JP2024052889A - Location Information System - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a location information system that can improve the convenience of performing prompt evacuation actions, firefighting activities, etc. [Solution] The location information system includes a mobile terminal capable of transmitting transmitter information including transmitter identification information and its own identification information, and a server capable of transmitting map information to the mobile terminal for displaying a map image showing the current location of the mobile terminal based on the transmitter information transmitted by the mobile terminal, the system includes a fire monitoring device that determines the location of a fire, and a storage means that stores information about facilities and equipment installed in a building, the facilities including structural facilities of the building, and the server is configured to create and transmit map information for displaying on the mobile terminal a map image showing the current location of the mobile terminal, the location of the fire, and specified facilities and equipment, based on fire information including information about the location of the fire, information about the facilities and equipment, and the current location of the mobile terminal. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a location information system capable of reporting the location of a mobile device within a facility such as a building, and in particular to a location information system capable of visually reporting fire occurrence information together with the location of the mobile device when a fire is detected.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known a transmitter for a location information system, such as a beacon, which utilizes a fire detector to wirelessly transmit device-specific identification information as information for location detection (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In a location information system equipped with a transmitter as described above, map information that associates the identification information of a plurality of transmitters installed at different locations with the installation locations is prepared in advance and provided to a mobile terminal. Then, when a user of the mobile terminal moves around while holding the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal receives identification information from the transmitters installed at various locations within the building, and the location within the building can be displayed on the display unit of the mobile terminal together with a map based on the received identification information and map information, so that the owner of the mobile terminal can know his/her own location.

JP 2018-072965 A

However, conventional location information systems using transmitters such as beacons could determine the location of mobile devices within a building, but if a fire broke out within a building, a district bell or similar would ring, making the fire known; however, they could not determine the location of the fire. If the location of the fire could be determined, appropriate evacuation and firefighting operations would be possible, and initial fire response operations would be more reliable.

Meanwhile, buildings are usually equipped with fire detection systems and disaster prevention monitoring systems that detect and alert the occurrence of fires, etc. Therefore, when the fire detection system or disaster prevention monitoring system detects the occurrence of a fire, it is conceivable that it will transmit fire occurrence information and occurrence location information to a location information system, which will then transmit the fire information to a mobile terminal in the building, causing the occurrence of the fire to be displayed on a display unit or the location of the fire to be displayed on a map.

However, since map information is not very urgent, the map information is generally transmitted from the location information system to the mobile terminal every few minutes to every tens of seconds. On the other hand, fire information is urgent. Therefore, if fire information is transmitted when periodically transmitting map information, there is a risk that the notification of the occurrence of a fire to the mobile terminal owner will be delayed. In addition, there is a problem that in order to give the location information system the function of transmitting emergency information, the programs of the servers and the like that constitute the location information system must be significantly modified.
The present invention has been made against the background described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a location information system that can improve convenience when performing rapid evacuation actions, firefighting activities, etc.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a location information system capable of displaying fire information appropriate to each mobile terminal owner depending on the attributes (authority, qualifications, etc.) of the owner.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides:
a mobile terminal capable of receiving a signal from a transmitter installed in a predetermined area and transmitting transmitter information including identification information of the transmitter and its own identification information;
a server capable of determining a current location of the mobile terminal based on transmitter information transmitted by the mobile terminal and transmitting map information to the mobile terminal for displaying a map image showing the current location of the mobile terminal on the mobile terminal;
A location information system comprising:
A fire monitoring device is provided for determining a location of a fire based on fire information including location information of a fire transmitted by a receiver capable of receiving a fire detection signal from a fire detector installed in a predetermined area,
a facility/equipment information storage means for storing information on facilities and equipment installed in the building that are not shown on the map image under normal circumstances but are shown on the map image in the event of a fire, the facilities including structural equipment of the building;
The server is configured to create and transmit map information for displaying on the mobile terminal a map image showing the current location of the mobile terminal, the location of the fire, and specified facilities and equipment, based on fire information including information on the location of the fire transmitted from the fire monitoring device, information on the facilities and equipment stored in the facility/equipment information storage means, and the current location of the mobile terminal.

According to a location information system configured as described above, when a fire occurs, not only the location of the mobile device but also the location of the fire can be reported, which increases the convenience of performing prompt evacuation and firefighting activities. Furthermore, when a fire occurs, not only the current location of the mobile device and the location of the fire, but also the locations of specified facilities and equipment (for example, fire-fighting-related equipment used during firefighting operations and emergency exits used during evacuation) are displayed on a map, allowing the owner of the mobile device to take appropriate action in the event of a fire.

Here, preferably, the server determines the attributes of the mobile terminal owner who owns the mobile terminal based on the identification information of the mobile terminal that transmitted the information by referencing a storage means that previously stores the identification information of the mobile terminal in association with information related to the attributes of the mobile terminal owner, and creates and transmits map information for displaying on the mobile terminal a map image showing the current location of the mobile terminal according to the attributes.

With this configuration, different map information can be displayed depending on the user's attributes (authority, qualifications, etc.), thereby improving security within buildings housing various businesses and commercial facilities, or complexes where hotels, businesses, residences, etc. coexist, while also improving convenience for mobile device owners when moving around within the building.

Also, preferably, the location information system further includes a push notification system capable of executing a push notification to a mobile terminal,
When the server receives the fire occurrence information, the server selects a mobile terminal to be notified of the occurrence of a fire based on the transmitter information and the identification information of the mobile terminal, and is capable of requesting the push notification system to execute a push notification to the selected mobile terminal;
The push notification system is configured to execute a push notification to notify a mobile terminal of the occurrence of a fire in response to the request from the server.

With this configuration, even if map information is periodically sent from the location information server to the mobile device at a specified time interval, when a fire occurs, the push notification system immediately issues a push notification to the mobile device informing the mobile device of the occurrence of a fire, allowing the mobile device owner to quickly learn of the occurrence of a fire. Furthermore, an existing push notification system or map information distribution system (location information system) can be used as the system for sending the push notification to the mobile device informing the mobile device of the occurrence of a fire, and the occurrence of a fire can be quickly notified by the mobile device without making major modifications to the programs of the servers that make up the location information system or adding new systems.

The location information system according to the present invention can improve the convenience of carrying out rapid evacuation and firefighting activities. It also has the effect of being able to display fire information appropriate to each mobile device owner according to their attributes (authority, qualifications, etc.).

1 is a block diagram showing an example of a position information system according to an embodiment; 4 is a diagram showing an example of a communication sequence between a location information server and a mobile terminal, and between each server, which configure the location information system of the embodiment. FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a display range designation table referred to by a location information server. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing examples of map images (floor plan images) displayed on a mobile device of a mobile phone user in peacetime and in emergency situations. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a display/non-display table referenced by a disaster prevention management server (fire monitoring device). FIG. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing examples of map images (floor plan images) displayed on mobile terminals of mobile phone users in normal times and in emergency situations (fire outbreaks) in a commercial facility. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a map image (floor plan image) displayed on a mobile device of a manager or a member of the self-defense fire brigade in the event of an emergency (when a fire occurs). FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure in a mobile terminal and a disaster prevention management server that configure the location information system of the embodiment. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure in a location information server included in the location information system according to the embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of a position information system to which the present invention is applied will be described below with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of the position information system according to the present embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 1, the location information system of this embodiment is composed of a mobile terminal 20 capable of receiving signals (radio waves) from beacons (transmitters) 10 arranged at multiple locations within a specified area inside a building, a location information server 40 that communicates data with the mobile terminal 20 via a mobile phone base station 30 and a communication network N such as the Internet, a fire receiver 60 capable of receiving fire detection signals from fire detectors 50 arranged at multiple locations within a specified area inside the building, a disaster prevention management server 80 that communicates data with the fire receiver 60 via a gateway (repeater) 70 and the communication network N, and a push notification system 90 that can send messages directly to the mobile terminal 20 via the communication network N.
The communication network N may be a network using secure lines, or a network using partially independent lines.

The push notification system 90 can be configured with a server (push notification execution server) 91 having an API (application programming interface) function, a function for sending push notifications, a management function for managing messages to be sent and sending times, and the like, and a storage device 92 that stores programs and the like. An existing system can be used for the push notification system 90. In that case, the push notification system 90 can notify information such as earthquake alerts in response to requests from other systems, in addition to notifications of fire outbreaks, which will be described later, even when the mobile terminal is not running an app.
The location information server 40 and the push notification execution server 91 may be configured as one support server. Similarly, the disaster prevention management server 80 may be configured as a support server shared with the location information server 40 and the push notification execution server 91.

The communication method of the beacons 10 that transmit wireless signals (unique information such as device ID and facility information) to the mobile terminals 20 can be any known communication method, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication, wireless LAN such as WiFi conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard, infrared communication, visible light communication, etc. The interval at which the beacons 10 are placed is not particularly limited, but in the following description, they are placed so that the communication range of each adjacent beacon 10 covers the entire space within the building.

Specifically, since fire detectors 50 and sprinkler heads are originally installed at predetermined intervals within a building, the beacon 10 can be installed in a form that is built into or attached to these devices, or in a form that is installed in the vicinity of these devices.
The beacon 10 includes a transmitter that periodically transmits information about the power source (built-in battery information or external power source information) and its own identification information to the surroundings via a wireless signal. The signal (beacon signal) that the beacon 10 transmits wirelessly only needs to include at least the identification information (transmitter device ID) of the beacon 10, and may further include information about the area in which it is installed. Therefore, the information about the power source does not need to be included.

The mobile terminal 20 is a device such as a smartphone that has a receiving function for receiving signals from the beacon 10 and a wireless communication function. The internal memory of the mobile terminal 20 stores an application program (location information display application) that executes the following processes: receiving beacon signals wirelessly transmitted from the beacon 10 periodically, extracting identification information (device ID) and the like contained in the beacon signals, detecting the received radio wave strength of the beacon signals, transmitting beacon information including the identification information and the received radio wave strength and identification information (terminal ID) specific to the mobile terminal itself to the location information server 40, and displaying a floor plan image based on the floor plan information transmitted from the location information server 40 on the screen. When the mobile terminal 20 receives beacon signals transmitted from multiple beacons 10 (beacons 10 whose communication ranges overlap each other), it transmits the respective beacon information to the location information server 40.

When the fire detector 50 detects the occurrence of an abnormal phenomenon such as heat, smoke, flames, or harmful gases, it transmits a fire detection signal to the fire receiver 60 via the detector line 51. The fire detector 50 may be a type of detector that adds its own installation address to the fire detection signal, or a type of detector that does not add its own installation address to the fire detection signal.

When the fire receiver 60 receives a fire detection signal from the fire detector 50, it displays a fire alarm on the display unit and controls the ringing of a district bell, interlocking with smoke control devices, etc. Furthermore, the fire receiver 60 transmits fire information, including information on the location and time of occurrence of a fire, to the disaster prevention management server 80 via the gateway 70 and the communication network N.
When the installation address of the fire detector 50 is added to the fire detection signal, the fire receiver 60 identifies the location of the fire based on the installation address. On the other hand, when the installation address of the fire detector 50 is not added to the fire detection signal, the fire receiver 60 identifies the location of the fire based on the detector line 51 (warning area) that transmitted the fire detection signal.

The location information server 40 has a database 41 that stores map information (floor plan) of each floor of a building managed by the location information server 40, identification information unique to the mobile terminal (terminal ID), and information (mobile terminal holder attribute information) on the attributes such as the authority and qualifications of the mobile terminal holder (mobile terminal holder) or a display range designation table linked to mobile terminal holder type information. The map information (floor plan information) of each floor includes the device ID and installation location information of the beacon 10 installed on each floor.

When the location information server 40 receives the device ID and terminal ID of the beacon 10 from the mobile terminal 20, it calculates the current location of the mobile terminal 20 based on the device ID of the received beacon and the information stored in the database 41. It then reads map information of the floor on which the mobile terminal 20 is located from the database 41, generates floor display information by adding a mark (icon) indicating the current location of the mobile terminal 20 to the read floor plan, and executes a process of transmitting the generated floor display information to the mobile terminal 20 that transmitted the terminal ID. As a result, a floor plan image indicating the current location of the mobile terminal 20 is displayed on the mobile terminal 20.

Next, an outline of a communication sequence between the location information server 40 and the mobile terminal 20 and between each of the servers 40, 80 and the push notification system 90 in the location information system of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
In normal circumstances where there is no fire, when the mobile terminal 20 launches a general-purpose map application within a specified area, the mobile terminal 20 receives a device ID from a nearby beacon 10 and transmits the received device ID and its own terminal ID to the location information server 40 (#1).

The location information server 40 then determines the location of the mobile terminal 20 that sent the ID from the received beacon device ID, reads map information from the database 41, creates map data in which an icon or the like is added to the location of the terminal on the map, and sends it to the mobile terminal 20 (#2). The mobile terminal 20 periodically (e.g., every minute) sends the beacon device ID to the location information server 40, and the location information server 40 periodically transmits the map data in response. If there are multiple mobile terminals 20 that have started a general-purpose map app within a specified area, the location information server 40 transmits the map data to all mobile terminals 20 within the area. Note that the location information server 40 may be configured to periodically (e.g., every minute) transmit map information to mobile terminals within a specified area, even if it does not receive an ID from the mobile terminal 20.

When a fire breaks out and the fire receiver 60 detects it, it transmits fire information including the occurrence and location of the fire to the disaster prevention management server 80 (#3).Then, the disaster prevention management server 80 transmits information on the occurrence and location of the fire to the location information server 40 (#4).
Then, the location information server 40 determines the attributes or type of the mobile phone owner by referring to a table in the database 41 based on the terminal ID of the mobile phone 20 within the area that has already been identified, selects the mobile phone to be notified of the fire outbreak, and makes a push notification request to the push notification system 90 for a push notification of the fire outbreak to the selected mobile phone (#5).

The push notification system 90 that receives the request immediately (for example, within one second) sends a push notification to the selected mobile terminal to notify the occurrence of a fire (#6). The mobile terminal 20 that receives the push notification then activates the speaker and displays a message on the display unit notifying the occurrence of a fire (#7). This allows the mobile terminal owner to quickly learn of the occurrence of a fire.
Thereafter, when the regular transmission timing arrives, the location information server 40 creates map data with an icon indicating the current location of the mobile terminal 20 and an icon indicating a fire at the fire outbreak location, and transmits the map data to the mobile terminal 20 (#8). This allows the mobile terminal owner to know his/her own location and the location of the fire outbreak.

In addition, when the location information server 40 creates map data with an icon indicating a fire or the like at the location where a fire has occurred, it may refer to the display range designation table in the database 41 based on the device ID and terminal ID of the transmitter sent from the mobile terminal 20, read out information on the equipment to be displayed according to the attributes or type of the mobile terminal owner, and generate and transmit display data for the mobile terminal.
Here, the display range designation table is information regarding whether or not items such as equipment provided on each floor of a building are to be displayed on the floor plan, and an example of this is shown in FIG.

As shown in Figure 3, the display range specification table registers, for each facility, such as a hotel, residential area, office, hospital, or commercial facility (store), the range of facilities (such as corridors, common areas, etc.) to be displayed on the floor plan displayed on the mobile device of mobile phone users with different attributes, such as users (visitors), staff, or managers (responsible persons), for both peacetime and emergency situations.
Incidentally, the display range designation table shown in FIG. 3 is created based on the idea shown in Table 1 below, for example.

また、図４には、図３の表示範囲指定テーブルに従って利用者（訪問者）の携帯端末に表示される平時と有事の際のフロア図の一例が示されている。図４のうち、（ａ）は平時に表示されるフロア図、（ｂ）は火災発生等の有事の際に表示されるフロア図の例である。
したがって、本実施形態の位置情報システムによれば、携帯保有者の属性（権限、資格等）によって異なる地図情報を表示させることができる。

In addition, Fig. 4 shows an example of a floor plan in normal times and in emergency situations that are displayed on a mobile terminal of a user (visitor) according to the display range designation table in Fig. 3. In Fig. 4, (a) is an example of a floor plan that is displayed in normal times, and (b) is an example of a floor plan that is displayed in emergency situations such as a fire outbreak.
Therefore, according to the location information system of this embodiment, different map information can be displayed depending on the attributes (authority, qualification, etc.) of the mobile phone owner.

Furthermore, when the location information server 40 of this embodiment receives fire information (including information on the location of the fire), information on items that must be displayed in the event of a fire, and information on items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire from the disaster prevention management server 80, it is configured to execute a process of generating floor plan display information that reflects this information and transmitting it to the mobile terminal 20 via the communication network N and the mobile phone base station 30. As a result, a floor plan that reflects the fire information, information on items that must be displayed in the event of a fire, and information on items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire is displayed on the mobile terminal 20 together with a mark (icon) indicating the current location of the terminal.
Therefore, according to the position information system of this embodiment, map information showing different items in peacetime and in emergency situations can be displayed on the display unit of a mobile terminal.

As shown in FIG. 1, the disaster prevention management server 80 has a database 81 that stores information about facilities and equipment in each building managed by the disaster prevention management server 80. Here, the facility and equipment information of a building is information including a display/non-display table regarding whether or not items such as facilities and equipment installed on each floor of the building should be displayed on the floor plan, and installation location information of items such as facilities and equipment installed on each floor of the building. The display/non-display table and installation location information of facilities and equipment may be stored in a database 41 connected to the location information server 40.

As shown in FIG. 5, the display/hide table stores information (flags) about whether items such as partitions, room names, entrances, doors, various inter-floor transportation facilities (e.g., stairs, elevators, escalators), various disaster prevention facilities and equipment (e.g., emergency exits, fire alarm equipment (transmitters such as district bells), fire extinguishing equipment (fire extinguishers, fire hydrants), emergency telephones, smoke control and exhaust equipment (fire doors, fire shutters, smoke exhaust vents, etc.)) are displayed during normal times when there is no fire (flags), whether they are displayed when there is a fire on the same floor, and whether they are displayed when there is a fire on another floor. The transmitter shown in FIG. 5 is a fire transmitter with a built-in push button switch that generates a signal to notify the fire receiver of the occurrence of a fire.

When the disaster prevention management server 80 receives fire information from the fire detector 50, it is capable of executing a process of transmitting the fire information to the location information server 40 via the communication network N.
Furthermore, the disaster prevention management server 80 identifies the building in which the fire has broken out based on the fire information, and acquires facility and equipment information of the identified building from the database 81. Then, based on the acquired facility and equipment information, it is capable of generating fire-display-unnecessary item information that specifies items that are displayed normally but not displayed in the event of a fire, and fire-display-required item information that specifies items that are not displayed normally but are displayed in the event of a fire, and transmitting the generated information to the location information server 40 via the communication network N.

Figure 6(a) shows an example of a floor plan displayed on a mobile device of a user (visitor) in normal times when the building is a commercial facility, while Figure 6(b) shows an example of a floor plan displayed on a mobile device of a user (visitor) in the event of an emergency (fire outbreak). As can be seen by comparing Figures 6(a) and (b), in the event of an emergency, in addition to the user's current location, the location of the emergency stairs and the location of the fire, which are unnecessary information in normal times, are displayed, allowing appropriate evacuation action to be taken quickly.

Figure 7 also shows an example of a floor plan that is displayed on the mobile device of a manager or a private fire brigade member in the event of an emergency (fire) when the building is a commercial facility. As can be seen from Figure 7, in the event of an emergency, the mobile device of the manager or private fire brigade member will display their current location as well as the locations of fire hydrants and emergency telephones and the location of the fire, allowing them to quickly carry out firefighting activities and report the fire to the fire department or other relevant departments.

Furthermore, when a portion of the screen of the mobile terminal 20 on which the floor plan is displayed that displays a symbol or the like (e.g., a highlighted symbol or the like) indicating operable equipment or devices is touched, information about the operable equipment or devices (e.g., device information and operation methods for the operable equipment or devices) may be displayed. This allows even a mobile phone owner who is not familiar with how to use the operable equipment or devices to carry out appropriate fire-fighting operations, making it possible to prevent the spread of the fire.

Next, the processing procedures performed by the mobile terminal 20, the disaster prevention management server 80, and the location information server 40 constituting the location information system of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS.
When the location information display application is started, the mobile terminal 20 first determines whether or not it has received a beacon signal transmitted from the beacon 10 (step S11), as shown in Fig. 8(a) for example. If it has received a beacon signal (step S11; Yes), it transmits beacon information including the identification information (device ID) of the beacon 10 included in the beacon signal and the received radio wave intensity of the beacon signal to the location information server 40 via the mobile phone base station 30 and the communication network N (step S12).

Next, it is determined whether floor plan information transmitted from the location information server 40 has been received (step S13). If floor plan information has been received (step S13; Yes), a floor plan image based on the floor plan information is displayed on the screen (step S14). As a result, in the first step S14 after the location information display app is launched, the latest floor plan image is displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal 20, and in the second and subsequent steps S14 after the location information display app is launched, the floor plan image being displayed on the screen is updated to the latest floor plan image.

As shown in FIG. 8(b), the disaster prevention management server 80 first determines whether it has received fire information (including information on the location and time of occurrence of the fire) transmitted from the fire receiver 60 (step S21). If it has received fire information (step S21; Yes), it transmits the fire information to the location information server 40 via the communication network N (step S22).

Next, the building in which the fire has broken out is identified based on the fire information, facility and equipment information of the identified building is obtained from the database 81, information on items that need to be displayed in the event of a fire is generated based on the obtained facility and equipment information, and the generated information on items that need to be displayed in the event of a fire is transmitted to the location information server 40 via the communication network N (step S23). Next, information on items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire is generated based on the obtained facility and equipment information, and the generated information on items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire is transmitted to the location information server 40 via the communication network N (step S24).
If the building where the fire has broken out does not have items that need to be displayed in the event of a fire on the same floor or items that need to be displayed in the event of a fire on another floor, the process of step S23 is omitted. Also, if the building where the fire has broken out does not have items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire on the same floor or items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire on another floor, the process of step S24 is omitted.

FIG. 9 shows an example of a procedure of processing by the location information server 40. In FIG.
As shown in Fig. 9, the location information server 40 first judges whether or not fire information informing of the occurrence of a fire has been received from the disaster prevention management server 80 (step S27). If it is judged that the fire information has been received (Yes), a fire occurrence flag is set (step S28) and the mobile terminal to be notified of the occurrence of a fire is selected by referring to a table in the database 41 (step S29). Next, the push notification system 90 is requested to execute a push notification of the occurrence of a fire to the mobile terminal selected in step S29 (step S30). If it is judged in step S27 that the fire information has not been received (No), the process proceeds to step S31.

In step S31, the location information server 40 determines whether it has received beacon information transmitted from the mobile terminal 20. If it has determined that the beacon information has been received (Yes), it calculates the current location of the mobile terminal 20 based on the received beacon information, the terminal ID, and the information stored in the database 41 (step S32), and determines the attributes of the mobile terminal owner by referring to the database 41 using the terminal ID (step S33). Next, it determines the display range according to the attributes by referring to the table in FIG. 2 (step S34), extracts from the database 41 a floor plan of the floor on which the mobile terminal 20 is located, plots a mark indicating the current location of the mobile terminal 20 on the extracted floor plan, and generates floor plan information that displays the facilities in the display range (step S35).

Next, the location information server 40 determines whether the fire outbreak flag is set (step S36). If it determines that the fire outbreak flag is not set (step S36; No), it proceeds to step S44 and transmits the floor plan information generated in step S33 to the mobile terminal 20 via the communication network N and the mobile phone base station 30. As a result, a floor plan image such as that shown in FIG. 6(a) is displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal 20.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the occurrence flag is set (step S36; Yes), the process proceeds to step S37, where it is determined whether fire-related information (fire information, information on items that need to be displayed in the event of a fire, information on items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire) related to the building in which the mobile terminal 20 is located has been received. Then, if fire-related information related to the building in which the mobile terminal 20 is located has been received (step S37; Yes), the location of the fire is identified based on the fire-related information, and it is determined whether a fire has occurred on the floor in which the mobile terminal 20 is located (step S38).

If a fire has broken out on the floor where the mobile terminal 20 is located (step S38; Yes), the location of the fire is plotted on the floor plan on which the current location of the mobile terminal 20 is plotted (step S39), and the installation locations of items that need to be displayed in the event of a fire on that floor are plotted (step S40). Next, items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire on that floor are erased from the floor plan on which the current location of the mobile terminal 20, the location of the fire, and the installation locations of items that need to be displayed in the event of a fire on that floor are plotted (step S41). That is, in steps S39 to S41, floor plan information is generated using the floor plan information generated in step S35 to display a floor plan image in which symbols, etc. indicating the location of the fire and symbols, etc. indicating items that need to be displayed in the event of a fire on that floor are added and symbols, etc. indicating items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire on that floor are erased.

Then, the floor plan information generated in steps S39 to S41 is transmitted to the mobile terminal 20 via the communication network N and the mobile phone base station 30 (step S44). As a result, a floor plan image (10th floor) such as that shown in Fig. 6(b) is displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal 20.
If the fire-related information does not include information on items that need to be displayed in the event of a fire, the process of step S40 is omitted. If the fire-related information does not include information on items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire, the process of step S41 is omitted.

On the other hand, if there is no fire on the floor where the mobile terminal 20 is located (step S38; No), the installation positions of items that need to be displayed in the event of a fire on another floor are plotted on the floor plan on which the current position of the mobile terminal 20 is plotted (step S42). Next, items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire on another floor are erased from the floor plan on which the current position of the mobile terminal 20 and the installation positions of items that need to be displayed in the event of a fire on another floor are plotted (step S43). That is, in steps S42 to S43, floor plan information is generated using the floor plan information generated in step S35 to display a floor plan image in which symbols, etc. indicating items that need to be displayed in the event of a fire on another floor are added and symbols, etc. indicating items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire on another floor are erased. It is also possible to gray out symbols, etc. indicating files that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire on another floor on the screen without erasing them from the floor plan image.

Then, the floor plan information generated in steps S42 and S43 is transmitted to the mobile terminal 20 via the communication network N and the mobile phone base station 30 (step S44). As a result, a floor plan image of another floor (for example, the ninth floor) is displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal 20.
If the fire-related information does not include information on items that need to be displayed in the event of a fire, the process of step S40 is omitted. If the fire-related information does not include information on items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire, the process of step S41 is omitted.

As described above, according to the location information system of this embodiment, even when map information is periodically transmitted at a predetermined time interval from the location information server 40 to the mobile terminal 20, when a fire occurs, the push notification system 90 immediately issues a push notification to the mobile terminal informing the mobile terminal of the occurrence of a fire, so that the mobile terminal owner can be informed of the occurrence of a fire promptly. Moreover, an existing push notification system can be used as the system that issues the push notification to the mobile terminal informing the mobile terminal of the occurrence of a fire, and by simply adding information about the occurrence of a fire to the map information, the occurrence of a fire can be promptly displayed on the display unit of the mobile terminal without making major modifications to the programs of the servers constituting the location information system or adding new systems.

In addition, the location information system of this embodiment can report the location of a mobile terminal within permitted movement ranges during normal times, and in the event of a fire, the location of the fire, the location of the mobile terminal, the locations of fire-fighting related equipment, the locations of emergency exits, etc., according to the attributes of the mobile terminal owner and facility/device information, thereby ensuring security while enabling initial action to be taken swiftly in the event of an emergency.

Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the gist of the invention. For example, in the above embodiments, it was described that a signal from a beacon is received by a mobile terminal and the received information is transmitted to a location information server via wireless communication, but if the area to be monitored is a space such as an office, a device capable of receiving signals from a beacon can be connected to a personal computer installed on a desk in the office, and the information received by the device can be transmitted by the personal computer to the location information server via a LAN (local area network).

In addition, in the above embodiment, the beacon is described as having only the function of transmitting information, but it may also have the function of receiving wireless signals from mobile terminals or other transmitters (wireless tags, terminals, etc.) and the function of transmitting the received information to a server.
In the above embodiment, a system using beacon-based positioning has been exemplified as the position information system, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the position information system may be a system using other methods of positioning, such as IMES (Indoor MEssaging System). That is, the transmitter is not limited to a beacon, and may be an IMES transmitter, etc.

In the above embodiment, the location specification process of the location information system is performed by the server, but part or all of the process may be performed on the mobile terminal side.
Furthermore, the position identification process of the position information system may be single-point positioning of a beacon or multi-point positioning (processing of identifying a position using signals from multiple beacons).
Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the case where a fire is detected by a fire monitoring device is described as an example of an emergency, but the present invention may also be applied to the occurrence of other emergencies such as earthquakes and floods.

10 Beacon (transmitter)
20 Mobile terminal 40 Location information server (server)
41 Database (cell phone holder and facility information storage means)
50 Fire detector 60 Fire receiver (receiver)
80 Disaster prevention management server (fire monitoring device)
81 Database (facility/equipment information storage means)
90 Push notification system 91 Push notification execution server

Claims (3)

a mobile terminal capable of receiving a signal from a transmitter installed in a predetermined area and transmitting transmitter information including identification information of the transmitter and its own identification information;
a server capable of determining a current location of the mobile terminal based on transmitter information transmitted by the mobile terminal and transmitting map information to the mobile terminal for displaying a map image showing the current location of the mobile terminal on the mobile terminal;
A location information system comprising:
A fire monitoring device is provided for determining a location of a fire based on fire information including location information of a fire transmitted by a receiver capable of receiving a fire detection signal from a fire detector installed in a predetermined area,
a facility/equipment information storage means for storing information on facilities and equipment installed in the building that are not shown on the map image under normal circumstances but are shown on the map image in the event of a fire, the facilities including structural equipment of the building;
The server is capable of creating and transmitting map information for displaying on the mobile terminal a map image showing the current location of the mobile terminal, the location of the fire, and specified facilities and equipment, based on fire information including information on the location of the fire transmitted from the fire monitoring device, information on facilities and equipment stored in the facility/equipment information storage means, and the current location of the mobile terminal. This is a location information system characterized by the above. The location information system according to claim 1, characterized in that the server is capable of determining the attributes of the mobile terminal owner who owns the mobile terminal based on the identification information of the mobile terminal that has transmitted the information, by referring to a storage means that previously stores the identification information of the mobile terminal in association with information on the attributes of the mobile terminal owner, and creating and transmitting map information for displaying on the mobile terminal a map image showing the current location of the mobile terminal according to the attributes. The location information system further includes a push notification system capable of executing a push notification to a mobile terminal,
When the server receives the fire occurrence information, the server selects a mobile terminal to be notified of the occurrence of a fire based on the transmitter information and the identification information of the mobile terminal, and is capable of requesting the push notification system to execute a push notification to the selected mobile terminal;
The location information system according to claim 1 , wherein the push notification system executes a push notification to notify a mobile terminal of an occurrence of a fire in response to the request from the server.

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