Method for reconstructing the map of an environment surrounding a wireless device and wireless device implementing such method

Abstract

A method for reconstructing the map of an environment ( 20 ) surrounding a wireless device ( 100 ), the environment ( 20 ) being equipped with one or more radio frequency tags (1) set in a number dependent on the level of detail to be obtained in the reconstruction, the method including the steps of: receiving identification and localization data of the one or more radio frequency tags (1) over a wireless connection by at least one wireless receiver ( 3 ) of the wireless device ( 100 ); storing the identification and localization data of the one or more radio frequency tags (1) into a filing and/or storage component ( 5,6 ) by a processor ( 2 ) of the wireless device ( 100 ); and providing on an output component ( 7 ) of the wireless device ( 100 ) at least one map of the environment ( 20 ) built on the basis of the identification and localization data of the radio frequency tags (1).

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for graphically reconstructing graphically a map of an environment surrounding in a wireless device, the wireless device providing a graphic representation of the environment where the device is located without having previously obtained information about the environment, said environment being equipped with a plurality of comprising a plurality of complex environmental structures, each of the plurality of complex environmental structures comprising a physical structure being made of a plurality of simple elements each having a radio frequency tag associated therewith, the radio frequency tags being set in a number dependent on a level of detail to be obtained in said reconstruction, said device comprising:
 at least onea wireless receiver other than a radio frequency tag reader configured to receive identification and localization data of said radio frequency tags associated with the simple elements present in said environment; 
 at least onea processor; 
 at least onea filing and/or storage component; 
 at least onean output component configured to provide visual information about said environment, said method comprising the steps of: 
 receiving by said wireless receiver identification and localization data of said plurality of for each of said radio frequency tags available in said environment over a wireless connectionby said at least one wireless receiver, wherein said identification and localization data for each radio frequency tag comprises associated information about at least one a location of the associated simple element present in said environment and about an element type thereof of the associated simple element; 
 storing said identification and localization data and said associated for each of said radio frequency tags including the information of said one or more radio frequency tags about the location and element type of each associated simple element into said filing and/or storage component by said processor; 
 providing on said output component at least one map of said environment, wherein the map is reconstructed by said processor by graphically representing graphically the environmental said simple elements of the environment associated to said radio frequency tags based on their position, associated element the information about the location and element type of each simple element, 
 wherein single simple elements belonging to the same element type are characterized in said map by the same graphic representation; 
 wherein said identification and localization data comprises a different identifier for each simple element of the environment;  
 and connected to other elements of the same typewherein the simple elements pertaining to a same complex environmental structure are individuated from the other simple elements by a common identification datum within said identification and localization data, when pertaining to a complex environmental structure of the environment made up of the multiple simple elements; 
 wherein at least one of the plurality of complex environmental structures is rebuilt in the map by graphically connecting one to the other the graphic representations of the simple elements of the same element type individuated by said common identification datum according to a particular order indicated in said identification and localization data so as to produce a graphic representation of the corresponding physical structure; 
 wherein said identification and localization data are stored in the a form of at least one table, and that wherein in said at least one table there is at least one row for each of said radio frequency tags, and that in columns of said table are represented, either fully or partially, and at least the following fields belonging to said identification and localization data of said radio frequency tags; are represented in columns of said at least one table, either fully or partially:
 univocal identifier of one of said radio frequency tags; 
 coordinates, in particular comprising one or more of: latitude, longitude, elevation, or geographical position, of said radio frequency tag associated with one simple element of said environmentassociated with the radio frequency tag; 
 type of radio frequency tag defining at least one elementelement type present in said environment which the radio frequency tag is associated with. 
 
 
     
     
       2. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said radio frequency tags are replaced or supplemented with QR codes, or bidimensional bar codes. 
     
     
       3. A method according to  claim 2 , wherein the values corresponding to the QR codes or to the bidimensional bar codes, learnt on the basis of a signalling available in said environment, are entered manually by the user of the wireless device. 
     
     
       4. A method according to  claim 3 , wherein said identification and localization data of a radio frequency tag comprise information about further elements of interest, different from one another but equally present in the reference environment. 
     
     
       5. A method according to  claim 4 , wherein said at least one table includes additional rows and/or columns containing information about said further elements of interest. 
     
     
       6. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the elements of said complex environmental structure are connected to each other according to a particular order indicated in said associated information. 
     
     
       7. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein said wireless device comprises a reader of radio frequency tags, configured to detect said radio frequency tags present within its own coverage range, the method further comprising the step of: receiving radio signals from at least one of said radio frequency tags, of estimating the position thereof through said at least one processor on the basis of the received radio signals, and of providing on said output component said estimated position within said map of said environment. 
     
     
       8. A method according to  claim 1 , wherein the information said identification and localization data necessary for building said map has the an order of magnitude of tens of bytes for each one of said radio frequency tags. 
     
     
       9. A wireless device comprising:
 at least onethe wireless receiver used in claim 1; 
 at least onethe processor used in claim 1; 
 at least onethe filing and/or storage component used in claim 1; 
 at least onethe output component,used in claim 1; and  
 which are configured to implement said method steps carried out by said receiver, processor and said components according to claim  3  1. 
 
     
     
       10. A device according to  claim 9 , wherein said output component comprises at least one display and/or at least one touch screen and/or an audio playback unit, and/or a tactile-stimulus production unit, configured to reproduce information about the reference environment on said map, respectively as a graphic, audio or tactile reproduction. 
     
     
       11. A method for reconstructing graphically a map of an environment by an electronic device, starting from a table comprising a plurality of references to elements of interest of said environment, said device comprising:
 at least one processor;   at least one filing and/or storage component;   at least one output component configured to provide visual information about said environment, said method comprising the steps of:   storing in said filing and/or storage component for each of said element of interest a row of said table comprising fields indicating identification and localization data, wherein said data comprises the position of the element in the environment and the indication of an element type;   acquiring from said filing and/or storage component said identification and localization data of said plurality of elements of interests, and;   providing on said output component at least one map of said environment,   wherein the map is reconstructed by said processor by representing graphically the environmental elements of interest based on their position, associated element and element type and wherein single elements belonging to the same type are characterized by the same graphic representation and connected to other elements of the same type individuated by a common identification datum stored in said table, when pertaining to a complex environmental structure made up of multiple elements;   wherein said identification and localization data are stored in the form of at least one table, and that in said at least one table there is at least one row for each of said radio frequency tags, and that in columns of said table are represented, either fully or partially, at least the following fields belonging to said identification and localization data of said radio frequency tags: univocal identifier of one of said radio frequency tags; coordinates, in particular latitude, longitude, elevation, or geographical position of one element of said environment associated with the radio frequency tag; type of radio frequency tag defining at least one element present in said environment which the radio frequency tag is associated with.   
     
     
       12. The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the elements of said complex environmental structure are connected to each other according to a particular order indicated in said data. 
     
     
       13. The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the actual distances of the environment represented by said map can be deduced from said localization data and are represented on the basis of a given scale, which scale can be resized by means of a specific command available on the device. 
     
     
       14. An electronic device comprising
 at least one processor;   at least one filing and/or storage component;   at least one output component,   which are configured to implement the method according to  claim 11 .   
     
     
       15. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the actual distances of the environment represented by said map can be are deduced from said localization data and are represented on the basis of a given scale, which scale can be resized is resizable by means of a specific command available on the device. 
     
     
       16. The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the receiving by said wireless receiver is configured to receive said identification and localization data is performed in the part received in clear from a Wi-Fi access point. 
     
     
       17. A method according to claim 1, wherein the graphic representations of the simple elements of the rebuilt complex environmental structure are graphically connected together by lines so as to form a closed loop that graphically represents the corresponding physical structure. 
     
     
       18. A method according to claim 1, further comprising at least the following field belonging to said identification and localization data of said radio frequency tags being represented in a column of said at least one table:
 a type ID, which has a different value for each distinct complex environmental structure of the environment pertaining to the same type and a same value for each simple element pertaining to the same complex environmental structure to be represented on the map.   
     
     
       19. A method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of simple elements for each complex environmental structure comprises at least three simple elements. 
     
     
       20. A wireless device comprising
 the wireless receiver, the processor, the filing and/or storage component and the output component of claim 1 being configured to jointly implement the method for graphically reconstructing a map of an environment according to claim 1, said environment being equipped with a plurality of radio frequency tags set in a number dependent on a level of detail to be obtained in said reconstruction;   wherein said device further comprises a reader of radio frequency tags;   said reader being configured to detect said radio frequency tags present within its own coverage range, said processor being configured to receive radio signals from at least one of said radio frequency tags by means of said reader, to estimate the position thereof on the basis of the received radio signals, and to provide on said output component said estimated position within said map of said environment.