JP4619418B2 - Positioning device, communication system, and positioning method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a positioning device, a communication system, and a positioning method for positioning a mobile station.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a sector positioning method is known as a method for measuring (positioning) a mobile station in a wireless communication environment (referred to as “cell sector positioning” in Patent Document 1). In this sector positioning method, for example, among the plurality of sectors in a cell, the sector having the maximum reception level of the received signal from the mobile station at the time of positioning is specified, and the center position of the sector is estimated as the position of the mobile station. Is done.

Also, a so-called PRACH-PD positioning method is known as a method for specifying a position in a sector. In this PRACH-PD positioning system, there are a system that assumes the outdoors and a system that assumes the indoors. Among them, in the system assuming outdoor, as shown in FIG. 9, the propagation time until the PRACH signal transmitted to the mobile station 91 returns from the mobile station 91 and reaches the base station 90 is measured. Based on the time, the position of the mobile station 91 in the sector is specified. Further, in the scheme assuming indoors, as shown in FIG. 10, a multi-drop optical transmission device for mobile communication (Multi-drop) connected to the base station 90 and installed indoors in one sector under the base station 90. An optical feeder (hereinafter referred to as “MOF”) 92 is assigned, and the one sector is formed by radio signals transmitted from antenna groups 95 and 96 connected to the MOF 92. Here, the delay lines 93 inserted between the MOF 92 and the antenna group 95 and the delay lines 94 inserted between the MOF 92 and the antenna group 96 are different in length, so that A propagation delay (Propagation Delay, hereinafter also referred to as “PD”) is provided between them. In such a configuration, the propagation time until the PRACH signal transmitted from the base station 70 is returned at the mobile station and reaches the base station 70 is measured, the propagation delay is specified based on the propagation time, and the antenna that the mobile station uses It is identified whether it is located near the group (ie, the location of the mobile station within the sector).
JP 2007-322237 A

  However, positioning errors may occur due to the influence of the radio wave environment at the time of positioning. For example, in the configuration shown in FIG. 10, a delay line 93 shorter than the delay line 94 is inserted between the antenna group 95 and the MOF 92, and a propagation delay shorter than the antenna group 96 is provided in the antenna group 95. . At this time, when signals transmitted from the base station 90 to the antenna groups 95 and 96 are wirelessly transmitted from the antenna groups 95 and 96 and are returned by the mobile stations near the antenna groups and received by the base station 90, the antenna group 95 , A signal returned from a mobile station near the antenna group 96 may be received by the antenna group 95 in addition to the antenna group 96 due to the influence of the radio wave environment near the antenna group 96. In this case, if the antenna is located near the antenna group 95 having a short propagation delay, positioning is erroneously performed. That is, an incorrect positioning result may be obtained due to a propagation delay detection error.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and appropriately corrects a positioning error caused by a propagation delay detection error due to the influence of a radio wave environment at the time of positioning, thereby improving the reliability of positioning results. The purpose is to let you.

  The positioning apparatus according to the present invention divides a cell into a plurality of sectors in advance and divides each sector into a plurality of areas in which different propagation delays are provided in advance, so as to correspond to the combination of the sector and the propagation delay. A positioning device that measures the position of the mobile station by estimating in which area the mobile station is located among a plurality of set areas, the plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having different propagation delays Inter-area connection relationship storage unit storing information for obtaining the shortest travel time when moving between different areas, and the shortest travel time when moving between different areas in a plurality of areas obtained as a result of multiple positioning Is read from the inter-area connection relationship storage unit and based on the read information, the shortest travel time when moving between the different areas is different from the shortest travel time. Finding the difference between the positioning times when the area is positioned, and when the difference between the positioning times is smaller than the shortest movement time, a correction unit that corrects the positioning result by a predetermined method and outputs the corrected positioning result And an output unit.

  Further, the positioning device according to the present invention can be described as follows. That is, the positioning apparatus according to the present invention receives a positioning request including information on a mobile station to be positioned, divides a cell into a plurality of sectors in advance, and each sector is provided in a plurality of areas provided with different propagation delays. Positioning of the position of the mobile station is estimated by estimating in which area the mobile station is located among a plurality of areas set in association with the combination of the sector and the propagation delay. A positioning unit that performs positioning, a positioning result storage unit that stores the location of the mobile station as a positioning result by the positioning unit, and a positioning time, and a plurality of areas that belong to the same sector and have different propagation delays The inter-area connection relationship storage unit that stores information for obtaining the shortest travel time, and a plurality of positioning results and positioning times are read from the positioning result storage unit, and the read multiple times In the plurality of areas obtained as a result, information for obtaining the shortest movement time when moving between different areas is read from the inter-area connection relation storage unit and moved between the different areas based on the read information If the difference between the positioning time at which the different area is positioned and the difference between the positioning times is smaller than the minimum traveling time, the positioning result with the new positioning time is incorrect. When it is determined that there is an error by the error determination unit and the error determination unit, the positioning result correction unit that corrects the positioning result by a predetermined method and the corrected positioning result or no error is determined. And a positioning result output unit for outputting the positioning result obtained.

  The inter-area connection relationship storage unit stores the shortest movement time obtained in advance when moving between a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having different propagation delays, and the error determination unit includes the inter-area connection relationship. It is desirable to obtain the shortest movement time by reading out the shortest movement time when moving between different areas in a plurality of areas obtained as a result of multiple positioning from the storage unit.

  The inter-area connection relationship storage unit stores the shortest moving distance obtained in advance when moving between a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and different propagation delays, and the error determination unit includes the inter-area connection relationship. A shortest moving distance when moving between different areas in a plurality of areas obtained as a result of positioning multiple times is read from the storage unit, and the shortest moving time is obtained by dividing the shortest moving distance by a predetermined average moving speed. It is desirable.

  The positioning result correction unit may correct the new positioning result by using the older positioning result among the positioning results having a plurality of positioning times as the new positioning result.

  In addition, the positioning result correction unit described above has an area belonging to the same sector and having a propagation delay larger than the target area as the new positioning result for the target area that is the new positioning result to be corrected. Thus, the new positioning result may be corrected. When performing such correction, the following modes may be adopted.

  That is, the inter-area connection relationship storage unit further stores a linear distance obtained in advance between a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having different propagation delays, and the positioning result correction unit is the same for the target area. When there are a plurality of areas belonging to the sector and having a propagation delay larger than the target area, a straight line distance between each of the plurality of existing areas and the target area is read from the inter-area connection relation storage unit, and the target area A mode in which the new positioning result is corrected by using the area having the shortest straight line distance as the new positioning result may be adopted.

  In addition, in the positioning device, in a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector, when a positioning result that the position of the mobile station is one area is obtained, an area that is correct in propagation delay error correction is determined. A stored propagation delay error correction information storage unit, and the positioning result correction unit, when there are a plurality of areas that belong to the same sector and have a propagation delay larger than the target area with respect to the target area, From the delay error correction information storage unit, a correct area corresponding to the target area is read out, and the new positioning result is corrected by using the correct area as the new positioning result. Aspects may be adopted.

  Further, the positioning result correction unit, with respect to the target area, if there is no area that belongs to the same sector and whose propagation delay is larger than the target area, the positioning result whose positioning time is the oldest among the plurality of positioning results. You may employ | adopt the aspect which performs a predetermined | prescribed correction | amendment as object.

  By the way, as described above, the present invention can be regarded as “the invention related to the positioning device”, and can also be regarded as “the invention related to the communication system” and “the invention related to the positioning method”, which will be described later. Play.

  A communication system according to the present invention includes at least one mobile station that performs GPS positioning, at least one base station that forms a cell, a base station controller that performs sector positioning, and positioning that performs positioning of the position of the mobile station The positioning device receives a positioning request including information on a mobile station to be positioned, partitions a cell into a plurality of sectors in advance, and each sector has a different propagation delay. Is divided into a plurality of preliminarily provided areas, and among the plurality of areas set in association with the combination of the sector and the propagation delay, the area where the mobile station is located A positioning unit that performs positioning of the position of the mobile station by estimating based on a result of GPS positioning by the base station or a result of sector positioning by the base station controller, and by the positioning unit A positioning result storage unit for storing the area where the mobile station is located as a positioning result and a positioning time, and a minimum moving time for moving between a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and different propagation delays An inter-area connection relationship storage unit storing information, and a plurality of positioning results and positioning times are read from the positioning result storage unit, and different areas in a plurality of areas obtained as a plurality of read positioning results Information for obtaining the shortest travel time when moving is read from the inter-area connection relation storage unit, and the shortest travel time when moving between the different areas and the different areas are determined based on the read information. If the difference in positioning time is smaller than the shortest travel time, it is determined that there is an error in the positioning result of the newer positioning time. When the error determination unit and the error determination unit determine that there is an error, it is determined that there is no positioning result correction unit that corrects the positioning result by a predetermined method and the corrected positioning result or error. And a positioning result output unit for outputting the positioning result.

  In the positioning method according to the present invention, the cell is divided into a plurality of sectors in advance, and each sector is divided into a plurality of areas in which different propagation delays are provided in advance, so as to correspond to the combination of the sector and the propagation delay. A positioning method executed by a positioning device that performs positioning of the position of the mobile station by estimating in which area the mobile station is located among a plurality of set areas, the positioning device The information for obtaining the shortest movement time when moving between a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having different propagation delays is stored in advance between the different areas in a plurality of areas obtained as a result of multiple positioning. A step of reading information for obtaining the shortest movement time when moving, and the shortest movement time when moving between the different areas based on the read information Determining the difference between the positioning times at which the different areas are positioned, and correcting the positioning result by a predetermined method when the difference between the positioning times is smaller than the shortest movement time; and And a step of outputting.

  In addition, the positioning method according to the present invention can be described as follows. That is, the positioning method according to the present invention is a positioning method executed by a positioning device, a step of receiving a positioning request including information on a mobile station to be positioned, a cell divided into a plurality of sectors in advance and In which area the mobile station is located among a plurality of areas set in association with a combination of the sector and the propagation delay by dividing the sector into a plurality of areas provided with different propagation delays in advance , By measuring the position of the mobile station, storing the area where the mobile station is positioned as a positioning result, and the positioning time in the positioning result storage unit of the positioning device, A plurality of positioning results and positioning times are read from the positioning result storage unit and moved between different areas in a plurality of areas obtained as the read positioning results of a plurality of times. A step of reading out information for obtaining the shortest moving time from information for obtaining the shortest moving time when moving between a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having different propagation delays stored in advance by the positioning device And the difference between the shortest travel time when moving between the different areas based on the read information and the positioning time when the different areas are positioned, and the difference between the positioning times is smaller than the shortest travel time In addition, the step of determining that there is an error in the positioning result of the newer positioning time, the step of correcting the positioning result by a predetermined method when it is determined that there is an error, and the positioning result after correction, or And a step of outputting a positioning result determined that there is no error.

  In addition, you may employ | adopt the following various aspects.

  The positioning device stores the shortest movement time obtained in advance when moving between a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having different propagation delays. In the determining step, the positioning device The shortest movement time may be obtained by reading the shortest movement time when moving between different areas in a plurality of areas obtained as a positioning result.

  Further, the positioning device stores the shortest moving time obtained in advance when moving between a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having different propagation delays.In the determining step, the positioning device The shortest moving time may be obtained by reading out the shortest moving distance when moving between different areas in a plurality of areas obtained as a result of multiple times of positioning, and dividing the shortest moving distance by a predetermined average moving speed.

  In the correcting step, the positioning device may correct the positioning result of the newer one by setting the older positioning result among the positioning results having a plurality of positioning times as the newer positioning result.

  Further, in the correcting step, the positioning device has an area that belongs to the same sector and has a propagation delay larger than the target area with respect to the target area that is the new positioning result to be corrected. Thus, the newer positioning result may be corrected. When performing such correction, the following modes may be adopted.

  That is, the positioning device further stores a linear distance obtained in advance between a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having different propagation delays. In the correcting step, the positioning device When there are a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having a propagation delay larger than the target area, the linear distance between each of the plurality of existing areas and the target area is read from the inter-area connection relationship storage unit, You may employ | adopt the aspect which correct | amends the positioning result of this new one by making into the said new positioning result the area with the shortest linear distance between object areas.

  In addition, in the positioning device, in a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector, when a positioning result that the position of the mobile station is one area is obtained, an area that is correct in propagation delay error correction is determined. In the step of storing and correcting in advance, the positioning device corresponds to the target area when there are a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having a propagation delay larger than the target area with respect to the target area. It is also possible to adopt a mode in which the correct positioning result is corrected by reading the attached correct answer area and using the correct answer area as the new positioning result.

  Further, in the correcting step, the positioning device determines that the positioning time is the oldest among the plurality of positioning results when there is no area that belongs to the same sector and has a propagation delay larger than that of the target area. A mode in which a predetermined correction is performed on the positioning result may be adopted.

  According to the present invention as described above, it is possible to appropriately correct the positioning error caused by the detection error of the propagation delay due to the influence of the radio wave environment at the time of positioning, and improve the reliability of the positioning result.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the positioning error resulting from the detection error of the propagation delay by the influence of the radio wave environment at the time of positioning can be correct | amended appropriately, and the reliability of a positioning result can be improved.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[Configuration of communication system]
First, the configuration of the communication system according to the present embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system 1 according to the present embodiment includes at least one mobile station 40 that performs positioning based on GPS (Global Positioning System) (hereinafter referred to as “GPS positioning”) and at least one that forms a cell. It includes a base station 30, a base station controller (Radio Network Controller, hereinafter referred to as “RNC”) 20 that performs sector positioning, and a positioning server 10. Here, as the mobile station 40, there are a mobile station B carried by a child and a mobile station A carried by the parent of the child. The positioning server 10 corresponds to the positioning device according to the present invention.

  Each mobile station 40 transmits a positioning request including information on the positioning target mobile station to the positioning server 10 and receives a response (positioning result) from the positioning server 10 by a wireless communication procedure via the base station 30. A positioning request unit 41, a display unit 42 that displays the received positioning results, and a GPS positioning unit 43 that performs positioning of its own mobile station using GPS.

  The RNC 20 includes a sector positioning unit 21 that performs sector positioning. The positioning process in this embodiment will be described later.

  The positioning server 10 stores a positioning result by the communication control unit 11 that performs communication (transmission and reception of various information) with the RNC 20, a positioning unit 15 that performs positioning of the position of the positioning target mobile station, and the positioning unit 15. The positioning result storage unit 16, the area attribute storage unit 1A storing the sector ID, propagation delay and position coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude) set in advance for each area, and a plurality of different propagation delays belonging to the same sector Inter-area connection relationship storage unit 17 that stores information on the shortest travel time, the shortest travel distance, and the straight-line distance between the areas when moving between areas, and an error regarding propagation delay between a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector A PD error correction information storage unit 18 that stores a positioning result (hereinafter referred to as “PD error”) in which the positioning result is generated and a correction area for correcting the positioning result in association with each other; An error determination unit 12 that determines whether or not there is a D error, a positioning result correction unit 13 that corrects a positioning result by a predetermined method when it is determined that there is a PD error, and a corrected positioning result or error The positioning result output part 14 which outputs the positioning result determined not to exist, and the positioning request | requirement part 19 for making a positioning request | requirement directly with respect to the positioning part 15 are provided. Among them, the positioning unit 15 receives a positioning request including information on the positioning target mobile station, and performs positioning of the positioning target mobile station according to a procedure described later.

  From the viewpoint of hardware, the positioning server 10 includes, for example, a CPU 10A that executes an operating system, an application program, etc., a main storage unit 10B composed of ROM and RAM, a non-volatile memory, and the like as shown in FIG. An auxiliary storage unit 10C composed of: a communication control unit 10D that performs data communication; an output unit 10E that displays information, prints out information, and the like; and keys for character / number input and execution instructions And the operation unit 10F. The functions described in FIG. 1 are executed by loading predetermined software onto the CPU 10A and the main storage unit 10B shown in FIG. 2 and executing the software, and the communication control unit 10D is controlled under the control of the CPU 10A. It is realized by operating and reading and writing data in the main storage unit 10B and the auxiliary storage unit 10C. The RNC 20, the base station 30, and the mobile station 40 also have a basic hardware configuration as shown in FIG.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of areas (areas divided by combinations of sector IDs and propagation delays) set inside a certain building are assumed. In FIG. 4, Sx-y means an area where the sector ID is x and the propagation delay type is y. The attributes of each area shown in FIG. 4 are stored in the area attribute storage unit 1A in association with the sector ID, propagation delay, and position coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude) for each area, as shown in FIG. Has been.

  FIG. 5 shows the information stored in the inter-area connection relation storage unit 17, that is, the shortest moving time, the shortest moving distance, and the same area when moving between a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having different propagation delays. Information on the straight line distance is shown.

  In FIG. 6, the example of the positioning result memorize | stored in the positioning result memory | storage part 16 is shown. As shown in FIG. 6, the positioning result storage unit 16 includes identification information (user ID) of a positioning target mobile station, positioning results (specifically, latitude, longitude, altitude, and corresponding area name), The positioning time is stored, and the correction area name is stored by the positioning result correction unit 13 as the corrected positioning result. As the mobile station identification information (user ID), the mobile station telephone number may be adopted, or an ID set uniquely may be adopted.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of information stored in the PD error correction information storage unit 18. As shown in FIG. 7, the PD error correction information storage unit 18 includes a positioning result in which an error regarding propagation delay occurs between a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector, and a correction area for correcting the positioning result. Are stored in association with each other.

[Processing flow of this embodiment]
Hereinafter, the processing flow executed in the communication system of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Here, it is assumed in FIG. 1 that the mobile station A carried by the parent requests the positioning server 10 from the mobile station A carried by the parent for the mobile station B carried by the child.

  First, the mobile station A makes a positioning request to the positioning server 10 (step S1 in FIG. 8). Specifically, the positioning request unit 41 of the mobile station A transmits a positioning request including the ID of the positioning target mobile station B input by the user of the mobile station A and the continuous positioning condition to the positioning server 10. Note that the above-mentioned continuous positioning conditions include the number of positioning (finite number of times (for example, 5 times) or infinite designation) and positioning time interval (for example, 1 minute interval, 5 minute interval, etc.).

  Next, in the positioning server 10, when the positioning unit 15 receives a positioning request from the mobile station A via the communication control unit 11 (step S2), the positioning unit 15 cooperates with the RNC 20 and the positioning target mobile station B as follows. Correct positioning is executed (step S3).

  First, the positioning unit 15 transmits a positioning request to the RNC 20. In the RNC 20, the sector positioning unit 21 specifies a positioning target from the “ID of the positioning target mobile station B” included in the positioning request, and determines the number of positioning times and the positioning time interval from the “continuous positioning condition” included in the positioning request. Then, sector positioning is performed at the above-described number of positioning times and positioning time intervals with the mobile station B as a positioning target. Specifically, the sector positioning unit 21 measures the sector to which the mobile station B is connected and the propagation delay value, and based on the sector and the propagation delay value, the sector positioning result (latitude, longitude) of the mobile station B , Get altitude). Further, the sector positioning unit 21 transmits a positioning request for GPS positioning including the continuous positioning condition and the obtained sector positioning result (latitude, longitude, altitude) of the mobile station B to the mobile station B. In the mobile station B that has received the positioning request, if GPS positioning can be executed at that time, the GPS positioning unit 43 executes GPS positioning, and the GPS positioning result (latitude, longitude, altitude) is sent to the sector positioning unit 21. Send back. On the other hand, if GPS positioning cannot be performed at that time, the GPS positioning unit 43 returns the sector positioning result (latitude, longitude, altitude) to the sector positioning unit 21. Then, the sector positioning unit 21 transmits the received positioning result (that is, the GPS positioning result when GPS positioning is feasible or the sector positioning result when GPS positioning is not feasible) to the positioning unit 15. Thereby, the positioning unit 15 obtains the positioning result (latitude, longitude, altitude) of the mobile station B.

  As for the positioning time interval, positioning may be performed at the positioning time interval specified in the positioning request. However, if it takes time to acquire the positioning result, (after the previous positioning result acquisition) In addition, positioning may be performed when the condition that the positioning time interval elapses from the previous positioning request is satisfied. When the positioning count is set to “infinite”, the positioning is terminated by manually transmitting a positioning stop request from the positioning request unit 41 of the mobile station A.

  After positioning, the positioning unit 15 stores the positioning result (latitude, longitude, altitude) and the positioning time in association with the ID of the mobile station to be positioned (user ID of mobile station B, “U001” in this case) and the positioning result. It memorize | stores in the part 16 (step S4). At this time, the positioning unit 15 searches the area corresponding to the position coordinates of the positioning result with reference to the area attribute storage unit 1A, and displays the corresponding area name in the “area name” column of the positioning result storage unit 16 of FIG. To remember.

  Next, the error determination unit 12 refers to the positioning result storage unit 16 to read past positioning results, and moves between different areas in the plurality of areas obtained as the read positioning results. The shortest movement time is read from the inter-area connection relationship storage unit 17 (step S5). At this time, the past number of seconds to be acquired for reading the past positioning result is set in advance.

  And the error determination part 12 calculates | requires the difference of the positioning time when the said different area was positioned, and determines whether the positioning result has an error by determining whether the difference of the said positioning time is smaller than the shortest movement time. It is determined whether or not (step S6). That is, if the difference in positioning time is smaller than the shortest travel time, it is determined that there is an error in the positioning result (specifically, the positioning result with the newer positioning time has an error), and the difference in positioning time is the shortest. If it is not shorter than the travel time, it is determined that there is no error in the positioning result.

  Here, for example, when the past two positioning results S6-1 and S6-2 (9:02 and 9: 3) are read from the positioning result storage unit 16 shown in FIG. -1 and S6-2, the shortest movement time “400 seconds” is read from the inter-area connection relationship storage unit 17. Then, the error determination unit 12 obtains the positioning time difference “60 seconds” and determines whether the positioning time difference “60 seconds” is smaller than the shortest movement time “400 seconds”. It is determined whether or not there is an error. At this time, since the difference in positioning time “60 seconds” is smaller than the shortest movement time “400 seconds”, it is determined that there is an error in the positioning result S6-2 with the new positioning time.

  If the “shortest moving time” for moving between different areas is not stored in the inter-area connection relation storage unit 17 and the “shortest moving distance” is stored, an error is detected in step S5. The determination unit 12 can obtain the shortest travel time by reading the shortest travel distance when moving between different areas and dividing the shortest travel distance by a preset average travel speed. And the error determination part 12 calculates | requires the difference of the positioning time when the said different area was positioned similarly to the above, and determines whether the difference of the said positioning time is smaller than the shortest movement time, and is a positioning result. It can be determined whether or not there is an error.

  When it is determined in step S6 that there is an error in the positioning result (specifically, of the two positioning results obtained by positioning different areas, the positioning result having the newer positioning time), the positioning result correcting unit 13 corrects the positioning result by the following first method or second method (step S7).

  As a first method, the positioning result correction unit 13 sets the old positioning result as the new positioning result out of the two positioning results obtained by positioning different areas, thereby obtaining the new positioning result. to correct.

  As a second method, the positioning result correction unit 13 belongs to the same sector with respect to a new positioning result (hereinafter also referred to as “target area”) of two positioning results obtained by positioning different areas, and A new positioning result is corrected by setting an area having a propagation delay larger than the target area as a new positioning result.

  Here, when correction based on the second method is performed, there may occur a case where there are a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having a propagation delay larger than that of the target area. For such cases, the following two countermeasures may be adopted. As a first measure, the positioning result correction unit 13 reads the linear distance between each of the plurality of existing areas and the target area from the inter-area connection relation storage unit 17 and has the shortest linear distance to the target area. Therefore, the positioning result of the newer one may be corrected by setting it as the positioning result of the newer one. As a second measure, the positioning result correction unit 13 reads “the area to be correct” associated with the target area from the PD error correction information storage unit 18 and has the “area to be correct”. The new positioning result may be corrected by setting the new positioning result.

  When correction based on the second method is performed, if there is no area that belongs to the same sector and has a propagation delay larger than that of the target area, the positioning result correction unit 13 uses different areas. Of the two positioning results obtained by positioning, the above-described correction may be performed for the older positioning result.

  After the correction as described above, the positioning result output unit 14 outputs the corrected positioning result (step S8). Specifically, the positioning result output unit 14 transmits the corrected positioning result to the mobile station A (the mobile station that has made the positioning request), and displays it on a display device that constitutes the positioning result output unit 14. . In the mobile station A, when the positioning request unit 41 receives the corrected positioning result, the received positioning result is displayed on the display unit 42 (step S9). At this time, for example, a character such as “the positioning target is near the area S6-1” may be displayed on the screen, or the correction area may be plotted on the map displayed on the screen. Good. Thereby, the parent carrying the mobile station A can recognize the position of the mobile station B carried by the child (that is, the position where the child is located).

  According to the above embodiment, it is possible to appropriately correct the positioning error caused by the propagation delay detection error due to the influence of the radio wave environment at the time of positioning, and to improve the reliability of the positioning result.

  In the above-described embodiment, a mode in which a positioning request is made from a mobile station A other than the positioning target mobile station B or the positioning server 10 has been described, but a positioning request may be made from the positioning target mobile station itself. Moreover, you may mount all the functions with which the positioning server 10 is provided in a mobile station. At this time, the mobile station can autonomously perform positioning for itself and correction of the positioning result. In this case, the mobile station corresponds to the positioning device according to the present invention. In addition, by mounting some of the functions of the positioning server 10 in the mobile station, the mobile station cooperates with the positioning server 10 to correct the positioning for the mobile station and correct the positioning result. It can be performed.

It is a block diagram of the communication system concerning embodiment of invention. It is a hardware block diagram of a positioning server. It is a figure which shows the information memorize | stored in the area attribute memory | storage part. It is a figure which shows the area set indoors of a certain building. It is a figure which shows the information memorize | stored in the connection relationship memory | storage part between areas. It is a figure which shows the example of the positioning result memorize | stored in a positioning result memory | storage part. It is a figure which shows the information memorize | stored in PD error correction information storage part. It is a figure which shows the processing flow performed in a communication system. It is a figure for demonstrating a PRACH-PD positioning system. It is a figure which shows the example of indoor application of a PRACH-PD positioning system.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Communication system, 10 ... Positioning server, 10A ... CPU, 10B ... Main memory part, 10C ... Auxiliary memory part, 10D ... Communication control part, 10E ... Output part, 10F ... Operation part, 11 ... Communication control part, 12 ... Error determination unit, 13 ... positioning result correction unit, 14 ... positioning result output unit, 15 ... positioning unit, 16 ... positioning result storage unit, 17 ... inter-area connection relation storage unit, 18 ... PD error correction information storage unit, 19 ... Positioning request section, 1A ... area attribute storage section, 20 ... RNC, 21 ... sector positioning section, 30 ... base station, 40 ... mobile station, 41 ... positioning request section, 42 ... display section, 43 ... GPS positioning section, 90 ... Base station, 91 ... mobile station, 92 ... MOF, 95, 96 ... antenna group, 93, 94 ... delay line.

Claims (19)

Of the plurality of areas set in association with the combination of the sector and the propagation delay by dividing the cell into a plurality of sectors in advance and dividing each sector into a plurality of areas provided with different propagation delays in advance , A positioning device that measures the position of the mobile station by estimating in which area the mobile station is located,
Inter-area connection relationship storage unit storing information for obtaining the shortest movement time when moving between a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having different propagation delays;
Information for obtaining the shortest movement time when moving between different areas in a plurality of areas obtained as a result of multiple positioning is read from the inter-area connection relationship storage unit, and between the different areas based on the read information The difference between the positioning time at which the different area is positioned and the shortest traveling time when moving the different area is obtained, and when the difference between the positioning times is smaller than the shortest traveling time, the positioning result is corrected by a predetermined method. A correction unit;
An output unit for outputting the corrected positioning results;
A positioning device comprising: Accepting a positioning request including information on a mobile station to be positioned, dividing a cell into a plurality of sectors in advance and dividing each sector into a plurality of areas with different propagation delays in advance, the sector and the propagation delay A positioning unit that performs positioning of the position of the mobile station by estimating in which area the mobile station is located among a plurality of areas set in association with
An area where the mobile station is located as a positioning result by the positioning unit, and a positioning result storage unit that stores a positioning time;
Inter-area connection relationship storage unit storing information for obtaining the shortest movement time when moving between a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having different propagation delays;
Information for obtaining the shortest movement time when moving between different areas in a plurality of areas obtained as a result of reading a plurality of positioning results and a plurality of positioning times from the positioning result storage unit, and obtained as a result of the plurality of positioning results read out From the inter-area connection relation storage unit, and based on the read information, obtain the shortest movement time when moving between the different areas and the difference between the positioning times when the different areas are positioned, When the difference is smaller than the shortest travel time, an error determination unit that determines that there is an error in the positioning result of the newer positioning time;
When it is determined that there is an error by the error determination unit, a positioning result correction unit that corrects the positioning result by a predetermined method;
A positioning result output unit that outputs a positioning result after correction or a positioning result determined not to have an error;
A positioning device comprising: The inter-area connection relation storage unit stores the shortest movement time obtained in advance when moving between a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having different propagation delays,
The error determination unit obtains the shortest movement time by reading the shortest movement time when moving between different areas in a plurality of areas obtained as a result of positioning multiple times from the inter-area connection relation storage unit.
The positioning device according to claim 2. The inter-area connection relationship storage unit stores the shortest moving distance obtained in advance when moving between a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having different propagation delays,
The error determination unit reads from the inter-area connection relation storage unit a shortest moving distance when moving between different areas in a plurality of areas obtained as a result of multiple times of positioning, and the shortest moving distance is a predetermined average movement Find the shortest travel time by dividing by speed,
The positioning device according to claim 2. The positioning result correction unit corrects the new positioning result by setting the old positioning result to the new positioning result among the positioning results having a plurality of positioning times.
The positioning apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the positioning apparatus is characterized in that The positioning result correcting unit determines that the new positioning result is an area that belongs to the same sector and has a propagation delay larger than the target area with respect to the target area that is the new positioning result to be corrected. Correct the positioning result of the newer one,
The positioning apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the positioning apparatus is characterized in that The inter-area connection relationship storage unit further stores a linear distance obtained in advance between a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having different propagation delays,
When there are a plurality of areas that belong to the same sector and have a propagation delay larger than that of the target area, the positioning result correction unit, for the target area, has a linear distance between each of the plurality of existing areas and the target area. Is read out from the inter-area connection relationship storage unit, and the positioning result of the newer one is corrected by taking the area having the shortest straight line distance from the target area as the positioning result of the newer one,
The positioning device according to claim 6. The positioning device stores, in a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector, an area that is correct in propagation delay error correction when a positioning result is obtained that the position of the mobile station is one area. A propagation delay error correction information storage unit,
The positioning result correction unit corresponds to the target area from the propagation delay error correction information storage unit when a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having a propagation delay larger than the target area exist for the target area. Read the attached area as the correct answer, and correct the positioning result of the new one by setting the area as the correct answer as the new positioning result.
The positioning device according to claim 6. The positioning result correction unit targets the positioning result whose positioning time is the oldest among a plurality of positioning results when there is no area belonging to the same sector and having a propagation delay larger than the target area with respect to the target area. As a predetermined correction,
The positioning device according to claim 6. At least one mobile station that performs GPS positioning, at least one base station that forms a cell, a base station controller that performs sector positioning, and a positioning device that performs positioning of the position of the mobile station A communication system,
The positioning device is
Accepting a positioning request including information on a mobile station to be positioned, dividing a cell into a plurality of sectors in advance and dividing each sector into a plurality of areas with different propagation delays in advance, the sector and the propagation delay Based on the result of GPS positioning by the mobile station or the result of sector positioning by the base station control device, the mobile station is located in a plurality of areas set in association with the combination of A positioning unit that performs positioning of the position of the mobile station by estimating;
An area where the mobile station is located as a positioning result by the positioning unit, and a positioning result storage unit that stores a positioning time;
Inter-area connection relationship storage unit storing information for obtaining the shortest movement time when moving between a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having different propagation delays;
Information for obtaining the shortest movement time when moving between different areas in a plurality of areas obtained as a result of reading a plurality of positioning results and a plurality of positioning times from the positioning result storage unit, and obtained as a result of the plurality of positioning results read out From the inter-area connection relation storage unit, and based on the read information, obtain the shortest movement time when moving between the different areas and the difference between the positioning times when the different areas are positioned, When the difference is smaller than the shortest travel time, an error determination unit that determines that there is an error in the positioning result of the newer positioning time;
When it is determined that there is an error by the error determination unit, a positioning result correction unit that corrects the positioning result by a predetermined method;
A positioning result output unit that outputs a positioning result after correction or a positioning result determined not to have an error;
A communication system comprising: Of the plurality of areas set in association with the combination of the sector and the propagation delay by dividing the cell into a plurality of sectors in advance and dividing each sector into a plurality of areas provided with different propagation delays in advance A positioning method performed by a positioning device that measures the position of the mobile station by estimating in which area the mobile station is located,
It differs in a plurality of areas obtained as a result of a plurality of positionings from information for obtaining the shortest moving time when moving between a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having different propagation delays stored in advance by the positioning device. A step of reading information for obtaining the shortest travel time when moving between areas;
Based on the read information, find the shortest travel time when moving between the different areas and the difference between the positioning times when the different areas are located, and when the difference between the positioning times is smaller than the shortest travel time Correcting the positioning result by a predetermined method;
A step of outputting the corrected positioning result;
A positioning method comprising: A positioning method executed by a positioning device,
Receiving a positioning request including information of a mobile station to be positioned;
Of the plurality of areas set in association with the combination of the sector and the propagation delay by dividing the cell into a plurality of sectors in advance and dividing each sector into a plurality of areas provided with different propagation delays in advance Measuring the position of the mobile station by estimating in which area the mobile station is located; and
Storing the area where the mobile station is located as a positioning result and the positioning time in the positioning result storage unit of the positioning device;
Information for obtaining the shortest movement time when moving between different areas in a plurality of areas obtained as a result of reading a plurality of positioning results and a plurality of positioning times from the positioning result storage unit, and obtained as a result of the plurality of positioning results read out A step of reading from the information for obtaining the shortest movement time when moving between a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having different propagation delays stored in advance by the positioning device;
Finding the shortest travel time when moving between the different areas based on the read information and the difference between the positioning times when the different areas are positioned, and when the difference between the positioning times is smaller than the shortest travel time, Determining that the positioning result of the newer positioning time is incorrect,
A step of correcting the positioning result by a predetermined method when it is determined that there is an error;
A step of outputting a corrected positioning result or a positioning result determined not to have an error;
A positioning method comprising: The positioning device stores the shortest movement time obtained in advance when moving between a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having different propagation delays,
In the determining step, the positioning device obtains the shortest movement time by reading out the shortest movement time when moving between different areas in a plurality of areas obtained as a result of positioning multiple times.
The positioning method according to claim 12. The positioning device stores the shortest movement time obtained in advance when moving between a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having different propagation delays,
In the determining step, the positioning device reads out the shortest moving distance when moving between different areas in a plurality of areas obtained as a result of a plurality of positioning, and divides the shortest moving distance by a predetermined average moving speed. To find the shortest travel time,
The positioning method according to claim 12. In the correcting step, the positioning device corrects the new positioning result by setting the old positioning result to the new positioning result among the positioning results having a plurality of positioning times.
The positioning method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein: In the correcting step, the positioning device has an area that belongs to the same sector and has a propagation delay larger than the target area with respect to the target area that is the new positioning result of the correction target. To correct the positioning result of the newer one,
The positioning method according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein: The positioning device further stores a linear distance determined in advance between a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having different propagation delays,
In the correcting step, when there are a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector and having a propagation delay larger than the target area, the positioning device and each of the target areas and the target Read the linear distance between areas from the inter-area connection relationship storage unit, and correct the positioning result of the new one by taking the area with the shortest linear distance to the target area as the new positioning result,
The positioning method according to claim 16. In the positioning device, in a plurality of areas belonging to the same sector, when a positioning result indicating that the position of the mobile station is one area is obtained, an area that is correct in propagation delay error correction is previously determined. Remember,
In the correcting step, when there are a plurality of areas that belong to the same sector and have a propagation delay larger than the target area, the positioning device determines a correct answer associated with the target area, Read out the area to be corrected, and correct the positioning result of the new one by taking the area to be the correct answer as the positioning result of the new one,
The positioning method according to claim 16. In the correcting step, when there is no area that belongs to the same sector and has a propagation delay larger than that of the target area, the positioning device has an older positioning time among a plurality of positioning results. Perform a predetermined correction for the positioning results of
The positioning method according to claim 16.

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