KR20120074119A - Method and apparatus for measuring location of object - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method and system for measuring a location using two APs, the method comprising: measuring a distance between a tracking target for transmitting a location tracking signal and a location measuring device operating as a reference AP, An estimated position is extracted by measuring a distance between operating position measuring devices, and a determined position is determined by measuring a direction of the tracking target from a reference AP. With only two APs, the target can be measured accurately, reducing production costs.

Description

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MEASURING LOCATION OF OBJECT}

The present invention relates to a method and a position measuring device for measuring the position of a tracking object, and in particular, by measuring the direction and distance of the tracking object using a directional antenna to determine the exact position of the tracking object with two AP (Access Point) It relates to a position measuring device and method that can be measured.

The development of satellites has made it possible to commercialize location information systems. The position information system is a system for measuring the position of a moving object on the earth, that is, a GPS (Global Positioning System), and is mainly used for automobile information systems for civil use. For example, a technology for providing information such as a road, a route, a famous place name, a public institution, a convenience facility, a tourist destination, and the like using a GPS-equipped vehicle navigation has been utilized.

Recently, with the development of the mobile communication business, technology for detecting the location of a person or a thing based on a mobile communication network is also developing day by day. Examples of services using location-finding technology include services to look up services and facility information in nearby locations such as cash registers and restaurants, information on discounted gas station location or traffic congestion, and friends' location services. It is becoming. That is, a variety of location-based services (LBS) based on a technology for identifying a location has been developed. The location-based service may be provided by a base station-based technology through radio wave transmission and reception between a mobile terminal and a base station by a GPS-based technology using a GPS chip mounted on the mobile terminal. Or it may be provided by a mixture of GPS-based and base station-based. In addition, it may be provided in a mobile network environment such as WiBro (Wireless Broadband) or Wi-Fi or a wired Internet environment based on an IP address.

1 illustrates a system configuration of a location based service using an existing AP. As shown in FIG. 1, in order to measure a location using a plurality of APs, the locations may be measured using signals transmitted and received between APs in a state in which the positions and distances of the respective APs are accurately known. For example, in case of transmitting / receiving WiFi between APs 5, the accuracy of the position is measured to be within 100m and the error is severe. In addition, when obstacles exist between the APs, the error of the measurement position becomes larger, and the more APs, the higher the possibility of accurately measuring the position.

The present invention makes it possible to accurately measure the position of the tracking object by a position measuring system composed of only two position measuring devices.

The position measuring system of the present invention has a position measuring device having a directional antenna to measure the direction of the tracking target.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a method of measuring a location using a plurality of APs includes measuring a distance between a tracking target for transmitting a location tracking signal and a location measuring device operating as a reference AP; Measuring a distance between the target to be tracked and the location measuring device operating as the auxiliary AP; Extracting an expected position; Measuring a direction of the tracking object; Determining a determined position from the expected position.

An apparatus for tracking position using an antenna according to the present invention includes a directional antenna; A driver for driving the directional antenna; And a wireless signal processor configured to receive and process the location tracking signal from the directional antenna. And a controller configured to measure a distance and a direction between the tracking targets.

The position tracking system according to the present invention includes a directional antenna, a driver for driving the directional antenna, a wireless signal processor for receiving and processing the position tracking signal from the directional antenna, and a distance and direction between the tracking targets. A location tracking device including a control unit for measuring; And an auxiliary AP including a wireless signal processor for transmitting and receiving a location tracking signal and a controller for measuring a distance between tracking targets from the received location tracking signal.

According to the present invention it is possible to accurately measure the direction and distance of the terminal by transmitting and receiving a signal from the location tracking device for transmitting a location tracking signal.

According to the present invention, it is possible to construct a position measuring system at a relatively simple cost by accurately measuring and providing a tracking object using only two position tracking devices.

1 shows a configuration example of a conventional position tracking system.
2 shows a form of a position measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a block diagram of a configuration of a position measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a system configuration diagram of a method for measuring position according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a flowchart illustrating a position measuring method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings will be described the present invention in more detail.

The suffix "module" and " part "for components used in the following description are given merely for ease of description, and the" module "and" part "

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG.

The position measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention may be a terminal for executing a position measuring method and may be mounted on a mobile terminal such as a smart phone, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, and the like. When the program for the location tracking method is input and executed through, the mobile terminal itself may be used universally. In addition, the position measuring device may be an access point for measuring the position.

As used herein, terms used in the present invention are selected from general terms that are widely used in the present invention while taking into account the functions of the present invention, but these may vary depending on the intention or custom of a person skilled in the art or the emergence of new technologies. In addition, in certain cases, there is a term arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in this case, the meaning will be described in the corresponding description of the invention. Therefore, it is intended that the terminology used herein should be interpreted based on the meaning of the term rather than on the name of the term, and on the entire contents of the specification.

2 shows a form of a position measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The reference AP 10 is an example of the location tracking device of the present invention. The reference AP 10 may be composed of a main body 11 and a tag 20.

The main body 11 may include an antenna 12 that rotates itself to detect a signal in various directions. Antenna 12 may be, for example, a directional antenna. When the position measurement is started, the antenna 12 may rotate by a motor (not shown) to receive signals in various directions.

Tag 20 may include a motor that drives antenna 12.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the main body 11 and the tag 20 may be connected or separated by a connecting member such as an adapter or a joint, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the main body 11 and the tag 20 may be combined to be manufactured. Can be.

3 is a block diagram of a configuration of a position measuring device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, the position measuring apparatus 10 includes an antenna 12, a driver 13, a controller 14, a wireless signal processor 15, a power supply unit 16, a user input unit 17, and an orientation measuring unit ( 18).

The antenna 12 may be a directional antenna capable of receiving a position tracking signal from a tracking target. The location tracking signal may be, for example, an IR-UWB signal.

Ultra-wideband (UWB) is a wireless communication technology that transmits large amounts of information at low power over a very wide band compared to the existing spectrum. Since UWB guarantees a transmission distance of 10m-1km while using a frequency band of 3.1-10.6 ,, it may be a communication technology suitable for implementing a home networking system. Hereinafter, the wireless signal described herein may be a signal by any one of UWB, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and Z-Wave.

A directional antenna or beam antenna may transmit and receive radio signals radially. The directional antenna may be a yagi antenna, a log-periodic antenna, or a corner reflector.

The driver 13 may include a motor for rotating the antenna 12. The motor may be a stepping motor. The driver 13 may be connected to the antenna 12 by a connecting member (not shown) such as an adapter or a joint.

The control unit 14 may analyze the signal received from the antenna 12 to measure the displacement of the tracking target. The displacement of the tracking object may include the distance and direction of the tracking object.

The direction of the tracking object may be measured by a received signal strength indication (RSSI) method using a received sensitivity of a signal received from the antenna 12. For example, when the signal sensitivity at the 3 o'clock direction is highest among the signals received from the directional antenna 12 rotating 360 °, the tracking target is likely to be at the 3 o'clock direction. Therefore, the controller 14 may determine the direction of the tracking target as the 3 o'clock direction.

The distance to be tracked can be determined using the difference in the transmission / reception time of the signal after the position measuring device 10 transmits a location tracking signal, and in response thereto receives the location tracking signal from the tracking target.

 On the other hand, the distance between the two position measuring devices can be used to measure the displacement of the tracking target. Each distance can be obtained by transmitting and receiving signals between the position measuring devices.

The controller 14 may also measure the orientation of the main body 10 using the data received from the orientation measuring unit 18.

The wireless signal processor 15 may process and convert a signal received from the antenna 12 to the controller 14.

The power supply unit 16 may be configured as a power supply or a battery for supplying power to the position tracking device 10. The power supply unit 16 supplies stand-by power in the sleep mode. When the user selects a position tracking command, the power supply unit 16 supplies a DC voltage to activate the main body 10. Can supply As a result, power consumption of the main body 10 can be reduced.

The user input unit 17 may be configured as a button, a touch screen, or a keypad for receiving a command from a user.

The user input unit 17 may receive the settings of the reference AP and the auxiliary AP in the location measurement system consisting of two location measurement devices.

The azimuth measuring unit 18 may measure an azimuth of a current position by using a magnetometer.

4 is a system configuration diagram of a method for measuring position according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4, the position measuring system according to the present invention may be composed of two position measuring devices. One position measuring device may operate as the reference AP 10 and the other may operate as the secondary AP 30.

The reference AP 10 may have a configuration of the position measuring device illustrated in FIG. 2. The reference AP 10 may measure the distance L1 from the tracking target 40. The distance between the reference AP 10 and the tracking target 40 may be measured using a location tracking signal transmitted and received.

The reference AP 10 may measure the distance L3 between the auxiliary APs 30.

The antenna included in the secondary AP 30 may not be a directional antenna. The distance L3 between the reference AP 10 and the auxiliary AP 30 may be measured using a location tracking signal transmitted and received.

The position measuring system according to the present invention may set the direction of the auxiliary AP 30 as a reference axis, for example, the x-axis, based on the reference AP 10.

The secondary AP 30 may measure the distance L3 of the tracking target 40.

If both distances L1 and L3 are measured, the position measurement system can determine the expected position. The estimated positions P1 and P2 are circular arcs R1 having a radius L1 between the tracking target 40 from the reference AP 10 around the reference AP 10 as a radius, and the auxiliary AP 30 around the auxiliary AP 30. Can be determined by the intersection of the arc R2 having the radius L2 between the tracking targets 40 as a radius.

When the estimated position is determined, the reference AP 10 may drive the directional antenna to determine the direction of the tracking target 40. The direction of the tracking target may be obtained using the sensitivity of the signal received from the tracking target 40. Among the expected positions, the signal sensitivity from the position P1 in which the tracking target 40 is actually present will be measured strongly, and the reference AP 10 can determine the position P1 as the determined position.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a position measuring method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In step S11, the distance between the location measuring device operating as the reference AP and the tracking target is measured. The tracking target can transmit, for example, an IR-UWB (ImpulseRadio UltraWideband) as a position tracking signal.

In operation S12, the distance between the location measuring device operating as the auxiliary AP and the tracking target is measured. In addition, the reference AP may receive the distance value measured by the secondary AP.

In step S13, the expected position of the tracking target is extracted. In the extraction of the expected position, a positioning method by triangulation can be used by combining the distance values measured in step s11 and step s12. The number of expected positions to be extracted may be at least one.

In step S14, the direction of the tracking target is measured. The direction of the tracking target may be determined by the reception sensitivity of the position measuring device operating as the reference AP.

The determined position is determined from the estimated position extracted in step S15. The position measuring device operating as the reference AP may determine an expected position having a higher reception sensitivity among the expected positions as the determined position.

The position measuring apparatus according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been described above. The position measuring device according to the present invention is not limited to the configuration and method of the embodiments described as described above, the embodiments are a combination of all or part of each embodiment selectively so that various modifications can be made It may be configured.

On the other hand, the position measuring method of the present invention can be implemented as a processor-readable code on a processor-readable recording medium. The processor-readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording devices that store data that can be read by the processor. Examples of the processor-readable recording medium include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage device, and the like, and may also be implemented in the form of a carrier wave such as transmission over the Internet. . The processor-readable recording medium can also be distributed over network coupled computer systems so that the processor-readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

In addition, although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, but the technical field to which the invention belongs without departing from the spirit of the invention claimed in the claims. Of course, various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art, and these modifications should not be individually understood from the technical spirit or the prospect of the present invention.

10, 30: position measuring device
40: tracking target

Claims (13)

In the method for measuring the position using a plurality of AP,
Measuring a distance between a tracking object transmitting a location tracking signal and a location measuring device operating as a reference AP;
Measuring a distance between the target to be tracked and the location measuring device operating as the auxiliary AP;
Extracting an expected position;
Measuring a direction of the tracking object;
Determining a determined position from the expected position. The method of claim 1,
The position tracking signal is an IR-UWB (Impulse Radio UltraWideBand) signal. The method of claim 1,
And measuring the direction comprises driving a directional antenna of the position measuring device that operates as the reference AP. The method of claim 3,
The driving step includes rotating the directional antenna using a stepping motor. The method of claim 1,
The direction of the tracking target is determined by using the sensitivity of the received position tracking signal (sensitivity). The method of claim 1,
And measuring the orientation of the current position by using a magnetometer. In the device for tracking the position using an antenna,
Directional antennas;
A driver for driving the directional antenna; And
A wireless signal processor for receiving and processing the location tracking signal from the directional antenna;
And a control unit for measuring the distance and direction between the tracking targets. The method of claim 7, wherein
The position tracking signal is an IR-UWB (Impulse Radio-UltraWideBand) signal. The method of claim 7, wherein
And the driving unit includes a stepping motor to rotate the directional antenna. The method of claim 7, wherein
The tracking object is a position measuring device for transmitting a position tracking signal for a predetermined period. The method of claim 7, wherein
The location of the tracking target includes a direction and distance of the tracking target,
And the control unit determines the direction of the tracking target by using the sensitivity of the received position tracking signal. The method of claim 7, wherein
Position measuring device further comprises an orientation measuring unit for measuring the orientation of the current position by using a magnetometer (magnetometer). A location tracking system comprising the location tracking device of any one of claims 7 to 12 and an auxiliary AP,
The secondary AP,
A wireless signal processor for transmitting and receiving a location tracking signal; And
Position measuring system including a control unit for measuring the distance between the tracking target from the transmitted and received position tracking signal.

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