Radio wave information management system, radio wave information management method, and program

Abstract

To provide a radio wave information management system capable of estimating receiving intensity of radio waves on the basis of data measured by a plurality of wireless devices and selecting reception intensity information as time passes.SOLUTION: A radio wave information management system includes an information stored unit, a radio wave information determination unit, and a route setting unit. The information stored unit stores radio wave information, and location information and time information associated with the radio wave information. The radio wave information determination unit sets reliability information for the radio wave information on the basis of at least one of the location information and the time information. The route setting unit sets a route of a mobile object on the basis of the reliability information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to a radio wave information management system, a radio wave information management method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] As a technique for estimating the radio wave intensity of a wireless signal, for example, a wireless signal reception state evaluation device has been proposed that measures the reception intensity of radio waves at the same point multiple times, treats the reception intensities measured multiple times as statistical information, and determines whether it is due to multipath or a constant value. Also, for example, an area evaluation display device has been proposed that displays the range of reception intensity for a position considering the influence of shadowing based on a confidence interval and a standard deviation. Further, for example, a reception power estimation device has been proposed that estimates reception power considering the structure and layout of a building.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the above-described techniques, although the radio wave intensity is estimated in consideration of the measured reception intensity of radio waves and the environment, it is not possible to estimate the reception intensity of radio waves based on data measured by multiple wireless devices or to cope with changes in the environment over time.

[0005] One embodiment of the present invention provides a radio wave information management system, a radio wave information management method, and a program that can estimate the received radio wave strength based on data measured by multiple wireless devices, and select and discard received strength information as time progresses. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to the embodiment, the radio wave information management system comprises an information holding unit, a radio wave information determination unit, and a route setting unit. The information holding unit holds radio wave information and location information and time information associated with the radio wave information. The radio wave information determination unit sets reliability information for the radio wave information based on at least one of the location information and time information. The route setting unit sets the route of the moving object based on the reliability information. Radio wave information is acquired by multiple mobile devices that receive radio waves from a base station. Based on location information and time information, the radio wave information determination unit decides not to use the radio wave information acquired by the first mobile device when a second mobile device is interposed between the base station and the first mobile device. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Block diagram of the radio wave information management device according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] A diagram showing an example of a system to which the radio wave information management device of the first embodiment is applied. [Figure 3] A block diagram of an operation management system to which the radio wave information management device of the first embodiment is applied. [Figure 4] A diagram illustrating the method for determining radio wave reception strength information by the radio wave information determination unit in the radio wave information management device of the second embodiment. [Figure 5] A flowchart showing the operation procedure of the radio wave information determination unit in the radio wave information management device of the second embodiment. [Figure 6] A diagram illustrating the method for determining radio wave reception strength information by the radio wave information determination unit in the radio wave information management device of the third embodiment. [Figure 7] A flowchart showing the operation procedure of the radio wave information determination unit in the radio wave information management device of the third embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] The embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0009] (First Embodiment) First, the first embodiment will be described.

[0010] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a radio wave information management device 10 according to the first embodiment. The radio wave information management device 10 includes an information holding unit 11 and a radio wave information determination unit 12. The radio wave information management device 10 may be mounted on a mobile device such as an autonomous mobile robot (AMR), or it may be built on a server device that controls the mobile device, which is not shown.

[0011] The information storage unit 11 stores, for example, the received strength of radio waves from a base station (radio wave information) measured by a mobile device equipped with a radio, along with the time and location of measurement. The information storage unit 11 can use various storage devices, such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive). The radio wave information management device 10 has a receiving unit (not shown) that receives the radio wave information, time, and location to be stored in the information storage unit 11 wirelessly or via a wired connection.

[0012] The radio wave information determination unit 12 determines the received strength and reliability of radio waves at each point (location) within a predetermined geographical range, based on the information held by the information holding unit 11. The radio wave information determination unit 12 may be implemented, for example, by a processor executing a program, or it may be implemented as hardware such as an electronic circuit.

[0013] Figure 2 shows an example of a system to which the radio wave information management device 10 is applied. This system includes one base station 1 and two AMRs (AMR[1], AMR[2]) 2 equipped with radio transceivers 21 capable of receiving radio waves from base station 1.

[0014] The system receives radio waves from the base station 1 with the radio 21 mounted on the AMR2 and measures the reception intensity. At this time, the system acquires the position information and the time information together. Examples of the method for acquiring the position information include, but are not limited to, positioning by GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) or a tacho generator. Also, examples of the method for acquiring the time information include, but are not limited to, acquiring the time from an OS (Operating System) operating on the AMR2 after performing time synchronization by the aforementioned GNSS or NTP (Network Time Protocol).

[0015] The radio wave information management device 10 associates the reception intensity (radio wave information) measured by the AMR2 with the acquired time information and position information, and holds them in the information holding unit 11 for each AMR2. When the radio wave information management device 10 is located outside the AMR2, these information are transmitted to the radio wave information management device 10 by wireless communication from the radio 21 mounted on the AMR2, for example. The case where the radio wave information management device 10 is located outside the AMR2 is, for example, the case where it is in a server device (not shown) that controls the mobile body (here, the AMR2).

[0016] Then, based on the radio wave information of a plurality of AMRs 2 held in the information holding unit 11, the radio wave information determination unit 12 of the radio wave information management device 10 determines the reception intensity of the radio wave and its reliability at each point (position) within a predetermined geographical range.

[0017] Here, the reliability of the reception intensity of the radio wave generally has the property of decreasing according to the elapsed time since the radio wave was acquired. Therefore, in the radio wave information management device 10 of the first embodiment, the radio wave information determination unit 12 decreases the reliability of the reception intensity of the radio wave according to the elapsed time since the radio wave was acquired.

[0018] Also, when the AMR2 travels several times and acquires the received signal strength of radio waves, the received signal strength of radio waves may be acquired at the same location. In such a case, since the received signal strength of radio waves at that location varies little over time, the radio wave information determination unit 12 may reduce the degree of decrease in reliability.

[0019] Further, the radio wave information determination unit 12 may select and discard radio wave information according to the reliability. For example, when the radio wave information determination unit 12 acquires the received signal strength of radio waves at the same location with a plurality of AMR2s, it may leave only the received signal strength information with high reliability.

[0020] Also, when the radio wave information determination unit 12 estimates or linearly or non-linearly complements the received signal strength at a location that has not been measured based on the acquired received signal strength information of radio waves, it may make a difference in the degree of decrease in reliability. For example, for the received signal strength information of the location obtained by measurement, the radio wave information determination unit 12 may compare it with the received signal strength information of the location obtained by estimation or complementation and reduce the degree of decrease in reliability.

[0021] Also, various methods can be considered for the minimum unit of one location that holds the received signal strength information of radio waves. For example, it may be a value calculated from the moving speed of the AMR2 and the acquisition interval of the received signal strength of radio waves, or a value related to the wavelength of the radio waves for which the received signal strength is acquired.

[0022] As described above, the radio wave information management apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment provides reliability over time for the received signal strength information of radio waves. Thereby, in a system to which the radio wave information management apparatus 10 is applied, it becomes possible to handle the received signal strength information of radio waves corresponding to environmental changes over time.

[0023] (Application Example) The above describes how the radio wave information management device 10 manages radio wave information. The managed radio wave information can be used, for example, for the operation management of AMR2. Here, as an example of an application of the radio wave information management device 10, we will describe an AMR2 operation management system that applies the radio wave information management device 10 and is based on radio wave information whose reliability is managed as described above.

[0024] Figure 3 is a block diagram of the operation management system 30 to which the radio wave information management device 10 is applied.

[0025] The operation management system 30 has an operation route determination unit 31. In the operation management system 30, this operation route determination unit 31 determines the operation route of the AMR2 based on information from the radio wave information determination unit 12 of the radio wave information management device 10. The operation route determination unit 31 may be implemented, for example, by a processor executing a program, or it may be implemented as hardware such as an electronic circuit.

[0026] The route determination unit 31 manages the operation of the AMR2. For example, it prioritizes setting locations where radio wave reception strength cannot be obtained as the AMR2's route and actively acquires radio wave reception strength information. To this end, the route determination unit 31 may determine the AMR2's route in a way that minimizes overlapping locations between the routes of multiple AMR2s and ensures that the AMR2s pass through all locations where radio wave reception strength is to be acquired. Furthermore, as mentioned above, the route determination unit 31 receives reliable radio wave information from the radio wave information determination unit 12. Therefore, in order to actively acquire radio wave reception strength information, the route determination unit 31 may prioritize setting routes that include locations with reception strength information of reduced reliability as the AMR2's route.

[0027] In this way, the operation management system 30 to which the radio wave information management device 10 is applied can manage the operation of the AMR2 according to the reliability of the radio waves, thereby linking the operation of the AMR2 with the acquisition of radio wave reception strength information.

[0028] (Second Embodiment) Next, a second embodiment will be described.

[0029] In the first embodiment, an example was described in which multiple AMR2s are used, and a reliability level based on the passage of time is established for the radio wave reception strength information, thereby enabling the handling of radio wave reception strength information in response to environmental changes over time. However, when radio wave reception strength is acquired by multiple AMR2s, there is a possibility that other AMR2s exist between one AMR2 and the base station 1, causing radio waves to be shielded. When radio waves are shielded, the radio wave reception strength fluctuates significantly, so the method of handling reception strength information needs to be different from when radio waves are not shielded.

[0030] Therefore, in the second embodiment, a method for determining radio wave reception strength information, including reliability information, when the AMR2 acts as a radio wave shield will be described.

[0031] Figure 4 shows a situation where AMR[1]2 is present between base station 1 and AMR[2]2, and radio waves are being shielded. Below, the operation of the radio wave information determination unit 12 of the second embodiment under these conditions will be explained using the flowchart in Figure 5.

[0032] The radio wave information determination unit 12 first stores the radio wave information of the two AMR2 units (S101). Next, the radio wave information determination unit 12 calculates the distance between the two AMR2 units from the time and position associated with the radio wave information (S102).

[0033] If the distance between the two AMR2 units is greater than a certain distance (S102: No), the radio wave information determination unit 12 adopts the radio wave information measured by these two AMR2 units without reducing its reliability (S105). Here, the certain distance may be a value related to the wavelength of the radio wave, for example, or it may be a predetermined value. The certain distance is not limited to these and can be derived in various ways.

[0034] On the other hand, if the distance between the two AMR2s is within a certain distance (S102: Yes), the radio wave information determination unit 12 determines whether there is another AMR2 between the base station 1 and the AMR2 (S103).

[0035] If there is no other AMR2 between base station 1 and AMR2 (S103: No), the radio wave information determination unit 12 adopts the radio wave information measured by these two AMR2s without reducing its reliability (1505).

[0036] On the other hand, if another AMR2 exists between base station 1 and AMR2 (S103: Yes), the radio wave information determination unit 12 treats the other AMR2 as an obstruction and does not adopt its radio wave information (S104). Alternatively, the radio wave information determination unit 12 may adopt the radio wave information with reduced reliability. Furthermore, the radio wave information determination unit 12 may adopt the radio wave information without reducing reliability, but by increasing the degree of reliability degradation over time.

[0037] Thus, the radio wave information management device 10 of the second embodiment can determine the reliability of the received radio wave strength information, taking into account the radio wave shielding situation, such as determining the reliability of the received radio wave strength information according to the positional relationship of the AMR2.

[0038] (Third embodiment) Next, a third embodiment will be described.

[0039] In the second embodiment, a method for determining radio wave information when multiple AMR2s measure radio wave reception strength and other AMR2s are present as shielding in the radio wave path was described. However, when multiple AMR2s travel within a predetermined geographical range, there are many cases where one AMR2 follows another. In such cases, the radio wave reception strength at the same location may be measured by multiple AMR2s.

[0040] Therefore, in the third embodiment, a method for determining radio wave reception strength information when acquiring the reception strength of radio waves at the same location with multiple AMR2s will be described.

[0041] Figure 6 shows the situation where AMR[2]2 is following AMR[1]2 and acquiring the radio wave reception strength. In Figure 6, "nn" in "AMR[1]-nn" represents the radio wave reception strength acquired by AMR[1]2, and "nn" in "AMR[2]-nn" represents the radio wave reception strength acquired by AMR[2]2. In this example, the unit of radio wave reception strength is dBm, but other units may be used to store the radio wave reception strength information. Each box labeled "AMR[1]-nn" and "AMR[2]-nn" represents the smallest unit of one location where radio wave reception strength information is stored. Among these boxes, the hatched boxes indicated by symbols a1 and a2 indicate locations where the reception strengths of two radio waves measured by the two AMR2s differ significantly. The operation of the radio wave information determination unit 12 of the third embodiment under these circumstances will be explained below using the flowchart in Figure 7.

[0042] The radio wave information determination unit 12 first searches among the radio wave reception strength information for the same location acquired by multiple AMR2 units to see if any was acquired within a predetermined time (S201). Here, the predetermined time may be predetermined by, for example, the movement speed of the AMR2 units or the positional resolution of the radio wave reception strength information. The predetermined time is not limited to these and can be determined by various methods.

[0043] The radio wave information determination unit 12 determines whether the difference between the received intensity information of multiple radio waves acquired within a predetermined time is within a threshold (S202). Here, the threshold may be calculated from, for example, statistical information of received intensity measured within a certain time, a theoretical formula corresponding to the wavelength of the radio wave and the movement speed of the AMR2, or the positional resolution of the received intensity information of the radio wave. The threshold is not limited to these and can be calculated by various methods.

[0044] If the received signal strength of the radio waves at the same location measured by multiple AMR2s is within the threshold (S202: Yes), the radio wave information determination unit 12 averages each piece of information and adopts it without reducing the reliability information (S203). In this case, the radio wave information determination unit 12 may reduce the degree of degradation of the reliability information over time as the number of AMR2s acquired at the same location increases.

[0045] On the other hand, if the received signal strength of the radio waves at the same location measured by multiple AMR2s exceeds a threshold (S202: No), the radio wave information determination unit 12 does not adopt the radio wave information (S204). Alternatively, even if the radio wave information determination unit 12 adopts the received signal strength of any of the radio waves, it sets its reliability to a low level, or does not set the reliability to a low level, but sets a high degree of decrease in reliability over time.

[0046] Furthermore, when measurements are taken with three or more AMR2s, the radio wave information determination unit 12 may always set the reliability of the information acquired by the AMR2 that has acquired a statistically significant deviation in radio wave reception strength to be low, or it may set the degree of decrease in reliability over time to be large.

[0047] Furthermore, if the received radio wave strength deviates significantly from the received radio wave strength measured in the surrounding area, the radio wave information determination unit 12 may choose not to adopt that radio wave received strength information. Alternatively, even if the radio wave information determination unit 12 adopts the received radio wave strength information, it may set a low reliability level, or it may not set a low reliability level but set a high degree of decrease in reliability over time.

[0048] Thus, the radio wave information management device 10 of the third embodiment can determine radio wave reception strength information and reliability with higher accuracy when the reception strength of radio waves at the same location can be obtained by multiple AMRs 2.

[0049] It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and the components can be modified and implemented in practice without departing from the spirit of the invention. Furthermore, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining the multiple components disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiments. Moreover, components from different embodiments may be appropriately combined. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0050] 1...Base station, 2...AMR, 10...Radio wave information management device, 11...Information storage unit, 12...Radio wave information determination unit, 21...Radio transceiver, 30...Operation management system, 31...Operation route determination unit.

Claims

1. An information holding unit that holds radio wave information and location information and time information associated with the radio wave information, A radio wave information determination unit sets reliability information for the radio wave information based on at least one of the location information and the time information, A route setting unit sets the route of the moving object based on the aforementioned reliability information, It is equipped with, The aforementioned radio wave information is acquired by multiple mobile devices that receive radio waves from a base station. The radio wave information determination unit decides, based on the location information and the time information, not to adopt the radio wave information acquired by the first mobile body under the circumstances in which the second mobile body is interposed between the base station and the first mobile body. Radio wave information management system.

2. The radio wave information management system according to claim 1, wherein the radio wave information determination unit reduces the reliability of the radio wave information over time based on the time information.

3. The radio wave information determination unit, based on the location information, reduces the degree of decrease in the reliability of the radio wave information over time for locations where multiple radio wave information has been acquired, as described in claim 2.

4. The aforementioned radio wave information includes measured radio wave information and radio wave information estimated using the measured radio wave information. The radio wave information determination unit compares the estimated radio wave information with the actual measured radio wave information to reduce the degree of decrease in the reliability of the radio wave information over time, as described in claim 2.

5. An information holding unit that holds radio wave information and location information and time information associated with the radio wave information, A radio wave information determination unit sets reliability information for the radio wave information based on at least one of the location information and the time information, A route setting unit sets the route of the moving object based on the aforementioned reliability information, It is equipped with, The aforementioned radio wave information is acquired by multiple mobile devices that receive radio waves from a base station. The radio wave information determination unit sets the reliability of the radio wave information acquired by the first mobile device to a low level based on the location information, under the condition that a second mobile device is interposed between the base station and the first mobile device. Radio wave information management system.

6. The radio wave information management system according to claim 1 or 5, wherein the radio wave information determination unit determines, based on the location information and the time information, that for a location where two or more radio wave information pieces with a difference of less than or equal to a threshold have been acquired within a certain period of time, to adopt one of the values ​​within the range from the maximum to the minimum value of the two or more radio wave information pieces.

7. The radio wave information management system according to claim 6, wherein any value within the range from the maximum value to the minimum value among the two or more radio wave information is the average value of the two or more radio wave information.

8. The radio wave information management system according to claim 1 or 5, wherein the radio wave information determination unit determines not to use the multiple radio wave information if multiple radio wave information is acquired at the same location and within a certain period of time, and the difference between the multiple radio wave information exceeds a threshold.

9. An information holding unit that holds radio wave information and location information and time information associated with the radio wave information, A radio wave information determination unit sets reliability information for the radio wave information based on at least one of the location information and the time information, A route setting unit sets the route of the moving object based on the aforementioned reliability information, It is equipped with, The aforementioned radio wave information is acquired by multiple mobile devices that receive radio waves from a base station. Based on the location information and time information, the radio wave information determination unit, when radio wave information for the same location is acquired by three or more mobile bodies within a certain period of time, and the radio wave information acquired by two or more of the three or more mobile bodies is within a predetermined range, and the radio wave information acquired by the other one or more mobile bodies is outside the predetermined range, reduces the reliability of the radio wave information acquired by the other one or more mobile bodies. Radio wave information management system.

10. The radio wave information management system according to claim 1, 5, or 9, wherein the radio wave information determination unit determines the minimum unit of position information based on the wavelength of the radio wave used to acquire the radio wave information.

11. It stores radio wave information, and location and time information associated with the radio wave information, Based on at least one of the location information and the time information, reliability information is set for the radio wave information. Based on the aforementioned reliability information, set the path of the moving object. The aforementioned radio wave information is acquired by multiple mobile devices that receive radio waves from a base station. Setting the aforementioned reliability information means deciding not to use radio wave information acquired by the first mobile device under circumstances where a second mobile device is interposed between the base station and the first mobile device, based on the location information and the time information. Radio wave information management method.

12. A device that holds radio wave information and location information and time information associated with the radio wave information, Based on at least one of the location information and the time information, reliability information is set for the radio wave information. Based on the aforementioned reliability information, set the path of the moving object. The aforementioned radio wave information is acquired by multiple mobile devices that receive radio waves from a base station. Setting the aforementioned reliability information means setting a low reliability level for the radio wave information acquired by the first mobile device under the circumstances in which a second mobile device is interposed between the base station and the first mobile device, based on the location information. Radio wave information management method.

13. A device that holds radio wave information and location information and time information associated with the radio wave information, Based on at least one of the location information and the time information, reliability information is set for the radio wave information. Based on the aforementioned reliability information, set the path of the moving object. The aforementioned radio wave information is acquired by multiple mobile devices that receive radio waves from a base station. Setting the aforementioned reliability information means that, based on the location information and the time information, if radio wave information from the same location is acquired by three or more mobile bodies within a certain period of time, and the radio wave information acquired by two or more of the three or more mobile bodies is within a predetermined range, and the radio wave information acquired by the other one or more mobile bodies is outside the predetermined range, the reliability of the radio wave information acquired by the other one or more mobile bodies will be reduced. Radio wave information management method.

14. On the computer, It stores radio wave information, and location and time information associated with the radio wave information, Based on at least one of the location information and the time information, reliability information is set for the radio wave information. Based on the aforementioned reliability information, the path of the moving object is set. It is a program to perform the action, The aforementioned radio wave information is acquired by multiple mobile devices that receive radio waves from a base station. Setting the aforementioned reliability information means deciding not to use radio wave information acquired by the first mobile device under circumstances where a second mobile device is interposed between the base station and the first mobile device, based on the location information and the time information. program.

15. A computer, It stores radio wave information, and location and time information associated with the radio wave information, Based on at least one of the location information and the time information, reliability information is set for the radio wave information. Based on the aforementioned reliability information, the path of the moving object is set. It is a program to perform the action, The aforementioned radio wave information is acquired by multiple mobile devices that receive radio waves from a base station. Setting the aforementioned reliability information means setting a low reliability level for the radio wave information acquired by the first mobile device under the circumstances in which a second mobile device is interposed between the base station and the first mobile device, based on the location information. program.

16. A computer, It stores radio wave information, and location and time information associated with the radio wave information, Based on at least one of the location information and the time information, reliability information is set for the radio wave information. Based on the aforementioned reliability information, the path of the moving object is set. It is a program to perform the action, The aforementioned radio wave information is acquired by multiple mobile devices that receive radio waves from a base station. Setting the aforementioned reliability information means that, based on the location information and the time information, if radio wave information from the same location is acquired by three or more mobile bodies within a certain period of time, and the radio wave information acquired by two or more of the three or more mobile bodies is within a predetermined range, and the radio wave information acquired by the other one or more mobile bodies is outside the predetermined range, the reliability of the radio wave information acquired by the other one or more mobile bodies will be reduced. program.

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