HK1153080B - Communication device, communication method, program, information management device, and communication system - Google Patents

Description

Communication device, communication method, program, information management device, and communication system

Technical Field

The invention relates to a communication device, a communication method, a program, an information management device, and a communication system.

Background

In recent years, a receiving apparatus capable of receiving a radio signal transmitted from a satellite is mounted on a mobile body (such as a vehicle and a cellular phone). From GPS (global positioning system) positioning, the position of a mobile body on which such a reception apparatus is mounted can be estimated. The position estimation technology using such a reception apparatus is an important common base technology in various fields such as navigation, security, and entertainment. However, the position estimation technique based on GPS positioning requires a long time to achieve synchronization acquisition during startup, and it is difficult to use the technique indoors or underground where wireless signals from satellites cannot be received.

Patent document 1 discloses a technique in which PHS (personal handyphone system) measures signal strength of a signal transmitted from a base station and estimates the position of a local device based on the measured signal strength. More specifically, the base station of PHS is installed by a communication operator and thus its installation location is generally known. Therefore, if PHS measures the signal strengths of signals transmitted from three or more base stations and estimates the distance between each base station and the local device from the measured signal strengths, the position of the local device can be estimated using the installation position of each base station as a reference based on the principle of triangulation.

Further, the following position estimation techniques may be considered: a communication apparatus that performs wireless communication with a base station (connection point) of a wireless LAN (local area network) measures the signal strength of a signal transmitted from the base station and an information management apparatus that can communicate with the communication apparatus presumes the position of the communication apparatus based on the signal strength. For example, the base station of the wireless LAN transmits a beacon for signaling the presence of the base station of the wireless LAN to its surroundings at a constant period (e.g., five times/second). The communication apparatus transmits the signal strength of such a beacon to the information management apparatus and the information management apparatus can presume the position of the communication apparatus based on the signal strength and the position of the base station of the wireless LAN registered in advance. According to the position estimation technique, the base station of the wireless LAN can be installed indoors or underground, and thus can estimate the indoor or underground position, which is difficult to achieve according to the position estimation technique based on GPS positioning. That is, if base station information indicating the positions of base stations of a wireless LAN installed around the communication apparatus is registered with the information management apparatus, the position estimation technique can be considered as a technique stronger in convenience and simplicity.

Reference list

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese patent application publication No.2006-

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

However, the base stations of wireless LANs are mostly installed by many unspecified users. Therefore, it is difficult to register base station information of all base stations of the wireless LAN with the information management apparatus in advance. Further, there is a possibility of adding a base station of the wireless LAN or changing the installation location of the base station, and therefore, it is troublesome to personally update the base station information of the information management apparatus every time the addition or change occurs.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems and it is desirable to provide a novel and improved technique capable of automatically reflecting position information indicating the installation position of a base station into base station information.

Solution to the problem

According to a first aspect of the present invention, to achieve the above object, there is provided a communication apparatus comprising: a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving a signal; a history information storage unit; a base station detection unit that obtains base station identification information identifying a base station from a signal received from the base station via the communication unit; a history information registration unit that acquires position information indicating a position of the local apparatus at a predetermined time and first time information indicating the predetermined time, and associates the position information with the first time information to register the associated information as first history information with the history information storage unit, and also associates the base station identification information obtained by the base station detection unit with second time information indicating a time at which the base station identification information is acquired to register the associated information as second history information with the history information storage unit; and a transmission control unit that transmits the first history information registered with the history information storage unit to the other device via the communication unit, and also transmits the second history information registered with the history information storage unit to the other device via the communication unit.

The communication apparatus may further include a mobile device identification information acquisition unit that acquires mobile device identification information for identifying a mobile device of the local apparatus, and the history information registration unit may associate the mobile device identification information acquired by the mobile device identification information acquisition unit with the first time information included in the first history information, and include the associated information in the first history information and register the first history information with the history information storage unit.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, there is provided an information management apparatus comprising: a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving a signal; a storage unit storing a threshold value; a history information registration unit that registers, when first history information containing associated position information and first time information indicating a time at which the base station identification information is acquired is received via the communication unit, the first history information with the storage unit, and registers, when second history information containing associated base station identification information and second time information indicating a time at which the base station identification information is acquired is received via the communication unit, the second history information with the storage unit; a registration judgment unit that calculates a difference between the first time information and the second time information to judge whether the difference is smaller than a threshold value stored in the storage unit; and a base station information registration unit that registers, as the base station information, information obtained by associating position information with base station identification information when the registration judgment unit judges that the difference is smaller than the threshold, the position information being included in the first history information registered with the storage unit and the base station identification information being included in the second history information registered with the storage unit.

The storage unit may store threshold values for respective pieces of mobile device identification information for identifying mobile devices of other apparatuses, and the registration judgment unit may acquire the threshold values corresponding to the mobile device identification information from the storage unit when the mobile device identification information is included in the first history information to judge whether the difference value is smaller than the threshold value.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, there is provided a communication system having a communication apparatus and an information management apparatus, wherein the communication apparatus includes: a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving a signal; a history information storage unit; a base station detection unit that obtains base station identification information identifying a base station from a signal received from the base station via the communication unit; a history information registration unit that acquires position information indicating a position of the local apparatus at a predetermined time and first time information indicating the predetermined time, and associates the position information with the first time information to register the associated information as first history information with the history information storage unit, and also associates the base station identification information obtained by the base station detection unit with second time information indicating a time at which the base station identification information is acquired to register the associated information as second history information with the history information storage unit; and a transmission control unit that transmits the first history information registered with the history information storage unit to the information management apparatus via the communication unit and also transmits the second history information registered with the history information storage unit to the information storage apparatus via the communication unit, and the information management apparatus includes: a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving a signal; a storage unit storing a threshold value; a history information registration unit that registers, when first history information containing associated position information and first time information indicating a time at which the base station identification information is acquired is received via the communication unit, the first history information with the storage unit, and registers, when second history information containing associated base station identification information and second time information indicating a time at which the base station identification information is acquired is received via the communication unit, the second history information with the storage unit; a registration judgment unit that calculates a difference between the first time information and the second time information to judge whether the difference is smaller than a threshold value stored in the storage unit; and a base station information registration unit that registers, as the base station information, information obtained by associating position information with base station identification information when the registration judgment unit judges that the difference is smaller than the threshold, the position information being included in the first history information registered with the storage unit and the base station identification information being included in the second history information registered with the storage unit.

The invention has the advantages of

According to the present invention, as described above, the position information indicating the installation position of the base station can be automatically reflected in the base station information.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a communication system according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a communication apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the information management apparatus according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a case in which time-of-day information is included in history information.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a data structure (part 1) of the location information acquisition history information.

Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of base station ID acquisition history information.

Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of base station information.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart (part 1) showing a flow of the transmission operation of the history information by the communication apparatus.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart (part 1) showing a flow of an update operation of base station information by the information management apparatus.

Fig. 10 is a program diagram showing a flow of an update operation of base station information by the communication system according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating a data structure (part 2) of the location information acquisition history information.

Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of mobile device information.

Fig. 13 is a flowchart (part 1) showing a flow of the transmission operation of the history information by the communication apparatus.

Fig. 14 is a flowchart (part 1) showing a flow of an update operation of base station information by the information management apparatus.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that in the specification and the drawings, elements having substantially the same function and structure are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated explanation is omitted.

1. System architecture for communication system

2. Functional structure of communication equipment

3. Functional structure of information management apparatus

4. Description when time information is included in history information

5. Data structure of position information acquisition history information (part 1)

6. Data structure for obtaining historical information by base station ID

7. Data structure of base station information

8. Operation of communication equipment (part 1)

9. Operation of information management apparatus (part 1)

10. Operation of a communication system

11. Description when mobile device identification information is included in history information

12. Data structure of position information acquisition history information (part 2)

13. Data structure of mobile device information

14. Operation of communication equipment (part 2)

15. Operation of information management apparatus (part 2)

16. Effect of the embodiment

17. Modification of the embodiment

[1. System Structure of communication System ]

First, a communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the communication system according to the present embodiment, the communication apparatus and the information management apparatus constituting the communication system have remarkable features. More specifically, the communication apparatus has a function of acquiring location information indicating the location of the local apparatus and transmitting the location information to the information management apparatus and a function of acquiring identification information of the detected base station and transmitting the identification information to the information management apparatus. The information management apparatus has a function of associating and registering the position information and the identification information transmitted from the communication apparatus. Fig. 1 to 14 are used for the following description.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the construction of a communication system 10 according to the present invention. The communication system 10 includes an information management apparatus 20 and a communication apparatus 40.

The base station 30 relays information between the spatially dispersed communication devices. For example, the base station 30 may relay wireless communications between the communication device 40 and another communication device (not shown) that are both within radio coverage, or relay communications between the communication device 40 and a communication device connected to the base station 30 by a wire. More specifically, the base station 30 may be a base station of a wireless LAN (local area network) based on a WiFi (wireless fidelity) standard, a base station of GSM (global system for mobile communications), or a base station of bluetooth.

In addition to the signal at the time of relaying radio communication, the base station 30 may periodically transmit a beacon signal for transmitting a signal of the presence of the base station 30 to its surroundings. The beacon signal contains, for example, a base station ID as base station identification information uniquely attached to the base station 30. Accordingly, the communication device 40 can confirm the presence of the base station 30 existing in the periphery based on the base station ID of the received beacon signal.

The satellite 50 contains an atomic clock and transmits a signal containing time of day information to the surface of the earth. Although fig. 1 shows the satellites 50A to 50C as the satellites 50 that transmit signals that can be received by the communication device 40, the number of the satellites 50 is not limited if the number thereof is three or more. If it is not necessary to distinguish between satellites 50A through 50C, satellites 50A through 50C will be referred to as satellites 50.

The communication device 40 can transmit and receive various types of data based on radio communication controlled by the base station 30. For example, the communication device 40 may receive content data from a content providing server (not shown) via the base station 30. The communication device 40 may, for example, transmit or receive e-mail to or from other communication devices (not shown). As the content data, it is possible to cite music data (for example, music, lectures, and broadcast programs), video data (such as movies, TV programs, video programs, photographs, drawings, and charts), games, and software.

The communication device 40 may measure the location of the local device based on signals from the satellites 50. More specifically, the communication device 40 measures the position of the local device by calculating the distance to each of the satellites 50A to 50C based on the time-of-day information contained in the signal received from each of the satellites 50A to 50C. When the communication apparatus 40 receives a signal from each of the satellites 50A to 50C, the communication apparatus 40 can measure the latitude and longitude of the local apparatus as the position of the local apparatus. When the communication device 40 receives a signal from the satellite 50, the communication device 40 may measure the altitude of the local device in addition to the latitude and longitude of the local device.

The above-described communication device 40 may be, for example, an information processing device such as a PC (personal computer), a home video processing device (such as a DVD decoder and a VCR), a cellular phone, a PHS (personal handyphone system), a portable music reproducing device, a portable video processing device, a PDA (personal digital assistant), a home game machine, a portable game machine, and a home electronic apparatus.

The information management apparatus 20 stores base station information in which position information of the installation base station 30 is associated with a base station ID in advance and has a function of estimating the position of the communication apparatus 40 based on the signal strength information received from the communication apparatus 40 and the base station information, for example, according to the principle of triangulation. The information management apparatus 20 notifies the communication apparatus 40 of the presumed position so that the communication apparatus 40 can recognize the position of the local apparatus. The information management apparatus 20 may respond not only to the position estimation request from the communication apparatus 40 but also to position estimation requests from a plurality of other communication apparatuses.

The information management apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment is characterized in that the content of the stored base station information can be updated along with the installation information of the actual base station when the base station is newly installed or the position of the base station is changed. The actual configuration of the communication device 40 according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to fig. 2.

[2. functional Structure of communication device ]

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the communication device 40 according to the present embodiment. The communication device 40 includes a communication unit 410, a positioning unit 421, a base station detection unit 422, a history information registration unit 430, a history information storage unit 440, and a transmission control unit 450. The communication apparatus 40 may further include a mobile device identification information acquisition unit 445, a control unit 460, a display unit 470, an information update unit 480, and a base station information storage unit 490. The function held by the mobile device identification information acquisition unit 445 will be described in [11 ] description when mobile device identification information is included in history information ] and the following.

The communication unit 410 may transmit and receive signals. The communication unit 410 has, for example, a function as a receiving unit that receives signals (e.g., beacon signals) transmitted by the surrounding base stations 30, and a function as a transmitting unit that transmits history information described later to the information management apparatus 20. The communication unit 410 may be a wireless LAN compatible communication device, a GSM compatible communication device, or a bluetooth compatible communication device. The communication unit 410 also has a function as a receiving unit that receives signals from the satellite 50. The communication unit 410 is constituted by including an antenna capable of receiving a signal from the satellite 50.

The positioning unit 421 is constituted by, for example, a CPU (central processing unit), a ROM (read only memory), and a RAM (random access memory) and acquires position information of the local device by measuring the position of the local device based on a signal received from the satellite 50 via the communication unit 410. The acquisition of the position information is not limited to this. For example, the communication device 40 may include an input unit (not shown) so that information input by a user from the input unit (not shown) is acquired as the position information. In this case, the positioning unit 421 may not be present.

The base station detection unit 422 is constituted by, for example, a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and acquires a base station ID to identify the base station 30 from a signal received from the base station 30 via the communication unit 410.

The history information registration unit 430 is constituted by, for example, a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and registers position information acquisition history information, which is an example of first history information containing position information acquired by the positioning unit 421, with the history information storage unit 440. The history information registration unit 430 also registers the base station ID acquisition history information, which is an example of the second history information containing the base station ID acquired by the base station detection unit 422, with the history information storage unit 440.

The history information storage unit 440 is constituted by, for example, a magnetic storage device such as an HDD (hard disk drive), a semiconductor storage device, an optical storage device, or a magneto-optical storage device and stores history information. The history information is more specific location information acquisition history information or base station ID acquisition history information registered by the history information registration unit 430. The configuration of the location information acquisition history information and the base station ID acquisition history information stored in the history information storage unit 440 will be described later with reference to fig. 5 and 6, respectively.

The transmission control unit 450 transmits the positional information acquisition history information registered with the history information storage unit 440 to the information management apparatus 20 via the communication unit 410, where the information management apparatus 20 is an example of another apparatus. The transmission control unit 450 also transmits the base station ID acquisition history information registered with the history information storage unit to the information management apparatus 20 via the communication unit 410. The timing at which the transmission control unit 450 transmits the position information acquisition history information or the base station ID acquisition history information to the information management apparatus 20 is not particularly limited, and may be when a fixed amount of history information is stored, when a fixed time elapses after the last transmission of the history information, or when a request is made by the information management apparatus 20. The timing may also be when starting to connect to the information management apparatus 20.

The control unit 460 is constituted by, for example, a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and acquires the latest history information stored in the history information storage unit 440 to cause the display unit 470 to display the position as the current position of the communication device 40. For example, if the latest history information stored in the history information storage unit 440 is the location information acquisition history information, the control unit 460 causes the display unit 470 to display the location information of the local apparatus included in the location information acquisition history information as the current location of the communication apparatus 40. For example, if the latest history information stored in the history information storage unit 440 is base station ID acquisition history information, the control unit 460 acquires location information corresponding to a base station ID included in the base station ID acquisition history information from base station information registered with the base station information storage unit 490 and causes the display unit 470 to display the location information of the local apparatus included in the location information acquisition history information as the current location of the communication apparatus 40.

If the communication device 40 stores position/address correspondence information in which position information and address information are associated, the control unit 460 may acquire address information corresponding to the position information from the position/address correspondence information to cause the display unit 470 to display the acquired address information.

The display unit 470 is constituted by a device capable of visually notifying the user of the acquired information, for example, a CRT (cathode ray tube) display device, a liquid crystal display device, a plasma display device, an EL (electro luminescence) display device, and a display device such as a lamp. The display unit 470 shows only an example of an output device, and the output device may be a sound output device such as a speaker or a headphone.

The information updating unit 480 is constituted by, for example, a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and updates the base station information registered with the base station information storage unit 490 by the base station information received from the information management apparatus 20 via the communication unit 410. For example, if the information management apparatus 20 transmits all base station information currently registered with the storage unit 220 to the communication apparatus 40, the communication apparatus 40 receives all base station information. In this case, the information updating unit 480 extracts a difference between the base station information registered with the base station information storage unit 490 and the received base station information so that the extracted content can be reflected in the base station information storage unit 490. When the communication apparatus 40 receives all the base station information currently registered with the storage unit 220 from the information management apparatus 20, the information updating unit 480 may delete all the data in the base station information storage unit 490 to re-register all the base station information currently registered with the storage unit 220.

By providing a database storing base station information on that side of the communication apparatus 40 in this way, the communication apparatus 40 can presume the location of the local apparatus without accessing the information management apparatus 20. Since the registration state of an actual base station is changing from moment to moment, it is necessary to cause the base station information registered with the base station information storage unit 490 of the communication apparatus 40 to change with the registration state. Therefore, as described later, the registration state of the actual base station that is changing at all times is dealt with by the base station information transmitted to the communication apparatus 40 by the information management apparatus 20 at a predetermined timing.

The base station information storage unit 490 is configured of, for example, a magnetic storage device (such as an HDD), a semiconductor storage device, an optical storage device, or a magneto-optical storage device and stores base station information in which a base station ID of a base station is associated with position information indicating the installation position of the base station. The base station information stored in the base station information storage unit 490 will be described below with reference to fig. 7.

The functions of the communication unit 410 described above can be realized by a program executed by the CPU that controls the communication device. Based on the computer program that causes the computer to execute the functions possessed by the positioning unit 421, the base station detection unit 422, the history information registration unit 430, the transmission control unit 450, the control unit 460, and the information update unit 480, hardware resources such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM can be caused to exert functions equivalent to the above-described units.

[3. functional Structure of information management apparatus ]

Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the information management apparatus 20 according to the present embodiment. The information management apparatus 20 includes a communication unit 210, a storage unit 220, a base station information registration unit 240, and a history information registration unit 260. The information management apparatus 20 may further include a registration judgment unit 230 and a transmission control unit 250. The registration judging unit 230 will be described below with reference to fig. 4.

The communication unit 210 can transmit and receive signals and has, for example, a function of an interface that transmits and receives information to and from the communication device 40. The communication unit 210 may be a wireless LAN compatible communication device, a wireless USB compatible communication device, or a wired communication device that performs communication through a wire. Further, the communication unit 210 can transmit and receive information not only to and from one communication apparatus but also to and from a plurality of unspecified communication apparatuses, where the plurality of communication apparatuses are equal to or greater than two communication apparatuses.

The storage unit 220 is constituted by, for example, a magnetic storage device (such as an HDD), a semiconductor storage device, an optical storage device, or a magneto-optical storage device, and stores, as base station information, information obtained by associating a base station ID of a base station performing radio communication with the communication apparatus 40 with position information indicating an installation position of the base station. An example of the base station information stored in the storage unit 220 will be described below with reference to fig. 7. The storage unit 220 stores position information acquisition history information, base station ID acquisition history information, and the like, and the configurations of the position information acquisition history information and the base station ID acquisition history information will be described below with reference to fig. 5 and 6, respectively.

The history information registration unit 260 is configured of, for example, a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and when position information acquisition history information containing position information of the communication device 40 is received via the communication unit 210, registers the received position information acquisition history information with the storage unit 220. Further, upon receiving base station ID acquisition history information containing a base station ID via the communication unit 210, the history information registration unit 260 registers the received base station ID acquisition history information with the storage unit 220.

The base station information registration unit 240 is configured of, for example, a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM, and registers base station information in which position information included in the position information acquisition history information registered with the base station unit 220 is associated with a base station ID included in the base station ID acquisition history information registered with the storage unit 220. The timing at which the base station information registration unit 240 registers the base station information with the storage unit 220 is not particularly limited. The base station information registration unit 240 may perform registration or perform registration at a predetermined interval each time the base station information registration unit 240 updates the base station information in the storage unit 220, for example.

The transmission control unit 250 transmits the base station information that has been registered with the storage unit 220 to the communication device 40 via the communication unit 220. The information management device 20 may transmit all the base station information that has been currently registered with the storage unit 220 to the communication device or transmit only the difference from the base station information that has been registered with the base station information storage unit 490 of the communication device 40. The timing at which transmission control section 250 transmits the base station information is not particularly limited. For example, the transmission control unit 250 may transmit the base station information each time the base station information registration unit 240 updates the base station information in the storage unit 220 or transmit the base station information at predetermined intervals. Alternatively, the transmission control unit 250 may transmit the base station information each time the information management apparatus 20 starts to connect to the communication apparatus 40.

The functions of the communication unit 210 described above can be realized by a program executed by the CPU that controls the communication apparatus. Based on the computer program that causes the computer to execute the functions possessed by the registration judgment unit 230, the base station information registration unit 240, the transmission control unit 250, and the history information registration unit 260, hardware resources such as a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM can be caused to exert functions equivalent to the above-described units.

Therefore, according to the information management apparatus 20 in the present embodiment, it is possible to register the base station information with the storage unit 220 based on the history information transmitted from the communication apparatus 40. Therefore, it is possible to automatically reflect the position information indicating the installation position of the base station into the base station information.

[4. description when time information is included in history information ]

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a case in which time-of-day information is included in history information. As described above, the base station information registration unit 240 registers the base station information, in which the position information included in the position information acquisition history information registered with the base station unit 220 is associated with the base station ID included in the base station ID acquisition history information registered with the storage unit 220, with the storage unit 220. However, the base station information registration unit 240 may associate the location information included in the location information acquisition history information registered with the base station unit 220 with the base station ID included in the base station ID acquisition history information registered with the storage unit 220, and register the associated information with the storage unit 220 when necessary. For example, it is assumed that as the time difference between the time when the base station ID is acquired and the time when the position information is acquired increases, the error between the position when the base station ID is acquired and the position when the position information is acquired increases. Therefore, the position information associated with the base station ID is preferably position information obtained at a time having a small time difference from the time when the base station ID is acquired.

Fig. 4 shows how the communication apparatus 40 moves around while acquiring the position information (latitude and longitude) at each time shown as an example in fig. 5 and while acquiring the base station ID at each time shown as an example in fig. 6. Although fig. 4 shows the region where the signal from the base station 30 can be received as a region within a circle drawn by an alternate long and short dash line, it is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in fig. 4, it is assumed that the communication device 40 moves into an area where a signal from the base station 30 (base station ID "K1") can be received at time T1. In this case, the communication apparatus 40 preferably acquires the base station ID "K1" from the base station 30 at time T1 to associate the position information acquired within the area movable within the predetermined time from time T1 with the base station ID "K1".

In fig. 4, under the assumption that the user carrying the communication apparatus 40 moves at a constant speed, although an area that is movable within a predetermined time from the time when the base station ID is obtained is within a circle drawn by a solid line, such an area is not limited thereto. In the example shown in fig. 4, the timing at which the position information is acquired within the predetermined time from the timing T1 is T2, and T1, T3, T4, and T5 do not correspond to the timing at which the position information is acquired within the predetermined time. Accordingly, the information management apparatus 20 can register the base station information in which the base station ID acquired at the time T1 is associated with the position information acquired at the time T2 with the storage unit 220.

Similarly, in the example shown in fig. 4, the time at which the position information is acquired within the predetermined time from the time T2 is T3, and T1, T2, T4, and T5 do not correspond to the time at which the position information is acquired within the predetermined time, where the base station ID "K1" is acquired at the time T2. Accordingly, the information management apparatus can register the base station information in which the base station ID acquired at the time T2 is associated with the location information acquired at the time T3 with the storage unit 220. Further, the time at which the position information is acquired within the predetermined time from the time T3 is T5, and T1 to T4 do not correspond to the time at which the position information is acquired within the predetermined time, where the base station ID "K2" is acquired at the time T3. Accordingly, the information management apparatus can register the base station information in which the base station ID acquired at the time T3 is associated with the location information acquired at the time T5 with the storage unit 220.

If the information management apparatus 20 registers the base station information with the storage unit 220 according to a procedure similar to the one shown in the above example, the base station information shown in fig. 7 will be registered with the storage unit 220.

As described above, the information management apparatus 20 can impose restrictions on the base station information registered with the storage unit 220. Therefore, the history information registration unit 430 of the communication apparatus 40 associates the time information (first time information) indicating the time at which the position information included in the position information acquisition history information is acquired with the position information, and also includes the associated position information in the position information acquisition history information before registering the position information acquisition history information with the history information storage unit 440. The history information acquisition unit 430 of the communication apparatus 40 may also associate time information (second time information) indicating a time at which the base station ID included in the base station ID acquisition history information is acquired with the base station ID, and further include the associated base station ID in the base station ID acquisition history information before registering the base station ID acquisition history information with the history information storage unit 440.

After that, the storage unit 220 of the information management apparatus 20 stores the threshold value. The size of the threshold is not particularly limited and may be freely set according to the moving speed of the communication device 40 or the like. For example, time such as 5 minutes and 10 minutes may be set as the threshold.

If the location information acquisition history information stored in the history information storage unit 440 contains time information associated with the location information indicating the time at which the location information was acquired and the base station ID acquisition history information contains time information associated with the base station ID indicating the time at which the base station ID was acquired, the registration judgment unit 230 calculates a difference between the time information indicating the time at which the location information was acquired and the time information indicating the time at which the base station ID was acquired. The registration judgment unit 230 judges whether the calculated difference is smaller than the threshold value stored in the storage unit 220.

The base station information registering unit 240 registers the base station information with the storage unit 220 if the registration judging unit 230 judges that the difference is smaller than the threshold.

According to the above configuration, the information management apparatus 20 can associate the base station ID with the position information acquired at the timing having a small time difference from the timing at which the base station ID is acquired. Therefore, an error between the position when the base station ID is acquired and the position when the position information is acquired can be made small.

[5 ] data Structure (part 1) of position information acquisition history information

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a data structure (part 1) of the location information acquisition history information. As shown in fig. 5, the positional information acquisition history information is constructed by associating the positional information of the communication apparatus 40 at a plurality of points in time with time information indicating the time at which the positional information of the communication apparatus 40 is obtained. More specifically, in the example shown in fig. 5, the position information acquisition history information is constructed by associating the times t1, t2, t3, t4, and t5 with the position information obtained at the respective time information. The position information acquisition history information does not necessarily include time information.

[6. data Structure of base station ID acquisition History information ]

Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of base station ID acquisition history information. As shown in fig. 6, the base station ID acquisition history information is constructed by associating base station IDs acquired by the communication apparatus 40 at a plurality of points in time with time information indicating the time at which the base station IDs were acquired. More specifically, in the example shown in fig. 6, the base station ID acquisition history information is constructed by associating the time T1, T2, and T3 with the base station IDs obtained at the respective time information. The base station ID acquisition history information does not necessarily contain time information.

[7. data Structure of base station information ]

Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of base station information. As shown in fig. 7, the base station information is constructed by associating a base station ID with latitude and longitude as an example of location information where the base station is installed. More specifically, the base station ID "K1" is structured to be associated with longitude (east longitude) "135.024" and latitude (north latitude) "35.49". Similarly, the base station ID "K1" is structured to be associated with a longitude "135.023" and a latitude "35.49", and the base station ID "K2" is structured to be associated with a longitude "135.017" and a latitude "35.57". The format of the position information is not limited to a format using latitude and longitude, and may be, for example, a format using x and y coordinates, a format using polar coordinates, or a format using a vector.

[8 ] operation of communication device (part 1) ]

Subsequently, the transmission operation of the history information by the communication device 40 (part 1) will be described with reference to fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a flowchart (part 1) showing a flow of the transmission operation of the history information by the communication device 40. The case where the time information is included in the history information by the communication device 40 is shown in fig. 8, and if the time information is not included in the history information by the communication device 40, the processing in step S103 and step S105 need not be performed.

Referring to fig. 8, the positioning unit 421 of the communication apparatus 40 first acquires the location information of the local apparatus (step S101). The history information registration unit 430 associates the time at which the position information was acquired by the positioning unit 421 with the position information (step S102) and registers the associated information as position information acquisition history information with the history information registration unit 430 (step S103).

Subsequently, the base station detecting unit 422 acquires the base station ID (step S104). The history information registration unit 430 associates the time at which the base station ID is acquired by the base station detection unit 422 with the base station ID (step S105) and registers the associated information as base station ID acquisition history information with the history information registration unit 430 (step S106). The transmission control unit 450 transmits the history information containing the position information acquisition history information and the base station ID acquisition history information to the information management apparatus 20 at a predetermined timing (step S107) and terminates the processing. The predetermined timing is as described above.

In the example shown in fig. 8, it is assumed for simplicity that one piece of each of the location information history information and the base station ID acquisition history information is included in the history information for transmission, but the present embodiment is not limited to this, and a plurality of pieces of one or both of the location information history information and the base station ID acquisition history information may be included in the history information. It is assumed that the communication apparatus 40 simultaneously transmits the location information history information and the base station ID acquisition history information by including them in the history information, but the location information history information and the base station ID acquisition history information may be separately transmitted. It is also assumed that the communication apparatus 40 acquires the base station ID acquisition history information after acquiring the location information history information, but the order of acquisition is not particularly limited and the location information history information may be acquired after acquiring the base station ID acquisition history information. Further, the process will be terminated after step S107, but the process may return to step S101.

[9. operation of information management apparatus (part 1) ]

Subsequently, an update operation of the base station information by the information management apparatus 20 (section 1) will be described with reference to fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a flowchart (part 1) showing a flow of the update operation of the base station information by the information management apparatus 20. Fig. 9 shows a case where the time of day information is included in the history information by the communication device 40 and if the time of day information is not included in the history information, it is not necessary to perform step S202 and step S203.

Referring to fig. 9, the history information registration unit 260 first receives history information including the location information history information and the base station ID acquisition history information from the communication device 40 via the communication unit 210 (step S201). The history information registration unit 260 stores the received history information in the storage unit 220. The registration judgment unit 230 calculates a difference between the time included in the positional information history information and the time included in the base station ID acquisition history information stored in the storage unit 220 (step S202). The registration judgment unit 230 judges whether the calculated difference is smaller than the threshold value stored in the storage unit 220. If the registration judgment unit 230 judges that the difference is not less than the threshold value (no in step S203), the registration judgment unit 230 terminates the process. If the registration judgment unit 230 judges that the difference is smaller than the threshold value (yes in step S203), the registration judgment unit 230 registers the base station information in which the base station ID contained in the base station ID acquisition history information is associated with the location information contained in the location information acquisition history information with the storage unit 220 (step S204) and terminates the processing.

In the example in fig. 9, it is assumed for simplicity that each piece of the location information history information and the base station ID acquisition history information is included in the history information, but the present embodiment is not limited to this, and a plurality of pieces of one or both of the location information history information and the base station ID acquisition history information may be included in the history information. In this case, for example, similar processing to that performed for each piece may be performed for all combinations of the location information history information and the base station ID acquisition history information. It is assumed that the location information history information and the base station ID acquisition history information contained in the history information are received at the same time, but the location information history information and the base station ID acquisition history information may be received separately. Further, the process will be terminated after step S204, but the process may return to step S201.

[10. operation of communication System ]

Next, an update operation of the base station information by the communication system 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 10. Fig. 10 is a program diagram showing a flow of an update operation of base station information by the communication system according to the present embodiment.

As shown in fig. 10, when history information is stored in the history information storage unit 440 of the communication apparatus 40 (S301), the communication apparatus 40 transmits the history information to the information management apparatus 20 at a predetermined timing (S302). A predetermined timing may be assumed when a fixed amount of history information is stored, when a fixed time elapses after the history information is last transmitted, or when a request is made by the information management apparatus 20.

After that, the information management apparatus 20 re-registers the base station information with the storage unit 220 or updates the base station information that has been registered with the storage unit 220 based on the received history information (S303). After that, the information management apparatus 20 transmits the changed base station information to the communication apparatus 40 (S304). Subsequently, the information updating unit 480 of the communication apparatus 40 extracts a difference between the received base station information and the base station information that has been registered with the base station information storage unit 490 (S305). Subsequently, the information updating unit 480 updates or changes the base station information registered with the base station information storage unit 490 based on the extracted difference.

[11. description when mobile device identification information is included in history information ]

In the above example, it is assumed that the user carrying the communication device 40 moves at a constant speed. Therefore, it is sufficient that the storage unit 220 of the information management apparatus 20 stores a threshold value that does not depend on the moving speed of the user. However, the moving speed of the user is generally changed at every moment and the threshold value stored in the storage unit 220 of the information management apparatus 20 is preferably changed according to the user speed to register the base station information with the storage unit 220 by reflecting the change of the user speed.

More specifically, if the moving speed of the user is relatively fast, the error between the position indicated by the position information acquired by the communication apparatus 40 and the position at which the base station ID is acquired is considered to be relatively large. Therefore, if the moving speed of the user is relatively fast, it is preferable to make the threshold value stored in the storage unit 220 of the information management apparatus 20 relatively small. Therefore, as long as the difference between the timing at which the communication apparatus 40 acquires the base station ID and the timing at which the communication apparatus acquires the location information is relatively small, the information management apparatus 20 can associate the base station ID with the location information and register the associated information as the base station information with the storage unit 220.

More specifically, if the moving speed for the user is relatively fast, it is considered that the error between the position indicated by the position information acquired by the communication apparatus 40 and the position at which the base station ID is acquired is likely to be relatively large. Thus, if the moving speed of the user is comparatively fast, it is preferable to make the threshold value stored in the storage unit 220 of the information management apparatus 20 relatively small. Thus, only in the case where the difference between the timing at which the communication apparatus 40 acquires the base station ID and the timing at which the communication apparatus 40 acquires the location information is relatively small, the information management apparatus 20 can associate the base station ID and the location information and register the associated information as the base station information with the storage unit 220.

On the other hand, if the moving speed of the user is relatively slow, the error between the position indicated by the position information acquired by the communication apparatus 40 and the position at which the base station ID is acquired is considered to be relatively small. Therefore, if the moving speed of the user is relatively slow, it is preferable to make the threshold value stored in the storage unit 220 of the information management apparatus 20 relatively large. Therefore, even if the difference between the timing at which the communication apparatus 40 acquires the base station ID and the timing at which the communication apparatus acquires the location information is relatively large, the information management apparatus 20 can associate the base station ID with the location information and register the associated information as the base station information with the storage unit 220.

In order to add the above-described function to the communication system 10, the mobile device identification information of the user may be included in the history information transmitted from the communication apparatus 40 to the information management apparatus 20.

Communication apparatus 40 may also include a mobile device identification information acquisition unit 445 that acquires mobile device identification information for identifying the local apparatus. Further, the history information registration unit 430 may associate the mobile device identification information acquired by the mobile device identification information acquisition unit 445 with the first time information included in the first history information, and also include the associated first time information in the first history information before registering the first history information with the history information storage unit 440.

The acquisition of the mobile device identification information by the mobile device identification information acquisition unit 445 is not particularly limited. The mobile device identification information acquisition unit 445 is constituted by an input apparatus, for example, and can receive an input of mobile device identification information from a user.

The mobile device identification information acquisition unit 445 may also acquire mobile device identification information by estimating the mobile device based on the first history information stored in the history information storage unit 440. The estimation of the mobile device is not particularly limited.

For example, if the history information storage unit stores two pieces of first history information, the mobile device identification information acquisition unit 445 calculates a difference value of the position information and a difference value of the time of day information with respect to the two pieces of first history information. Thereafter, the mobile device identification information acquisition unit 445 may calculate a moving speed by dividing the calculated difference in the position information by the calculated difference in the time information to acquire the mobile device identification information according to the moving speed. Acquiring the mobile device identification information according to the moving speed is realized, for example, by storing the related information in which the moving speed is associated with the mobile device identification information in a storage unit (not shown) of the communication apparatus 40 and acquiring the mobile device identification information associated with the moving speed from the associated information by the mobile device identification information acquisition unit 445.

The storage unit 220 of the information management apparatus 20 may store a threshold value for each piece of mobile device identification information for identifying the mobile device of the communication apparatus 40, so that if the mobile device identification information is contained in the first history information, the registration judgment unit 230 of the information management apparatus 20 acquires the threshold value corresponding to the mobile device identification information from the storage unit 220 to judge whether or not the difference value is smaller than the threshold value. Information in which mobile device identification information identifying the mobile device of the mobile apparatus 40 is associated with the threshold value is stored in the storage unit 220, for example.

[12 ] data Structure (part 2) of position information acquisition history information

Fig. 11 is a diagram illustrating a data structure (part 2) of the location information acquisition history information. As shown in fig. 11, the positional information acquisition history information is configured not only by the positional information of the communication apparatus 40 at a plurality of points in time, but also by associating the mobile device identification information of the communication apparatus 40 with time information indicating the time at which the positional information of the communication apparatus 40 is acquired. More specifically, in the example shown in fig. 11, the position information acquisition history information is constructed by associating the times t1, t2, t3, t4, and t5, the position information obtained at the respective time information, and the mobile device identification information (train, pedestrian, and train) at the respective time information. The location information acquisition history information does not necessarily contain mobile device identification information. The train and the hiking shown as examples of the mobile device identification information are only examples of the mobile device identification information and the mobile device identification information is not limited to these.

[13. data Structure of Mobile device information ]

Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating a data structure of mobile device information. As shown in fig. 12, the movement information is constructed by associating the mobile device identification information identifying the mobile device of the communication apparatus 40 with a threshold value. More specifically, in the example shown in fig. 12, the movement information is constructed by associating the mobile device identification information (train, car, bicycle, and hiking) with the threshold values (2 seconds, 3 seconds, 4 seconds, and 5 seconds) for identifying the mobile device by the mobile device identification information. The movement information does not necessarily exist. The time shown as the threshold is merely an example of the threshold and the threshold is not limited to these.

[14. operation of communication apparatus (part 2) ]

Subsequently, the transmission operation of the history information (part 2) performed by the communication device 40 will be described with reference to fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a flowchart (part 2) showing a flow of the transmission operation of the history information by the communication apparatus.

Referring to fig. 13, the location unit 421 of the communication device 40 first acquires location information of the local device (step S401). The history information registration unit 430 associates the time at which the location information is acquired by the positioning unit 421 with the location information (step S402), associates the mobile device identification information acquired by the mobile device identification information acquisition unit 445 (step S403), and registers the associated information as location information acquisition history information with the history information registration unit 430 (step S404).

Subsequently, the base station detecting unit 422 acquires the base station ID (step S405). The history information registration unit 430 associates the time at which the base station ID is acquired by the base station detection unit 422 with the base station ID (step S406) and registers the associated information as base station ID acquisition history information with the history information registration unit 430 (step S407). The transmission control unit 450 transmits the history information containing the position information acquisition history information and the base station ID acquisition history information to the information management apparatus 20 at a predetermined timing (step S408) and terminates the operation. The predetermined timing is as described above.

In the example shown in fig. 13, it is assumed for simplicity that one piece of each of the location information history information and the base station ID acquisition history information is included in the history information for transmission, but the present embodiment is not limited to this, and a plurality of pieces of one or both of the location information history information and the base station ID acquisition history information may be included in the history information. It is assumed that the communication apparatus 40 simultaneously transmits the location information history information and the base station ID acquisition history information by including them in the history information, but the location information history information and the base station ID acquisition history information may be separately transmitted. It is also assumed that the communication apparatus 40 acquires the base station ID acquisition history information after acquiring the location information history information, but the order of acquisition is not particularly limited and the location information history information may be acquired after acquiring the base station ID acquisition history information. Further, the process will be terminated after step S408, but the process may return to step S401.

[15. operation of information management apparatus (part 2) ]

Subsequently, an updating operation (section 2) of the base station information performed by the information management apparatus 20 will be described with reference to fig. 14. Fig. 14 is a flowchart (part 2) showing a flow of the update operation of the base station information by the information management apparatus 20.

Referring to fig. 14, the history information registration unit 260 first receives history information including the location information history information and the base station ID acquisition history information from the communication device 40 via the communication unit 210 (step S501). The history information registration unit 260 stores the received history information in the storage unit 220. The registration judgment unit 230 acquires a threshold corresponding to the mobile device identification information contained in the received location information acquisition history information from the movement information stored in the storage unit 220 (step 502). The registration judgment unit 230 calculates a difference between the time included in the positional information history information and the time included in the base station ID acquisition history information stored in the storage unit 220 (step S503). The registration judgment unit 230 judges whether or not the calculated difference is smaller than the threshold value stored in the storage unit 220 (step 504). If the registration judgment unit 230 judges that the difference is not less than the threshold value (no in step S504), the registration judgment unit 230 terminates the process. If the registration judgment unit 230 judges that the difference is smaller than the threshold value (yes in step S504), the registration judgment unit 230 registers the base station information in which the base station ID contained in the base station ID acquisition history information is associated with the location information contained in the location information acquisition history information with the storage unit 220 (step S505) and terminates the processing.

In the example shown in fig. 14, it is assumed for simplicity that each piece of the location information history information and the base station ID acquisition history information is included in the history information, but the present embodiment is not limited to this, and a plurality of pieces of one or both of the location information history information and the base station ID acquisition history information may be included in the history information. In this case, for example, a process similar to that performed for one piece may be performed for all combinations of the location information history information and the base station ID acquisition history information. It is assumed that the location information history information and the base station ID acquisition history information contained in the history information are received at the same time, but the location information history information and the base station ID acquisition history information may be received separately. Further, the process will be terminated after step S505, but the process may return to step S501.

[16. effect of the present example ]

As described above, according to the communication system 10 in the present embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to automatically reflect the position information indicating the installation position of the base station into the base station information stored in the storage unit 220 of the information management apparatus 20. That is, it is possible to save time and effort required for the user to set the base station information to the information management apparatus 20.

As described above, if the time information is contained in the position information acquisition history information and the base station ID acquisition history information transmitted by the communication apparatus 40, the information management apparatus 20 may apply a predetermined condition to the time information contained in each history information. For example, if the information management apparatus 20 determines that the time-of-day information contained in the respective pieces of history information satisfies a predetermined condition, the information management apparatus 20 may associate the position information contained in the position information acquisition history information with the base station ID contained in the base station ID acquisition history information, and register the associated information as the base station information with the storage unit 220. According to this, the accuracy of the base station information registered with the information management apparatus 20 can be improved.

[17. modification of the present embodiment ]

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is of course not limited to the above examples. Those skilled in the art can find various substitutions and modifications within the scope of the claims and understand that they naturally fall within the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, upon receiving a signal (e.g., a beacon signal) transmitted from the base station 30, the communication apparatus 40 may measure the strength of the signal, to associate the measured signal strength with the base station ID of the base station 30, and transmit the associated information as signal strength information to the information management apparatus 20. Therefore, the information management apparatus 20 determines whether or not the received signal strength satisfies a predetermined condition. If the information management apparatus 20 determines that the received signal strength satisfies the predetermined condition, the information management apparatus 20 may take the base station ID associated with the signal strength as the base station information registered with the storage unit 220. Also in this case, the storage unit 220 may be caused to store a threshold value of the signal strength, for example, so that the information management apparatus 20 can determine whether the signal strength exceeds the threshold value. Thereafter, if the information management apparatus 20 determines that the signal strength exceeds the threshold, the base station ID associated with the signal strength may be taken as the base station information registered with the storage unit 220. According to this, the accuracy of registering the base station information with the information management apparatus 20 can be further improved.

For example, if the base station information has been registered with the storage unit 220, the base station information registration unit 240 of the information management apparatus 20 may replace the already registered base station information with the newly acquired base station information. In this case, for example, if base station information more accurate than already registered base station information can be newly obtained, the newly obtained base station information can be used instead of the already registered base station information. For example, if it is difficult to acquire base station information more accurate than already registered base station information, the already registered base station information may not be replaced.

The present embodiment has been described by taking an example in which the information management apparatus 20 and the communication apparatus 40 are separately configured, but the present embodiment is not limited to such an example and the information management apparatus 20 and the communication apparatus 40 may be integrally configured. In this case, the information management apparatus 20 can update the storage unit 220 by receiving not only history information from the integrally configured communication apparatus 40 but also history information from other communication apparatuses to update the storage unit 220.

Each step of processing communication system 100 herein need not be performed in chronological order in the order described as a flowchart or sequence diagram, and may contain processes that are performed in parallel or independently (e.g., parallel processes or purposeful processes).

List of reference numerals

10 communication system

20 information management apparatus

30 base station

40 communication device

50 satellite

210 communication unit

220 memory cell

230 registration judging unit

240 base station information registration unit

250 transmission control unit

260 history information registration unit

410 communication unit

421 positioning unit

422 base station detection unit

430 history information registration unit

440 history information storage unit

445 mobile device identification information acquisition unit

450 sending control unit

460 control unit

470 display unit

480 information update unit

490 base station information storage unit

Claims (4)

1. An information management apparatus comprising:

a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving a signal;

a storage unit storing a threshold value;

a history information registration unit that registers, when first history information containing associated location information and first time information indicating a location of another device at a predetermined time is received via the communication unit, the first history information with the storage unit, and registers, when second history information containing associated base station identification information, second time information indicating a time at which the base station identification information is acquired, and signal strength information generated based on another device measuring a strength of a signal from a base station is received via the communication unit, the second history information with the storage unit;

a registration judgment unit that calculates a difference between the first time information and the second time information to judge whether the difference is smaller than the threshold value stored in the storage unit; and

a base station information registration unit that registers, when the registration judgment unit judges that the difference is smaller than the threshold, information obtained by associating the location information with the base station identification information as base station information with the storage unit, wherein the location information is included in the first history information registered with the storage unit, and the base station identification information and the signal strength information are included in the second history information registered with the storage unit.

2. The information management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the storage unit stores the threshold value for each piece of mobile device identification information for identifying a mobile device of the other apparatus, and

when the mobile device identification information is included in the first history information, the registration determination unit acquires the threshold value corresponding to the mobile device identification information from the storage unit to determine whether the difference value is smaller than the threshold value.

3. An information management method of an information management apparatus having a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving a signal, a storage unit storing a threshold value, a history information registration unit, and a registration judgment unit, the method comprising the steps of:

registering, by the history information registration unit, first history information containing associated position information and first time information, which indicates positions of other devices at predetermined times, and registering, by the history information registration unit, the second history information with the storage unit, which indicates times at which the base station identification information is acquired, and which is generated based on the other devices measuring the strength of a signal from a base station, when the first history information containing associated base station identification information, second time information, and signal strength information are received via the communication unit;

calculating, by the registration judgment unit, a difference between the first time information and the second time information to judge whether the difference is smaller than the threshold value stored in the storage unit; and

when the registration judgment unit judges that the difference is smaller than the threshold, registering, by the base station information registration unit, information obtained by associating the location information with the base station identification information as base station information with the storage unit, wherein the location information is contained in the first history information registered with the storage unit, and the base station identification information and the signal strength information are contained in the second history information registered with the storage unit.

4. A communication system having a communication apparatus and an information management apparatus, wherein,

the communication device includes:

a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving a signal;

a history information storage unit;

a base station detection unit that obtains base station identification information for identifying a base station from a signal received from the base station via the communication unit;

a history information registration unit that acquires position information indicating a position of a local apparatus at a predetermined time and first time information indicating the predetermined time, and associates the position information with the first time information to register associated information as first history information with the history information storage unit, and also associates the base station identification information obtained by the base station detection unit, second time information indicating a time at which the base station identification information is acquired, and signal strength information generated based on measurement of strength of a signal from a base station by another apparatus to register the associated information as second history information with the history information storage unit; and

a transmission control unit that transmits the first history information registered with the history information storage unit to the information management apparatus via the communication unit and also transmits the second history information registered with the history information storage unit to the information storage apparatus via the communication unit, and

the information management apparatus includes:

a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving a signal;

a storage unit storing a threshold value;

a history information registration unit that registers, when first history information containing associated position information and first time information indicating a time at which the base station identification information is acquired is received via the communication unit, the first history information with the storage unit, and registers, when second history information containing associated base station identification information and second time information indicating a time at which the base station identification information is acquired is received via the communication unit, the second history information with the storage unit;

a registration judgment unit that calculates a difference between the first time information and the second time information to judge whether the difference is smaller than the threshold value stored in the storage unit; and

a base station information registration unit that registers, when the registration judgment unit judges that the difference is smaller than the threshold, information obtained by associating the location information with the base station identification information as base station information with the storage unit, wherein the location information is included in the first history information registered with the storage unit, and the base station identification information and the signal strength information are included in the second history information registered with the storage unit.