JP2009086982A - Current location information notification system, portable terminal equipment, center device and current location information notification method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce power consumption of a terminal of a pedestrian by reducing the frequency of transmitting the location information of the pedestrian by portable terminal equipment. <P>SOLUTION: The portable terminal equipment 20 acquires current location information specifying the current location of the portable terminal equipment 20 by cyclic radio communication with a GPS satellite, and acquires the region information near the current location to be specified by the acquired current location information among a plurality of region information stored in a center device 10, and determines whether or not the portable terminal equipment 20 exists in the region to be specified by the presence notification-required region information from the current location of the potable terminal equipment 20 to be specified by the acquired current location information and the acquired region information, and controls the transmission of the current location information of the portable terminal equipment 20 to the center device 10 by radio communication according to the determination result. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a current position information notification system, a mobile terminal device, a center device, and a current position information notification method for notifying a current position information of a moving body to another moving body by wireless communication via the center device.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in order to notify a vehicle driver of information on the presence of a pedestrian, there is a technology for transmitting position information from a terminal owned by a pedestrian and recognizing the position of the pedestrian on the map by an information providing server. Are known. In such a technique, the position information of the pedestrian is generated by GPS from a mobile terminal held by the pedestrian, and the position information is periodically transmitted from the mobile terminal to the information providing server.
Japanese Patent No. 3549850 (see paragraph 0043)

  However, in the conventional technology described above, in order to notify the driver of the vehicle from the information providing server to the presence of a pedestrian around the vehicle, a configuration in which the position information of the pedestrian is periodically transmitted to the information providing server. Was needed. For this reason, the above-described technique has a problem that the power consumption of the mobile terminal increases because the position information is periodically transmitted.

  Therefore, the present invention has been proposed in view of the above-described circumstances, and can reduce the power consumption of the mobile terminal device held by the pedestrian by reducing the number of times the pedestrian's position information is transmitted. An object of the present invention is to provide a position information notification system, a portable terminal device, a center device, and a current position information notification method.

  The present invention differs from the first mobile unit in that the mobile terminal device included in the first mobile unit and the current position information of the mobile terminal unit are acquired by wireless communication with the mobile terminal unit. A center device for notifying the second moving body of the current position information.

  The center device includes presence notification necessary region information that defines a region where the presence of the portable terminal device is required for the second moving body, and a region defined by the presence notification necessary region information. A plurality of area information including existence notification unnecessary area information defining an area secured by a predetermined distance from the surrounding area is stored.

  On the other hand, the mobile terminal device acquires current position information for specifying the current position of the mobile terminal device through periodic wireless communication with an external device, and stores a plurality of area information stored in the storage unit of the center device. Among them, area information in the vicinity of the current position specified by the acquired current position information is acquired, the current position of the mobile terminal device specified by the acquired current position information, and the acquired area information To determine whether or not the mobile terminal device is present in an area defined by the presence notification required area information, and according to the determination result, the current position information of the mobile terminal device is wirelessly communicated with the center. Control to send to device.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the frequency | count that a portable terminal device transmits the positional information on a pedestrian can be reduced, and the power consumption of the terminal which a pedestrian has can be reduced.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, a current position information notification system shown as an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the current location information notification system includes a center device 10 that centrally manages the current location information notification system, and a mobile terminal device 20 that each of a plurality of pedestrians that are first moving bodies has. And an in-vehicle device 30 mounted on each of a plurality of vehicles which are second moving bodies different from the first moving body. The current position information notification system can mainly notify the current position information acquired by the mobile terminal device 20 to the in-vehicle device 30 via the center device 10 by wireless communication via the wide area communication network.

  The center device 10 controls the communication unit 11, the terminal distribution management unit 12, the map storage unit 13, the time measurement unit 14, and the center device 10 that perform wireless communication with the mobile terminal device 20 and the in-vehicle device 30. And a processing unit 15 for performing control processing. The center device 10 is managed by an operator who operates the current position information notification system.

  The terminal distribution management unit 12 manages the distribution status of the mobile terminal device 20 in an area controlled by the current location information notification system based on the current location information acquired by wireless communication with the mobile terminal device 20.

  The map storage unit 13 stores simple map information provided in response to a request from the mobile terminal device 20 and map information provided in response to a request from the in-vehicle device 30.

  The map information provided to the mobile terminal device 20 is simple map information that is simple map information according to the difference in processing capability with the in-vehicle device 30. When this simple map information is provided to the mobile terminal device 20 that is one mobile body in the current location information notification system, the current location information of the mobile terminal device 20 is actively provided to the vehicle that is the other mobile body. The area information used to determine whether or not to notify is included.

  Here, the area information included in the simple map information will be described. In the current position information notification system shown as the embodiment of the present invention, the current position information is periodically acquired by the mobile terminal device 20 which is one mobile body, and the in-vehicle device 30 of the vehicle which is the other mobile body is received. Instead of notifying each time, the current position information is acquired and reported so as to reflect the request of the driver (demand of the driver) mainly on board the vehicle 30, that is, the vehicle. The power consumption of the mobile terminal device 20 is reduced by suppressing (reducing) the number of times of wireless communication with the device 10.

  In general, there are limited scenes for drivers who want to know the presence of pedestrians in advance. For example, at intersections with good visibility, there is no need to know the presence of pedestrians in advance. It is enough if it can be done.

  On the other hand, for example, pedestrian accident frequent occurrence points, intersections with poor visibility, intersections in school zones, roads in or near residential areas, the peak of curves with poor visibility, the road at the top of the fence, street lights In various areas, such as roads that have no sidewalk and no sidewalks (at night) and roads that tend to cross outside pedestrian crossings, it is effective to know the presence of pedestrians in advance. The driver who operates the vehicle can support comfortable driving.

  Therefore, in this way, one mobile body is in contrast to the in-vehicle device 30 that the vehicle that is the other mobile body of the current position information notification system has, in other words, the area in which the presence of the pedestrian is to be known in advance. If an area that needs to be notified of the presence of the mobile terminal device 20 is defined in advance in the area information, and the presence of the mobile terminal device 20 in the area can be confirmed, it is periodically acquired. The current location information of the mobile terminal device 20 is always transmitted to the center device 10 by wireless communication, and in other areas, the cycle of transmitting the current location information is lengthened so that there is a trade-off relationship. Effective notification of the current position information of the mobile terminal device 20 to other mobile objects and a significant reduction in power consumption of the mobile terminal device 20 can be satisfied at the same time.

  The area defined by the area information included in the simple map information will be specifically described with reference to FIG. The area RA defined by the area information shown as an example in FIG. 2 is the most basic area set at the intersection of the simple map information.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the area RA needs to be notified of the presence of the mobile terminal device 20 included in one mobile unit with respect to the in-vehicle device 30 included in the vehicle that is the other mobile unit of the current position information notification system. A presence notification required region TR that defines a region to be defined, and a presence notification unnecessary region NTR that defines a region secured by a predetermined distance A from the periphery of the presence notification necessary region TR. The presence notification necessary region TR and the presence notification unnecessary region NTR are respectively defined by the presence notification necessary region information and the presence notification unnecessary region information of the region information.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the presence notification required area TR is a quadrilateral according to the shape of the intersection. Such presence notification necessary area TR is obtained by counting past pedestrian accident occurrence situation, road shape, surrounding environment, pedestrian traffic volume, attributes of passers-by (for example, age and sex), etc. Determined in advance by the system administrator. In addition, since the illuminance, the number of pedestrian traffic, and the like change depending on the time zone, the presence notification necessary region TR is also targeted for a region that needs to be notified in advance of the presence of a pedestrian. Determined by.

  When the presence notification necessary region TR is provided as region information to the mobile terminal device 20 and moved from the presence notification unnecessary region NTR, it is determined that the mobile terminal device 20 exists in the presence notification necessary region TR. In addition, this is an area serving as a trigger for transmitting the current position information of the mobile terminal device 20 to the center device 10 by wireless communication. On the other hand, the presence notification necessary region TR is also stored in the portable terminal device 20 even when it is determined that the mobile terminal device 20 existing in the presence notification necessary region TR has moved to the presence notification unnecessary region NTR. This is an area serving as a trigger for transmitting the current position information to the center apparatus 10 by wireless communication.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the presence notification unnecessary region NTR has a frame shape in which a certain distance A is secured so as to surround the presence notification necessary region TR. The size of the presence notification unnecessary area NTR, that is, the length of the distance A shown in FIG. 2 is determined by the average movement speed (for example, about 4 km / h) of a general pedestrian and the driving of the vehicle. A so-called TTC (Time To Collision: collision allowance time at the start of steering avoidance operation) value (for example, 15 sec), which is a sufficient time from when a person recognizes the presence of a pedestrian to when an avoidance action is executed Determined by the system administrator. Note that the TTC value differs depending on the surrounding environment of the presence notification required region TR and the like, and therefore depends on each presence notification required region information.

  As described above, the presence notification unnecessary region NTR is provided around the presence notification required region TR that is a trigger for transmitting the current position information. Therefore, the presence notification unnecessary region NTR is assumed to transmit the current position information of the mobile terminal device 20 to the center device 10 by wireless communication, and in order to improve the accuracy of the acquired current position information, the presence notification unnecessary region NTR In response to the presence of the mobile terminal device 20 in the external device, the external device is used when acquiring the current position information as compared with the case where the mobile terminal device 20 exists outside the area defined by the area information. This is a region serving as a trigger for shortening the cycle of wireless communication with a GPS satellite.

  Further, the presence notification unnecessary region NTR defined in such a size around the presence notification required region TR is a portable terminal when one mobile unit is a pedestrian and the other mobile unit is a vehicle. It also functions as a margin for preparing the mobile terminal device 20 to grasp that the device 20 is approaching the presence notification necessary region TR and preparing the current position information to be transmitted to the center device 10. Thus, in response to moving to the presence notification required area TR, presence notification is different from simply preparing to transmit current location information without changing the cycle of wireless communication for acquiring current location information. Since the period of wireless communication for acquiring the current position information is shortened in response to the entry into the presence notification unnecessary area NTR, which is the previous stage of moving to the necessary area TR, the current position information is transferred to the center apparatus 10 with high accuracy. As a result, highly accurate current position information can be transmitted to the in-vehicle device 30 mounted on the vehicle.

  The mobile terminal device 20 includes a communication unit 21 that performs wireless communication with the center device 10, a position specifying unit 22, a position history storage unit 23, a simple map storage unit 24, and a processing unit 25. The mobile terminal device 20 is, for example, a mobile phone device having a call function, a PDA (Personal Data Assistance), or the like.

  The position specifying unit 22 is a so-called GPS (Global Positioning System), receives a signal transmitted from a GPS satellite by a GPS antenna in accordance with control of the processing unit 25, performs position measurement by GPS navigation, The absolute position (latitude, longitude) information of the mobile terminal device 20 is acquired as the current position information of the pedestrian. The acquired current position information of the mobile terminal device 20 is output to the processing unit 25. The wireless communication with the GPS satellite performed for acquiring the current position information of the position specifying unit 22 is controlled by the processing unit 25, and the cycle of the wireless communication differs depending on the existing position. Specifically, when the mobile terminal device 20 exists in the area defined by the area information described above, the wireless communication cycle tends to be shorter than when the mobile terminal device 20 exists outside the area defined by the area information. It is in.

  The position history storage unit 23 stores the current position information of the mobile terminal device 20 obtained by the position specifying unit 22 as a history according to the control of the processing unit 25.

  The simple map storage unit 24 stores simple map information transmitted from the center device 10 in response to a request from the mobile terminal device 20.

  The processing unit 25 is a control unit that comprehensively controls the mobile terminal device 20. The processing unit 25 acquires simple map information in the vicinity of the current position information of the mobile terminal device 20 acquired by the position specifying unit 22 by performing wireless communication with the center device 10. Since this simple map information includes the area information described above, area information in the vicinity of the current position information of the mobile terminal device 20 is also acquired at the same time.

  Further, the processing unit 25 sends the current position information of the mobile terminal device 20 to the center device 10 from the current position information of the mobile terminal device 20 acquired by the position specifying unit 22 and the region information included in the simple map information. Whether or not to transmit is determined, and the communication unit 21 is controlled to transmit the current position information to the center apparatus 10 according to the determination result.

  For example, the processing unit 25 exists in the presence notification unnecessary region NTR when the mobile terminal device 20 approaches the region RA as shown in FIG. 2 defined by the region information included in the acquired simple map information. If it is determined that there is, the position specifying unit 22 is controlled so as to shorten the cycle of wireless communication with the GPS satellite. Further, when the processing unit 25 moves from the presence notification unnecessary region NTR to the presence notification necessary region TR and determines that it exists in the presence notification necessary region TR, the center device 10 uses the acquired current position information by wireless communication. Send to. Furthermore, even when the processing unit 25 moves from the presence notification required region TR to the presence notification unnecessary region NTR and determines that it exists in the presence notification unnecessary region NTR, the center device 10 uses the acquired current position information by wireless communication. Send to.

  The in-vehicle device 30 includes a communication unit 31 that performs wireless communication with the center device 10, a position specifying unit 32, a processing unit 33, and an information providing unit 34. The in-vehicle device 30 is mounted on a vehicle that is a moving body, detects the current position of the vehicle, and provides a route guidance to a desired destination while displaying a map corresponding to the current position of the vehicle drawn from the map data. For example, a navigation device.

  The position specifying unit 32 has a so-called GPS, receives a signal transmitted from a GPS satellite by a GPS antenna according to the control of the processing unit 33, performs position measurement by GPS navigation, and the in-vehicle device 30 The absolute position (latitude, longitude) information of the vehicle that is the mounted moving body is obtained. The position specifying unit 32 obtains the relative position of the vehicle by autonomous navigation based on travel distance information output from a distance sensor (not shown) and travel direction information output from an orientation sensor (not shown).

  Further, the position specifying unit 32 calculates the position on the map of the vehicle on which the in-vehicle device 30 is mounted from the absolute position (latitude, longitude) information and the relative position information. The calculated vehicle current position information is output to the processing unit 33.

  The processing unit 33 is a control unit that comprehensively controls the in-vehicle device 30. Based on the current position information output from the position specifying unit 32, the processing unit 33 reads various information necessary for navigation, such as corresponding map information and road information, from a storage unit (not shown) or wirelessly from the center device 10. Control to obtain through communication.

  Further, the processing unit 33 presents an optimal travel route from the current position to the destination using the destination input by the user and the current position information, and provides route guidance (navigation) to the vicinity area of the destination. ) To provide route guidance. At this time, the processing unit 33 can also perform voice navigation by controlling a voice output unit (not shown) provided in the in-vehicle device 30.

  Further, the processing unit 33 generates a display image to be displayed on the information providing unit 34. For example, the processing unit 33 generates a navigation map as a display image, and further generates and displays a display image to which the current position information acquired from the portable terminal device 20 through the center device 10 by wireless communication is added. .

  The information providing unit 34 is a display unit that displays the display image generated by the processing unit 33. The information providing unit 34 is a liquid crystal display or the like, and is installed at a position that is easy for the user to visually recognize, for example, when it is mounted on a vehicle, it is mainly easy to see for the driver. Further, the display panel of the information providing unit 34 may be a touch panel.

  Next, the processing operation of the mobile terminal device 20 will be described using the flowchart shown in FIG. For the sake of explanation, the region RA shown in FIG. 2 is used as an example of the region defined by the region information.

  In step S1, the processing unit 25 determines whether or not the power source is turned on (ON). When the processing unit 25 is turned on, the process proceeds to step S2, while when the power source is not turned on. Continue the standby state.

  In step S <b> 2, the processing unit 25 determines whether communication with the center apparatus 10 is possible, that is, whether the connection is established. If the processing unit 25 is connected to the center apparatus 10, the processing proceeds to step S4. If not, the processing unit 25 proceeds to step S3.

  In step S <b> 3, the processing unit 25 accesses the center device 10 and establishes a connection state with the center device 10.

  In step S <b> 4, the processing unit 25 controls the position specifying unit 22 to acquire current position information of the mobile terminal device 20, which is latitude and longitude information, by wireless communication with a GPS satellite. At this time, the wireless communication with the GPS satellite has a cycle that does not cause the location of the mobile terminal device 20 to be lost, and limits the power consumption of the mobile terminal device 20 as much as possible.

  In step S5, the processing unit 25 refers to the simple map storage unit 24 and determines whether simple map information is stored. The processing unit 25 proceeds to step S7 when no simple map information is stored, and proceeds to step S6 when simple map information is stored.

  In step S <b> 6, the processing unit 25 refers to the position history storage unit 23 and determines whether the simple map information corresponding to the current position information of the mobile terminal device 20 is stored in the simple map storage unit 24. The processing unit 25 advances the process to step S7 when the update of the simple map information stored in the simple map storage unit 24 is necessary, and proceeds to step S10 when the update of the simple map information is not required. And proceed.

  In step S <b> 7, the processing unit 25 sets a processing cycle, which is a cycle time until the next processing is started, to 1 sec. Accordingly, the wireless communication cycle in which the position specifying unit 22 acquires the current position information from the GPS satellite in step S4 is also 1 sec, and the current position information is acquired at a relatively fast interval. Therefore, the accuracy of the current position information is increased. can do.

  In step S8, the processing unit 25 transmits the current position information acquired in step S4 to the center apparatus 10 to the center apparatus 10 by wireless communication.

  In step S9, the processing unit 25 requests the center device 10 to transmit simple map information. In response to this, the center device 10 transmits simple map information covering the periphery of the mobile terminal device 20 to the mobile terminal device 20 based on the current position information of the mobile terminal device 20 transmitted in step S8. The processing unit 25 stores the simple map information transmitted from the center device 10 in the simple map storage unit 24.

  In step S <b> 10, the processing unit 25 determines whether or not the area RA is present in the presence notification necessary area TR using the current position information acquired in step S <b> 4. If the processing unit 25 exists in the presence notification required region TR, the process proceeds to step S11. If the processing unit 25 does not exist in the presence notification required region TR, the processing proceeds to step S15. Proceed.

  The processing unit 25 determines whether the mobile terminal device 20 is present in the presence notification required region TR of the region RA or whether it exists in the presence notification unnecessary region NTR, and there are the following two methods. .

  The first method is a determination method using hysteresis, and the second method is a determination method based on a plurality of GPS reception results.

  First, a determination method using hysteresis, which is the first method, will be described. First, an intrusion boundary line and an exit boundary line are provided in advance on the inside and outside of the boundary between the region RA presence notification required region TR and the presence notification unnecessary region NTR, respectively. Accordingly, the condition for determining that the mobile terminal device 20 possessed by the pedestrian is present in the presence notification required region TR is determined to be the case where the mobile terminal device 20 exists inside the intrusion boundary line, and is determined to exist in the presence notification unnecessary region NTR. It is assumed that the mobile terminal device 20 exists outside the exit boundary line.

  Next, a determination method based on a plurality of GPS reception results, which is the second method, will be described. The condition for determining that the mobile terminal device 20 possessed by the pedestrian is present in the presence notification required region TR is, for example, three times among the five current position information continuously received from the GPS satellite in the presence notification required region TR. Suppose that On the other hand, the condition for determining that the mobile terminal device 20 possessed by the pedestrian is present in the presence notification unnecessary region NTR is, for example, three out of the five current position information continuously received from the GPS satellites. Suppose that

  Regardless of which method is used, the processing unit 25 easily determines whether the mobile terminal device 20 exists in the presence notification required region TR of the region RA or whether it exists in the presence notification unnecessary region NTR. be able to.

  If the determination method based on a plurality of GPS reception results, which is the second method, is used, the process returns to step S4, and a loop for acquiring current position information is required a plurality of times, and the flowchart becomes complicated. In the flowchart, description will be made on the assumption that the presence method is present in the presence notification required region TR or the presence notification unnecessary region NTR is determined by the first determination method using hysteresis.

  In step S11, the processing unit 25 sets a processing cycle, which is a cycle time until the next processing is started, to 1 sec. Accordingly, the wireless communication cycle in which the position specifying unit 22 acquires the current position information from the GPS satellite in step S4 is also 1 sec, and the current position information is acquired at a relatively fast interval. Therefore, the accuracy of the current position information is increased. can do.

  In step S12, the processing unit 25 refers to the position history storage unit 23, and determines whether or not the mobile terminal device 20 was present in the region RA presence notification required region TR in the previous processing cycle. If it is determined that the processing unit 25 exists in the presence notification required area TR, the processing ends because the current position information has already been transmitted to the center device 10. On the other hand, if the processing unit 25 determines that it does not exist in the presence notification necessary region TR, the processing proceeds to step S13.

  In step S13, the processing unit 25 determines that the mobile terminal device 20 is not present in the region RA presence notification required region TR in the previous processing cycle, and the presence notification unnecessary region NTR in the current processing cycle. Is moved to the presence notification necessary region TR, and a flag indicating that the region exists in the presence notification necessary region TR is set.

  In step S <b> 14, the processing unit 25 controls the communication unit 21 and transmits the current position information by wireless communication with the center device 10.

  In step S15, the processing unit 25 determines whether or not the region RA exists in the region RA that does not require notification using the current position information acquired in step S4. If the processing unit 25 exists in the presence notification unnecessary area NTR, the process proceeds to step S16. If the processing unit 25 does not exist in the presence notification unnecessary area NTR, the process proceeds to step S17. Proceed.

  In step S <b> 16, the processing unit 25 sets a processing cycle, which is a cycle time until the next processing is started, to 1 sec. Accordingly, the wireless communication cycle in which the position specifying unit 22 acquires the current position information from the GPS satellite in step S4 is also 1 sec, and the current position information is acquired at a relatively fast interval. Therefore, the accuracy of the current position information is increased. can do.

  In step S <b> 17, the processing unit 25 sets a processing cycle, which is a cycle time until the next processing is started, to 30 sec. Thereby, since the period of the wireless communication in which the position specifying unit 22 acquires the current position information from the GPS satellite in step S4 is also 30 seconds, the power consumption of the mobile terminal device 20 can be reduced.

  In step S <b> 18, the processing unit 25 refers to the position history storage unit 23 and determines whether or not the mobile terminal device 20 was present in the region RA presence notification necessary region TR in the previous processing cycle. When it is determined that the processing unit 25 does not exist in the presence notification necessary region TR, the processing unit 25 ends the processing because it is not necessary to transmit the current position information to the center device 10. On the other hand, if the processing unit 25 determines that it exists in the presence notification necessary region TR, the processing proceeds to step S19.

  In step S19, the processing unit 25 determines whether the mobile terminal device 20 is present in the region RA presence notification required region TR in the previous processing cycle, from the presence notification required region TR in the current processing cycle. It is determined that it has moved to the presence notification unnecessary region NTR, and a flag indicating that it exists in the presence notification unnecessary region NTR, that is, does not exist in the presence notification required region TR is set. When the process of step S19 ends, the processing unit 25 proceeds to the processing step of step S14, controls the communication unit 21, and transmits the current position information by wireless communication with the center apparatus 10.

  In this way, the current location information notification system includes the presence notification required region information of the region information included in the simplified map information provided from the center device 10 and the presence notification required region TR respectively defined by the presence notification unnecessary region information. According to the presence state of the mobile terminal device 20 in the presence notification unnecessary region NTR, the current position information of the mobile terminal device 20 possessed by the pedestrian that is the moving body is transferred to the vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device 30 that is another moving body. It is possible to effectively notify the current position information and the current position information acquisition process executed by wireless communication, so that the power consumption of the mobile terminal device 20 can be significantly reduced. it can.

  Thereby, the frequency | count of the portable terminal device 20 transmitting the positional information on a pedestrian can be reduced, and the power consumption of the terminal which a pedestrian has can be reduced.

  Further, an area as shown in FIG. 4 can be further defined in the area RA defined by the area information included in the simple map information provided from the center apparatus 10 described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, a frame-shaped region RB that is secured by a certain distance B so as to surround the region RA is first formed around the region RA. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, a frame-shaped region RC that is secured by a certain distance C is formed so as to surround the periphery of the region RB.

  Similarly to the presence notification unnecessary region NTR, the region RB and the region RC are provided around the presence notification required region TR that is a trigger for transmitting the current position information. Accordingly, the regions RB and RC are assumed to transmit the current location information of the mobile terminal device 20 to the center device 10 by wireless communication, and in order to increase the accuracy of the acquired current location information, the regions RB and RC In response to the presence of the mobile terminal device 20 in the external device, the external device is used when acquiring the current position information as compared with the case where the mobile terminal device 20 exists outside the area defined by the area information. This is an area serving as a trigger for shortening the period of wireless communication with a GPS satellite in a stepwise manner. The region RC that exists on the outer periphery of the region RB is set to have a longer wireless communication cycle than the region RB.

  The size of the area RB, that is, the length of the distance B shown in FIG. 4 is the average moving speed (for example, about 4 km / h) of a general pedestrian and the mobile terminal device 20 in the area RC. In this case, it is determined by the system administrator based on a product of a period TC (for example, about 5 sec) of wireless communication for acquiring current position information and a compensation coefficient (for example, 1.1).

  The size of the region RC, that is, the length of the distance C shown in FIG. 4 is carried outside the region defined by the general pedestrian's illogical movement speed (for example, about 4 km / h) and the region information. It is determined by the system administrator based on the product of the wireless communication cycle TD (for example, about 30 sec) and the compensation coefficient (1.1) for acquiring the current position information when the terminal device 20 is present.

  Thus, in response to the movement to the presence notification required region TR, the region before the presence notification unnecessary region NTR, which is the previous stage of moving to the presence notification required region TR, is immediately transmitted rather than transmitting the current position information immediately. In response to the intrusion into the RC and the area RB, the period of wireless communication for acquiring the current position information is shortened stepwise, so that the current position information is gradually transmitted to the center device 10 with high accuracy, and thus high. The accurate current position information can be transmitted to the in-vehicle device 30 mounted on the vehicle.

  Note that the area provided around the area RA is not limited to the area RB and the area RC shown in FIG. 4 and may be further increased. Also in this case, the closer to the presence notification necessary region TR, the shorter the period of wireless communication with the GPS satellite, which is an external device performed when acquiring the current position information, in stages.

  Further, as described above, the region RB and the region RC may be set by a system administrator who manages the current position information notification system, and may be transmitted from the center device 10 to the mobile terminal device 20 as region information. Only the area RA may be transmitted to the mobile terminal device 20 as the area information, and the area RB and the area RC may be set by the mobile terminal apparatus 20 itself. In this case, the processing unit 25 of the mobile terminal device 20 holds an algorithm for forming the region RB and the region RC, and in accordance with the acquisition of the region information, the region RB and the region RC are determined according to this algorithm. Set.

  As described above, when the regions RB and RC are set by the mobile terminal device 20 itself, the processing load on the mobile terminal device 20 increases, but the amount of data communication with the center device 10 can be reduced. There is a merit.

  Next, the processing operation of the mobile terminal device 20 when the region RA, the region RB, and the region RC are included as regions defined by the region information as illustrated in FIG. 4 will be described using the flowchart illustrated in FIG. . In the flowchart shown in FIG. 5, only steps S20 to S22 are added between step S15, step S16, and step S17 in the flowchart of FIG. 3, so only the added processing steps will be described. .

  In step S20, the processing unit 25 determines whether or not it exists in the region RB using the current position information acquired in step S4. If the processing unit 25 exists in the area RB, the process proceeds to step S16. If not, the processing unit 25 proceeds to step S21.

  In step S21, the processing unit 25 determines whether or not it exists in the region RC using the current position information acquired in step S4. If present in the RC, the processing unit 25 proceeds to step S22. If not present in the region RC, the processing unit 25 proceeds to step S17.

  In step S22, the processing unit 25 sets a processing cycle, which is a cycle time until the next processing is started, to 5 seconds. Thereby, since the period of the wireless communication in which the position specifying unit 22 acquires the current position information from the GPS satellite in step S4 is also 5 seconds, the current position information is acquired at a relatively fast interval. The accuracy can be increased.

  In this way, the current location information notification system includes the presence notification required region information of the region information included in the simplified map information provided from the center device 10 and the presence notification required region TR respectively defined by the presence notification unnecessary region information. According to the presence state of the mobile terminal device 20 in the presence notification unnecessary region NTR, region RB, and region RC, the in-vehicle device 30 that is the mobile device that is the current position information of the mobile terminal device 20 that the pedestrian that is the mobile body has. Can be effectively notified to the vehicle equipped with the current position information, and the current position information notification process and the current position information acquisition process executed by wireless communication can be suppressed to the minimum necessary. It can be greatly reduced. Thereby, the frequency | count of the portable terminal device 20 transmitting the pedestrian's present position information can be reduced, and the power consumption of the terminal which a pedestrian has can be reduced.

  Moreover, although the area | region prescribed | regulated by the area | region information contained in the simple map information shown as an example in FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is an area | region set in the intersection of simple map information, as shown in FIG. It may be an area set to r1, or an area set to a curved road r2, as shown in FIG.

  Also in the examples shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, similarly to the cases of FIGS. 2 and 4, the presence notification required area information and the presence notification unnecessary area information of the area information included in the simple map information provided from the center device 10 are used. Current position information of the mobile terminal device 20 possessed by a pedestrian as a mobile object according to the presence state of the mobile terminal device 20 in the presence notification required region TR, the presence notification unnecessary region NTR, the region RB, and the region RC respectively defined Is effectively notified to a vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device 30 which is another mobile body, and the current position information notification and current position information acquisition processing executed by wireless communication can be suppressed to the minimum necessary. Therefore, the power consumption of the portable terminal device 20 can be significantly reduced. Thereby, the frequency | count of the portable terminal device 20 transmitting the pedestrian's present position information can be reduced, and the power consumption of the terminal which a pedestrian has can be reduced.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 6, when the presence notification required region TR is set by the region information on the relatively long single path r1, depending on the length, the presence notification required regions TR1 to TR3 are set to some extent. The existence of the mobile terminal device 20 is grasped for each existence notification necessary area divided into sizes. Thereby, for example, when the presence of the mobile terminal device 20 is confirmed in the presence notification required region TR1, the vehicle equipped with the in-vehicle device 30 does not reach even the region RC on the presence notification required region TR3 side. Regardless, it is possible to avoid wasteful consumption of the power of the mobile terminal device 20 by notifying the current position information.

  The above-described embodiment is an example of the present invention. For this reason, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made depending on the design and the like as long as the technical idea according to the present invention is not deviated from this embodiment. Of course, it is possible to change.

It is a figure for demonstrating the structure of the present location information notification system shown as embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the area | region prescribed | regulated to an intersection by the area | region information used in the said present position information notification system. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the processing operation using the area | region prescribed | regulated by the area | region information shown in FIG. 2 of the portable terminal device of the said present location information notification system. It is a figure for demonstrating the further expanded area | region prescribed | regulated to an intersection by the area | region information used in the said present position information notification system. 6 is a flowchart for explaining a processing operation using an area defined by area information shown in FIG. 4 of the mobile terminal device of the current position information notification system. It is a figure for demonstrating the area | region prescribed | regulated to a single path | route by the area | region information used in the said present position information notification system. It is a figure for demonstrating the area | region prescribed | regulated on a curve road by the area | region information used in the said present position information notification system.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Center apparatus 11 Communication part 12 Terminal distribution management part 13 Map memory | storage part 15 Processing part 20 Portable terminal device 21 Communication part 22 Location specific part 23 Position history storage part 24 Simple map storage part 25 Processing part 30 In-vehicle apparatus 31 Communication part RA area | region RB area RC area TR presence notification required area NTR presence notification unnecessary area

Claims (9)

A second movement different from the first mobile body in response to the acquisition of the current position information of the mobile terminal apparatus by wireless communication between the mobile terminal apparatus of the first mobile body and the mobile terminal apparatus In a current position information notification system comprising a center device for notifying the body of the current position information,
The center device includes presence notification necessary region information that defines a region in which notification of the presence of the portable terminal device is required for the second moving body, and a surrounding area defined by the presence notification necessary region information Storage means for storing a plurality of area information consisting of presence notification unnecessary area information defining an area secured by a predetermined distance from
The mobile terminal device includes current position information acquisition means for acquiring current position information for specifying a current position of the mobile terminal device by periodic wireless communication with an external device;
Of the plurality of area information stored in the storage means of the center device, area information acquisition means for acquiring area information in the vicinity of the current position specified by the current position information acquired by the current position information acquisition means;
Defined by the presence notification necessary area information from the current position of the mobile terminal device specified by the current position information acquired by the current position information acquisition means and the area information acquired by the area information acquisition means Presence determination means for determining whether or not the mobile terminal device exists in the area;
A current position information notification system comprising: a transmission control unit that controls to transmit the current position information of the mobile terminal device to the center device by wireless communication according to a determination result by the presence determination unit. The transmission control means of the portable terminal device is
When it is determined by the presence determination means that the mobile terminal device is moved from the region specified by the presence notification unnecessary region information and exists in the region specified by the presence notification required region information,
Alternatively, when it is determined that the mobile terminal device moves from the area specified by the presence notification required area information and exists in the area specified by the presence notification unnecessary area information, the current position information of the mobile terminal device is The current position information notification system according to claim 1, wherein control is performed to transmit to the center device by wireless communication. Current position information acquisition means of the mobile terminal device,
The current position of the mobile terminal device specified by the current position information acquired by the current position information acquisition unit is within an area defined by the area information unnecessary area information acquired by the area information acquisition unit. Depending on what exists,
Compared with the case where the mobile terminal device exists outside the region defined by the region information, the cycle of wireless communication with an external device performed when acquiring the current position information is shortened. The current position information notification system according to claim 1 or 2. When the first moving body is a pedestrian and the second moving body is a vehicle,
The size of the area defined by the presence notification unnecessary area information is determined by the average movement speed of the pedestrian and the execution of the avoidance action after the driver of the vehicle recognizes the presence of the pedestrian. The current position information notification system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the current position information notification system is determined on the basis of a sufficient time. Current position information acquisition means of the mobile terminal device,
When the current position of the mobile terminal device specified by the current position information acquired by the current position information acquisition unit is present in an area defined by the presence notification unnecessary area information,
The period of wireless communication with an external device performed when acquiring the current position information is gradually shortened as the area specified by the presence notification necessary area information is closer. Current location information notification system. When the first moving body is a pedestrian and the second moving body is a vehicle,
The area defined by the presence notification unnecessary area information is defined so as to correspond to a period of wireless communication with the external device that is shortened in stages,
The size of the area closest to the area defined by the presence notification necessary area information is determined based on the average movement speed of the pedestrian and the avoidance action after the driver of the vehicle recognizes the existence of the pedestrian. Based on the time that is deemed sufficient to run,
When acquiring the current position information when the mobile terminal device exists in an area adjacent to the average movement speed of the pedestrian and the outer peripheral side of the area, the size of the other area The current position information notification system according to claim 5, wherein the current position information notification system is determined based on a period of wireless communication with an external device to be performed. In a mobile terminal device that has a first mobile body and performs wireless communication with a center device that notifies a second mobile body different from the first mobile body of current location information of the mobile terminal device,
Current position information acquisition means for acquiring current position information for specifying the current position of the mobile terminal device by periodic wireless communication with an external device;
Prescribed by the presence notification necessary region information defining the region where the presence of the mobile terminal device needs to be notified to the second mobile unit stored in the storage unit of the center device, and the presence notification necessary region information The current position specified by the current position information acquired by the current position information acquisition means among a plurality of area information including presence notification unnecessary area information that defines an area secured by a predetermined distance from the surrounding area Area information acquisition means for acquiring adjacent area information;
Defined by the presence notification necessary area information from the current position of the mobile terminal device specified by the current position information acquired by the current position information acquisition means and the area information acquired by the area information acquisition means Presence determination means for determining whether or not the mobile terminal device exists in the area;
A mobile terminal device comprising: a transmission control unit that controls to transmit the current position information of the mobile terminal device to the center device by wireless communication according to a determination result by the presence determination unit. In response to acquiring the current position information of the mobile terminal device by wireless communication with the mobile terminal device included in the first mobile body, the current position information is transferred to a second mobile body different from the first mobile body. In the center device that notifies
Presence notification required area information defining an area where the presence of the mobile terminal device needs to be notified to the second moving body, and a predetermined distance from the periphery of the area defined by the presence notification necessary area information A center device comprising storage means for storing a plurality of area information including existence notification unnecessary area information defining a reserved area. A second movement different from the first mobile body in response to the acquisition of the current position information of the mobile terminal apparatus by wireless communication between the mobile terminal apparatus of the first mobile body and the mobile terminal apparatus In a current position information notification method of a current position information notification system comprising a center device that notifies the body of the current position information,
The center device includes presence notification necessary region information that defines a region in which notification of the presence of the portable terminal device is required for the second moving body, and a surrounding area defined by the presence notification necessary region information Storing a plurality of area information in the storage means consisting of the presence notification unnecessary area information defining an area secured by a predetermined distance from
The mobile terminal device acquires current position information identifying the current position of the mobile terminal device by periodic wireless communication with an external device,
Of the plurality of area information stored in the storage unit of the center device, obtain area information near the current position specified by the acquired current position information,
Whether the mobile terminal device exists in the area defined by the presence notification required area information from the current position of the mobile terminal apparatus specified by the acquired current position information and the acquired area information Determine whether or not
In accordance with the determination result, control is performed to transmit the current position information of the mobile terminal device to the center device by wireless communication.

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