0099] In the example shown in FIG. 3, first, the second communication device 210 broadcasts an advertisement (S201).

[0100] Next, the first communication device 110A scans the advertisement broadcasted in step S201 (S202).

[0101] Furthermore, the first communication device 110A transmits a connection request (CONNECT_IND) to the second communication device 210 based on the advertisement scanned in step S202 (S203).

[0102] The second communication device 210, which has received the connection request (CONNECT_IND) in step S203, calculates information used for estimating the position of the second communication device 210 (S204).

[0103] The information used for estimating the position of the second communication device 210 according to this embodiment may be information calculated from the reception status of the connection request.

[0104] For example, in the example shown in FIG. 3, the second communication device 210 calculates the RSSI based on the reception status of the connection request (CONNECT_IND) received in step S203 (S204).

[0105] Furthermore, the second communication device 210 transmits the RSSI calculated in step S204 to the first communication device 110A (S205).

[0106] Next, the second communication device 210 executes a connection release process to release the second stage established by the connection request (CONNECT_IND) received in step S203 (S206).

[0107] Furthermore, the second communication device 210 cooperates with the first communication device 110B to perform processes equivalent to the processes in steps S201 to S206 described above (S211 to S216).

[0108] Similarly, the second communication device 210 cooperates with the first communication device 110C to perform processes equivalent to the processes in steps S201 to S206 described above (S221 to S226).

[0109] An example of the flow of acquiring information used for position estimation according to this embodiment has been described above.

[0110] According to the process described above, the second stage is established upon receiving a connection request, but by performing the connection release process, it is possible to keep the establishment time of the second stage to a very short time.

[0111] Furthermore, according to the processing described above, even if multiple first communication devices 110 are provided for position estimation of the second communication device 210, it is possible to prevent the multiple first communication devices 110 from entering the second stage at the same time.

[0112] Therefore, according to the position estimation method of this embodiment, it is possible to achieve highly accurate position estimation of the portable device 20 while easing the pressure of the limit on the number of simultaneous connections of the second communication device 210, and it is possible to maintain convenience.

[0113] It should be noted that the information used for estimating the position of the second communication device 210 according to this embodiment is not limited to RSSI.

[0114] For example, the information used to estimate the position of the second communication device 210 in this embodiment may be an estimated value (ranging value) of the distance between the first communication device 110 and the second communication device 210 calculated from the delay time, the reception status of the request signal or the response signal, etc.

[0115] Furthermore, for example, the information used for position estimation of the second communication device 210 according to this embodiment may be AoA (Angle of Arrival), AoD (Angle of Departure), etc., determined from the reception status of multiple request signals or multiple response signals.

[0116] Next, with reference to FIG. 4, an example of the flow of location estimation of the second communication device 210 according to this embodiment and control of the controlled device 130 based on the result of the location estimation will be described.

[0117] FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing an example of a flow of location estimation by the second communication device 210 according to this embodiment and control by the controlled device 130 based on the result of the location estimation.

[0118] The sequence illustrated in FIG. 4 is performed subsequent to the sequence illustrated in FIG.

[0119] In the example shown in FIG. 4, the first communication device 110A transmits the RSSI received in step S205 shown in FIG. 3 to the estimation device 120 (S302).

[0120] Furthermore, the first communication device 110B transmits the RSSI received in step S215 shown in FIG. 3 to the estimation device 120 (S304).

[0121] Similarly, the first communication device 110C transmits the RSSI received in step S225 shown in FIG. 3 to the estimation device 120 (S306).

[0122] Next, the estimation unit 125 included in the estimation device 120 estimates the position of the second communication device 210 based on the RSSI received in steps S302, S304, and S306 (S308).

[0123] At this time, the estimation unit 125 may estimate the position of the second communication device 210 using a method widely used in the field of position estimation based on RSSI, in addition to the method disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0124] Similarly, the estimation unit 125 may employ a method widely used in the field of position estimation, such as a delay time, a distance measurement value, AoA, AoD, or the like, instead of RSSI.

[0125] Next, the estimation unit 125 determines whether or not to cause the controlled device 130 to perform a specified operation (determination of whether to perform the specified operation) based on the location of the second communication device 210 estimated in step S308 and the result of the authentication in step S114 shown in FIG. 2 (S310).

[0126] For example, if the estimation unit 125 estimates in step S308 that the second communication device 210 is located within a specified range and the authenticity of the portable device 20 is confirmed in the authentication in step S114, the estimation unit 125 may determine to cause the controlled device 130 to perform a specified operation.

[0127] In this case, the estimation unit 125 transmits an execution instruction to the controlled device 130 to instruct the controlled device 130 to execute the specified operation (S312).

[0128] Furthermore, controlled device 130 executes a specified operation based on the execution instruction received in step S312 (S314).

[0129] On the other hand, if the estimation unit 125 estimates in step S308 that the second communication device 210 is not located within the specified range, or if the authenticity of the portable device 20 is not confirmed in the authentication in step S114, it may determine not to cause the controlled device 130 to perform the specified operation.

[0130] In this case, the execution instruction is not sent in step S312, and the prescribed operation is not executed in step S314.

[0131] The above has described the location estimation of the second communication device 210 according to this embodiment and the control flow of the controlled device 130 based on the result of the location estimation.

[0132] However, the above flow described using Figures 3 and 4 is merely an example, and the position estimation of the second communication device 210 in this embodiment and the control flow of the controlled device 130 based on the result of the position estimation can be flexibly modified.

[0133] For example, assume that a mobile body 10 is equipped with multiple first communication devices 110, and one of the multiple first communication devices 110 (for example, the first communication device 110A in this embodiment) performs authentication of the second communication device 210.

[0134] In this case, the second communication device 210 does not necessarily need to calculate the RSSI of the connection request in the first stage. The second communication device 210 may, for example, calculate the RSSI of the authentication information request or the authentication response information in the second stage.

[0135] Also, in FIG. 3, the case where the second communication device 210 broadcasts an advertisement, and the first communication device 110 scans the advertisement and transmits a scan request to the second communication device 210 is illustrated as an example.

[0136] Alternatively, the advertisement may be broadcast by the first communication device 110 and the scan request may be sent by the second communication device 210 that receives the advertisement.

[0137] In this case, the first communication device 110 calculates the RSSI of the received connection request and transmits the RSSI to the estimation device 120. In this case, the first communication device 110 may also perform a connection release process immediately after receiving the connection request and then calculate the RSSI.

[0138] In this way, the calculation of the RSSI of the connection request according to this embodiment may be performed by either the first communication device 110 or the second communication device 210.

[0139] Furthermore, the location estimation of the second communication device 210 may be performed by the control device 220 mounted on the portable device 20. In this case, the control device 220 may estimate the location of the second communication device 210 based on the RSSI calculated by the first communication device 110 or the second communication device 210, and transmit the result of the location estimation to the estimation device 120 via the second communication device 210 and the first communication device 110.

[0140] As described above, the location estimation of the second communication device 210 according to this embodiment and the control flow of the controlled device 130 based on the result of the location estimation can be flexibly modified.

[0141] <2. Supplementary Information> Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to these examples. It is clear that a person skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can conceive of various modifications and alterations within the scope of the technical ideas set forth in the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0142] For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the first communication device 110, the estimating device 120, and the controlled device 130 are mounted on the moving body 10 has been mainly described as an example. However, the application range of the estimation system 1 is not limited to this example.

[0143] For example, the estimation system 1 may be used for locking / unlocking control of a door installed in a house, an office building, etc. In this case, the controlled device 130 may be a locking / unlocking device that locks and unlocks the door. In this case, the controlled device 130 and the first communication device 110 may be mounted on the door.

[0144] Furthermore, for example, estimation system 1 may be used for locking and unlocking control of delivery boxes installed in various locations. In this case, controlled device 130 may be a locking and unlocking device that locks and unlocks the delivery box. In this case, controlled device 130 and first communication device 110 may be mounted on the delivery box.

[0145] Furthermore, for example, the estimation system 1 may be used for controlling the opening and closing of an automatic ticket gate installed in a transportation facility. In this case, the controlled device 130 may be a device that opens or closes the automatic ticket gate. In this case, the controlled device 130 and the first communication device 110 may be mounted on the automatic ticket gate.

[0146] The estimation system 1 is widely applicable to situations where the execution of some process is controlled based on the result of estimating the position of the portable device 20 .

[0147] Furthermore, the series of processes performed by each device described in this specification may be realized by a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores a program. Each program is loaded into RAM when executed by a computer, and executed by a processor such as a CPU. The storage medium may be, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or a flash memory. The program may also be distributed, for example, via a network, without using a storage medium. [Explanation of symbols]

[0148] 1: Estimation system, 10: Mobile object, 110: First communication device, 120: Estimation device, 125: Estimation unit, 130: Controlled device, 20: Portable device, 210: Second communication device, 220: Control device

Claims

1. an estimation unit that estimates a location of at least one first communication device and a second communication device based on wireless communication that complies with a specified communication standard between the second communication device and the first communication device; Equipped with the specified communication standard is a standard for communication including at least two communication stages, a first stage and a second stage; the first stage is a communication stage in which information for establishing the second stage is transmitted and received; the second stage is a communication stage that enables communication with higher security than the first stage, the estimation unit estimates a location of the second communication device based on an RSSI of a connection request requesting a transition to the second stage, which is transmitted and received between the first communication device and the second communication device in the first stage; one of the first communication device and the second communication device that has received the connection request executes a connection release process to release the second stage before calculating the RSSI of the connection request or after calculating the RSSI of the connection request; Estimation device.

2. The specified communication standard includes BLE, The estimation device according to claim 1 .

3. the estimation unit causes a controlled device to perform a specified operation when estimating that the second communication device is located within a specified range; The estimation device according to claim 1 .

4. The specified operation includes unlocking or locking. The estimation device according to claim 3 .

5. Mounted on a moving vehicle, The estimation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. On the computer, an estimation function for estimating a location of at least one first communication device and a second communication device based on wireless communication conforming to a specified communication standard between the second communication device; A program for realizing the above. the specified communication standard is a standard for communication including at least two communication stages, a first stage and a second stage; the first stage is a communication stage in which information for establishing the second stage is transmitted and received; the second stage is a communication stage that enables communication with higher security than the first stage, the program causes the estimation function to estimate a location of the second communication device based on an RSSI of a connection request requesting a transition to the second stage, which is transmitted and received between the first communication device and the second communication device in the first stage; causing one of the first communication device and the second communication device that has received the connection request to execute a connection release process for releasing the second stage before calculating an RSSI of the connection request or after calculating the RSSI of the connection request; program.

7. at least one first communication device; an estimation device that estimates a position of the second communication device based on wireless communication that complies with a specified communication standard between the first communication device and the second communication device; An estimation system comprising: the specified communication standard is a standard for communication including at least two communication stages, a first stage and a second stage; the first stage is a communication stage in which information for establishing the second stage is transmitted and received; the second stage is a communication stage that enables communication with higher security than the first stage, the estimation device estimates a location of the second communication device based on a connection request requesting a transition to the second stage, which is transmitted and received between the first communication device and the second communication device in the first stage; one of the first communication device and the second communication device that has received the connection request executes a connection release process to release the second stage before calculating the RSSI of the connection request or after calculating the RSSI of the connection request; Estimation system.

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