JP2004236125A - Mobile terminal equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide mobile terminal equipment capable of storing location history data and obtaining more useful information by using a GPS device. <P>SOLUTION: In a GPS antenna 10 and a GPS receiving part 12, a location of the mobile terminal equipment is detected at any time. Then, a control part 14 is stored in a memory card 16 in time series of locations. Consequently, location history of the mobile terminal equipment is left in the memory card 16. Thus, running distance management of a vehicle is performed if the mobile terminal equipment is mounted on the vehicle and the location history of a user who have a portable telephone is checked if the mobile terminal equipment is defined as the portable telephone. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a mobile terminal device having a position detection function.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A GPS device is known as a position detecting device. This GPS device can basically detect the current position at any time as long as a GPS satellite can be seen. Therefore, it is very convenient to equip it to vehicles, ships, and the like.
[0003]
Furthermore, some mobile phones are equipped with a GPS device. If you have such a mobile phone, you can check the current position at any time.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, as a merit of the GPS device, it has been recognized that the current position can be detected at any time, but use of the GPS device for other purposes has not been studied.
[0005]
In a truck or the like, the time and speed are recorded as needed, and the traveling distance and the like are calculated based on the time and speed to collect and manage vehicle operation information. However, the speed of a vehicle is measured by converting a speed pulse detected by a normal speed sensor based on a tire diameter. Therefore, the travel distance obtained from the measured speed is not always an accurate value due to the influence of a change in the tire diameter. Therefore, there is also a demand for more accurate detection of the traveling distance and the like.
[0006]
An object of the present invention is to provide a mobile terminal device that can obtain more useful information using a GPS device.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A mobile terminal device according to the present invention includes a position detecting unit that detects a current position, and a position information history storage unit that stores the detected current position as a time-series position information history. Therefore, the history of the position information can be referred to when necessary.
[0008]
Further, it is preferable that the apparatus further includes a wireless communication device and transmits the position information history stored in the position information history storage unit to the outside. This allows the communication partner to grasp the position of the mobile terminal at any time.
[0009]
Further, it is preferable that the position information history storage means is a removable memory card. Thus, by connecting the memory card to a management computer or the like, the position data can be read at once.
[0010]
Further, it is preferable that the position information history storage means is a nonvolatile memory. This prevents data from being erased even when the power is turned off.
[0011]
Preferably, the mobile terminal is mounted on a vehicle. As a result, it is possible to effectively record a voyage such as a running history of the vehicle.
[0012]
Further, it is preferable that data on a detection result by a sensor mounted on the vehicle is stored in association with the position information history. By storing the operation state of the wiper, the temperature of the loading room, and the like, it is possible to estimate the weather state, the storage state of luggage, and the like.
[0013]
Further, the position detecting means is a GPS receiver, and stores a vehicle speed and a direction, which are detection results of a vehicle speed detector and an azimuth detector mounted on the vehicle, when the GPS receiver cannot detect the position. Is preferred. By using GPS, an accurate position can be detected at any time, and even when GPS is not available, the position can be estimated from speed, direction, and the like.
[0014]
In addition, it is preferable to have a thinning unit that performs a thinning process on the position information history stored in the position information history storage unit to reduce the amount of information. Thereby, the memory can be used effectively.
[0015]
Also, the mobile terminal device is a mobile phone, and stores the location information history when the location of the mobile phone is out of the communication range, and transmits the detected current location when the location of the mobile phone is in the communication range. It is preferred to do so. As a result, position data outside the communication range can be grasped.
[0016]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0017]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a mobile terminal device according to the present invention. The mobile terminal device of this example is mounted on a vehicle such as a truck, and is used to record the range of the vehicle.
[0018]
The GPS antenna 10 is connected to a control unit 14 via a GPS receiving unit 12. The navigation signal from the GPS satellite received by the GPS antenna 10 is processed by the GPS receiving unit 12, and the time, position (latitude, longitude, altitude), speed, and direction are detected.
[0019]
A control unit 14 is connected to the GPS receiving unit 12, and a memory card 16 is connected to the control unit 14. The memory card 16 is detachable from the mobile terminal device, is connected to the control unit 14 in a state of being mounted, and allows the control unit 14 to write and read data into and from the memory card 16. . Then, the control unit 14 records the data received from the GPS receiving unit 12 on the memory card 16 which is a removable nonvolatile memory. The memory card 16 has various types, but any type may be used.
[0020]
Further, the mobile terminal device has a PDC antenna 18, and the PDC antenna 18 is connected to the control unit 14 via a PDC transmitting / receiving unit 20. The PDC antenna 18 and the PDC transmitting / receiving unit 20 are an antenna and a terminal for a PDC (Personal Digital Cellular-System) which is a digital mobile phone. Note that another type of telephone communication such as a CDMA method may be used.
[0021]
Then, the control unit 14 performs packet communication with an external operation management office using the PDC antenna 18 and the PDC transmission / reception unit 20, and exchanges data. Further, a temporary storage memory 14a is provided in the control unit 14, and vehicle data described later is temporarily stored therein.
[0022]
Further, an external sensor input unit 22 is connected to the control unit 14, and the vehicle speed pulse, the gyro data, the wiper operation, the outside air temperature, the loading room temperature, the loading room humidity, the loading room Vibration and other signals are provided. That is, signals from various sensors are supplied to the external sensor input unit 22, where the signals are converted into predetermined digital data and supplied to the control unit 14, so that the control unit 14 controls the various sensors mounted on the vehicle. Can be recognized.
[0023]
Further, a speaker 24 and a display 26 are connected to the control unit 14. Various sounds are output from the speaker 24, and various displays are performed on the display 26. The keypad 28 is for performing various inputs by the user, and it is also preferable that the keypad 28 be configured by a touch panel provided on the surface of the display 26. Further, voice input is possible with the microphone 34, and the mobile terminal device can be used as a normal mobile phone.
[0024]
Next, the operation of such a mobile terminal device will be described. First, when the ignition key is turned to the accessory position or the on position, the power of the mobile terminal device is turned on, and thereby the operation of the mobile terminal device is started.
[0025]
That is, when the power is on, as shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 14 acquires various vehicle data from the external sensor input unit 22 (S1), and also performs the GPS positioning from the GPS receiving unit 12. Data is acquired (S2). Then, this operation determines whether or not the power is off (S3). If the power is off, the operation ends. If not, the process returns to S1 and repeats the acquisition of data.
[0026]
FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of the operation of acquiring vehicle data in S1. First, vehicle data from a sensor connected thereto is acquired from the external sensor input unit 22 (S11). The vehicle data referred to here is a vehicle speed pulse and gyro data. This is because the vehicle position data is the most important data. In particular, this processing is usually repeated at intervals of about one second, and it is not necessary to take in data such as temperature data so frequently, and these may be obtained at an appropriate frequency.
[0027]
Next, it is determined whether the vehicle position has changed from the vehicle speed pulse (S12). If the determination in S12 is NO, it is determined whether the set time has elapsed (S13). If not, the process returns to S11. Here, the set time in S13 is set to about 30 seconds to 1 minute. This processing is normally performed at intervals of about one second as described above, but it is not necessary to frequently acquire vehicle data unless there is a change in the vehicle position. Therefore, when there is no change in the vehicle position, the data fetch frequency is reduced in S13.
[0028]
If YES in S12 or S13, it is determined whether the temporary storage memory 14a is full (S14). The temporary storage memory 14a is a RAM provided in the control unit 14 as described above.
[0029]
If the determination in S14 is YES, the oldest data is discarded (S15), and if the determination in S14 is NO, S15 is skipped and the latest data is stored in the temporary storage memory 14a (S16).
[0030]
In this way, a predetermined amount of vehicle data can be basically stored in the temporary storage memory 14a at one-second intervals from the newest one. Further, when the vehicle position does not change, the data recording interval is changed to about 30 seconds to 1 minute, so that it is possible to prevent unnecessary data from being stored in a traffic jam or the like.
[0031]
Next, an operation of acquiring GPS positioning data will be described with reference to FIG.
[0032]
First, it is determined whether or not GPS data has been received based on data from the GPS receiving unit 12 (S21). If the determination is NO, the data (speed, direction) stored in the temporary storage memory at that time is recorded on the memory card 16 (S22), and the process ends. That is, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 3, the data based on the speed pulse based on the vehicle speed pulse and the direction based on the gyro are written at a predetermined frequency in the temporary storage memory according to the vehicle running state at that time. . If GPS positioning data cannot be received, vehicle data will be stored in the memory card instead.
[0033]
If YES in S21, it is determined whether or not the vehicle position has changed next based on the received position data (S23). If the vehicle position has not changed, it is determined whether the set time has elapsed (S24). If NO, the process returns to S21. That is, when there is no change in the vehicle position, the vehicle position data is not so necessary. This process is normally performed about once every second. However, by setting the set time of S24 to about 30 seconds and about 1 minute, the recording of the vehicle position data when the vehicle is stopped is performed for about 30 seconds or about 1 minute. And the storage capacity of the memory card 16 can be used effectively.
[0034]
If YES in S23 or S24, information (speed, latitude, longitude, altitude, direction, time) obtained by GPS reception is recorded on the memory card 16 (S25). In this manner, data on the position of the vehicle can be sequentially recorded on the memory card 16. In particular, when GPS reception is not possible, data on the speed and direction of the vehicle is recorded. Therefore, the vehicle position can be estimated from the position data immediately before GPS reception becomes impossible and the speed and direction of the vehicle thereafter.
[0035]
Further, the data recorded on the memory card 16 may be read by a computer in the office when brought back to the office, or may be sent to the office by communication. That is, the PDC transceiver 20 is provided in the mobile terminal device. Then, the office accesses the mobile terminal device via the service center or the like and issues a data transmission request. The controller 14 reads the data in the memory card 16 in response to the data transmission request, and transmits the data to the office. By such a polling method, data recorded on the memory card 16 is transmitted to the office. When the transmission is completed, it is preferable to delete the data in the memory card 16.
[0036]
Further, when the data recording area in the memory card 16 becomes full and can no longer be stored, the control unit 14 uses the PDC transmission / reception unit 20 to access the office computer, and Is preferably transmitted to the office. As a result, the data in the memory card 16 can be erased and new vehicle data can be stored in the memory card 16.
[0037]
It is preferable that the recording area of the memory card 16 is divided into a plurality. This makes it possible to record a plurality of waypoints, such as destinations and waypoints, and to record voice data, in addition to recording the vehicle operation data as described above.
[0038]
Then, by storing the waypoint information in the memory card 16 in advance, the control unit 14 can detect that the vehicle is approaching the waypoint based on the vehicle position data. I can let you know. Note that the approach distance may be set in advance to an area having a predetermined radius around the waypoint.
[0039]
In addition, voice information (for example, voice data such as “approaching XX”) and a melody are recorded on the memory card 16, and when the control unit 14 detects the approach, the control unit 14 reads them out, By supplying the sound to the speaker 24, these sounds can be transmitted from the speaker 24.
[0040]
Further, in the present embodiment, data such as the operating state and the temperature of the wiper are input to the vehicle sensor input unit. Therefore, in addition to the operation record such as the position of the vehicle, the sensor information unique to the vehicle is fetched and recorded at the same time as the operation record.
[0041]
By recording the operating state of the wiper (whether it is strong or weak during operation), it is possible to grasp the condition of rainy weather and use it as operation management data. For example, information that the vehicle is traveling with a speed limit due to rain can be grasped at the office, and this information can be alerted (reported) to other vehicles from the office via the center.
[0042]
Further, by recording the lighting state of the fog lamp, it is possible to grasp the state of fog. From the information of the vibration meter (acceleration sensor) mounted in the loading room, it is possible to grasp what kind of vibration occurred during traveling. Further, it is possible to grasp and analyze the environment in which the luggage was placed during traveling from the temperature and humidity sensor information.
[0043]
Analysis of the operation record is performed in the office. For example, the following analysis is performed with the horizontal axis as a time axis, which contributes to safe driving and efficient driving.
[0044]
When the vertical axis is the speed, the speed change from the start to the end of the operation is displayed, so that it is possible to grasp whether the vehicle is operating at an appropriate speed.
[0045]
When the vertical axis is the temperature and vibration data of the loading room, the situation of the loading room can be grasped, and the influence on the loaded luggage can be grasped.
[0046]
When the vertical axis is the wiper operation, the weather condition (rainy weather, heavy rain, etc.) can be grasped.
[0047]
The vertical axis may display not only one data but also a plurality of data. For example, the speed and the wiper information may be displayed at the same time, whereby the driving situation in rainy weather can be grasped.
[0048]
As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the position information is obtained using the GPS, it is possible to grasp an accurate cruising range of the vehicle.
[0049]
Further, since the speed and the direction are detected by the speed sensor and the gyro, the position detection when the GPS cannot be used can be complemented.
[0050]
By collecting and recording various sensor information at the same time, more detailed operation management can be achieved.
[0051]
Furthermore, a plurality of waypoints can be set, and when approaching a waypoint, guidance can be provided by voice or melody.
[0052]
FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of a mobile terminal device applied to a mobile phone.
[0053]
The GPS antenna 10 is connected to a control unit 14 via a GPS receiving unit 12. The navigation signal from the GPS satellite received by the GPS antenna 10 is processed by the GPS receiving unit 12, and the time, the position (latitude, longitude, altitude), the speed, and the direction are detected and supplied to the control unit 14. The control unit 14 has a built-in temporary storage memory 14a and is connected to a flash memory 32 which is a nonvolatile storage unit.
[0054]
Further, the mobile terminal device has a PDC antenna 18, and the PDC antenna 18 is connected to the control unit 14 via a PDC transmitting / receiving unit 20. Further, a speaker 24, a microphone 34, a display 26, and a keypad 28 are connected to the control unit 14.
[0055]
Therefore, it is possible to connect to the digital mobile telephone network using the PDC antenna 18 and the PDC transmitting / receiving unit 20, and it is possible to make a call using the microphone 34 and the speaker 24 while the line is connected. I have. Further, data communication is possible, and various data can be transmitted and received in a state where a line is connected to a predetermined destination. Note that other methods such as CDMA can be adopted as the telephone communication method.
[0056]
Then, in the present embodiment, the history of the position detected by the GPS is stored in the flash memory 32, and this is transmitted to the management server by packet communication using a telephone line. This communication may be a form in which the mobile phone accesses a predetermined server or a form in which an electronic mail is transmitted. Also, the management server is registered in advance as a member. Thereby, the position history of the member is stored in the management server, and by accessing the management server at an arbitrary timing, the data of the position history can be browsed or downloaded.
[0057]
FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of the operation of the position data transmission processing in the mobile terminal device.
[0058]
If the power is on, the GPS receiver 12 first performs GPS positioning (S31). Then, it is determined whether or not the positioning has been completed (S32), and if completed, it is determined whether or not there is a data recording setting (S33). That is, in the present embodiment, the user can set whether or not to perform data recording, and the setting is determined in S13. If data recording is not set, the latest position data acquired at that time is transmitted by telephone communication (S34), and the process returns to S31. As described above, if data recording is not performed, the latest position data is transmitted as needed. The transmission of the latest position data may be set in advance and performed at time intervals, or may be performed only when the position of the positioning result has moved a predetermined distance or more. Further, it is also preferable to transmit when the position has moved a predetermined distance or more and when a predetermined time has elapsed.
[0059]
If YES in S33, it is determined whether or not the area for storing position data in the flash memory 32 is full (S35). Here, whether or not the capacity is full is determined based on whether or not the positioning data obtained this time can be stored. If the determination in S35 is YES, it is determined whether the data thinning setting is ON (S36). If the determination in S36 is YES, the thinning process is performed on the position data stored in the flash memory 32 (S37). For this thinning process, a method of deleting stored data every few (for example, every other) can be adopted, but another method may be used. For example, a method of calculating the distance between adjacent position data, extracting an appropriate number of pairs having smaller distances, and deleting one of the extracted pairs, or a method of determining the distance based on the position data may be adopted.
[0060]
If NO in S35 or if the data thinning process in S37 has been completed, the position data is recorded in the flash memory 32 (S38). As described above, when the capacity is not the full capacity, the positioning data is recorded as it is, and when the capacity is the full capacity, the data is thinned out and the positioning data is recorded. Note that the record is position and time data such as latitude, longitude, altitude, and time obtained by GPS. The time data may be the time by its own clock function, and the time and altitude data may be omitted.
[0061]
It is determined whether the recording has been completed (S39), and if completed, and if NO in S36, it is determined whether it is the data transmission timing (S40). If YES in S40, the data is transmitted (S41). It is determined whether the transmission has been completed (S42), and when the transmission has been completed, the transmitted data is deleted (S43). It should be noted that the transmitted data may be flagged as transmitted and stored as it is. In this case, when the full capacity is reached, it is preferable to delete those for which the transmitted flag is set.
[0062]
The data transmission in S41 is all untransmitted position data stored in the flash memory 32. Then, by setting the data transmission timing to an appropriate time interval, the amount of data to be transmitted in one transmission can be set. Further, data transmission may be performed when the amount of untransmitted data reaches a predetermined amount. Further, if it is out of the communicable area (out of service area), transmission is not possible, so the determination in S40 is also NO in that case.
[0063]
Then, when the data deletion is completed and when NO is obtained in S40, the process is terminated. If the data transmission setting is NO, the position data is recorded until the full capacity is reached, and if the thinning processing is set, the thinning processing is performed every time the full capacity is reached. When the transmission setting is turned off, the position data stored in the flash memory 32 is displayed on the display 26 and viewed. Alternatively, the data may be transferred by directly connecting the mobile terminal device to the computer using a USB connection cable or the like.
[0064]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the position is detected using the GPS, and the detected position is stored as a history. Therefore, not only the current position but also the history of the position can be used as information. In addition, a predetermined number of position data can be recorded in the flash memory 32, and can be transmitted collectively. Therefore, the communication frequency is reduced, and efficient transmission can be performed. Further, since the thinning process can be performed, the memory can be used efficiently.
[0065]
Next, a processing flow of another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. First, GPS positioning is performed using the GPS antenna 10 and the GPS receiving unit 12 (S51). It is determined whether or not the positioning has been completed (S52), and if completed, it is determined whether or not the PDC is within the telephone communication area (S53). If the determination is NO, the acquired position data is recorded in the flash memory 32 (S54), and the process ends.
[0066]
If the determination in S53 is YES, it is determined whether there is any untransmitted recording data (S55). If the determination is NO, the acquired latest position data is transmitted (S56). On the other hand, if the determination in S55 is YES, the recording data recorded in S54 in the previous process is transmitted (S57).
[0067]
As described above, according to this embodiment, when the mobile terminal device is located outside the service area, the location data is recorded, and when the mobile terminal device returns to the service area, the location data up to that time is transmitted collectively. be able to. For this reason, even when the user moves out of the service area, the position history at that time can be stored.
[0068]
In addition, when recording the position data in S54, it is determined whether the flash memory 32 has the full capacity. If the capacity is full capacity, the data is thinned out, and the processing in S35 to S38 in FIG. It is.
[0069]
Next, FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of still another embodiment. First, GPS positioning is started (S61), and it is determined whether the positioning is completed (S62). If YES in S62, the acquired latest position is transmitted (63).
[0070]
On the other hand, if NO in S62, it is determined whether positioning could not be performed continuously for two minutes (S64). If NO in this determination, the process returns to S61 and repeats the positioning.
[0071]
If the determination in S64 is YES, the previous position data is transmitted (S65).
[0072]
As described above, when the GPS cannot measure the position and stands for about two minutes, the same position data as the previous time is transmitted by packet transmission. As a result, the management server recognizes that the user has gone indoors or underground. In S65, data indicating that positioning is not possible may be transmitted.
[0073]
It is also preferable to combine the processing of this embodiment with the processing of FIG. That is, in the case of NO in S32 of FIG. 6, it is determined whether or not the positioning has not been performed continuously for two minutes. What is necessary is just to take in the data to the effect as positioning data, and proceed to S33.
[0074]
As described above, according to this embodiment, a position history can be obtained for a user holding a mobile phone. In addition, by storing the position history data in the flash memory 32 and transmitting it collectively, efficient communication becomes possible. In addition, by storing the position data in the flash memory 32 when the mobile phone system is out of the service area, a position history when the mobile phone system is out of the service area can be obtained. Further, even when GPS positioning is impossible, the fact can be notified to the management server side.
[0075]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, since the position history can be obtained, it is possible to efficiently manage the range of the vehicle. In addition, it is possible to grasp the movement history of the user carrying the mobile phone.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a mobile terminal device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an overall operation.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of acquiring vehicle data.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of acquiring GPS positioning data.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of another embodiment of the mobile terminal device according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of a position data transmission process in the mobile terminal device.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a processing operation according to another embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a processing operation according to still another embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 antenna, 12 receiving unit, 14 control unit, 14a temporary storage memory, 16 memory card, 18 antenna, 20 transmitting / receiving unit, 22 external sensor input unit, 24 speaker, 26 display, 28 keypad, 32 flash memory, 34 microphone.

Claims (9)

Position detection means for detecting the current position;
Position information history storage means for storing the detected current position as a time-series position information history,
A mobile terminal device comprising: The apparatus according to claim 1,
Furthermore, it has a wireless communication device,
A mobile terminal device for transmitting the position information history stored in the position information history storage means to the outside. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The mobile terminal device, wherein the location information history storage unit is a removable memory card. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The mobile terminal device, wherein the location information history storage unit is a nonvolatile memory. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
This mobile terminal device is a mobile terminal device mounted on a vehicle. The apparatus according to claim 5,
A mobile terminal device that stores data on a detection result by a sensor mounted on a vehicle in association with the position information history. The apparatus according to claim 5,
The position detecting means is a GPS receiver,
If the position cannot be detected by this GPS receiver,
A mobile terminal device that stores a vehicle speed and a direction which are detection results of a vehicle speed detector and a direction detector mounted on a vehicle. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A mobile terminal device having a thinning unit that performs a thinning process on a position information history stored in a position information history storage unit to reduce an information amount. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The mobile terminal device is a mobile phone,
A mobile terminal device that stores a position information history when a position of a mobile phone is out of a communication range, and transmits a detected current position when the position of the mobile phone is in a communication range.

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