Controller, positioning system, and control method

Abstract

A controller (210) according to one aspect of the present invention is a controller (210) that controls a plurality of base stations (2) that transmit signals for network positioning of a terminal device (100) to the terminal device (100), in which the controller (210) continuously performs the network positioning a plurality of times and controls each of the base station (2) such that an area covered by at least any one of the base stations (2) for the network positioning is changed between the numbers of times of the network positioning which are different from each other.

Description

Controller, positioning system and control method

[0001] The present invention relates to a controller, a positioning system, and a control method.

[0002] A technique (network positioning) is known that measures the signal strength of a signal transmitted from a base station to a terminal device and estimates the location of the terminal device based on the measured signal strength. One example is three-point positioning, which estimates the location of a terminal device using signals from three base stations.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for estimating the position of a wireless terminal by performing three-point positioning using a plurality of antennas.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2023-182503

[0005] The above-mentioned triangulation method determines the intersection of radio waves, which are signals from a base station, when they are assumed to spread out in an ideal spherical shape. However, because radio waves are subject to diffraction, reflection, and attenuation, there is a problem that errors are likely to occur when calculating the distance between a base station and a terminal device from signal strength. This problem also occurs when calculating the distance based on the propagation time of the radio waves from a base station to a terminal device.

[0006] One aspect of the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to further improve the accuracy of network positioning for terminal devices.

[0007] In order to solve the above problem, a controller according to one embodiment of the present invention is a controller that controls a plurality of base stations that transmit signals for network positioning of a terminal device to the terminal device, and performs multiple network positioning operations in succession, and controls each base station so that the area covered for network positioning by at least one of the base stations changes between different network positioning operations.

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, a positioning system according to one embodiment of the present invention is a positioning system comprising a controller and a plurality of base stations that transmit signals for network positioning of a terminal device to the terminal device, wherein the controller performs multiple network positioning operations in succession and controls each base station so that at least one of the base stations changes the area that it covers for network positioning between different network positioning operations, and at least one of the plurality of base stations changes the area that it covers for network positioning between different network positioning operations.

[0009] In order to solve the above problem, a control method according to one embodiment of the present invention is a control method executed by an apparatus that controls a plurality of base stations that transmit signals for network positioning of a terminal device to the terminal device, and performs multiple network positioning operations in succession, and controls each base station so that the area covered for network positioning by at least one of the base stations is changed between different network positioning operations.

[0010] The controller according to each aspect of the present invention may be realized by a computer. In this case, the control program of the controller that causes the computer to operate as each part (software element) of the controller to realize the controller on the computer, and the computer-readable recording medium on which the control program is recorded, also fall within the scope of the present invention.

[0011] The control program may use various machine learning techniques in processes for causing a computer to operate as each part of the controller or other processes. In this case, the program using the machine learning technique may run on the controller or on another device (for example, an edge computer or a cloud server).

[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to further improve the accuracy of network positioning for a terminal device.

[0013] It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a positioning system. It is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of the positioning system. It is a flowchart explaining an example of the operation of the positioning system. It is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a computer that can be used as a terminal or a server.

[0014] <Configuration Example> A configuration example of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a positioning system 1 according to this embodiment. As an example, the positioning system 1 is configured by a terminal (terminal device, UE) 100 connected to base stations (cellular base stations, actuators) 2 (2a to 2d) and a server 200.

[0015] The terminal 100 is wirelessly connected to the base station 2. Although not a required configuration, the terminal 100 is not fixed to a specific location coordinate. In the example of FIG. 1 , the terminal 100 is carried by a passenger in a vehicle that moves from time to time. The present disclosure also includes a configuration in which the terminal 100 is mounted on a vehicle or the like. The vehicle may be an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle).

[0016] The server 200 is a server capable of controlling the base station 2 used for network positioning by a controller (RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC)) 210. Members of the server 200 other than the controller 210 will be described later.

[0017] The server 200 dynamically controls the power output of each base station 2 to change the area that each base station 2 covers for network positioning. In this specification, the area that each base station 2 covers for network positioning is also simply referred to as an "area." The area of ​​each base station 2 may be defined separately from the cell that is covered for normal data communication. The server 200 may also communicate with the terminal 100 via the base station 2 and start network positioning in response to a request from the terminal 100.

[0018] Next, referring to another drawing, the configuration of the positioning system 1 according to this embodiment will be explained in more detail. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of the positioning system 1 according to this embodiment. Note that Fig. 2 does not show components (communication units) that allow the server 200, the base station 2, and the terminal 100 to communicate with other devices.

[0019] (Server) The server 200 includes a controller (control unit) 210 , a storage unit 220 , and an external I / F (input / output unit) 230 .

[0020] The controller 210 includes a control circuit that controls each unit of the server 200 and each base station 2. When controlling each base station 2, the controller 210 may refer to a subscriber DB (database) 221 and control each base station 2 to perform network positioning according to conditions corresponding to the terminal 100 to be subjected to network positioning. The "estimated conditions" in FIG. 2 refer to the above conditions. The above conditions may also include conditions related to at least one of the frequency and number of network positioning operations and the number of base stations 2 used for network positioning. For example, if information included in the subscriber DB 221 indicates that the accuracy required for network positioning of a first terminal 100 is higher than the accuracy required for network positioning of another second terminal 100, the controller 210 may control each base station 2 to perform network positioning for the first terminal 100 more times in succession than for the second terminal 100.

[0021] Furthermore, the conditions may be defined for each type of terminal 100. For example, if the terminal 100 is a product that is mounted on an AGV, the controller 210 may perform control to increase the frequency of network positioning.

[0022] Furthermore, an external administrator, who is a user of server 200, may be able to directly specify conditions according to terminal 100 that is a target of network positioning to controller 210 via external I / F 230. Furthermore, when terminal 100 makes a request to start network positioning, terminal 100 may be able to specify conditions for network positioning to controller 210.

[0023] Furthermore, the controller 210 may be configured to change the area that each base station 2 covers for network positioning according to the output of an AI (Artificial Intelligence) 223 that predicts movement of the terminal 100 and calculates an error (error estimation) in the estimated position. Here, for example, the AI ​​223 may predict the destination of the terminal 100 by referring to the estimated position of the terminal 100 at each time, or may determine which base station 2 would result in an outlier when used for network positioning, and calculate an estimated position with the error eliminated.

[0024] Furthermore, when the terminal 100 moves during multiple network positioning operations, the controller 210 may control each base station 2 to change the area covered by at least any of the base stations 2 to an area according to the predicted result of the movement of the terminal 100. For example, the controller 210 may control the network positioning to use a base station 2 located near the predicted destination of the terminal 100.

[0025] Furthermore, the controller 210 estimates the position of the terminal 100 that is the target of network positioning based on information received from each base station 2, and inputs the estimated position of the terminal 100 to the position information DB 222 and the AI ​​223. For example, in a configuration in which the controller 210 receives information indicating the reception strength (signal strength) of a signal at the terminal 100 from each base station 2, the controller 210 may calculate the distance between each base station 2 and the terminal 100 from the reception strength, and estimate the position of the intersection as the position of the terminal 100. Furthermore, for example, information such as an ID that identifies each base station 2 and the distance between each base station 2 and the terminal 100 may also be input to the AI ​​223 as learning data, or an estimated position reflecting an error calculation by the AI ​​223 may be input to the position information DB 222.

[0026] The storage unit 220 is a storage device that stores various types of information, and stores a subscriber DB 221, a location information DB 222, etc. The storage unit 220 also includes a memory that temporarily stores information.

[0027] The subscriber DB 221 is a database that stores information about the terminal 100 and the owner or equivalent of the terminal 100. For example, the subscriber DB 221 may include the accuracy and number of times required for network positioning of each terminal 100. Furthermore, a subscriber means, but is not necessarily limited to, a subscriber to a service that enables network positioning.

[0028] The location information DB 222 is a database that stores information related to the location of each terminal 100. For example, the location information DB 222 stores a history of estimated locations of each terminal 100, linked to the date and time.

[0029] The storage unit 220 also stores data for implementing the AI ​​223 described above, as well as data such as a learning model used by the AI ​​223. In addition, the storage unit 220 stores an ID for identifying each base station 2, information indicating the position coordinates of each base station 2, and the like.

[0030] The external I / F 230 is an interface through which the server 200 inputs and outputs information. The external I / F 230 may include a display for displaying information, a keyboard for an external administrator to input information, etc. For example, the external administrator updates information such as the accuracy required for network positioning of each terminal 100, which is included in the subscriber DB 221, based on information acquired from the location information DB 222 and displayed on the display.

[0031] (Base Station) In response to an instruction from the controller 210, the base station 2 transmits a signal for network positioning to the terminal 100 within its area. A PRS (Positioning Reference Signal) is an example of such a signal. On the other hand, the base station 2 receives signals such as an SRS (Sounding Reference Signal) indicating reception strength and the like from the terminal 100.

[0032] The instructions from the controller 210 include instructions regarding the number of consecutive network measurements to be performed and the power output of the base station 2. Furthermore, for example, when the controller 210 controls multiple base stations 2 simultaneously, the instructions from the controller 210 include information specifying the base station 2 to be used for network positioning.

[0033] Each base station 2 transmits to the controller 210 an ID for identifying the base station itself and information indicating the reception strength at which the terminal 100 receives a signal transmitted from the base station itself.

[0034] Note that each base station 2 may be configured to calculate the distance between itself and the terminal 100 and transmit the distance to the controller 210. The present disclosure also includes a configuration in which the base stations 2 cooperate with one another and any one of the base stations 2 estimates the position of the terminal 100, and a configuration in which the terminal 100 estimates the position of its own device from the position coordinates and reception strength of each base station 2.

[0035] (Terminal) The terminal 100 includes a control unit 110 and a storage unit 120 .

[0036] The control unit 110 includes a control circuit that controls each unit of the terminal 100. For example, the control unit 110 controls the transmission of an SRS to the base station 2 that is the source of the PRS, and controls the transmission of information indicating a request to start network positioning of the terminal 100 to the server 200 via the base station 2.

[0037] The storage unit 120 is a storage device that stores various types of information. For example, the storage unit 120 may store map data including the position coordinates of each base station 2.

[0038] <Operation of Positioning System> Fig. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the operation of the positioning system 1 according to this embodiment. An example of a specific operation of the positioning system 1 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 3. The flowchart shown in Fig. 3 is started, for example, when a request to start network positioning is made from the terminal 100 to the server 200.

[0039] In S1 (step S1), the controller 210 of the server 200 refers to the subscriber DB 221 and controls each base station 2 to perform network positioning under conditions according to the terminal 100 that is the target of network positioning.

[0040] Note that when the processing of step S1 is performed after the processing of S5 and S6 described below, the controller 210 may change the area covered by each base station 2 in accordance with the output of the AI ​​223. Furthermore, the controller 210 changes the area covered by at least any of the base stations 2 each time the processing of S1 is performed. That is, the controller 210 performs network positioning multiple times in succession, and controls each base station 2 so that the area covered for network positioning by at least any of the base stations 2 is changed between different network positioning times, i.e., between the Mth network positioning and the Nth network positioning. Here, M and N are different integers of 1 or greater.

[0041] FIG. 1 illustrates the processing of S1. Specifically, in the first network positioning shown on the left side of FIG. 1, the output of base station 2c for network positioning is turned off. On the other hand, in the nth network positioning shown on the right side, the controller 210 increases the output of base station 2c compared to the first network positioning, so that the area of ​​base station 2c covers the location of terminal 100. In addition, the output of base station 2d is reduced, so that radio waves from base station 2d do not interfere with the network positioning. In this way, the controller 210 may control the output of some base stations 2 to be reduced when radio wave interference occurs. Note that network positioning does not necessarily have to be performed using triangular positioning. In other words, there is no limit to the number of base stations 2 used in one network positioning.

[0042] In S2, each base station 2 that includes the terminal 100 in its area responds to an instruction from the controller 210 and transmits a signal such as a PRS for network positioning to the terminal 100.

[0043] In S3, the terminal 100 transmits a signal such as an SRS indicating the reception strength of the signal to the base station 2 that is the source of the signal in S2.

[0044] In S4, the base station 2 transmits to the controller 210 an ID for identifying the base station 2 itself and information indicating the reception strength at which the terminal 100 receives the signal transmitted from the base station 2 itself.

[0045] In S5, the controller 210 of the server 200 estimates the position of the terminal 100 that is the target of network positioning, based on the information received from each base station 2. The controller 210 also inputs the estimated position of the terminal 100 to the position information DB 222 and the AI ​​223. The AI ​​223 receives the estimated position as input and performs a calculation to output, for example, a predicted result of the movement of the terminal 100.

[0046] In S6, the controller 210 determines whether the number of times of network positioning for the target terminal 100 has reached the number defined by the conditions according to the terminal 100. In other words, the controller 210 determines whether multiple times of network positioning for the terminal 100 have been completed.

[0047] If the controller 210 determines that the number of times of network positioning has been performed reaches the aforementioned number (S6: YES), the controller 210 proceeds to execute the process of S7. On the other hand, if the controller 210 determines that the number of times of network positioning has not been performed reaches the aforementioned number (S6: NO), the controller 210 repeats the process from S1.

[0048] In S7, the controller 210 refers to each estimated position of the terminal 100 corresponding to each of the multiple network positioning operations, and determines a single final estimated position that is the final estimated position of the terminal 100. For example, the controller 210 may determine the midpoint of each estimated position as the final estimated position, or may determine the final estimated position by assigning a greater weight to more recent estimated positions.

[0049] In S8, the controller 210 transmits the determined final estimated position to the terminal 100 via the base station 2. The controller 210 may also input the final estimated position to the position information DB 222 and the AI ​​223.

[0050] The above describes a control method executed by the server 200 that controls multiple base stations 2. According to this control method, by performing network positioning multiple times under different conditions, the impact of, for example, temporary difficulty in receiving radio waves from one of the base stations 2 reaching the terminal 100 can be reduced. Furthermore, the base station output can be dynamically adjusted to match the required estimation conditions based on subscriber information or instructions from the terminal 100. This reduces the DOP (Dilution of Precision) of network positioning for the terminal 100, further improving accuracy. Additionally, because the base station output is dynamically adjusted to match the conditions of each terminal 100, there is an advantage in that radio wave interference with other services is less likely to occur.

[0051] The above method is not limited to a configuration in which the distance between each base station 2 and the terminal 100 is calculated based on the reception strength of the signal at the terminal 100, but can also be applied to a configuration in which the distance is calculated based on the response time between when a signal is transmitted from each base station 2 to the terminal 100 and when it returns. In this configuration, either the base station 2 or the controller 210 may calculate the distance.

[0052] [Examples of Hardware Configuration and Software Implementation] The control blocks of the terminal 100 and the server 200 (particularly the control unit 110 and the controller 210, etc.) may be implemented by a logic circuit (hardware) formed on an integrated circuit (IC chip), etc., or may be implemented by software using a CPU (Central Processing Unit). In the latter case, the server 200 may be configured using a computer (electronic calculator).

[0053] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a computer 910 that can be used as the terminal 100 or the server 200. The computer 910 includes an arithmetic unit 912, a main memory device 913, an auxiliary memory device 914, and an input / output interface 915, all connected to one another via a bus 911. The arithmetic unit 912, the main memory device 913, and the auxiliary memory device 914 may each be, for example, a CPU, a RAM (random access memory), a solid-state drive, or a hard disk drive. The input / output interface 915 is connected to an input device 920 through which a user inputs various information to the computer 910, and an output device 930 through which the computer 910 outputs various information to the user. The input device 920 and the output device 930 may be built into the computer 910 or may be connected (externally) to the computer 910. For example, the input device 920 may be a button, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch sensor, or the like, and the output device 930 may be a lamp, a display, a printer, a speaker, or the like. It is also possible to apply a device having the functions of both the input device 920 and the output device 930, such as a touch panel in which a touch sensor and a display are integrated. The communication interface 916 is an interface that enables the computer 910 to communicate with external devices.

[0054] The auxiliary storage device 914 stores an information processing program for operating the computer 910 as the server 200. The arithmetic device 912 then deploys the information processing program stored in the auxiliary storage device 914 onto the main storage device 913 and executes instructions included in the information processing program, thereby causing the computer 910 to function as each unit of the server 200. Note that the recording medium used by the auxiliary storage device 914 to record information such as the information processing program may be any computer-readable "non-transitory tangible medium," and may be, for example, a tape, a disk, a card, a semiconductor memory, a programmable logic circuit, or the like.

[0055] Alternatively, the computer 910 may be configured to function using a program stored on a recording medium external to the computer 910 or a program supplied to the computer 910 via any transmission medium (such as a communication network or broadcast waves).The present invention may also be realized in the form of a data signal embedded in a carrier wave, in which the program is embodied by electronic transmission.

[0056] Furthermore, some or all of the functions of the control blocks can be realized by logic circuits. For example, an integrated circuit in which a logic circuit that functions as each of the control blocks is formed is also included in the scope of the present invention. In addition, the functions of the control blocks can also be realized by, for example, a quantum computer.

[0057] Furthermore, each process described in each of the above embodiments may be executed by AI (Artificial Intelligence). In this case, the AI ​​may run on the control device or on another device (for example, an edge computer or a cloud server).

[0058] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[0059] [Summary] The controller according to aspect 1 of the present invention is a controller that controls a plurality of base stations that transmit signals for network positioning of a terminal device to the terminal device, and is configured to perform multiple network positionings in succession and control each base station so that the area that at least one of the base stations covers for network positioning changes between different network positionings.

[0060] A controller according to aspect 2 of the present invention may be configured in the above aspect 1 to control each base station to perform network positioning according to conditions corresponding to the terminal device to be subjected to network positioning, and the conditions may include conditions relating to at least one of the frequency and number of times of network positioning, and the number of base stations to be used for network positioning.

[0061] A controller according to aspect 3 of the present invention may be configured to, in aspect 1 or 2 above, control each base station so that, when the terminal device moves during multiple network positionings, the area that at least one of the base stations covers for network positioning is changed to an area according to the predicted movement of the terminal device.

[0062] A controller according to aspect 4 of the present invention may be configured in any of aspects 1 to 3 above to determine a single final estimated position by referring to each estimated position of the terminal device corresponding to each of multiple network positionings.

[0063] A positioning system according to aspect 5 of the present invention is a positioning system comprising a controller and a plurality of base stations that transmit signals for network positioning of a terminal device to the terminal device, wherein the controller performs multiple network positionings in succession and controls each base station so that at least one of the base stations changes the area that it covers for network positioning between different network positionings, and at least one of the plurality of base stations changes the area that it covers for network positioning between different network positionings.

[0064] A control method according to aspect 6 of the present invention is a control method executed by an apparatus that controls a plurality of base stations that transmit signals for network positioning of a terminal device to the terminal device, and that performs multiple network positioning operations in succession and controls each base station so that the area that at least one of the base stations covers for network positioning is changed between different network positioning operations.

[0065] 1 Positioning system 2, 2a to 2d Base station (cellular base station, actuator) 2, 2c, 2d Base station 100 Terminal (terminal device, UE) 110 Control unit 120 Memory unit 200 Server 210 Controller (control unit) 220 Memory unit 221 Subscriber DB 222 Location information DB 223 AI 230 External I / F (input / output unit) 910 Computer 911 Bus 912 Arithmetic unit 913 Main memory device 914 Auxiliary memory device 915 Input / output interface 916 Communication interface 920 Input device 930 Output device

Claims

1. A controller that controls a plurality of base stations that transmit signals for network positioning of a terminal device to the terminal device, the controller performing multiple network positioning operations in succession and controlling each base station so that the area covered by at least one of the base stations for network positioning changes between different network positioning operations.

2. The controller according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls each base station to perform network positioning according to conditions corresponding to the terminal device to be subjected to network positioning, the conditions including conditions relating to at least one of the frequency and number of times of network positioning, and the number of base stations to be used for network positioning.

3. The controller according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, when the terminal device moves during multiple network positioning operations, the controller controls each base station so that the area that at least one base station covers for network positioning changes to an area according to the predicted movement of the terminal device.

4. The controller according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a single final estimated position is determined by referring to each estimated position of the terminal device corresponding to each of a plurality of network positionings.

5. A positioning system comprising a controller and a plurality of base stations that transmit signals for network positioning of a terminal device to the terminal device, wherein the controller performs network positioning multiple times in succession and controls each base station so that at least one of the base stations changes the area that it covers for network positioning between different times of network positioning, and at least one of the plurality of base stations changes the area that it covers for network positioning between different times of network positioning.

6. A control method executed by a device that controls a plurality of base stations that transmit signals for network positioning of a terminal device to the terminal device, the control method comprising: performing multiple network positioning operations in succession, and controlling each base station so that at least one of the base stations changes the area that it covers for network positioning between different network positioning operations.

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