JP2000069542A - Phs terminal for transmitting and receiving position information of mobile body and action supporting system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To use the merit of a position information service without damaging individual privacy by monitoring a distance between a terminal and the start point of position information or a base station or the movement distance of the terminal, judging whether or not the movement distance is beyond a set threshold value, and preventing the offer of the position information of the terminal beyond the threshold value. SOLUTION: This system is provided with a function for deciding a start point 21 of position information display or a base station 21 for mainly transmitting and receiving a signal, and for stopping the offer of position information to a client terminal or a server terminal for obtaining position information when a distance from the start point 21 or the base station 21 is beyond a prescribed value. For example, a distance between the terminal and the start 21 of the position information or the base station 21 for mainly transmitting and receiving a signal is calculated from each latitude and longitude information. For example, a mobile terminal is provided with a function for calculating a distance and for stopping the offer of position information when the distance is beyond a prescribed value.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a small terminal for transmitting and receiving position information using a PHS system, and to a terminal and a system for eliminating the possibility that a malicious third party violates personal privacy.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, from the viewpoint of action support when moving, or from the viewpoint of transport or storage management of things, PHS has been developed.
The location information providing service using is attracting attention. The location information providing service is based on the fact that a PHS terminal always communicates with the nearest base station and holds information on a nearby base station, estimates the position of the terminal from this base station information, It is a service provided as. It can be called a kind of navigation system. These general technical information are described in, for example, "PHS, for example," published by the Telecommunications Association, NTT R & D, Vol.44, pp.71.
5-786, 1995, and with respect to car navigation, which is a prior example of navigation, see “Japanese Patent Application, Vehicle Map Display, Japanese Patent Application No. 6-30759.
5, filed on December 12, 1994 ", so that only technically relevant points will be described in this specification.
Regarding the PHS location information service technology which is a major component of the present invention, for example, “Hagino, Sakurai, Nara,“ Card-type terminal applied to a location search system for elderly people wandering in Sakata City ”, Japan Industrial Technology Promotion Association Next Generation Telemetry Control Research Committee Presentation Materials (1
998.1) ”, so that only general descriptions and explanations will be briefly described.

FIGS. 3 and 4 show a schematic configuration of a PHS telephone system. Since the shapes in the figures are expressed with precedence for simplicity, it goes without saying that there is no problem in using notations or configurations other than these.

In this figure, the system comprises a terminal 1, a base station (abbreviated as CS) 2, a client terminal 3 for instructing a search for a terminal position, storing position information data and receiving data from a client. A location information database terminal that interprets the instruction and provides a service (also referred to as a server terminal because it has a server function) 4.
A network 5 for linking these, and a CS interface unit 6 for handling an interface between 5 and 2 are provided.

In a PHS service, a so-called network is mainly composed of ISDN, and it is general that a plurality of the above-mentioned components exist. For example, so-called base stations 21, 22, 23, etc., the effective range of radio waves of base stations called cells corresponding thereto (in FIG. 4, cell 1, cell 2,... Cell x, cell y, etc. display),
And the terminal 1 of the user (121, 122, etc.,
(Not shown) constitutes a system and enjoys a μ-band wireless communication service (hereinafter referred to as a PHS service) described below. Of course, it is possible to connect to or connect to other networks, for example, the PSTN or the Internet, as well as the PHS mutual communication service, and to make a call with a general home phone.

[0006] The PHS service uses a radio wave of 1.9 GHz band and transmits a radio signal of 10 mW or less (hereinafter referred to as RF) from a terminal.
Output, 500m from public base station side (21,22 etc.)
Up to 384 kbit / s (the transmission speed will be increased approximately twice in the near future. In this case, the following numerical values will need to be read) with an output of W or less (the output value is controlled according to the intended coverage of the base station). This is a personal use communication service for transmitting and receiving voice or digital data. In PHS systems, TDMA / TDD
A transmission / reception time slot (625 μs / slot) is allocated in a unit time of 5 ms called a frame, and three base station audio channels are provided for one base station. A channel for controlling this voice channel: a control channel is provided between one base station and three terminals.

[0007] The PHS service is based on the movement of terminals (approximately 3
0 km / h or less, but depending on the size of the cell,
There are slight differences in size depending on the company providing the PHS service.
(Hereinafter referred to as an allowable predetermined speed of the PHS), it is necessary to always store the position of the user's terminal on the system side. The mechanism is briefly described. Receivable ranges of radio waves emitted from the base stations 21, 22, 23 and the like are respectively defined as cell 1 (211), cell 2 (212), and cell 3
(213) and so on. In cell 1 and then cell 2
It is assumed that there is a terminal 1 (121) that has moved to (1 ′ in FIG. 4). Apart from this, there are a terminal 2 (122: not shown) and a terminal 3 (123: not shown). For the work of specifying and recording the positions of these many terminals (referred to as position registration), registering an available base station every time the mobile terminal moves causes radio wave congestion. Through a procedure called "paging". Simultaneous calling means that a plurality of public base stations are combined into a location registration area (for example, a location registration area 1 is formed by cell 1 and cell 2), and the location registration area of a PHS terminal is changed not for each public base station. Only when the location registration is performed, when a call is received, each of a plurality of public base stations in the location registration area where a PHS may exist calls the PHS terminal and the PHS terminal responds. Only the PHS terminal receives a call. These operations are performed by a single exchange because real-time properties are required and the amount of processing is large.

[0008] A service for providing location information has been created by taking advantage of such features of the PHS service. This is because the number of a base station that the PHS terminal can transmit and receive (so-called CS-ID) is transmitted to the network side, and the position of the base station is determined from the CS-ID by the database terminal 4 on the network side, and the vicinity of the base station is determined. The location information database terminal 4, which is a service for notifying that the terminal is present, stores a table for converting the base station number (ID) into latitude and longitude information as location information of the base station. , Can easily be replaced with terminal position information. As a matter of course, since a person cannot immediately replace the latitude / longitude information with an actual map and recognize the map, the map information is separately stored in the client terminal 3 serving as a user interface, and is displayed together with the map display. It is preferable for the user to display the approximate position indicated by the / longitude information in a superimposed manner.

Although this system can easily provide location information, it is not widely known that the system includes extremely dangerous elements. As is well known, PHS
Since the terminal can transmit and receive position information with a transmission output of several tens of mW, the terminal itself can be manufactured extremely small. For example, the inventors have introduced a wristwatch-type PHS telephone in 1998.
Provided for the operation of the venue of the Nagano Olympics held on February 7, 2016, the physical value of the terminal is: 45
g, volume: 31 cc. Although the advantage of obtaining location information with such a small terminal is inevitable, on the other hand, it is also conceivable that a PHS terminal compatible with the location information service may be inserted into personal belongings without the user's intention. When such a situation occurs, it becomes possible for others to monitor the behavior of the individual, and the privacy of the individual may be impaired. Therefore, in providing such a service, there has been a need for a social agreement and a systematic measure to prevent privacy infringement.

[0010]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a completely new system which can enjoy the advantages brought by the location information service without impairing the privacy of an individual, and a method for realizing the system.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention monitors the distance between a terminal and the origin of position information, or the distance between the terminal and a base station, or the movement distance of a terminal, and determines whether the movement distance exceeds a set threshold value. Is determined, and the location information of the terminal exceeding the threshold is not provided. The base station is a base station corresponding to a place where the terminal is registered (for example, home) and / or a base station corresponding to a place where the terminal is currently located. Or,
It is characterized in that a combination of a specific base station and a terminal is set, and provision of position information is supported only within the range of the combination.

First, the main scope of the present invention will be clarified. Given the privacy protection first, it is not advisable to provide location information. On the other hand, if the location information can be easily used, there is a usage form in which many users express their approval. A typical example is a service that monitors the position of a pet or infant. Some pets have been discovered after traveling hundreds of kilometers,
In the present invention, these are not mainly applied. The main application of the present invention is a service of positional information of infants in a crowded amusement park or theme park, and a second monitor of positional information of pets such as cats. Also, by changing the setting of a threshold value described later, a dog or the like having a wider range of action than a cat could be included in the target. A feature common to these is that the moving distance can be considered to be within several km in a normal case. For example, the range of movement of a cat is said to be several hundred meters, and the kind of theme parks that want to monitor the behavior of children so that they do not get lost will fall within a circle with a radius of about 1 km (that is, the movement distance to be monitored is at most 2 km). Of course, if a large theme park is built in the future, this number should be set to a large value according to the entity.) In addition, even dogs whose body is large and whose moving distance is long are at most about several km. As described above, the range or the distance to be monitored so that the position of the child or the pet does not get lost can be regarded as about several km. On the other hand, the travel distance of people whose privacy should be protected is roughly 1
It is clear in light of the ego's experience that it exceeds 0 km. For example, it is said that the average commuting time of a salaryman in the metropolitan area exceeds 1.5 hours, and that the traveling distance in this time does not fall below 30 km can be calculated from the average speed of a commuter train or a car.

A first feature of the present invention is to provide a service threshold value focusing on the distance value so that provision of an inexpensive and easy location information service does not violate personal privacy. Specifically, a location or area where a terminal to be searched for location information is mainly used is determined, and a base station to which the terminal belongs is specified, or information on a location where the terminal should mainly be located (the nearest base station). Station ID, or the latitude / longitude of the user's home, or the latitude / longitude where the theme park is located, etc.). These designations are exchanged with the user in writing or the like, but in actual operation, the terminal 1, base station 2, client terminal 3, location information database server 4, Alternatively, this kind of data provided in a part of the network is stored and processed in any one of the parts (not shown) or a plurality of these parts, and the processing described below is performed.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a case of a small PHS terminal attached to a cat will be described. The terminals used in the experiment include an antenna 11 for transmitting and receiving PHS radio waves, an electronic circuit or an IC module 12 for processing position information service and PHS information, and a battery 13 for supplying power to these. It comprises other electronic circuit components and a housing 14 (partially removed in the drawing) enclosing them. This device is different from a normal PHS phone terminal, in that not only the weight and size have been reduced by removing the call function unit, but also the battery is replaced for 10 days despite using a general battery. I was able to continue monitoring the cat's position without having to.

According to the results of monitoring the behavior of a cat kept in one of the inventor's homes, the cat's range of action is limited to a nearby town, and only a few places cross the road and only one. there were. From this, it has been found that the range of the distance to be monitored so that the cat does not get lost is at most about 1 km. In another example, dog behavior was monitored. In this case, a dog was equipped with a PHS terminal having a location information service function and without a telephone call function, and was allowed to freely act to observe the situation. It is clear that we have taken every possible measure to prevent harm to others during the experiment. The results show that dogs have a different range of action than cats,
It has been found to cover a wide range. However, the range was generally within a few km and did not exceed 10 km.

Although there is no embodiment, the behavior monitoring of a toddler in a theme park or the like to which the present invention is effectively applied is considered if most of the theme park can be accommodated in a circle of several km.
The range or distance to be monitored does not exceed 10 km.

Based on the above experiments and considerations, the present invention makes the following settings. Although the description will be made with reference to FIG. 2, it is obvious that the present invention is not limited to this figure. In a system capable of providing the position information of the terminal 1 using a radio signal of the PHS specification, the starting point of the position information display or the base station mainly transmitting and receiving signals is defined as 21, and the distance from the starting point or the base station is a predetermined value. Is exceeded, the client terminal 3 or the server terminal 4 that can acquire location information
Function to stop providing location information to Specifically, the starting point of the position information or the installation position of the base station that mainly transmits and receives signals and the installation position of the nearest base station where the terminal is located are expressed by latitude and longitude information. next,
From each of the latitude and longitude information, the distance from the base station that transmits or receives the origin of the position information or the main signal is calculated. Although several methods are known for this method, a point P (latitude a1, longitude b1) and a point Q (latitude a
The separation distance value L of 2, longitude b2) is L = √ ((π (a1-a2) × 12756/360) ↑ 2 + (π (b1-b2) × 1271
4/360) ↑ 2). Here, the major axis of the earth was 6378 km and the minor axis was 6357 km,
Obviously, performing a similar calculation using the per-unit values of latitude and longitude known in the region to which the present invention is applied will lead to an increase in the accuracy of the threshold used in the present invention. The function of stopping the calculation of the separation distance and the provision of the position information when the separation distance exceeds a predetermined value is provided to the mobile terminal, for example.

As another calculation method, a matrix table of base stations and base stations is prepared so that a table from which the fares of two Shinkansen stations can be easily read is prepared. A method of reading the distance from the nearest base station at the location is also possible. Although it becomes a large matrix table that cannot be printed on paper, it is apparent that the problem is only an increase in the amount of used memory in an electronic circuit / LSI that can use a large storage area. FIG. 2 will be described as a typical case. Here, the distance between each base station is represented by the following matrix table, and its unit is 100 m. Base station ID 2i 21 22 23 24 2x 2i------21 2-----223 2----234 3 2---24 543 3 2--2x stwxy z

In this table, if the distance exceeds 400 m, the threshold value is set to 400 m if it is determined that there is a risk of abuse such as invasion of privacy. In this case, the information providing service is stopped when the terminal moves to the cell 4 in FIG. As a matter of course, if the abuse is clearly denied, the cancellation may be canceled based on an agreement between the company operating the system and the user. It should be noted that the value of 400 m mentioned here has no special meaning.

As described above, the method of preventing a malicious third party from infringing privacy, which is a hidden part of the present invention, provides position information by the value of L described above. This is realized by distinguishing between the case and the case where the process is not performed. When the calculated value of L exceeds a predetermined value, for example, 10 km, a function to stop providing position information to a client terminal or a terminal capable of acquiring position information is given to the system or the terminal. Either from the formula above or from the matrix table, this type of computation is performed by a digital signal processor (DSP).
Or PH with built-in microprocessor
It can be easily calculated at the S terminal. In other words, it is a very easy calculation for a kind of computer, 3 or 4, which can be determined.

Next, another application example of the present invention will be described.
In FIG. 2, it is assumed that the position of a periodically patrol car is monitored. It is assumed that the car is operated from cell 1 to cell 3 to cell 3 and back on the same route. In this case, the location information to be monitored is cell 1, cell 2, and cell 3, and registration as a set is shown in FIG.
To the system shown in Then, when a search request is issued from the client terminal 3, the terminal 1 sets the cell 1, cell 2, cell 3
And a service that returns location information only when it exists. Location information limited in this way is extremely effective for buses or cash transport vehicles that have a fixed route of operation, while the system will use the information even if the terminal used for that purpose is stolen. Since the set information cannot be changed, the risk of abuse almost disappears.

Next, another application example of the present invention will be described. When the terminal of the present invention is worn on a wandering elderly person, it is possible to provide a location information service while distinguishing between when in the city and when not. In this case, the position information can be started when the distance from the designated position increases, and the location can be confirmed in an unknown town or out of town. In the description before this, the mechanism in which the provision of the position information is stopped when the separation distance becomes large has been described, but this section is a complementary example thereof. In this case as well, since location information in the city center is not provided, it is clear that privacy infringement will be stopped.

Although the above-described method has been described as the determination method based on the position information of the position information service, the same effect can be obtained by another method of the present invention. This is realized by incorporating an acceleration sensor in the terminal 1. Of course, this acceleration sensor outputs the magnitude and direction assuming the XY plane with respect to the acceleration in the horizontal direction. This output value is defined as positive in a specific direction and negative in the opposite direction, the integrated value of the output value is defined as the travel distance per unit time, and the total value of the travel distance value considering the sign started to calculate The distance traveled from the point. This moving distance can be used instead of the above L. The terminal 1 having the built-in acceleration sensor as described above has an advantage that there is no need to change the main program of the existing location information service while including some cost increase factors.

As a matter of course, pets such as dogs or cats do not use the call function provided by the PHS telephone system, but delete the call function of the terminal used in the PHS telephone system, so that the PHS terminal can be used. This has the great advantage that the cost, size and weight of the device can be reduced and the continuous operation time can be extended.

[0025]

As described above, according to the present invention, in the conventional configuration, the location information service system of the PHS system and the terminal used for the system are provided internally.
He has shown that the problem of "abuse of privacy violations" can be overcome without major modifications to systems or terminals or additional programs. Also, P
It is a form of terminal specialized in location information service of HS, and low power consumption by reducing dial buttons and call functions,
Alternatively, it has shown an advantage that it can be reduced in size and weight or can be operated for a long time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a terminal according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for providing a location information service according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of the prior art.

FIG. 4 shows another embodiment of the prior art.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 121, 122 terminal 2, 21, 22, 23 base station 3 client terminal for instructing terminal position search 4 location information database terminal 5 network 6 CS interface unit 211 cell 1 212 cell 2 213 cell 3 11 PHS radio wave Antenna for transmitting and receiving 12 Electronic circuit or IC module for processing location information service and PHS information 13 Battery for supplying power 14 Housing (partially shown in broken state in the figure)

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Yoshitake Suzuki 3-19-2 Nishi Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Japan Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (72) Inventor Yutaka Nishino 3-192 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo No. Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation F term (reference) 2F029 AA07 AB05 AC02 AC14 5J062 BB01 CC14 HH01 HH05 5K067 AA42 AA43 BB04 DD18 DD19 DD20 EE02 EE10 EE24 FF03 FF31 GG01 HH22 JJ53 JJ66 LL11

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A system capable of providing location information of a terminal by using a radio signal of the PHS specification, wherein a starting point of position information display or at least one base station for transmitting / receiving a signal to / from the terminal is determined, and the starting point or An action support system having a function to stop providing position information to a client terminal or a terminal capable of acquiring position information when a separation distance of the terminal from the base station exceeds a predetermined value. 2. The action support system according to claim 1, wherein said base station is a base station corresponding to a place where said terminal is registered. 3. The action support system according to claim 1, wherein the base station is a base station corresponding to a location where the terminal is currently located. 4. A base station corresponding to a place where the base station has registered the terminal, and a base station corresponding to a place where the terminal currently exists, wherein the base station corresponds to a place where the terminal is presently located. If the separation distance exceeds the specified value,
The action support system according to claim 1, wherein the provision of the position information is stopped or the provision of the position information is started. 5. The action support system according to claim 1, wherein the starting point and the installation position of the base station are expressed by latitude and longitude, and the separation distance is calculated from the latitude and longitude. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined value is 10 km.
The behavior support system according to any one of Items 1 to 5. 7. A system which can provide location information of a terminal using a radio signal of the PHS specification, wherein a combination of a plurality of base stations and a terminal related to transmission / reception of the location information is created, and an inquiry about the location information of the terminal is performed.
An action support system, wherein position information is provided only when a terminal is present near any one of the base stations. 8. A PHS terminal, wherein the terminal used in the action support system does not have a call function.