JP2002359877A - System for providing location-related information, information-providing server, communications equipment and information transmitting medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a location related information providing system, a server for providing information, communication equipment and an information transmitting medium which are suitable for a providing service of guidance information and nursing care support information, etc., related to location. SOLUTION: A transmission terminal 1 transmits location information, specifying its installation place by weak radio waves, an add-in terminal 2 connected to a portable telephone 3 receives the location information, and the portable telephone 3 automatically transmits the location information. The location information is transmitted to a contents server 5 from a base station 4 via a communication network, and the contents server 5 retrieves providing information, corresponding to the received location information, and returns the providing information to the portable telephone 3 which is the transmission source of the location information from the base station 4 via the communication network to provide a portable telephone owner with the information.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a position-related information providing system suitable for nursing care support or man navigation for a physically handicapped person and an elderly person, and an information providing server suitable for the position-related information providing system. The present invention relates to a communication device and an information transmission medium.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a system has been proposed which provides, based on acquired position information, the position information itself and various information related to the place. At present, position information can be obtained using a mobile phone, PHS, GPS, or the like. In the case of a mobile phone system, PDC (Personal Digital Cellu
LAR) system and CDMA (Code Division Multiple Acce)
ss) method, and in the PDC method, position information of an area obtained by dividing a circle having a radius of several hundred meters to several kilometers covered by one base station into six is obtained. In the CDMA system, position information is obtained as an intersection of three circles each having a radius of several hundred meters to several kilometers centered on three base stations. That is, the location information of the mobile phone owner can be obtained from the known coordinates of each base station and the respective distance information from each base station to the mobile phone based on the output control information of each base station during communication. PHS
In the case of a system, a radius of several tens of meters covered by one base station
Position information of an area within a circle of about 500 m can be obtained.
For GPS system, DGPS (Differential GPS)
If the method is adopted, position information can be obtained with an error of about 2 to 3 m.

[0003] In addition, a system for embedding a communication device for transmitting position information in a Braille block for the visually impaired and receiving the information with a cane or the like having a receiving function and providing the visually impaired with position information such as the current position is also known. It is considered.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION However, PDC
In the system and the PHS system, only information on the area covered by the base station can be obtained. In the CDMA system, the accuracy of distance information depends, and only rough position information can be obtained. Further, the DGPS method has a high position detection accuracy, but has a problem that it is difficult to obtain position information in places where radio wave reception conditions are not good, such as indoors and in valleys of buildings. Also, in the case of a system that provides location information by embedding a communication device in a Braille block or the like, if the provided information is fixed information, the fixed information may be stored in advance in the communication device. In this case, it is necessary to newly construct a dedicated communication line network for transmitting variable information, resulting in a huge facility cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and is a low-cost, high-precision position-related information utilizing an existing communication network and capable of providing a position with high accuracy and providing information relating to the position. It is an object to provide a providing system, an information providing server, a communication device, and an information transmission medium.

[0006]

Therefore, a position-related information providing system according to a first aspect of the present invention transmits a radio wave including position information specifying a location from a transmitting terminal installed at a predetermined location. Receiving the position information at a receiving terminal connected to the mobile communication terminal, transmitting the received position information to an information search server via a communication network of the mobile communication terminal, and the information search server based on the position information. And searching for provided information related to the installation location, and returning the information to the portable communication terminal that is the source of the location information via the communication network.

In this configuration, when the owner of the portable communication terminal connected to the receiving terminal enters the transmission area of the transmitting terminal, the position information is automatically transmitted from the portable communication terminal and the information is transmitted via the communication network of the portable communication terminal. Received by search server. The information search server searches for the provided information corresponding to the received position information, and returns the information to the mobile communication terminal of the transmission source.

If the guidance information related to the installation location is provided as provided information as in claim 2, man-navigation will be performed, and if the assistance support information for disabled people related to the installation location is provided as in claim 3, care for the disabled will be provided. Support is possible. If the provided information is returned to the mobile communication terminal registered in advance, an information providing service for the registrant can be provided.

More specifically, the portable communication terminal identification information transmitted together with the position information is collated with the ID information registered in advance in the information search server, and the matching ID information is obtained. Is provided, the provided information may be returned to the mobile communication terminal that is the source of the location information.
According to the present invention, the attribute information of the owner of the portable communication terminal is registered and managed in association with the portable communication terminal identification ID information, and the registration attribute corresponding to the transmitted portable communication terminal identification ID information is registered. By identifying the attribute of the mobile communication terminal owner of the sender based on the information and returning the disabled person's care support information as provided information at the time of a disabled person, it is possible to identify a healthy person and a disabled person and support the disabled person's care. Become.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, an administrator of the information search server accesses the information search server by the administrator's computer, and adds, changes, and deletes the provided information when the access is authenticated. Is possible, the provided information can be changed while ensuring security. As in claim 8, identification information of a billing destination of a charge generated by information communication between the mobile communication terminal and the information search server may be added to information transmitted from the mobile communication terminal. In this case, the billing destination identification information to be added to the location information transmitted from the mobile communication terminal is an information providing side, so that the user does not have to pay for the automatically transmitted provided information. Will be done.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, the information search server is provided with position information storage means for storing position information from the portable communication terminal, and by accessing the information search server, the position information stored in the position information storage means is obtained. The search of the position of the mobile communication terminal which is the origin of the transmission was enabled based on the information. With this configuration, it is possible to provide a location search service for the mobile communication terminal of the transmission source.

In this case, an unauthorized position search can be prevented by allowing only a person registered in advance by the owner of the mobile communication terminal to be searched to be searchable. As in claim 12, if a search target person requiring care is registered in advance, and the position of the search target person can be searched based on position information from a mobile communication terminal owned by the search target, The location search of the wandering elderly can be performed, and a monitoring service of the wandering elderly can be provided.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an information providing server for returning provided information related to the position information to a position information source based on the received position information. An information storage unit that stores the provided information in association with the search unit; and a search unit that searches the provided information from the information storage unit based on an information address obtained from the received position information. It is characterized by replying to the location information source.

[0014] The search means may include a conversion means for converting the position information into an information address based on a correspondence table between the information address and the position information, and the information address converted by the conversion means. To search for provided information. The information providing server includes: an information management unit configured to manage new registration, update, and deletion of the provided information stored in the information storage unit; An authentication unit that permits access only when authenticated as a server administrator may be provided, and new registration, update, and deletion of the provided information may be enabled only when the authentication unit permits.

[0015] The information providing server may further comprise a position information storage means for storing the received position information, and a registrant storage for storing a registrant registered in advance and permitted to provide the position information. Means for providing location information by permitting access only when the location information searcher is the registrant when the location information searcher accesses the location information storage means.

A communication device according to the invention of claim 18 is provided at a predetermined location, for transmitting a radio wave including position information for specifying the installation location, and for transmitting the radio wave to a portable communication terminal. And a receiving terminal that extracts information and transfers it to the mobile communication terminal side. The transmission terminal according to claim 1,
As shown in FIG. 9, it is preferable that it can be built in the mounting medium. If the transmitting terminal transmits the self-diagnosis information as described in claim 20, maintenance is facilitated.

[0017] The receiving terminal may receive the radio wave, an information extracting unit extracting the position information from the radio wave received by the receiving unit, and an information extracting unit extracting the position information from the radio wave. An interface for transferring position information to the portable communication terminal. 23. The information extraction unit according to claim 22,
Wherein the interface unit converts the position information into a transmission format for the connected portable communication terminal, and the interface unit adds transmission instruction information of the position information to the position information as in claim 23. Transfer to the portable communication terminal.

The receiving terminal may be built in a portable communication terminal. The receiving terminal,
It is preferable that power is supplied from the portable communication terminal. The information according to claim 26 is configured such that the signal medium is equipped with a transmitting terminal that transmits a radio wave including position information for specifying the installation location.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an outline of a position-related information providing system of the present invention. In FIG. 1, a location-related information providing system specifies an installation location using a weak radio wave having a communication area of about 10 m in radius or a radio wave satisfying a very small (specific low power) standard, which is installed at a predetermined location according to the purpose. A transmitting terminal 1 that constantly transmits ID information as position information to be transmitted;
An add-in terminal 2 as a receiving terminal that constitutes a communication device with the transmitting terminal 1 and receives the transmission radio wave of the transmitting terminal 1 and extracts the ID information, and an external terminal to which the add-in terminal 2 can be connected. The ID information extracted by the terminal 2 is transmitted from the base station 4 to the content server 5 to be described later via the existing public communication network, and the provided information received from the server 5 via the communication network is displayed or voiced. Mobile phone or P to notify owner
A portable communication terminal 3 such as an HS and an ID received from the base station 4
The content server 5 is provided as an information search server for searching for provided information corresponding to the information and transmitting the information to the mobile communication terminal 3 via the base station 4. The base station 4 and the content server 5 are connected via the Internet or a dedicated line. The administrator of the content server 5 accesses the content server 5 by the computer 6 and manages the provided information.

The location where the transmitting terminal 1 is installed or the information transmitting medium to which the transmitting terminal 1 is attached include a traffic signal controller, a pedestrian push-button box, a telephone pole, various places in a station (in a ticket gate, in a ticket vending machine, near a staircase, etc.). , Concourse, home pillar, etc.),
Any other place or medium, such as various places in a department store, is conceivable, and may be installed in accordance with the purpose of use of the system (for example, nursing support for the physically handicapped and the elderly, man navigation, and the like). The ID information to be transmitted is position information for specifying the installation location of the transmitting terminal 1, and may be in the form of numbers, characters, combinations thereof, and coordinate values of the installation location (E. North latitude), the address of the installation location, or a URL (information address indicating the location of the information stored in the content server). Since the installation location of the transmitting terminal 1 can be specified by the ID information, the portable communication terminal 3 of the transmission source can be identified by the received ID information.
, In other words, the position of the owner of the mobile communication terminal 3 can be specified.

In consideration of maintenance, the transmission terminal 1
May transmit the self-diagnosis information in addition to the ID information. In this case, if a maintenance-dedicated portable reception terminal having a self-diagnosis information extraction function is prepared, and the maintenance-dedicated reception terminal receives the transmission radio wave of the transmission terminal 1 and acquires the self-diagnosis information, the transmission is performed. Maintenance of the terminal 1 becomes easy.

As shown in FIG. 2, the add-in terminal 2 incorporates a single-channel receiving unit 2A, an information extracting unit 2B and an interface unit 2C, and a terminal unit 2D connected to an external terminal of the portable communication terminal 3. Having. The add-in terminal 2 is connected to the mobile communication terminal 3 by inserting the terminal unit 2D into an external terminal of the mobile communication terminal 3, is supplied with power from the mobile communication terminal 3, and becomes operable. The owner operates the mobile communication terminal 3 to transmit the model information of the mobile communication terminal 3 owned by the mobile communication terminal 3 to the information extraction unit 2B via the interface unit 2C.
In this state, when the owner of the mobile communication terminal 3 enters the transmission area of the transmission terminal 1, the reception unit 2A receives the transmission radio wave and transmits a reception signal to the information extraction unit 2B. In the information extraction unit 2B,
The ID information is extracted from the input received signal, converted into a transmission format according to the model of the mobile communication terminal 3 set by the owner, and output to the interface unit 2C. The interface unit 2C adds the transmission command information of the input ID information to the input ID information and transmits the information to the portable communication terminal 3. Thereby, the ID information is automatically transmitted from the mobile communication terminal 3.

The add-in terminal 2 may be built in the portable communication terminal 3. Next, the content server 5 which is an information providing server will be described. In the following description, a case where the ID information transmitted from the transmitting terminal 1 is other than the URL will be described. The content server 5
As shown in FIG. 3, a control unit 5 </ b> A that totally controls the operation in the server, and an ID-UR that is a conversion unit that stores a correspondence table between the received ID information and the URL and converts the ID information into a URL.
An L conversion unit 5B, a database 5C serving as an information storage unit for storing the provided information file, and a database 5C
A file management unit 5D, which is an information management unit that manages the creation, update, deletion, etc. of files in the server; a registrant management unit 5E, which is a registrant storage unit that stores and manages registered service providers; An authentication unit 5F, which is an authentication unit for eliminating, is provided. Here, the control unit 5A and the ID
A search unit is constituted by the URL conversion unit 5B.

The basic information distribution operation and information management operation of the content server 5 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS. First, the information distribution operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Step 1 (S in the figure)
1 and the same hereinafter. ), The control unit 5A receives, for example, ID information from the base station 4 via the Internet and ID information for identifying the mobile communication terminal 3 that is the source of the communication, for example, telephone number information for a mobile phone or PHS. .

In step 2, the received telephone number information is compared with the registered telephone number data of the service target registered in the registrant management unit 5E. In step 3, it is determined whether or not the user is a service target based on the collation result in step 2. If NO, notification information indicating that the service is not provided is returned in step 4, and the operation ends. On the other hand, YES
If so, go to step 5.

In step 5, the received ID information is
-Transmit to the URL conversion unit 5B. In step 6, the ID
With reference to the ID-URL correspondence table stored in the URL conversion unit 5B, a URL corresponding to the received ID information is searched to convert the ID information into a URL. In step 7,
The file corresponding to the URL obtained in step 6 is searched from the files stored in the database 5C.

In step 8, the attribute of the service target person of the transmission source is determined based on the attribute information of the service target person (for example, elderly person, disabled person, healthy person, etc.) added to the received registered telephone number data. If the determination is an elderly person, in step 9, the UR stored in the database 5C in advance.
A service information file for the elderly corresponding to L is searched and added to the file searched in step 7. Similarly, if the determination is that the person is handicapped, a service information file dedicated to the handicapped is searched in step 10 and added to the search file in step 7. If the determination is a healthy person, the process directly proceeds to step 11.

In step 11, the access point 4 accesses the base station 4 via the Internet and returns the retrieved provided information to the portable communication terminal 3 of the transmission source. If the ID information transmitted from the transmitting terminal 1 is a URL, the operations of steps 5 and 6 in the flowchart of FIG.
If YES is determined in step 7, a search for a file corresponding to the ID information (URL) received in step 7 is performed. I
The D-URL conversion unit 5B is unnecessary.

Next, the information management operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In step 21, an access from the server administrator's computer 6 is received. At step 22, the administrator I entered by the authentication unit 5E
It authenticates whether it is a legitimate administrator based on D and the password. If it is valid, the process proceeds to step 23. If it is invalid, it is determined that the access is unauthorized, and the operation is terminated.

In step 23, the file management section 5D is accessed. In step 24, it is determined whether the process is new registration, update, or deletion. The process proceeds to step 25 for new registration, step 28 for update, and step 32 for deletion.

When the process proceeds to step 25, the file to be newly registered is uploaded to the file management unit 5D,
In step 26, the new file is registered in a predetermined URL in the database 5C, and in step 27, the contents are confirmed by the administrator, and the operation is terminated. If the process proceeds to step 28, a file to be updated is selected, an updated file is uploaded in step 29, and the selected file is overwritten.
L, the content is confirmed by the administrator in step 31, and the operation ends.

If the process has proceeded to step 32, a file to be deleted is selected, and in step 33, it is checked with the server administrator whether or not to delete the file.
To execute the deletion process, and if NO, terminate the operation. Next, a basic information providing operation of the position-related information providing system of the present embodiment will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG. In the following, an example in which the mobile communication terminal 3 is a mobile phone will be described.

In step 41, the add-in terminal 2 is connected to an external terminal of the mobile phone 3. In step 42, the receiving function of the add-in terminal is turned on, and the radio wave from the transmitting terminal 1 can be received. In step 43, the transmitting terminal 1
It is determined whether or not a radio wave has been received, and if a radio wave has been received, the process proceeds to step 44.

In step 44, I included in the received radio wave
The telephone number information of the mobile phone is added to the D information and automatically transmitted to the base station 4. Specifically, as described above, after the ID information is extracted by the information extracting unit 2B from the signal received by the receiving unit 2A in FIG. 2 and converted into a transmission format according to the model of the mobile phone, the interface unit 2C Is transmitted to the mobile phone 3 together with the transmission command from the mobile phone 3 and is automatically transmitted from the mobile phone 3.

In step 45, the content server 5 is accessed from the base station 4 via the Internet. In step 46, when the content server 5 is a service target as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4, the content server 5 searches for a file of a URL corresponding to the received ID information.

At step 47, the information of the searched file is transmitted from the content server 5 as provided information and received by the mobile phone 3 via the base station 4. Step 4
At 8, the provided information is notified to the owner of the mobile phone 3 by display or voice. In the receivable state of the add-in terminal 2, the operations of steps 43 to 48 are repeatedly executed, and the ID information of the transmitting terminal 1 received at the moving location with the movement of the mobile phone owner, that is, the location of the transmitting terminal 1 is set. Relevant provided information is automatically distributed to the mobile phone owner.

Next, a basic charging method of the position-related information providing system of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In this system, information provision (hereinafter referred to as PU) automatically performed by radio wave reception from the transmitting terminal 1 is performed.
It is necessary to distinguish between the packet communication cost incurred in the provision of SH-type information) and the packet communication cost incurred in the transmission of information provision (hereinafter referred to as PULL-type information provision) performed at the request of the mobile phone owner. There is. Basically PUS
The packet charge for providing H-type information is borne by the service provider, and the packet charge for providing PULL information is borne by the user.

At step 51, the add-in terminal 2 receives a radio wave from the transmitting terminal 1. In step 52, information indicating that the received ID information is of the PUSH type is added as billing destination identification information, and the ID information is automatically transmitted. In step 53,
Content server 5 from base station 4 via the Internet
To access.

In step 54, the push-type provided information transmitted from the content server 5 is received and notified by display or sound generation. In step 55, when the user requests more detailed information from the notification content in step 54, the process proceeds to step 56, and a notification that the subsequent information provision is charged is displayed or sounded.

In step 57, a request for desired information is transmitted. At this time, information indicating the PULL type is added as billing destination identification information and transmitted. In step 58,
Content server 5 from base station 4 via the Internet
To access. In step 59, the content server 5
PULL type provided information transmitted from is received and notified by display or sound generation. At this time, the fee is displayed.

The billing destination data of the packet fee is stored in the base station 4 or the content server 5 based on the billing destination identification information added in steps 52 and 57. If the information is of the PUSH type based on the stored data, a request is made to the service provider, and PULL is provided.
If it is provided information of the type, it is charged to the user. Hereinafter, a specific application example of the position-related information providing system of the present invention will be described.

First, an example of application to a care support system for disabled persons as a service target will be described. The flowchart in FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a public service providing system for a wheelchair user at a railway station. In a railway station, for example, a wheelchair user places the transmitting terminal 1 in an appropriate place such as a staircase where care is required. In addition, a wheelchair user who intends to receive a service needs to provide a service provider (for example, a public organization such as a national or local government) with personal identification information (for example, being a wheelchair user and possessing mobile phone number information, etc.). ) Shall be registered.

At step 61, when the registered wheelchair user approaches the vicinity of the stairs, the add-in terminal 4 receives the radio wave of the transmitting terminal 1. In step 62, the content server 5 is accessed by automatic transmission from the mobile phone 3. In step 63, in which the information indicating the PUSH type is added as the billing destination identification information and transmitted, the content server 5 searches the registration data using the telephone number information included in the transmission information. It is determined whether or not the user is a wheelchair user who is a service target. If the user is a wheelchair user, the process proceeds to step 64. If the user is not a wheelchair user, the process ends without transmitting the provided information.

In step 64, based on the received ID information, the provided information, for example, nursing support information such as "A station staff is coming" is transmitted to the mobile phone 3 of the wheelchair user. At the same time, based on the received ID information, the location of the wheelchair user and information on the assistance command are transmitted to the terminal owned by the station staff. If an arrival message is received from the station staff at step 65, the process ends.

Thus, a wheelchair user can immediately receive nursing care by arriving at a place requiring nursing care such as a staircase. The flowchart in FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a public service providing system for visually impaired persons. In this example, the transmitting terminal 1 is embedded in a Braille block and information related to the location is provided. As in the case of FIG. 8, the visually impaired person who intends to receive the service needs to provide personal identification information (for example, being visually impaired and having Mobile phone number information).

In step 71, the add-in terminal 4 receives the radio wave of the transmitting terminal 1 on the Braille block. In step 72, the content server 5 is accessed by automatic transmission from the mobile phone 3. PUS as billing destination identification information
In step 73 of transmitting the information with the information indicating the H-type, the content server 5 searches the registration data using the telephone number information included in the transmission information. It is determined whether the person is a visually impaired person. If the person is visually impaired, the process proceeds to step 74. If the person is not visually impaired, the process ends without transmitting the provided information.

In step 74, based on the received ID information, the contents server 5 transmits care support information as provided information related to the place. For example, in the case of an intersection, it is information on a pedestrian crossing, a traffic light, and the like. Step 75
Then, the received nursing care support information is converted into voice to notify the visually impaired.

The flowchart of FIG. 10 shows an example of a public service providing system for a deaf person. In this example, the same content as an announcement is notified by text information in a place where an announcement or the like where it is difficult for a deaf person to obtain information is flowing. Similarly, in this case, the deaf person who intends to receive the service is provided with personal identification information (for example, being a deaf person, mobile phone number information, etc.) in advance by a service provider (for example, a public institution such as the national government or a local government). ) Shall be registered.

In step 81, when the deaf person enters an area having a fixed or changing announcement, the add-in terminal 4 receives the radio wave of the transmitting terminal 1 arranged in the area. In step 82, the content server 5 is accessed by automatic transmission from the mobile phone 3. In step 83, which adds PUSH type information as billing destination identification information and transmits the same, the content server 5 searches the registration data using the telephone number information included in the transmission information. It is determined whether the subject is a deaf person who is a service target. If the person is deaf, go to step 84. If the person is not deaf, the process ends without transmitting the provided information.

In step 84, the same content as the announcement information is transmitted from the content server 5 based on the received ID information. In step 85, the received announcement information is converted into character information and displayed to notify the deaf person.
When the position-related information providing system of the present invention is applied to such a nursing care support system for a disabled person as a service, a packet fee generated by providing information is basically borne by a national or local government. It is desirable.

Next, an example of application to an information providing service system for a geographic guide or a general consumer will be described. In this case, the service is for an unspecified number of people, and may not basically be a registrant. The flowchart in FIG. 11 is an example of a service system for providing information related to a position in a station yard.

The transmitting terminal 1 is arranged at an appropriate place in the station premises, and provides information such as explanations, guidance, etc. relating to places such as a ticket vending machine, a green window, an advertising board, and a checkout machine. In step 91,
A station user enters an installation area such as a ticket vending machine corner, an advertising board, or a green window. In step 92, a radio wave from the transmitting terminal 1 is received in the area.

At step 93, the contents server 5 is accessed. At this time, information indicating the PUSH type is added as the billing destination identification information as described above, and the transmission is automatically performed. As a result, the packet communication cost generated by providing this information is charged to the service provider, in this case, for example, a railway company. In step 94, general guidance information (PUSH information) related to each point searched corresponding to the ID information of each transmitting terminal 1 is transmitted from the content server 5.

In step 95, if the station user requests further detailed guide information based on the received content, the process proceeds to step 96, and the fact that the subsequent information provision is charged is displayed together with the selection menu. In step 97, the requested information is transmitted to the mobile phone 3 of the station user by searching the requested information on the content server 5 side by transmitting the selection information from the station user. At this time, information indicating the PULL type is added as billing destination identification information to the selection information from the station user and transmitted to the content server 5 side. As a result, the station user is charged for the packet communication cost generated by providing the information thereafter.

At step 98, the PULL information transmitted from the content server 5 is received and notified by display or sound generation. At this time, the fee is displayed and the process ends. The flowchart in FIG. 12 is an example of a service system for providing information related to a location in a shopping center or the like. In step 101, when a customer enters a store, for example, a radio wave from the transmitting terminal 1 arranged at the entrance of the store is received.

At step 102, the content server 5 is accessed. At this time, PUS is used as billing destination identification information.
Automatic transmission is performed by adding information indicating the H type. As a result, the packet communication cost generated by providing the information is charged to a service provider, for example, a shopping center manager. In step 103, general PUSH information relating to the entrance of the store searched in correspondence with the ID information of the transmitting terminal 1 is transmitted from the content server 5. Here, for example, information such as guidance for each sales floor such as a fresh food corner, a clothing corner, and an electric appliance corner in the store is provided.

In step 104, when the customer arrives at the desired sales floor, the radio wave of the transmitting terminal 1 in the sales floor area is received. In step 105, similarly to step 102, information indicating the push type is added as the billing destination identification information, and the content server 5 is automatically accessed.
At step 106, the guidance information of the PUSH type at the counter is transmitted from the content server 5. For example, fresh food information is provided at the fresh food section, wagon sale information is provided at the clothing section, and new product information is provided at the electronics section.

Thereafter, steps 107 to 110 are the same as steps 95 to 98 in FIG. 11, and if the customer requests more detailed information, information indicating that it is of the PULL type is added as billing destination identification information. By transmitting the selection information from the customer, the requested information is transmitted from the content server 5 side to the customer side, and the PUL transmitted from the content server 5 is transmitted.
The mobile phone 3 receives the L information.

The flowchart of FIG. 13 is an example of an information providing service system in a public facility such as a government office. In this case, it is desirable that not only the PUSH type but also the PULL type information provision be provided by an office as a service provider for the packet communication cost. In step 111, when the user enters the office entrance, radio waves from the transmitting terminal 1 arranged at the entrance are received.

At step 112, the contents server 5 is accessed. In step 113, the content server 5
Transmits the PUSH information at the government office entrance point searched in accordance with the ID information of the transmitting terminal 1. Here, for example, a menu for general guidance such as a window is displayed. Step 1
At 14, the user performs an operation of selecting a destination from a menu.

At step 115, route information from the content server 5 to the destination is transmitted and displayed according to the selection menu. The user goes to the destination according to the route information. At this time, if the transmitting terminal 1 is arranged at an appropriate place on the route from the government office entrance to the destination, and route information from the point is sequentially provided when the user passes, a more kind service can be provided. .

Next, a description will be given of a case where the present invention is applied to a position information providing service system for providing position information of a person, such as monitoring of a wandering elderly person. In the case of the position-related information providing system of the present invention, the position of the mobile communication terminal owner can be grasped on the server 5 side in an area having a radius of about 10 m. For this reason,
When applied to a location information providing service system, it is necessary to ensure security in consideration of personal privacy. For example, on the server side, location information can be browsed only for those who need care and monitoring, such as wandering elderly people, children, and disabled people, and can browse only the current location information and cannot browse back to the past. I do. In addition, it is assumed that only the registered persons provide the position information. The acquired position information is stored in, for example, the database 5C. The database 5C serves as position information storage means.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an operation of registering a location information providing destination. When using this location information providing service, it is assumed to be registered in advance. In step 121, a service user who registers a subject who may provide his / her location information accesses the content server 5 from his / her mobile phone or his / her own computer. At this time, information such as an ID number and a password indicating the registered service user is input.

In step 122, the contents server 5 determines whether the information such as the ID number and the password input in step 121 is valid based on the data stored in the registrant management unit 5E as the registrant storage unit. Is determined. If the input information is valid, the process proceeds to step 123. If the input information is invalid, it is determined that the access is unauthorized, and the process ends.

In step 123, the accessed service user registers a destination to which his or her location information may be provided. In this case, for example, a mobile phone number is input as information for specifying a family member, a boss of a company, a friend, and the like, and if there is a condition for providing position information, the providing condition is also input. These pieces of input information are stored in the registrant management unit 5E in association with the service user's telephone number information stored in the registrant management unit 5E.

At step 124, it is determined whether the registration is completed. If there are a plurality of registered persons, the operations of steps 123 and 124 are repeated until the registration is completed. In step 125, an inquiry is made as to whether or not to register a subject whose position is to be confirmed, such as a wandering elderly person or a child. If there is, the process proceeds to step 126, and if not, the operations of steps 126 and 127 are not performed and the setting operation ends.

In step 126, the ID information of the search target person, for example, the mobile phone number owned by the search target person is input. This input information is stored in the registrant management unit 5E together with the registration information in step 123 in association with the telephone number information of the service user stored in the registrant management unit 5E. At step 127, it is determined whether or not the registration is completed. If there are a plurality of registered persons, steps 126 and 127 until the registration is completed.
Is repeated, and when the operation is completed, the setting operation is completed.

Next, the operation of providing position information by the position information providing service system will be described. The flowchart in FIG. 15 shows an operation in a case where a partner who has permitted the provision of position information searches for position information. Step 1
At 31, the location information searcher accesses the content server 5 and inputs his / her ID number and password.

At step 132, the contents server 5 determines whether the information such as the ID number and the password input at step 131 is valid, based on the data stored in the registrant management unit 5E, by the authentication unit 5F. If the input information is valid, the process proceeds to step 133. If the input information is invalid, it is determined that the access is unauthorized, and the process ends. Step 133
Then, the location information searcher inputs his / her mobile phone number and the mobile phone number of the search target person.

At step 134, the validity of the relationship between the inputted two mobile telephone number information is determined based on the data in the registrant management unit 5E, and the search subject provides the position information searcher with the position information. It is determined whether or not is permitted. If the access is permitted, the process proceeds to step 135. If the access is not registered, it is determined that the access is unauthorized, and the search operation ends. In step 135, a provision condition is determined. If the conditions are not satisfied, it is determined that permission is not granted, and the operation is terminated without providing position information. If the provision condition has not been registered and the provision of the position information is permitted unconditionally, the process proceeds to step 136, and the position information of the search target person currently acquired based on the communication information between the transmitting terminal 1 and the add-in terminal 2 Is provided to the location information searcher and the process ends. If it is determined that the provision condition is satisfied and the provision of the position information is permitted, the process proceeds to step 13.
In step 138, the location information of the search target person that is currently acquired is provided to the position information searcher, and in step 138, a notification that the position information has been provided is transmitted to the search target person, and the process ends.

The flowchart of FIG. 16 shows an operation in the case where the service user searches for the position information of the search target person regardless of the intention of the search target person such as a wandering elderly person. In step 141, the service user accesses the content server 5 and inputs his / her ID number and password. In step 142, the content server 5 uses the authentication unit 5F to determine whether the information such as the ID number and the password input in step 141 is valid based on the data stored in the registrant management unit 5E. If the input information is valid, the process proceeds to step 143. If the input information is invalid, it is determined that the access is unauthorized, and the process ends.

In step 143, the service user inputs a mobile phone number registered for a search target such as a wandering elderly person. In step 144, the location information of the search target person that is currently acquired is provided to the service user based on the communication information between the transmitting terminal 1 and the add-in terminal 2 owned by the search target person. If the current position is displayed on a map as a providing method, it is easy to understand and effective.

At step 145, an inquiry is made as to whether or not to track the position of the person to be searched. If tracking, the process returns to step 144. If not, the operation ends. As described above, according to the position-related information providing system of the present embodiment, an existing communication network can be used, so that a system can be constructed at low cost. Further, the information to be provided can be easily changed only by updating the information in the content server 5, so that the variable information can be easily provided. Furthermore, information can be transmitted and received satisfactorily both indoors and outdoors. Moreover, when applied to a position search system, the transmittable area of the transmitting terminal 1 is as narrow as about 10 m in radius, so that the position of the transmission source can be grasped with high accuracy.

[0074]

As described above, according to the present invention,
The system can be constructed at low cost by using an existing communication network, and is suitable for a care support system for the handicapped. In addition, since information can be transmitted and received satisfactorily both indoors and outdoors, it is particularly effective for man-navigation systems indoors such as stations and department stores. Furthermore, since the location of the transmission source can be grasped with high accuracy, monitoring of wandering elderly people, etc.
A position search system suitable for nursing care and the like can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a position-related information providing system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an add-in terminal.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of a content server.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an information distribution operation.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an information management operation.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a basic operation of the system.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a billing operation.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example of a service providing system for a wheelchair user.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of an example of a service providing system for a visually impaired person;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an example of a service providing system for a deaf person

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a position-related information providing system.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating another example of the position-related information providing system.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing still another example of the position-related information providing system.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of registration setting of an information providing destination in the location information providing system.

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a position information providing operation in the position information providing system.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing another example of the location information providing operation in the location information providing system.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 transmitting terminal 2 add-in terminal 3 mobile phone 4 base station 5 content server 5A control unit 5B ID-URL conversion unit 5C database 5D file management unit 5E registrant management unit 5F authentication unit 6 computer

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G08G 1/13 H04B 7/26 109M H04Q 7/34 106A F term (Reference) 2F029 AA07 AB05 AC02 AC13 AC18 5H180 AA23 BB05 BB18 CC12 EE07 FF05 FF13 FF25 FF27 5K067 AA34 AA41 BB04 BB21 DD13 DD17 DD20 DD23 DD24 EE02 EE10 EE14 EE16 GG01 GG11 HH05 HH21 JJ51

Claims (26)

[Claims] 1. A transmitting terminal installed at a predetermined place transmits a radio wave including position information specifying the installation place, a receiving terminal connected to a portable communication terminal receives the position information, and receives the received position information. Transmitting the information to the information search server via the communication network of the portable communication terminal, the information search server searching for the provision information related to the installation location based on the location information, and searching for the location via the communication network. A location-related information providing system, wherein a response is sent to a portable communication terminal that is a source of information. 2. The position-related information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the provided information is guidance information related to the installation location. 3. The position-related information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the provided information is care assistance information for a disabled person related to the installation location. 4. The location-related information providing system according to claim 1, wherein the provided information is returned to a mobile communication terminal registered in advance. 5. The mobile communication terminal identification ID information transmitted together with the position information is compared with ID information registered in advance in the information search server. The location-related information providing system according to claim 4, wherein the provided information is returned to a certain mobile communication terminal. 6. Registering and managing the attribute information of the owner of the portable communication terminal in association with the portable communication terminal identification ID information, based on the registered attribute information corresponding to the transmitted portable communication terminal identification information. The position-related information providing system according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein the attribute of the mobile communication terminal owner of the transmission source is determined, and the disabled person's care support information is returned as provided information in the case of a disabled person. 7. An administrator of the information retrieval server accesses the information retrieval server by the computer on the administrator side, and can add, change, or delete the provided information when the access is authenticated. Any one of items 1 to 6
The position-related information providing system described in (1). 8. The method according to claim 1, wherein identification information of a billing destination of a charge generated by information communication between the portable communication terminal and the information retrieval server is added to information transmitted from the portable communication terminal. The described location-related information providing system. 9. The location-related information providing system according to claim 8, wherein the accounting destination identification information added to the location information transmitted from the portable communication terminal is an information providing side. 10. An information retrieval server, comprising: a location information storage unit for storing location information from a portable communication terminal; and accessing the information retrieval server, based on the location information stored in the location information storage unit. The location-related information providing system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the location of the portable communication terminal that is the transmission source can be searched. 11. The location-related information providing system according to claim 10, wherein only a person registered in advance by the owner of the mobile communication terminal to be searched can be searched. 12. A search object requiring care is registered in advance, and the position of the search object can be searched based on position information from a portable communication terminal owned by the search object. 12. The position-related information providing system according to item 11. 13. The position-related information providing system according to claim 12, wherein said search target person is a wandering elderly person. 14. An information providing server for returning provided information related to the location information to a location information source based on the received location information, the information providing server corresponding to an information address for accessing the information. An information storage unit for storing information; and a search unit for searching for the provided information from the information storage unit based on the information address obtained from the received location information. An information providing server that sends a reply. 15. The search means includes conversion means for converting position information into an information address based on a correspondence table between the information address and the position information, and searches for provided information based on the information address converted by the conversion means. The information providing server according to claim 14, wherein 16. An information management means for managing new registration, update, and deletion of provided information stored in the information storage means, and when the information management means is accessed, the server is authenticated as a valid server administrator. 16. An authentication means for permitting access only when the authentication information is permitted, and new registration, update, and deletion of the provided information can be performed only when the authentication means permits.
Information providing server described in. 17. A location information storage means for storing the received location information, and a registrant storage means for storing registrants registered in advance and permitted to provide location information, and 17. The information providing server according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein when the storage means is accessed, the location information searcher permits access only when the registrant is the registered person and provides location information. 18. A transmitting terminal installed at a predetermined location and transmitting a radio wave including position information for specifying the installation location, and a mobile communication terminal connectable to the mobile communication terminal and receiving the radio wave to extract the position information. A communication device consisting of a receiving terminal for transferring to the side. 19. The communication device according to claim 18, wherein said transmission terminal can be built in a mounting medium. 20. The communication device according to claim 18, wherein said transmission terminal transmits self-diagnosis information. 21. A receiving unit for receiving a radio wave, an information extracting unit for extracting the position information from the radio wave received by the receiving unit, and transmitting the position information extracted by the information extracting unit to the portable terminal. The communication device according to any one of claims 18 to 20, further comprising an interface unit configured to transfer the data to a communication terminal. 22. The communication device according to claim 18, wherein said information extracting unit converts the position information into a transmission format for a connected portable communication terminal. 23. The communication device according to claim 18, wherein the interface unit adds transmission command information of the position information to the position information and transfers the information to a portable communication terminal. 24. The communication device according to claim 18, wherein said receiving terminal can be built in a portable communication terminal. 25. The communication device according to claim 18, wherein said receiving terminal is configured to be supplied with power from a portable communication terminal. 26. An information transmission medium comprising a transmission terminal for transmitting a radio wave including position information for specifying an installation location.