Estimation and identification device and estimation and identification system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11940548-B2
Application number	US-202117337105-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 2, 2021
Priority date	Dec 5, 2018
Publication date	Mar 26, 2024
Grant date	Mar 26, 2024

Abstract

Provided is an improved estimation and identification device that estimates the position of a plurality of identification targets and identifies the plurality of identification targets. The estimation and identification device has a configuration comprising: a plurality of tracking devices that emit electromagnetic waves or sound waves and detect the position of an identification target on the basis of reflected electromagnetic waves or sound waves from the identification target holding a wireless transmission terminal; a plurality of wireless communications devices that wirelessly communicate with wireless communications terminals and receive identification information for the wireless communications terminals from the wireless communications terminals; and an analysis circuit that identifies the identification target and estimates the position of the identification target, on the basis of the results of the wireless communications results, the detected position of the identification target, and the identification information.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An estimation and identification apparatus, comprising:
a plurality of tracking devices, each of which in operation, emits an electromagnetic wave or a sound wave, and detects a position of an identification target holding a radio communication terminal, based on a reflected wave of the electromagnetic wave or the sound wave by the identification target;
a plurality of radio communication devices, each of which in operation, performs radio communication with the radio communication terminal, and receives identification information of the radio communication terminal from the radio communication terminal; and
analysis circuitry, which, in operation, identifies the identification target and estimates the position of the identification target, based on a result of the radio communication, the detected position of the identification target, and the identification information, wherein:
the plurality of radio communication devices each have a coverage area that includes an area not overlapping with each other, and that is narrower than a detection area of each of the plurality of tracking devices, and
the analysis circuitry identifies the identification target and estimates the position of the identification target when the radio communication terminal enters the coverage area of each of the plurality of radio communication devices.

2. The estimation and identification apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the analysis circuitry identifies the identification target and estimates the position of the identification target, for each of the plurality of radio communication devices, by linking the radio communication terminal in the coverage area of the radio communication device with the detected position of the identification target included in the coverage area of the radio communication device.

3. The estimation and identification apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the analysis circuitry unlinks the radio communication terminal included in the coverage area of each of the radio communication devices from the position of the identification target not included in the coverage area of the radio communication device.

4. The estimation and identification apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the analysis circuitry:
extracts the radio communication terminal that is included in the coverage area of each of the radio communication devices and is not linked one-to-one with the position of the identification target included in the coverage area of the radio communication device,
extracts the position of the identification target that is included in the coverage area of each of the radio communication devices and is not linked with the radio communication terminal included in the coverage area of the radio communication device, and
when the number of the radio communication terminals not linked with any of the positions of the identification targets among the extracted radio communication terminals and the number of the extracted positions of the identification targets are both equal to one, the analysis circuitry links the extracted radio communication terminal one-to-one with the extracted position of the identification target.

5. The estimation and identification apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the analysis circuitry links, with the extracted positions of the identification targets, all the radio communication terminals that are included in the coverage area of each of the radio communication devices and are not linked one-to-one with the position of the identification target included in the coverage area of the radio communication device, when either the number of the radio communication terminals not linked with any of the positions of the identification targets among the extracted radio communication terminals or the number of the extracted positions of the identification targets is different from one.

6. The estimation and identification apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the analysis circuitry unlinks, from the extracted position of the identification target, the radio communication terminal that is included in the coverage area of each of the radio communication devices and is other than the radio communication terminal linked one-to-one with the extracted position of the identification target.

7. The estimation and identification apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the analysis circuitry performs ranking of probabilities of links being made between the position of the identification target included in the coverage area of each of the radio communication devices and the radio communication terminals on a one-to-many basis.

8. The estimation and identification apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the analysis circuitry performs the ranking of the probabilities of the links based on at least one of time the links are made, the position of the linked identification target, or frequency of the links.

9. The estimation and identification apparatus according to claim 7 , further comprising a storage element, which in operation, stores at least one of the links or the ranking, wherein the analysis circuitry extracts a behavioral characteristic of the identification target based on the links and the ranking read out from the storage element.

10. The estimation and identification apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein, the coverage area is variable.

11. The estimation and identification apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein;
the plurality of tracking devices detect a velocity of the identification target,
the plurality of radio communication devices estimate a velocity of the radio communication terminal based on a received signal strength indicator of the radio communication, and
the analysis circuitry identifies the identification target and estimates the position and the velocity of the identification target based on the result of the radio communication, the detected position and velocity of the identification target, the estimated velocity of the radio communication terminal, and the identification information.

12. The estimation and identification apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein
the plurality of tracking devices detect the velocity of the identification target,
the plurality of radio communication devices hold a map for the received signal strength indicator of the radio communication terminal, the map having been made based on at least one of the position or the velocity of the radio communication terminal, and estimate the position and the velocity of the radio communication terminal based on the received signal strength indicator of the radio communication and the map, and
the analysis circuitry identifies the identification target and estimates the position and the velocity of the identification target based on the result of the radio communication, the detected position and velocity of the identification target, the estimated position and velocity of the radio communication terminal, and the identification information.

13. An estimation and identification system, comprising: an estimation and identification apparatus, including:
a plurality of tracking devices, each of which in operation, emits an electromagnetic wave or a sound wave, and detects a position of an identification target holding a radio communication terminal, based on a reflected wave of the electromagnetic wave or the sound wave by the identification target;
a plurality of radio communication devices, each of which in operation, performs radio communication with the radio communication terminal, and receives identification information of the radio communication terminal from the radio communication terminal; and
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Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Morishita Yohei
• Sato Junji
• Shirakata Naganori
• Yomo Hidekuni
• Iwasa Kenta
• NISHIYASU Kazuma
• OKAMOTO Mei

Classifications

• G01S5/0295 Primary

  Proximity-based methods, e.g. position inferred from reception of particular signals · CPC title

• G01S5/02521

  using a radio-map · CPC title

• G01S5/0278

  involving statistical or probabilistic considerations (G01S5/0252, G01S5/0294 take precedence) · CPC title

• G01S11/02

  using radio waves (G01S19/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04W4/029 Primary

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title