# US 11,906,644 B2 · Electronic apparatus, electronic system, and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,906,644 B2 - Document ID: US11906644B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/689,583 - Filed: 2022-03-08 - Published: 2023-02-02 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2021-07-29 - Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba - Applicants: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba - Inventors: Daisuke Uchida; Takafumi Sakamoto; Koji Akita - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11906644B2 ## CPC - G01S 5/009: {Transmission of differential positioning data to mobile} - G01S 5/019: {Energy consumption} - G01S 5/0269: {Inferred or constrained positioning, e.g. employing knowledge of the physical or electromagnetic environment, state of motion or other contextual information to infer or constrain a position} - G01S 13/765: {with exchange of information between interrogator and responder} - H04W 64/006: {with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination} - G01S 5/0278: {involving statistical or probabilistic considerations (G01S5/0252, G01S5/0294 take precedence)} - G01S 5/0289: {of multiple transceivers, e.g. in ad hoc networks} - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract According to one embodiment, an electronic apparatus includes a processor configured to estimate positions of wireless devices communicating each other from a plurality of position candidates based on position candidate information indicating the position candidates of the wireless devices and communication information between the plurality of wireless devices located in any of the plurality of position candidates, and determine a first position among the position candidates according to a likelihood of the wireless devices estimated to be located in the position candidates. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electronic apparatus for estimating positions of a plurality of wireless devices from among a plurality of position candidates, the electronic apparatus comprising: a processor configured to: acquire a plurality of arrangements from the plurality of wireless devices and the plurality of position candidates based on position candidate information indicating the plurality of position candidates and communication information on communications between the plurality of wireless devices; and determine a position from among the plurality of position candidates as a first position, according to a likelihood of each of the plurality of wireless devices being located in each of the plurality of position candidates obtained from the plurality of arrangements. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: acquire a first arrangement to an n-th arrangement (n is an integer equal to or greater than 2) based on the position candidate information and propagation data included in the communication information, and obtain the likelihood based on the first arrangement to the n-th arrangement. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: acquire m arrangements (m is an integer of 3 or more) related to combinations of the plurality of wireless devices and the plurality of position candidates based on the position candidate information, acquire a first arrangement to an n-th arrangement (n is an integer equal to or greater than 2, and m>n) related to combinations of the plurality of wireless devices and the plurality of positions candidates based on the m arrangements and the propagation data, and obtain the likelihood based on the first arrangement to the n-th arrangement. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to: acquire the first arrangement to the n-th arrangement based on distances between the plurality of position candidates, and a correlation between virtual distances between the plurality of wireless devices in each of the plurality of arrangements and the propagation data. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The electronic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to: obtain the likelihood for each of the plurality of wireless devices according to the number of the plurality of wireless devices estimated to be located in each of the plurality of position candidates among the first arrangement to the n-th arrangement. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The electronic apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to: group the plurality of wireless devices based on the propagation data, acquire the first arrangement to the n-th arrangement based on the grouped wireless devices, calculate a correlation value for each of the groups based on the number of the plurality of wireless devices counted as n, and obtain the likelihood further based on the correlation value. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to: determine which of ranges of a first likelihood to a k-th likelihood (k: an integer of 2 or more) the likelihood belongs to, determine a position candidate corresponding to the first likelihood as a position candidate corresponding to the k-th likelihood, and determine the position candidate corresponding to the first likelihood as the first position. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the propagation data indicates data of received power in communication between the wireless devices. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage to hold the position candidate information, the communication information, and information indicating the first position. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an outputter to output at least one of information indicating the estimated positions of the plurality of wireless devices or information indicating the first position. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The electronic apparatus according to claim 10, wherein: the processor is configured to determine a second position where an accuracy of estimation of a located wireless device is higher than that of the first position, according to the likelihood at the estimated position, and the outputter outputs information indicating the second position. ### Claim 12 An electronic system comprising: an electronic apparatus for estimating positions of a plurality of wireless devices from among a plurality of position candidates; and the wireless devices, wherein the electronic apparatus comprises a processor configured to: acquire a plurality of arrangements from the plurality of wireless devices and the plurality of position candidates based on position candidate information indicating the plurality of position candidates and communication information on communications between the plurality of wireless devices; and determine a position from among the plurality of position candidates as a first position, according to a likelihood of each of the plurality of wireless devices being located in each of the plurality of position candidates obtained from the plurality of arrangements. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The electronic system according to claim 12, further comprising: a housing case; and a shield to partition an internal space of the housing case, wherein the wireless devices are provided inside the housing case, and at least two of the wireless devices communicate with each other through the shield. ### Claim 14 A method for estimating positions of a plurality of wireless devices from among a plurality of position candidates, the method comprising: acquire a plurality of arrangements from the plurality of wireless devices and the plurality of position candidates based on position candidate information indicating the plurality of position candidates and communication information on communications between the plurality of wireless devices; and determining a position from among the plurality of position candidates as a first position, according to a likelihood of each of the plurality of wireless devices being located in each of the plurality of position candidates obtained from the plurality of arrangements. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: an arrangement from among the plurality of arrangements is determined based on the likelihood, and the arrangement determined based on the likelihood is output. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the processor is configured to determine, from among the plurality of position candidates, a position candidate whose likelihood is higher than a first predetermined value or lower than a second predetermined value, as the first position, and the second predetermined value is lower than the first predetermined value. ### Claim 17 An electronic apparatus comprising a processor configured to: estimate arrangements of wireless devices communicating with each other from among a plurality of position candidates in which the wireless devices are locatable, based on position candidate information indicating the position candidates of the wireless devices, determine a first position among the position candidates according to a likelihood of the wireless devices estimated to be located in the position candidates based on the arrangements, assume a first arrangement to an n-th arrangement (n is an integer equal to or greater than 2) for positions of the wireless devices from the position candidates based on the position candidate information and propagation data included in communication information between the wireless devices, count a number of wireless devices estimated to be arranged for each of the position candidates based on the first arrangement to the n-th arrangement, estimate positions of the wireless devices from among the position candidates based on the number of assumed arrangements and the number of counted wireless devices, and determine the likelihood based on the estimated positions of the wireless devices. ### Claim 18 An electronic apparatus comprising a processor configured to: estimate arrangements of wireless devices communicating with each other from among a plurality of position candidates in which the wireless devices are locatable, based on position candidate information indicating the position candidates of the wireless devices, determine a first position among the position candidates according to a likelihood of the wireless devices estimated to be located in the position candidates based on the arrangements, group the wireless devices based on propagation data included in communication information between the wireless devices, assume a first arrangement to an n-th arrangement (n is an integer equal to or greater than 2) for positions of the wireless devices from the position candidates based on the position candidate information and the grouped wireless devices, calculate a correlation value for each of the groups based on the number of the assumed arrangements and a counted number of the wireless devices, and determine the likelihood based on the correlation value.