Terminal apparatus, position estimating method, position estimating system, and computer-readable storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9503855-B2
Application number	US-201514830012-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 19, 2015
Priority date	Mar 28, 2013
Publication date	Nov 22, 2016
Grant date	Nov 22, 2016

Abstract

A mobile terminal communicable with a plurality of base stations narrows down candidate positions of the mobile terminal estimated from signals received from the plurality of base stations, based on missing data of the signals received from a certain base station, and estimates a position of the mobile terminal from the narrowed down candidate positions, based on an observation probability of intensities of the signals received.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile terminal communicable with a plurality of base stations, comprising:
a storage unit configured to store a program; and
a processor configured to execute the program to perform a position estimating process that includes
narrowing down candidate positions of the mobile terminal estimated from signals received from the plurality of base stations, based on missing data of the signals received from a certain base station; and
estimating a position of the mobile terminal from the narrowed down candidate positions, based on an observation probability of intensities of the signals received.

2. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the narrowing down includes
first computing a first stage observation probability based on an observation probability and a missing probability of the plurality of base stations, and
second computing a second stage observation probability with respect to candidate positions having a first stage observation probability higher than a predetermined value, based on the observation probability of the intensities of the signals received and the missing probability of the plurality of base stations, and narrowing down a candidate location list to a location probability greater than or equal to a certain value.

3. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the estimating includes judging, with respect to a candidate location having a maximum second stage observation probability, whether the mobile terminal is located at the candidate location having the maximum second stage observation probability.

4. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the judging includes
comparing, with respect to the candidate location having the maximum second stage observation probability, the second stage observation probability with a threshold value,
judging the candidate location having the maximum second stage observation probability as the location of the mobile terminal when the second stage observation probability is greater than or equal to the threshold value, and
judging that the location of the mobile terminal is unknown when the second stage observation probability is less than the threshold value.

5. A position estimating system comprising:
a mobile terminal as claimed in claim 2 ; and
a server communicable with the mobile terminal,
wherein the server includes an other processor configured to perform a process including
receiving check-in data from the mobile terminal and storing the check-in data in a check-in data file, and
performing a location model learning process by reading the check-in data from the check-in data file,

wherein the location model learning process includes two learning stages that are a learning of a probability information part of the location model, and a learning of a threshold value information part of the location model.

6. The position estimating system as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the learning of the probability information part includes
learning a location model of a probability information part of the location model using the check-in data,
performing a second stage of a location estimating process with respect to the check-in data, based on the location model, when computing the second stage observation probability, and
learning a location model of a threshold value information part of the location model, by computing a threshold value of the second stage observation probability using the second stage observation probability obtained by the second stage of the location estimating process and a location name of a check-in location.

7. A position estimating method for estimating, by a computer, a position of a mobile terminal that is communicable with a plurality of base stations, comprising:
a narrowing-down procedure causing the computer to narrow down candidate positions of the mobile terminal estimated from signals received from the plurality of base stations, based on missing data of the signals received from a certain base station; and
an estimating procedure causing the computer to estimate a position of the mobile terminal from the narrowed down candidate positions, based on an observation probability of intensities of the signals received.

8. The position estimating method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the narrowing-down procedure includes
a first computing procedure causing the computer to compute a first stage observation probability based on an observation probability and a missing probability of the plurality of base stations, and
a second computing procedure causing the computer to compute a second stage observation probability with respect to candidate positions having a first stage observation probability higher than a predetermined value, based on the observation probability of the intensities of the signals received and the missing probability of the plurality of base stations, and narrow down a candidate location list to a location probability greater than or equal to a certain value.

9. The position estimating method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the estimating procedure includes a judging procedure causing the computer to judge, with respect to a candidate location having a maximum second stage observation probability, whether the mobile terminal is located at the candidate location having the maximum second stage observation probability.

10. The position estimating method as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the judging procedure compares, with respect to the candidate location having the maximum second stage observation probability, the second stage observation probability with a threshold value, judges the candidate location having the maximum second stage observation probability as the location of the mobile terminal when the second stage observation probability is greater than or equal to the threshold value, and judges that the location of the mobile terminal is unknown when the second stage observation probability is less than the threshold value.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a program for causing a processor of a mobile terminal that is communicable with a plurality of base stations, to perform a position estimating process that estimates a position of the mobile terminal, the position estimating process comprising:
a narrowing-down procedure that narrows down candidate positions of the mobile terminal estimated from signals received from the plurality of base stations, based on missing data of the signals received from a certain base station; and
an estimating procedure that estimates a position of the mobile terminal from the narrowed down candidate positions, based on an observation probability of intensities of the signals received.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the narrowing-down procedure includes
a first computing procedure that computes a first stage observation probability based on an observation probability and a missing probability of the plurality of base stations, and
a second computing procedure that computes a second stage observation probability with respect to candidate positions having a first stage observation probability higher than a predetermined value, based on the observation probability of the intensities of the signals received and the missing probability of the plurality of base stations, and narrows down a candidate location list to a location probability greater than or equal to a certain value.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the estimating procedure includes a judging procedure for judging, with respect to a

Assignees

• Fujitsu Ltd

Inventors

• Chen Bin

Classifications

• G01S5/0295

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

• H04W64/00

  Locating users or terminals {or network equipment} for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management · CPC title

• G01S5/14

  Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location · CPC title

• G01S5/0278

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

• H04W4/023 Primary

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title