CN115769048A - Mobile device, indoor positioning system and method - Google Patents

Abstract

A mobile device (20) for an indoor positioning system (100) is provided. The mobile device (20) is configured to move within an indoor area and is communicatively connected to a server computer (30) external to the mobile device (20). The mobile device (20) comprises: a wireless signal transceiver configured to receive tag information from a tag when the mobile device moves into proximity relative to the tag, the tag information containing at least a unique identifier for identifying an item (11-16) to which it is affixed, the item (11-16) being located in the indoor area; and a controller configured to determine a location of the mobile device in response to receiving the tag information, wherein the location of an item (11-16) is determined at the mobile device (20) or at the server computer (30) based on the location of the mobile device (20), and the item (11-16) is identified by the unique identifier of the tag.

Description

Mobile device, indoor positioning system and method

technical field

The present disclosure generally relates to the technical field of indoor positioning. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to a mobile device for an indoor positioning system and an indoor positioning system and method.

Background technique

Currently popular positioning technologies include GPS and assisted GPS. One conventional system for GPS and Assisted-GPS includes, for example, a Satellite Positioning System (SPS), such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) or other similar Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), which includes multiple Earth-orbiting satellites or is capable of sending A spacecraft (SV) that transmits and receives radio signals from one or more suitable radio transceivers (ground or other transceivers).

GPS signals are usually weak for indoor reception. If the GPS signal is not received, the location cannot be determined. For example, in some locations, the signal from an SV or other wireless transmitter may be attenuated or otherwise affected (e.g., insufficient, weakened, incomplete, etc.) Estimation techniques used.

In this regard, a system for indoor localization is proposed, which includes anchors and tags. The anchors are distributed over the area where positioning is supposed to work, and the anchors are installed in fixed locations, such as on walls or ceilings. According to the system, a tag is attached to each item that needs to be located. Such a positioning system has the problem of high cost. For example, if a large number of items need to be located, many tags need to be attached. If a large area needs to be monitored, anchors need to be installed at multiple fixed locations so that there are a large number of anchors covering the entire area. In this way, the cost of the whole system will be very high. This high cost includes the installation costs for installing the large number of anchors and/or tags in addition to the cost required for the large number of anchors and tags.

Contents of the invention

In view of this, the purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a technical solution for indoor positioning, which can reduce the cost of indoor positioning and improve the accuracy of indoor positioning results.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a mobile device for an indoor positioning system, the mobile device is configured to move within an indoor area and communicate with a server computer external to the mobile device, the mobile device Including: a wireless signal transceiver configured to receive tag information from the tag when the mobile device moves within a proximity range relative to the tag, the tag information at least including a unique identifier for identifying an item to which it is fixed , the item is located in the indoor area; and a controller configured to determine a location of the mobile device in response to receiving the tag information, wherein the location of the item is at the mobile device or at the determined at the server computer based on the location of the mobile device, and the item is identified by the tag's unique identifier.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an indoor positioning system comprising: a plurality of tags for identifying items in an indoor area, each tag having a unique identifier for identifying the item to which it is secured; one or more mobile devices as described above; and a server computer communicatively connected to the one or more mobile devices, wherein the location of the item is at the mobile device or at the server computer based on the The location of the mobile device is determined, and the item is identified by the tag's unique identifier.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an indoor positioning method, optionally executed by the above-mentioned mobile device and/or the above-mentioned indoor positioning system, the method includes the following steps: when the mobile device receiving tag information from the tag when moving within proximity to the tag, the tag information including at least a unique identifier for identifying an item to which it is attached; in response to the received tag information, determining the a location of a mobile device; and determining a location of the item based on the location of the mobile device, and the item is identified by the unique identifier of the tag.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, implement the method as described above.

According to the present disclosure, a large number of costly anchors are replaced by one or a small number of mobile devices (eg, mobile anchors), which can greatly reduce the system cost. In addition, in the case of passive RFID tags, the cost of the tags is also negligible, because the cost of passive RFID tags is very low and does not require battery replacement.

Moreover, according to the present disclosure, by performing data processing at the server computer, the computing power requirement for the detection device (ie, the mobile device) can be reduced.

Also, according to the present disclosure, the location and associated time stamps of items in the indoor area can be updated in the digital map, whereby the movement path of the mobile device can be tracked.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an indoor positioning system according to a possible implementation of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a schematic block diagram of an indoor positioning system according to another possible implementation of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a mobile device for an indoor positioning system according to a possible implementation of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 shows an indoor positioning process performed by an indoor positioning system according to a possible implementation manner of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 shows an indoor positioning process performed by an indoor positioning system according to another possible implementation manner of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart of an indoor positioning method according to a possible implementation manner of the present disclosure.

Detailed ways

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of claimed subject matter. However, claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, methods, devices or systems that would be known to those of skill in the art have not been described in detail for the sake of clarity.

The present disclosure relates to a technical solution for determining the position of an item in an indoor area. Herein, an "indoor area" may refer to a variety of partially enclosed or substantially enclosed areas associated with an indoor location, eg, a building, an area within a building, and the like. By way of example and not limitation, indoor areas may include, for example, office buildings, parking lots, conference centers, auditoriums, warehouses, teaching buildings, theaters, supermarkets, shopping centers, sports fields, stadiums, transfer stations, terminal stations, libraries, etc. .

Solutions according to the present disclosure can be applied in a manufacturing environment where transparency of the manufacturing process can optimize the process, for example, to facilitate material flow, worker and operator routines, and to facilitate faster tool locating and materials, etc.

In the following, some feasible implementation manners of the indoor positioning system of the present disclosure will be introduced.

According to a feasible implementation manner of the present disclosure, as shown in FIG. 1 , an indoor positioning system 100 mainly includes: a plurality of tags (eg, TAG 1 - TAG 6 ), a mobile device 20 , a server computer 30 and a digital map 40 .

Each of the plurality of tags is fixed to an object in the indoor system A. Referring to Fig. 1, TAG1-TAG6 are respectively fixed on items 11-16. Tags can be attached to the surface of the item or inserted into the item. Each tag stores tag information including at least a unique identifier for identifying the item it is secured to. The tag information for a tag may also include additional information, for example, a description of the item to which the tag is secured.

The unique identifier can be realized in various forms, for example, letters, numbers or geometric symbols, or other suitable forms. Tags can be implemented in various forms, for example, Bluetooth beacons, RFID tags or NFC tags.

Mobile device 20 may be implemented as a mobile robot, delivery vehicle, forklift, or the like. The mobile device 20 may be driven to move within the indoor area A by a mobile unit (not shown). Mobile device 20 can receive tag information (eg, a unique identifier) from a tag when mobile device 20 is in close proximity to the tag. The mobile device 20 determines its location in response to the received tag information. The location of the item identified by the tag's unique identifier is then determined either at the mobile device or at the server computer based on the location of the mobile device. Because the mobile device 20 is very close to the tag, the position of the item is almost the same as the position of the mobile device 20 .

In the present disclosure, "close enough" can be understood as the mobile device moves within a close range relative to the tag so that the mobile device can communicate with the tag, that is, the mobile device is within the communication range capable of communicating with the tag. The communication range may be limited to a smaller range, eg, 2 square meters, by the type of wireless communication between the mobile device and the tag, and/or by adjusting parameters of the wireless communication.

In this disclosure, "location" (eg, location of an item, location of a mobile device) can take different forms. For example, positions in this disclosure may be in a local coordinate system using a local position, in a global coordinate system using a global position, in a Cartesian coordinate system using x, y, and z positions, in a polar coordinate system, In spherical coordinates, etc.

A server computer 30 (ie, a server-based computer) is provided outside of the mobile device 20 and can transfer data between the mobile device 2 and the server computer 30 . Server computer 30 may include a communication interface (not shown) for interacting data with mobile device 20, and one or more processors for processing data received from the mobile device. The server computer 30 may also include: a database (not shown) for storing additional information of the item, such as the size, material and color of the item.

It should be understood that the physical location of the server computer 30 may be located inside the indoor area A or outside the indoor area A.

Digital map 40 may be stored in server computer 30 . The digital map 40 can also be stored in a memory device 41 which is external to the server computer 30 and is communicatively connected to the server computer 30 . The digital map 40 is used for map data of the indoor area A, for example, map data including positions of items in the indoor area A. FIG. Where the item's location is determined, the item's location and associated time stamp are updated in the digital map 40 .

The digital map 40 may be a high-definition map (HD Map), a dense map, a hypermap, a data-rich map, a high-resolution map, etc., and the map data may be high-definition map data, dense map data, hypermap data, or data-rich map data, high-resolution map data, etc.

Fig. 2 shows an indoor positioning system 200 according to another possible implementation of the present disclosure. Unlike the embodiment of indoor positioning system 100 in FIG. 1, indoor positioning system 200 includes two or more mobile devices, eg, mobile devices 20-22. Multiple mobile devices 20-22 may sample the same type of device, for example, multiple mobile devices 20-22 are mobile robots. Multiple mobile devices 20-22 may also sample different types of devices, for example, mobile device 20 is a mobile robot, mobile device 21 is a delivery vehicle, and mobile device 22 is a forklift. Regardless of whether the types of mobile devices are the same or different, in terms of realizing the indoor positioning function, all mobile devices can implement the same method.

Each mobile device 20-22 is assigned a sub-area of the indoor area A, and all the sub-areas make up the entire indoor area A. Referring to FIG. For example, sub-area A1 is assigned to mobile device 20 so that mobile device 20 moves within sub-area A1, and mobile device 20 is responsible for the items in sub-area A1 (e.g., items 11-13 identified by TAG 1-TAG 3) to locate. Sub-area A2 is assigned to mobile device 21 for movement within sub-area A2, and mobile device 21 is responsible for locating items in sub-area A2 (eg, items 14-16 identified by TAG4-TAG6). Sub-area A3 is assigned to mobile device 22 for movement within sub-area A3, and mobile device 22 is responsible for locating items in sub-area A3 (eg, items 17-19 identified by TAG7-TAG9).

The indoor positioning system 200 can be applied to an indoor environment with a large area and/or many objects. The indoor positioning system 200 can be applied to an indoor environment in which multiple mobile devices move in different sub-areas and perform different tasks.

In one embodiment, in the indoor positioning system 200, different wireless communication methods may be used for different sub-areas, because the types of tags may be different in different sub-areas. For example, the tags on the items in the sub-area A1 are RFID tags, the tags on the items in the sub-area A2 are Bluetooth beacons, and the tags on the items in the sub-area A3 are NFC tags.

Fig. 3 shows an exemplary mobile device 20 for an indoor positioning system according to one possible implementation of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3 , the mobile device 20 mainly includes: a wireless signal transceiver 21 , a controller 23 , a sensor unit 25 and a communication interface 27 . Fig. 4 shows an indoor positioning process 400 according to a feasible implementation manner of the present disclosure, which can be implemented by using the above-mentioned indoor positioning system. In the process 400, the location of an item is determined at the mobile device.

Hereinafter, an exemplary process 400 for indoor positioning using the indoor positioning system 100 or 200 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 .

In block 402, the mobile device 20 moves in the indoor area A and when it moves into the proximity range relative to TAG1, that is, the mobile device 20 moves into the communication range of wireless communication with TAG1, the wireless signal transceiver 21 Receive tag information including a unique identifier from TAG 1 .

In one embodiment, the TAG 1 is implemented as an RFID tag, and the wireless signal transceiver 21 is implemented as an RFID reader.

In this embodiment, TAG 1 may be an active RFID tag. Where TAG 1 is an active RFID tag, the active RFID tag includes an internal power source, such as a battery. Because the active RFID tag uses an internal power source, the active RFID tag can be continuously powered and the information stored in the tag (for example, a unique number used to identify the item identifier) is sent.

In this embodiment, TAG 1 may also be a passive RFID tag. In the case that TAG 1 is a passive RFID tag, the RFID reader can be called an interrogator, and the passive RFID tag can be called a transponder. Passive RFID tags are powered by radio frequency power from an RFID reader. When receiving radio frequency power from an RFID reader, a passive RFID tag transmits information stored therein (eg, a unique identifier used to identify an item) back to the RFID reader. This kind of transmission is called backscattering, that is, by detecting the backscattering signal, the tag information stored in the passive RFID reader can be fully identified by the RFID reader.

It should be noted that the RFID reader can be powered by an external device, or can also be powered by an internal power source (eg, a battery).

In block 404, the controller 23 determines the exact location of the mobile device 20 in response to receiving the tag information (eg, tag ID).

In one embodiment, the controller 23 includes a positioning unit for obtaining location information (eg, obtaining the location information from a real-time positioning system) and determines the location of the mobile device 20 based on the obtained location information.

In this embodiment, the positioning unit may determine the position of the mobile device 20 in various ways, for example, through one or more of SLAM self-positioning, map and positioning-based services, and sensor systems.

In block 406 , the sensor unit 25 acquires environmental information including information showing the state of the environment around the mobile device 20 .

In one embodiment, the sensor unit 25 includes one or more environmental sensors for detecting environmental information and providing the environmental information to the controller 23 .

In this embodiment, the sensor unit 25 may include one or more of a video sensor, a radar sensor, an ultrasonic sensor and a lidar sensor. Sensors may be installed on or around the mobile device for sensor-based detection of the surrounding environment of the mobile device. For example, the environment surrounding the mobile device may include a number of different objects, and the item identified by TAG 1 is one of these objects. The environmental information detected by the sensor may include a set of images, at least one of which includes the item identified by TAG 1 . The environment information detected by the sensor may also include a plurality of distances each indicating a distance between the mobile device and one of the plurality of objects. These images and/or distances can be used in calculations performed subsequently.

In one embodiment, the sensor unit 25 includes one or more of the following: a camera (preferably a 3D camera), an environmental camera system for detecting the 360° surroundings of the mobile device, a time-of-flight sensor, and a photon hybrid (PMD )sensor.

In block 408, the controller 23 calculates the relative position between the mobile device 20 and the TAG 1 based on environmental information (eg, sensor data). The relative positions may include relative distances and/or relative directions. This relative position can be expressed in various forms. For example, the relative location provides three-dimensional coordinates (X, Y, and Z) or longitude, latitude, and altitude.

In block 410, the controller 23 generates a time stamp representing the time the tag information was received. This timestamp can be used to indicate when an item was at a certain location. The timestamp can also be used to indicate when the mobile device was present at a certain location.

It should be understood that blocks 404, 406, and 410 described above can be performed in other orders, and are not limited thereto.

In block 412, the controller 23 determines the location of the item identified by the unique identifier.

In one embodiment, the controller 23 calculates the position of the item based on the absolute position of the mobile device 20 and the relative position between the tag (eg, TAG 1 ) and the mobile device 20 .

In block 414, the map data of digital map 40 is updated with the item's location and time stamp. In this way, the latest location and time of discovery of items discovered by the mobile device can be represented in the digital map 40 .

Optionally, the controller 23 may store information such as location data and associated time stamps. For example, where there is no permanent connection between the mobile device and the server computer, information may be cached at the mobile device and then sent to the server computer 30 when the mobile device is able to successfully establish a connection with the server computer. In this way, the server computer 30 is able to receive the item's location information and associated time information at a delayed time.

In block 416, the server computer 30 determines whether there is a place that has not been passed by the mobile device for a duration that exceeds a time threshold. The time threshold may be a predetermined time interval, for example, 5 hours, a day or a week. That is, the server computer 30 judges whether or not there is a place where the mobile device has not passed for 5 hours, 1 day, or 1 week.

It should be understood that the area of the above-mentioned "place" should be much smaller than the area of the indoor area A, that is, the above-mentioned "place" may be an area with a predetermined area (for example, 2 square meters) much smaller than the area of the indoor area A. "A place not passed by a mobile device within a period of time" may be understood as a place not passed by a mobile device within a period of time, which has a predetermined area.

In one embodiment, server computer 30 may track the path of movement (eg, route) of the mobile device based on updated map data including the location of the item and an associated time stamp. Then, a judgment is made based on the moving path.

In the case of two or more mobile devices, the server computer 30 may track the movement path of each mobile device within its sub-area, and make the above determination based on the movement path of each mobile device. In this case, for multiple sub-regions, the same time threshold may be set, or different time thresholds may be set. For example, the time threshold for each sub-area may be associated with the indoor environment of that sub-area and/or the type of work being done therein.

If the determination in block 416 is positive, ie, there is a place that has not been passed by the mobile device for a duration exceeding the time threshold, then block 418 is entered. In block 418, the server computer 30 generates a reminder message and sends the reminder message to the mobile device. The reminder message includes the determined place, ie the place that has not been passed by the mobile device for a duration exceeding the time threshold. After the mobile device receives the reminder message through the communication interface 27, it can adjust its moving path and go to the place included in the reminder message.

In the case of two or more mobile devices, the server computer 30 can determine which mobile device(s) should be alerted, that is, the server computer 30 can determine one or more sub-regions to which the above-mentioned place belongs. Then, the server computer 30 sends a reminder message to the determined one or more mobile devices.

If the determination in block 416 is negative, ie, there are no places that have not been passed by the mobile device for a duration exceeding the time threshold, no reminder message is generated or sent.

In this way, it can be ensured that all places (items) in the indoor area will be regularly passed, that is, all places and objects in the indoor area will be checked regularly.

In block 420, the server computer 30 generates a history record about the items in the indoor area A. As shown in FIG.

In one embodiment, the server computer 30 stores the updated location of the item, the associated time stamp, and the additional information of the item in a database in an associated manner. The server computer 30 generates a history of items in the indoor area based on the history data. This history can be presented in tabular and/or graphical form.

Where there are two or more mobile devices, the two or more mobile devices contribute to the same digital map (ie, digital map 40). And, the historical records are generated based on the historical data from the two or more mobile devices.

Fig. 5 shows an indoor positioning process 500 according to another feasible implementation manner of the present disclosure, which can be implemented by using the above-mentioned indoor positioning system 100 or 200 . In the process 500, the location of an item is determined at the mobile device.

Blocks 502, 506, and 510 may be implemented in a manner similar to blocks 402, 406, and 410, respectively.

In block 511 , the controller 23 provides (reports) the received tag information, environment information and time stamp to the server computer 30 via the communication interface 27 .

In block 512, the server computer 30 determines the absolute position of the mobile device 20, calculates the relative position between the mobile device 20 and the tag (eg, TAG 1) based on the environmental information, and then based on the absolute position of the mobile device 20 and the calculated Relative position determines the position of the item.

Blocks 514, 516, 518, and 520 may be implemented in a manner similar to blocks 414, 416, 418, and 420, respectively.

The present disclosure also provides an indoor positioning method, which can be executed by the above-mentioned indoor positioning system and/or the mobile device. Therefore, the above relevant descriptions about the indoor positioning system and the mobile device are also applicable here. Fig. 6 shows an indoor positioning method 600 according to a possible implementation of the present disclosure. The method 600 includes the following steps.

In step S602, when the mobile device moves within a close range relative to the tag, tag information is received from the tag, the tag information at least includes a unique identifier for identifying an item to which it is attached.

In step S604, the location of the mobile device is determined in response to the received tag information.

In step S606, the location of the item is determined based on the location of the mobile device, and the item is identified by the unique identifier of the tag.

The present disclosure also provides a machine-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform the method 600 as described above.

It can be understood that all operations in the method described above are only exemplary, and the present invention is not limited to any operation in the method or the order of these operations, but should cover all other equivalent transformations under the same or similar concept .

It can be understood that the above modules can be implemented in various ways. These modules may be implemented as hardware, software or a combination thereof. Furthermore, any of these modules may be further functionally divided into sub-modules, or some of these modules may be combined together.

It will be appreciated that a processor may be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether such processors are implemented as hardware or software will depend upon the particular application and overall design constraints imposed on the system. As an example, the processor, any part of the processor, or any combination of processors given in the present invention can be implemented as a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) ), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable processing components configured to perform the various functions described in this invention. The functions of a processor, any part of a processor, or any combination of processors presented in the present invention may be implemented as software executed by a microprocessor, microcontroller, DSP, or other suitable platform.

Software may be viewed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, program, subroutine, software module, application, software application, software package, routine, subroutine, object, thread of execution, process , functions, etc. The software may reside on a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium may include, for example, memory, which may be, for example, a magnetic storage device (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic stripe), an optical disk, a smart card, a flash memory device, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), Programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), register or removable disk. Although memory is shown as being separate from the processor in the presently presented aspects, memory may also be located internal to the processor (eg, cache or registers).

The above description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. The claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described in the present invention that are known or will be known to those skilled in the art will be covered by the claims of the present invention and within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims (15)

1. A mobile device for an indoor positioning system, the mobile device is configured to move within an indoor area and communicates with a server computer outside the mobile device, the mobile device comprising: a wireless signal transceiver configured to receive tag information from the tag when the mobile device moves within proximity relative to the tag, the tag information including at least a unique identifier for identifying an item to which it is secured, the item is located in the indoor area; and a controller configured to determine a location of the mobile device in response to receiving the tag information; Wherein the location of the item is determined at the mobile device or at the server computer based on the location of the mobile device, and the item is identified by the unique identifier of the tag. 2. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the location of the item based on the location of the mobile device, and send the location of the item and the tag information to the the server computer; or The mobile device is configured to send the location of the item and the tag information to the server computer for determining the location of the item at the server computer based on the location of the mobile device. 3. The mobile device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the relative position between the tag and the mobile device is determined if the mobile device is within the proximity range; and A location of the item is determined based on the relative location and the location of the mobile device. 4. The mobile device of claim 3, wherein the mobile device further comprises a sensor unit for detecting environmental information; and at said mobile device or at said server computer, determining said relative location based on said context information, Optionally, the sensor unit includes one or more environmental sensors installed on or around the mobile device. 5. The mobile device of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the controller is further configured to generate a time stamp indicating the time at which the tag information was received; and The location of the item and the time stamp are updated in the digital map of the indoor positioning system. 6. The mobile device of any one of claims 1-5, wherein the mobile device is configured not to pass a location within the indoor area for a duration that the mobile device exceeds a time threshold In the case of , a reminder message is received from the server computer through the communication interface of the mobile device. 7. An indoor positioning system, comprising: a plurality of tags for identifying items in the indoor area, each tag having a unique identifier for identifying the item to which it is secured; One or more mobile devices as claimed in any one of claims 1-6; and a server computer communicatively connected to the one or more mobile devices; Wherein the location of the item is determined at the mobile device or at the server computer based on the location of the mobile device, and the item is identified by the unique identifier of the tag. 8. The indoor positioning system of claim 7, wherein the indoor positioning system comprises two or more mobile devices, each of the two or more mobile devices being configured to operate at The indoor area moves within one of the multiple sub-areas, and all the sub-areas constitute the entire indoor area. 9. The indoor positioning system according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the indoor positioning system further comprises a digital map, and the map data of the digital map is updated with the determined item positions and associated time stamps. 10. The indoor positioning system according to claim 9, wherein the server computer judges according to the updated map data whether there is a place in the indoor area or sub-area that has not been passed within a duration exceeding a time threshold, If the result of the determination is affirmative, the server computer sends a reminder message to mobile devices moving within the indoor area or sub-area containing the place, Optionally, the server computer is configured to: track the moving path of the mobile device according to the updated map data, and determine whether there is a duration exceeding a time threshold in the indoor area or sub-area based on the moving path. A place that has not been passed by in time. 11. The indoor positioning system according to any one of claims 7-10, wherein the determined position of the item and the associated time stamp are combined with additional information about the item and stored in the server computer as historical data in the database; and the server computer is configured to generate a historical record based on the historical data, Optionally, the historical records are presented in the form of tables and/or graphs. 12. The indoor positioning system according to any one of claims 7-11, wherein the tag comprises at least one of an RFID tag, a Bluetooth beacon and an NFC tag. 13. The indoor positioning system of any one of claims 7-12, wherein the tag is a passive RFID tag or an active RFID tag; and Tags secured to an item include tags attached to the surface of the item and/or tags inserted into the item. 14. An indoor positioning method, optionally, executed by the mobile device according to any one of claims 1-6 and/or the indoor positioning system according to any one of claims 7-13, the Said method comprises the following steps: receiving tag information from the tag when the mobile device moves within proximity relative to the tag, the tag information including at least a unique identifier identifying an item to which it is attached; determining a location of the mobile device in response to the received tag information; and The location of the item is determined based on the location of the mobile device, and the item is identified by the unique identifier of the tag. 15. A computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by at least one processor, implement the method of claim 14.

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