JP2020165736A - Location information acquisition system, receiver, management system, location information acquisition method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to reduce communication traffic. A location information acquisition system (10) includes a receiver (20), a management system (30), and a storage unit (50). Receiver 20 is provided at a facility and receives transmitter signal Sig1 transmitted from transmitter 40 . The storage unit 50 stores unique information. The unique information is information unique to the transmitter 40 based on the received transmitter signal Sig1. The management system 30 has a function of executing request processing for requesting unique information of a specific transmitter 40 upon receiving a search input. Upon receiving the request, the receiver 20 transmits the specific information of the specific transmitter 40 stored in the storage unit 50 to the management system 30 . The management system 30 acquires the location information of the specific transmitter 40 based on the unique information of the specific transmitter 40 received. [Selection drawing] Fig. 1

Description

The present disclosure generally relates to location information acquisition systems, receivers, management systems, location information acquisition methods, and programs. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a position information acquisition system for acquiring the position information of a transmitter, a receiver and management system used in the position information acquisition system, a position information acquisition method, and a program.

Patent Document 1 discloses a local positioning system (LPS: Local Positioning System) including a receiving unit and an LPS server. The local positioning system measures the position of the mobile terminal in the target space (area). The receiving unit has a plurality of receivers. A plurality of receivers are arranged in or around the target space. The receiver is configured to perform wireless communication with the mobile terminal. Here, the receiver receives the identification information by wireless communication from at least the mobile terminal existing in the target space. The receiver generates received information regarding the received signal strength (RSSI) of the radio signal based on the received radio signal. After receiving the wireless signal from the mobile terminal, each receiver transmits the receiver information and the received information to the LPS server in addition to the identification information received from the mobile terminal.

The LPS server receives identification information, receiver information, and reception information from each of the plurality of receivers. Then, the LPS server identifies the position of the mobile terminal existing in the target space in the target space based on the LPS data (identification information, receiver information, and reception information).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2018-182705

In a local positioning system (position information acquisition system) as described in Patent Document 1, information is constantly transmitted from a receiver to an LPS server (management system), so that communication traffic tends to increase. was there.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide a location information acquisition system, a receiver, a management system, a location information acquisition method, and a program capable of reducing communication traffic.

The position information acquisition system according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a receiver, a management system, and a storage unit. The receiver is provided in the facility and receives a transmitter signal which is a wireless signal transmitted from the transmitter. The management system is capable of communicating with the receiver. The storage unit stores unique information. The unique information is information unique to the transmitter based on the transmitter signal received from the transmitter. The management system has a function of executing a request process for requesting the unique information of the specific transmitter from the receiver when the search input for searching the location of the specific transmitter is received. When the receiver receives the request from the management system, the receiver transmits the unique information of the specific transmitter stored in the storage unit to the management system. The management system acquires the position information of the specific transmitter based on the unique information of the specific transmitter received from the receiver.

The receiver according to one aspect of the present disclosure is used in the above-mentioned location information acquisition system.

The management system according to one aspect of the present disclosure is used for the above-mentioned location information acquisition system.

The position information acquisition method according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a request step and an acquisition step. The request step is a step of requesting the receiver for the unique information of the specific transmitter when the search input for searching the location of the specific transmitter is received. The receiver receives a transmitter signal, which is a wireless signal transmitted from the transmitter provided in the facility. The unique information is information unique to the transmitter based on the transmitter signal. The acquisition step is a step of acquiring the position information of the specific transmitter based on the unique information of the specific transmitter received from the receiver in response to the request in the request step.

The program according to one aspect of the present disclosure causes one or more processors to execute the above-mentioned position information acquisition method.

The present disclosure has an advantage that communication traffic can be reduced.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a position information acquisition system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a facility to which the same location information acquisition system is applied. FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation of the above-mentioned position information acquisition system. FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram showing the operation of the position information acquisition system of the comparative example. 5A and 5B are schematic views showing an example of the operation of the position information acquisition system according to the modification of the embodiment of the present disclosure, respectively. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing another example of the operation of the above-mentioned position information acquisition system.

(1) Overview As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the position information acquisition system 10 of the present embodiment uses one or more receivers 20 installed in the facility 100 to position the transmitter 40 in the facility 100. A positioning system ((LPS: Local Positioning System)) is used to measure.

The "facility" referred to in the present disclosure is, for example, an office building, a factory, a commercial complex, a museum, a museum, an amusement park, a theme park, an airport, a railway station, a dome stadium, a hotel, a residence, etc. Including buildings built in. In addition, the "facility" may be, for example, a moving body such as a ship or a railroad vehicle. Further, the "transmitter" referred to in the present disclosure is, for example, a mobile terminal carried by a user A1 who uses the facility 100, and is, for example, a communication terminal such as a smartphone. Further, the "transmitter" referred to in the present disclosure is not limited to a smartphone, and may be a tablet-type mobile terminal or a transmitter dedicated to a positioning system such as a tag. In the present embodiment, the case where the facility 100 is an office building and the transmitter 40 is a smartphone carried by the user A1 will be described as an example.

As shown in FIG. 1, the position information acquisition system 10 includes one or more receivers 20, a management system 30, and a storage unit 50.

The receiver 20 is provided in the facility 100 and receives the transmitter signal Sigma 1, which is a wireless signal transmitted from the transmitter 40. In the present embodiment, the transmitter signal Sigma 1 is a radio signal periodically transmitted from the transmitter 40. Further, the transmitter signal Sigma 1 includes a part of unique information which is information unique to the transmitter 40, such as an identifier of the transmitter 40.

The management system 30 is capable of communicating with each of one or more receivers 20. The management system 30 acquires the position information of the transmitter 40 based on the unique information received from one or more receivers 20. That is, the management system 30 receives the unique information of the transmitter 40 based on the transmitter signal Sigma1 received by the receiver 20 by receiving the receiver signal Sigma2 transmitted from the receiver 20, and receives the transmitter signal Sigma1. Obtained from the receiver 20. Then, the management system 30 acquires the position information of the transmitter 40 by using the positioning system. The method of acquiring the position information of the transmitter 40 will be described in "(2) Details" described later.

The storage unit 50 stores the unique information of the transmitter 40. In the present embodiment, each of the one or more receivers 20 has the storage unit 50. When the receiver 20 receives the transmitter signal Sigma1 from the transmitter 40, the receiver 20 stores the unique information of the transmitter 40 based on the received transmitter signal Sigma1 in the storage unit 50. In addition to the above-mentioned identifier of the transmitter 40, the unique information of the transmitter 40 includes identification information of the receiver 20 that has received the transmitter signal Sig1 from the transmitter 40, and the received signal strength (RSSI) of the transmitter signal Sig1. : Received Signal Strength Indication) is included.

Upon receiving the search input, the management system 30 has a function of executing a request process for requesting the unique information of the specific transmitter 40 from the receiver 20. The "search input" referred to in the present disclosure is an input for searching the location of a specific transmitter 40 by a user of the location information acquisition system 10 (including a user other than the user A1 of the transmitter 40). .. The search input is performed via a network such as the Internet using, for example, a smartphone owned by the user of the location information acquisition system 10 or a device such as a personal computer. In the request processing, the management system 30 transmits the request signal Sigma 3 to the receiver 20. Here, the management system 30 may transmit the request signal Sig3 to all the receivers 20 belonging to the position information acquisition system 10, or may transmit the request signal Sig3 to some of the receivers 20. May be good. In this embodiment, the management system 30 broadcasts the request signal Sigma3.

When the receiver 20 receives the request signal Sigma 3, that is, receives the request from the management system 30, the receiver 20 sends the receiver signal Sigma 2 including the unique information of the specific transmitter 40 stored in the storage unit 50 to the management system 30. Send. That is, when the receiver 20 receives the request signal Sig3, the receiver 20 searches for whether or not the unique information of the specific transmitter 40 is stored in the storage unit 50. If the storage unit 50 stores the unique information of the specific transmitter 40, the receiver 20 transmits the receiver signal Sigma 2 to the management system 30.

Then, the management system 30 acquires the position information of the specific transmitter 40 based on the unique information of the specific transmitter 40 received from the receiver 20 by using the positioning system.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the management system 30 executes the request processing when the search input is received. Then, when the receiver 20 receives the request from the management system 30, the receiver 20 transmits the unique information of the specific transmitter 40 to the management system 30. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the number of communications with the management system 30 is reduced as compared with the case where the unique information is transmitted to the management system 30 each time the transmitter signal Sig1 is received from the transmitter 40, resulting in communication. It has the advantage of being able to reduce traffic.

(2) Details Hereinafter, the details of the position information acquisition system 10 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In the following, a case where one or more transmitters 40 (that is, one or more users A1) are present in the facility 100 will be described as an example. As shown in FIG. 1, the position information acquisition system 10 includes one or more receivers 20 and a management system 30.

First, the transmitter 40 will be described. In the present embodiment, the transmitter 40 is not included in the components of the position information acquisition system 10, but may be included in the components of the position information acquisition system 10. In other words, the position information acquisition system 10 may further include a transmitter 40.

As shown in FIG. 1, the transmitter 40 includes a communication unit 41, a storage unit 42, and a control unit 43. As shown in FIG. 2, the transmitter 40 is carried by the user A1. The transmitter 40 may be the property of the user A1 or may be borrowed.

The communication unit 41 has a communication function for performing wireless communication using radio waves. In the present embodiment, the communication unit 41 has a function of transmitting a transmitter signal Sig1 which is a wireless signal by being controlled by the control unit 43. The communication unit 41 performs wireless communication by a predetermined communication method, and in the present embodiment, wireless communication is performed by, for example, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy communication method. The communication unit 41 wirelessly transmits, for example, a radio signal (beacon signal) called an advertisement packet as a transmitter signal Sigma 1 at a predetermined time interval and a predetermined transmission power. The communication method of the communication unit 41 is not limited to Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy, and may be a communication method such as WiFi (registered trademark).

The storage unit 42 is, for example, a non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory). Unique information of the transmitter 40 is stored in the storage unit 42. The unique information is, for example, a Bluetooth® Device Address. The unique information is included in the transmitter signal Sigma1. Here, when the facility 100 is used by a plurality of users A1, the plurality of users A1 carry individual transmitters 40. Then, the transmitter 40 and the user A1 have a one-to-one correspondence, and the unique information of the transmitter 40 is associated with the user A1.

As an example, the control unit 43 mainly comprises a computer system having one or more processors and one or more memories. The processor realizes the function of the control unit 43 by executing the program recorded in the memory. The program may be pre-recorded in memory, provided by being recorded on a non-temporary recording medium such as a memory card, or provided through a telecommunication line. The control unit 43 realizes various functions of the transmitter 40 by executing the program. In the present embodiment, the control unit 43 has at least a function of periodically transmitting the transmitter signal Sigma1 from the communication unit 41 by controlling the communication unit 41.

Next, the receiver 20 and the management system 30 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the receiver 20 includes a first communication unit 21, a second communication unit 22, a control unit 23, and a storage unit 50. As shown in FIG. 2, for example, the receiver 20 is arranged on the ceiling 102 of the room 101 of the facility 100. Of course, the receiver 20 may be arranged on the wall of the room 101 or on the top surface of furniture such as the desk 110.

The first communication unit 21 has a communication function for performing wireless communication using radio waves. In the present embodiment, the first communication unit 21 has a function of receiving the transmitter signal Sig1 from the transmitter 40 by being controlled by the control unit 23. The communication method of the first communication unit 21 is, for example, Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy, WiFi (registered trademark), or the like, similarly to the communication unit 41 of the transmitter 40.

The second communication unit 22 has a communication function of communicating with the management system 30 via the communication network NT1 in the facility 100. The communication method of the second communication unit 22 is, for example, wired communication using a LAN (Local Area Network) cable or the like, but is not limited to this, and power line communication or the like using a power line may be used. Further, the communication method of the second communication unit 22 may be a communication method compliant with the Ethernet (registered trademark) standard, or a wireless communication method compliant with the standard such as WiFi (registered trademark). Further, the second communication unit 22 may be able to communicate with the management system 30 via a relay device such as a router or a hub.

As an example, the control unit 23 mainly comprises a computer system having one or more processors and one or more memories. The processor realizes the function of the control unit 23 by executing the program recorded in the memory. The program may be pre-recorded in memory, provided by being recorded on a non-temporary recording medium such as a memory card, or provided through a telecommunication line.

When the control unit 23 receives the transmitter signal Sig1 from the transmitter 40, the control unit 23 has a function of storing the unique information based on the received transmitter signal Sig1 in the storage unit 50. As already described, the unique information includes the identifier of the transmitter 40 included in the received transmitter signal Sigma 1, the identification information of the receiver 20 of the receiver 20 that received the transmitter signal Sigma 1, and the transmitter signal Sigma 1. Received signal strength of. The identification information of the receiver 20 is, for example, an identifier of the receiver 20. The received signal strength of the transmitter signal Sig1 is measured by the control unit 23.

In the present embodiment, the control unit 23 (receiver 20) stores the unique information in the storage unit 50 when a predetermined storage condition is satisfied. The predetermined storage condition is, for example, that the transmitter 40 is registered in the management system 30. Specifically, the control unit 23 receives the registration information including the list of registered identifiers of the transmitter 40 from the management system 30 in advance, and stores the received registration information in the memory. Then, when the control unit 23 receives the transmitter signal Sigma1, it determines whether or not the identifier included in the received transmitter signal Sigma1 is included in the registration information. If the identifier is included in the registration information, the control unit 23 stores the unique information in the storage unit 50. On the other hand, if the identifier is not included in the registration information, the control unit 23 discards the unique information without storing it in the storage unit 50.

Further, the control unit 23 (receiver 20) has a function of discarding the unique information stored in the storage unit 50 when a predetermined discard condition is satisfied. The predetermined discard condition is, for example, that a certain time elapses from the time when the unique information is stored in the storage unit 50. Specifically, the control unit 23 stores the time when the unique information is stored in the storage unit 50 in the memory, and measures a fixed time from this time with a timer. Then, after a certain period of time elapses, the control unit 23 discards the unique information by deleting the unique information stored in the storage unit 50.

Further, the control unit 23 has a function of transmitting the receiver signal Sigma 2 to the management system 30 via the second communication unit 22. The receiver signal Sigma 2 includes unique information of the transmitter 40. In the present embodiment, when the control unit 23 (receiver 20) receives the request signal Sigma 3 from the management system 30 in the second communication unit 22, the unique information of the specific transmitter 40 specified by the request signal Sigma 3 Is stored in the storage unit 50 or not. When the unique information of the specific transmitter 40 is stored in the storage unit 50, the control unit 23 reads the unique information of the specific transmitter 40 from the storage unit 50 and reads the unique information of the specific transmitter 40. Generates the including receiver signal Sigma2. After that, the control unit 23 transmits the generated receiver signal Sigma 2 to the management system 30 via the second communication unit 22. If the unique information of the specific transmitter 40 is not stored in the storage unit 50, the control unit 23 does not generate the receiver signal Sigma 2 and therefore does not transmit the receiver signal Sigma 2 to the management system 30.

The storage unit 50 is a non-volatile memory such as an EEPROM, like the storage unit 42 of the transmitter 40. As already described, the storage unit 50 mainly stores the unique information of the transmitter 40 based on the transmitter signal Sigma 1 received from the transmitter 40.

As shown in FIG. 1, the management system 30 includes a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a control unit 33. The management system 30 is, for example, a server. The management system 30 may be installed inside the facility 100 or outside the facility 100.

The communication unit 31 has a function of communicating with the receiver 20 via the communication network NT1. In the present embodiment, the communication unit 31 has a function of receiving the information included in the receiver signal Sigma 2 from the receiver 20 by being controlled by the control unit 33. The communication method of the communication unit 31 is, for example, wired communication using a LAN cable or the like, similarly to the second communication unit 22 of the receiver 20.

The storage unit 32 includes, for example, a hard disk drive, an optical disk drive, a memory card, and the like. The storage unit 32 stores the identification information of the receiver 20 installed in the facility 100 and the position information regarding the installation position thereof. Here, the position information regarding the installation position of the receiver 20 includes, for example, coordinate information representing the installation position of the receiver 20 in a three-dimensional coordinate system with a predetermined position in the facility 100 as the origin. Further, the storage unit 32 stores the unique information of the transmitter 40 received via the receiver 20. Further, the storage unit 32 stores the position information of the transmitter 40 acquired by the acquisition process described later. Similar to the position information of the receiver 20, the position information of the transmitter 40 includes coordinate information representing each installation position in, for example, a three-dimensional coordinate system having a predetermined position in the facility 100 as the origin.

As an example, the control unit 33 mainly includes a computer system having one or more processors and one or more memories. The processor realizes the function of the control unit 33 by executing the program recorded in the memory. The program may be pre-recorded in memory, provided by being recorded on a non-temporary recording medium such as a memory card, or provided through a telecommunication line.

The control unit 33 has a function of executing request processing and acquisition processing. The request process is a process of requesting unique information from the receiver 20 when the search input is received. Specifically, when the control unit 33 receives the search input, the control unit 33 broadcasts the request signal Sigma 3 via the communication unit 31. The request signal Sigma 3 includes a command for requesting the receiver 20 for unique information of the specific transmitter 40. Here, the specific transmitter 40 specified by the search input may be one unit or a plurality of units. Further, in the search input, it is not necessary to directly specify the specific transmitter 40. For example, when a specific place, department, time, etc. is input in the search input, the transmitter 40 related to the input place, department, time, etc. is indirectly input as the specific transmitter 40.

The acquisition process is a process of acquiring the position information of the specific transmitter 40 based on the unique information of the specific transmitter 40 received from the receiver 20 in response to the request in the request process. In the present embodiment, the control unit 33 acquires the position information of the specific transmitter 40 by performing the positioning calculation using the unique information of the specific transmitter 40 in the acquisition process. Specifically, the control unit 33 receives the position information of one or more receivers 20 that have received the transmitter signal Sigma 1 from the specific transmitter 40, and the transmitter signal measured by each of the one or more receivers 20. The position information of the specific transmitter 40 is estimated by the positioning calculation using the received signal strength of Sig1 and. The position information of the receiver 20 is read out from the storage unit 32 based on the identification information of the receiver 20 included in the unique information. From the viewpoint of the estimation accuracy of the position information of the specific transmitter 40, the positioning calculation is to receive the position information of the three receivers 20 and the transmitter signal Sigma1 measured by each of these receivers 20. It is preferable to perform a three-point positioning calculation using the signal strength.

(3) Operation Hereinafter, the operation of the position information acquisition system 10 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the following, it is assumed that the position information acquisition system 10 is applied to the room 101 of the facility 100. Further, in the following description, it is assumed that a plurality of receivers 20 are installed in advance on the ceiling 102 of the room 101. Further, in FIG. 3, one of the plurality of transmitters 40 is shown as a representative, but each of the plurality of transmitters 40 operates as described below. Similarly, in FIG. 3, one receiver 20 of the plurality of receivers 20 is shown as a representative, but each of the plurality of receivers 20 operates as described below.

The transmitter 40 periodically transmits the transmitter signal Sigma1. Then, when the receiver 20 that has received the transmitter signal Sigma 1 satisfies a predetermined storage condition, the storage unit 50 stores the unique information based on the received transmitter signal Sigma 1 (S1). Hereinafter, by repeating the above processing, unique information is stored in the storage unit 50 of each receiver 20 for each one or more transmitters 40. Further, in the process of repeating the above process, if the predetermined discard condition is satisfied, the receiver 20 discards the unique information stored in the storage unit 50. In the process of repeating the above processing, the management system 30 does not operate in particular.

Next, when the management system 30 receives the search input, the management system 30 executes the request processing (S2). As a result, the request signal Sigma 3 is broadcast from the management system 30. The receiver 20 that has received the request signal Sigma 3 searches for whether or not the unique information of the specific transmitter 40 designated by the request signal Sigma 3 is stored in the storage unit 50. When the unique information of the specific transmitter 40 is stored in the storage unit 50, the control unit 23 reads the unique information of the specific transmitter 40 from the storage unit 50 and reads the unique information of the specific transmitter 40. The including receiver signal Sigma 2 is transmitted to the management system 30.

When the management system 30 receives the receiver signal Sigma2, the management system 30 executes an acquisition process (S3). As a result, the management system 30 acquires the position information of the specific transmitter 40 by performing the positioning calculation using the unique information of the specific transmitter 40 included in the received receiver signal Sigma 2.

Hereinafter, the advantages of the position information acquisition system 10 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the position information acquisition system 200 of the comparative example. As shown in FIG. 4, the position information acquisition system 200 of the comparative example does not have a function of storing the unique information included in the transmitter signal Sigma 1 from the transmitter 201 in the present embodiment. It is different from the position information acquisition system 10. In other words, the position information acquisition system 200 of the comparative example is different from the position information acquisition system 10 of the present embodiment in that it does not include the storage unit 50. Further, the position information acquisition system 200 of the comparative example is different from the position information acquisition system 10 of the present embodiment in that the management system 203 does not have a function of executing request processing. In FIG. 4, as in FIG. 3, one transmitter 201 of the plurality of transmitters 201 is shown as a representative, and one receiver 202 of the plurality of receivers 202 is shown as a representative. There is.

In the position information acquisition system 200 of the comparative example, when the receiver 20 receives the transmitter signal Sigma1 periodically transmitted from the transmitter 201, the receiver 20 receives the receiver signal Sigma2 including the unique information based on the received transmitter signal Sigma1. Send. That is, in the position information acquisition system 200 of the comparative example, when the receiver 20 receives the transmitter signal Sigma1, it transfers it to the management system 203 without storing the unique information. Then, in the position information acquisition system 200 of the comparative example, the management system 203 executes the acquisition process every time the receiver signal Sigma2 is received (S10).

As described above, in the position information acquisition system 200 of the comparative example, the receiver signal Sigma2 is transmitted to the management system 203 every time the receiver 202 receives the transmitter signal Sigma1, so that the receiver 202 and the management system 203 The number of communications tends to increase. In particular, as the number of receivers 202 increases, the number of communications increases, and as a result, communication traffic increases. Further, in the position information acquisition system 200 of the comparative example, since the management system 203 executes the acquisition process every time the receiver signal Sigma 2 is received, the processing load on the management system 203 tends to increase. In particular, as the number of receivers 202 increases, the processing load increases.

On the other hand, in the position information acquisition system 10 of the present embodiment, the management system 30 executes the request processing and the acquisition processing when the search input is received. Therefore, in the present embodiment, there is an advantage that the processing load in the management system 30 can be reduced as compared with the position information acquisition system 200 of the comparative example. Further, in the present embodiment, when the receiver 20 receives the request from the management system 30, the receiver 20 transmits the receiver signal Sigma 2 to the management system 30. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as compared with the position information acquisition system 200 of the comparative example, the number of communications between the receiver 20 and the management system 30 is reduced, and as a result, the communication traffic can be reduced. There is.

(4) Modifications The above embodiment is only one of the various embodiments of the present disclosure. The above-described embodiment can be changed in various ways depending on the design and the like as long as the object of the present disclosure can be achieved. Further, the same function as the position information acquisition system 10 may be realized by a method, a (computer) program, a non-temporary recording medium on which the program is recorded, or the like.

The position information acquisition method according to one aspect includes a request step and an acquisition step. The request step is a step of requesting the receiver 20 for the unique information of the specific transmitter 40 when the search input for searching the location of the specific transmitter 40 is received. The receiver 20 receives the transmitter signal Sigma 1, which is a wireless signal transmitted from the transmitter 40 provided in the facility 100. The unique information is information unique to the transmitter 40 based on the transmitter signal Sigma1. The acquisition step is a step of acquiring the position information of the specific transmitter 40 based on the unique information of the specific transmitter 40 received from the receiver 20 in response to the request in the request step.

The program according to one aspect causes one or more processors to execute the above-mentioned position information acquisition method.

Hereinafter, modifications of the above-described embodiment will be listed. The modifications described below can be applied in combination as appropriate.

The position information acquisition system 10 in the present disclosure includes, for example, a computer system in the control unit 23 of the receiver 20 and the control unit 33 of the management system 30. The main configuration of a computer system is a processor and memory as hardware. When the processor executes the program recorded in the memory of the computer system, the function as the position information acquisition system 10 in the present disclosure is realized. The program may be pre-recorded in the memory of the computer system, may be provided through a telecommunications line, and may be recorded on a non-temporary recording medium such as a memory card, optical disk, or hard disk drive that can be read by the computer system. May be provided. A processor in a computer system is composed of one or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) or a large scale integrated circuit (LSI). The integrated circuit such as IC or LSI referred to here has a different name depending on the degree of integration, and includes an integrated circuit called a system LSI, VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration), or ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration). Further, an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) programmed after the LSI is manufactured, or a logical device capable of reconfiguring the junction relationship inside the LSI or reconfiguring the circuit partition inside the LSI should also be adopted as a processor. Can be done. A plurality of electronic circuits may be integrated on one chip, or may be distributed on a plurality of chips. The plurality of chips may be integrated in one device, or may be distributed in a plurality of devices. The computer system referred to here includes a microcontroller having one or more processors and one or more memories. Therefore, the microcontroller is also composed of one or more electronic circuits including a semiconductor integrated circuit or a large-scale integrated circuit.

Further, it is not an essential configuration for the location information acquisition system 10 that at least a part of the functions of the location information acquisition system 10 are integrated in one housing, and a plurality of components of the location information acquisition system 10 are present. It may be distributed in the housing. Further, at least a part of the functions of the location information acquisition system 10, for example, the functions of the control unit 33 may be realized by a cloud (cloud computing) or the like.

In the above-described embodiment, the management system 30 is not limited to the mode of broadcasting the request signal Sigma3 in the request processing, and may narrow the transmission range of the request signal Sigma3. For example, in the request processing, the management system 30 may determine the receiver 20 of the request destination based on the past acquisition result of the position information of the specific transmitter 40. As an example, as shown in FIG. 5A, in request processing, the management system 30 uses one or more receivers 20 within a predetermined range B1 with respect to the previous position B0 of a specific transmitter 40 as a request destination. You may decide.

Further, when the management system 30 cannot acquire the unique information of the specific transmitter 40 by the request processing, the management system 30 may determine the receiver 20 of the request destination in the next request processing based on the result of the request processing. The term "when the unique information of the specific transmitter 40 cannot be acquired" includes the case where the receiver signal Sigma2 can be received but the received signal strength is equal to or less than a predetermined strength. As an example, as shown in FIG. 5B, the management system 30 executes request processing with one or more receivers 20 within a predetermined range B1 as request destinations, and cannot acquire unique information of a specific transmitter 40. It is assumed that In this case, the management system 30 may determine one or more receivers 20 within a wider range B2 than the predetermined range B1 as the request destination in the request processing again.

In addition, in the first request processing, the management system 30 has received the receiver signals Sig2 from the plurality of receivers 20, and the received signal strength of any of the receiver signals Sig2 is the other receiver signal. It may be higher than the received signal strength of Sig2. In this case, as shown in FIG. 6, the management system 30 is in the range B3 biased toward the receiver 20 (in FIG. 6, the upper right receiver 20 in the range B1) having a relatively large received signal strength. The above receiver 20 may be determined as the request destination.

Further, the management system 30 may determine the receiver 20 of the request destination based on the place where the past acquisition result of the position information of the specific transmitter 40 is the largest in the request processing. As an example, the management system 30 refers to the history of past acquisition processing (for example, one month), and one or more receptions existing in the place where the specific transmitter 40 was most frequently present and in the vicinity thereof. The machine 20 may be determined as the request destination.

Further, in the request processing, the management system 30 may determine the receiver 20 of the request destination based on the time when the search input is received. As an example, the management system 30 refers to the history of past acquisition processing (for example, one month), and refers to the place where the specific transmitter 40 is most frequently present in the time zone when the search input is received, and the place thereof. One or more receivers 20 existing in the vicinity may be determined as the request destination.

In the above-described embodiment, the management system 30 may further have a function of executing a switching process for switching the operation of the receiver 20 so as to transmit the unique information to the management system 30 regardless of the search input. As an example, the management system 30 executes the switching process by broadcasting the switching signal. After receiving the switching signal, the receiver 20 sends the receiver signal Sigma 2 to the management system 30 every time the transmitter signal Sigma 1 is received, as in the position information acquisition system 200 of the comparative example, until the switching signal is received again. Acts to send. The trigger of the switching process is, for example, accepting a specific operation by the administrator of the location information acquisition system 10 or satisfying a predetermined condition (for example, the communication traffic is a predetermined amount or less).

In the above-described embodiment, the predetermined storage condition may be, for example, that the received signal strength of the transmitter signal Sigma1 is equal to or higher than the predetermined strength. Further, the predetermined storage condition is that the difference between the time when the transmitter signal Sig1 is transmitted from the transmitter 40 and the time when the transmitter signal Sig1 is received by the receiver 20 is not more than a predetermined time. Good. In addition, when the transmitter 40 has an acceleration sensor and the detection result of the acceleration sensor is included in the transmitter signal Sigma1 and transmitted, the predetermined storage condition is that the transmitter 40 has a predetermined acceleration or less. It may be. In this case, the receiver 20 does not store the unique information if the transmitter 40 is moving.

In the above-described embodiment, the predetermined discard condition may be, for example, receiving a request from the management system 30 and transmitting unique information. In this case, the receiver 20 discards the transmitted unique information from the storage unit 50. In addition, the predetermined discard condition may be to receive the transmitter signal Sigma 1 including the same identifier as the identifier of the transmitter 40 stored in the storage unit 50. In this case, since a part of the unique information is duplicated, the receiver 20 discards the unique information from the storage unit 50 and then stores the unique information included in the transmitter signal Sigma 1 (that is, the unique information). To update).

In the above-described embodiment, the receiver 20 has the storage unit 50, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. For example, even in a mode in which a storage device (storage unit 50) is installed in addition to the receiver 20, unique information based on the transmitter signal Sigma 1 received by one or more receivers 20 is stored in this storage device. Good.

In the above-described embodiment, the management system 30 does not have to estimate the position information of the transmitter 40 by the positioning calculation. For example, the management system 30 may estimate the position information of the receiver 20 that has received the transmitter signal Sig1 from the transmitter 40 as the position information of the transmitter 40.

In the above-described embodiment, the receiver 20 can be independently distributed to the market as a device used in the position information acquisition system 10. Similarly, the management system 30 can be independently distributed to the market as a device used in the location information acquisition system 10.

(Summary)
As described above, the position information acquisition system (10) according to the first aspect includes a receiver (20), a management system (30), and a storage unit (50). The receiver (20) is provided in the facility (100) and receives a transmitter signal (Sigma1) which is a radio signal transmitted from the transmitter (40). The management system (30) can communicate with the receiver (20). The storage unit (50) stores unique information. The unique information is information unique to the transmitter (40) based on the transmitter signal (Sigma 1) received from the transmitter (40). When the management system (30) receives the search input for searching the location of the specific transmitter (40), the management system (30) requests the receiver (20) for the unique information of the specific transmitter (40). Has the function of executing. When the receiver (20) receives the request from the management system (30), the receiver (20) transmits the unique information of the specific transmitter (40) stored in the storage unit (50) to the management system (30). The management system (30) acquires the position information of the specific transmitter (40) based on the unique information of the specific transmitter (40) received from the receiver (20).

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that communication traffic can be reduced.

In the position information acquisition system (10) according to the second aspect, in the first aspect, the receiver (20) stores unique information in the storage unit (50) when a predetermined storage condition is satisfied.

According to this aspect, since it is not necessary to store unnecessary unique information, there is an advantage that the storage capacity of the storage unit (50) can be effectively utilized.

In the position information acquisition system (10) according to the third aspect, in the first or second aspect, the predetermined storage condition is that the transmitter (40) is registered in the management system (30).

According to this aspect, since the unique information of the transmitter (40) that is not registered in the management system (30) is not stored, there is an advantage that the storage capacity of the storage unit (50) can be effectively utilized.

In the position information acquisition system (10) according to the fourth aspect, in any one of the first to third aspects, the receiver (20) stores the storage unit (50) when a predetermined discard condition is satisfied. Discard the stored unique information.

According to this aspect, since unnecessary unique information is discarded, there is an advantage that the storage capacity of the storage unit (50) can be effectively utilized.

In the position information acquisition system (10) according to the fifth aspect, in the fourth aspect, the predetermined discard condition is that a certain time elapses from the time when the unique information is stored in the storage unit (50).

According to this aspect, since the unique information that has become old with the passage of time is discarded, there is an advantage that the storage capacity of the storage unit (50) can be effectively utilized.

In the position information acquisition system (10) according to the sixth aspect, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the management system (30) has the past position information of the specific transmitter (40) in the request processing. The receiver (20) of the request destination is determined based on the acquisition result of.

According to this aspect, when there are a large number of receivers (20), the receivers (20) to be requested can be limited, so that the communication traffic can be reduced, and the receivers (20) and the management system (30) can be limited. ) Has the advantage that the processing load can be reduced.

In the position information acquisition system (10) according to the seventh aspect, in the sixth aspect, when the management system (30) cannot acquire the unique information of the specific transmitter (40) by the request processing, the result of the request processing. The receiver (20) of the request destination in the next request processing is determined based on.

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that the number of request processes required for acquiring the unique information of the specific transmitter (40) can be easily reduced.

In the position information acquisition system (10) according to the eighth aspect, in the sixth or seventh aspect, the management system (30) is the past acquisition result of the position information of the specific transmitter (40) in the request processing. The requesting receiver (20) is determined based on the location with the most.

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that the possibility that the unique information of the specific transmitter (40) can be acquired in the initial request processing is likely to be improved.

In the position information acquisition system (10) according to the ninth aspect, in the eighth aspect, the management system (30) receives the request destination receiver (20) based on the time when the search input is received in the request processing. To determine.

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that the possibility of acquiring the unique information of the specific transmitter (40) in the initial request processing can be further improved.

In the position information acquisition system (10) according to the tenth aspect, in any one of the first to ninth aspects, the management system (30) further has a function of executing the switching process. The switching process is a process of switching the operation of the receiver (20) so as to transmit the unique information to the management system (30) regardless of the search input.

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that the mode of acquiring the position information of the transmitter (40) can be switched according to the application such as monitoring the flow line of the transmitter (40) in real time.

The position information acquisition system (10) according to the eleventh aspect further includes a transmitter (40) in any one of the first to tenth aspects.

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that communication traffic can be reduced.

The receiver (20) according to the twelfth aspect is used in the position information acquisition system (10) of any one of the first to eleventh aspects.

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that communication traffic can be reduced.

The management system (30) according to the thirteenth aspect is used for the position information acquisition system (10) of any one of the first to eleventh aspects.

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that communication traffic can be reduced.

The position information acquisition method according to the fourteenth aspect includes a request step and an acquisition step. The request step is a step of requesting the receiver (20) for the unique information of the specific transmitter (40) when the search input for searching the location of the specific transmitter (40) is received. The receiver (20) receives the transmitter signal (Sigma1), which is a wireless signal transmitted from the transmitter (40) provided in the facility (100). The unique information is information unique to the transmitter (40) based on the transmitter signal (Sigma1). The acquisition step is a step of acquiring the position information of the specific transmitter (40) based on the unique information of the specific transmitter (40) received from the receiver (20) in response to the request in the request step. ..

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that communication traffic can be reduced.

The program according to the fifteenth aspect causes one or more processors to execute the position information acquisition method of the fourteenth aspect.

According to this aspect, there is an advantage that communication traffic can be reduced.

The configuration according to the second to thirteenth aspects is not an essential configuration for the position information acquisition system (10) and can be omitted as appropriate.

10 Location information acquisition system 20 Receiver 30 Management system 40 Transmitter 50 Storage unit 100 Facility Sig1 Transmitter signal

Claims (15)

A receiver installed in the facility to receive the transmitter signal, which is a wireless signal transmitted from the transmitter,
A management system that can communicate with the receiver,
A storage unit that stores unique information unique to the transmitter based on the transmitter signal received from the transmitter is provided.
When the management system receives a search input for searching for the location of a specific transmitter, the management system has a function of executing a request process for requesting the unique information of the specific transmitter from the receiver.
When the receiver receives the request from the management system, the receiver transmits the unique information of the specific transmitter stored in the storage unit to the management system.
The management system acquires the position information of the specific transmitter based on the unique information of the specific transmitter received from the receiver.
Location information acquisition system. The receiver stores the unique information in the storage unit when a predetermined storage condition is satisfied.
The location information acquisition system according to claim 1. The predetermined storage condition is that the transmitter is registered in the management system.
The location information acquisition system according to claim 2. When the receiver satisfies the predetermined discard condition, the receiver discards the unique information stored in the storage unit.
The position information acquisition system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The predetermined discard condition is that a certain time elapses from the time when the unique information is stored in the storage unit.
The location information acquisition system according to claim 4. In the request processing, the management system determines the receiver of the request destination based on the past acquisition result of the position information of the specific transmitter.
The location information acquisition system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. When the management system cannot acquire the unique information of the specific transmitter by the request processing, the management system determines the receiver of the request destination in the next request processing based on the result of the request processing.
The location information acquisition system according to claim 6. In the request processing, the management system determines the receiver of the request destination based on the place where the past acquisition result of the position information of the specific transmitter is the largest.
The location information acquisition system according to claim 6 or 7. In the request processing, the management system determines the receiver of the request destination based on the time when the search input is received.
The location information acquisition system according to claim 8. The management system further has a function of executing a switching process of switching the operation of the receiver so as to transmit the unique information to the management system regardless of the search input.
The location information acquisition system according to any one of claims 1 to 9. Further equipped with the transmitter
The position information acquisition system according to any one of claims 1 to 10. Used in the location information acquisition system according to any one of claims 1 to 11.
Receiving machine. Used in the location information acquisition system according to any one of claims 1 to 11.
Management system. When a search input for searching the location of a specific transmitter is received, the receiver that receives the transmitter signal, which is a wireless signal transmitted from the transmitter, is installed in the facility from the specific transmitter. A request step for requesting unique information unique to the specific transmitter based on the transmitter signal of the above.
It has an acquisition step of acquiring the position information of the specific transmitter based on the unique information of the specific transmitter received from the receiver in response to the request in the request step.
Location information acquisition method. For one or more processors
The location information acquisition method according to claim 14 is executed.
program.

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