JP2006309457A - Method for reporting schedule, intelligent scheduler and portable communication equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for reporting a schedule, an intelligent scheduler and portable communication equipment, capable of reducing the power consumption of a scheduler function having an announcement function for scheduled time while keeping high announcement accuracy. <P>SOLUTION: The intelligent scheduler comprises schedule information acquisition means 2-14 and 1-5 acquiring information for a scheduled time and a destination for a plan; required time acquisition means 2-15 and 2-6 for acquiring a required time to the destination based on current position information and the destination information; time acquisition means 2-12 and 2-2 for acquiring a current time; prediction control means 2-11, 16, 17 and 18 performing, before a fixed time X of the scheduled time, prediction of the time to start to the destination at predetermined update intervals Y from the scheduled time, required time and current time. The power supplies to position information acquisition means 2-13 and 2-3 and required time acquisition means 2-15 and 2-6 are OFF except the time of acquiring the current position information to reduce the power consumption. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a scheduler, and more particularly to a schedule notification method for a mobile communication device such as a mobile terminal using information on a current position, an intelligent scheduler, and a mobile communication device.

  It has been a long time since the age of each mobile phone became one. Mobile phones have become high-function devices that are incomparable to several years ago due to additional functions such as browser, JAVA, camera, and GPS. However, there are some functions that are just listed for the time being, so it cannot be said that they are fully utilized in cooperation with other functions. The present invention realizes a scheduler by combining a conventional function and a new function in a system based on such a current situation.

  A conventional mobile phone scheduler has items of time and schedule contents, but does not consider the time required to move from the current location to the destination. In such a scheduler, it is necessary to predict the departure time from the current location in advance so that it can meet the schedule, and to enter the time calculated in reverse, and if the travel time is predicted incorrectly, it will not be possible to arrive at the destination as scheduled. There was a problem that there was.

On the other hand, when schedule data including a destination and an estimated arrival date / time is registered, a mobile phone that is notified to a user a predetermined time before the estimated arrival date / time calculated in consideration of the current position by using GPS data is also proposed. (See Patent Document 1).
JP 2004-85207 A

  The scheduler disclosed in the above-mentioned patent document calculates the required time required to move from the current location to the destination periodically immediately after registering the schedule (schedule), and the required travel time (required time) from the scheduled time. The time is deducted from the current time, and when the departure time is reached, the schedule is notified by an alarm sound, voice, or the like. For this purpose, position information is acquired at regular intervals by the GPS function. In addition to this, it is necessary to repeatedly search for a travel route and calculate the required time.

  It is conceivable to set the repetition interval of such conventional processing operations as a default value, etc. However, if the interval is too long, the accuracy of the alarm will deteriorate, and if it is performed too frequently, the power consumption due to the processing operation will be reduced. There is a problem that battery life as a portable terminal system becomes worse.

(the purpose)
An object of the present invention is to provide a schedule notification method, an intelligent scheduler, and a portable communication device that increase the accuracy of prediction of departure time to a scheduled destination and the like and consume less power.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a schedule notification method, an intelligent scheduler, and a portable communication device that can reduce the processing amount of a scheduler function having a notification function related to a scheduled time and reduce power consumption.

  The present invention acquires position information with a GPS or the like mounted on a mobile phone or the like, cooperates with a route guidance service on the WEB, automatically calculates a prior departure time separately from the actual schedule time and notifies the user. Features. The time it takes to travel from a route guidance service such as transfer information, which is a service on the WEB, along with information on the destination that has been acquired by GPS or base station information and registered in advance as additional information in the schedule Is determined. As a result, the departure time is calculated backward from the time until the schedule time and the required travel time, and when the current time becomes the departure time, a schedule alarm is sent and the user is notified to prevent delays in the scheduled schedule. To do.

  According to the schedule notification method of the present invention, a departure to the destination is made based on the required time to the destination calculated based on the acquired current position information and schedule destination information, and the scheduled time of the schedule. In the schedule notification method of predicting the time to be notified and notifying the user, the notification is performed based on the current position information and the required time acquired at a predetermined update interval (Y) from a predetermined time (X) before the scheduled time. It is characterized in that the prediction is repeatedly performed based on the prediction result, and the prediction result that arrives at the scheduled time is obtained. The prediction is made based on whether or not the time difference (Td) between the current time (Tt) and the scheduled time (To) is less than or equal to the sum of the required time (Tr) and the preparation time (α) required for departure. It is characterized in that at least the power related to the acquisition of the current position information is turned off except when the current position information is acquired, or the predetermined update interval (Y) is gradually shortened. It is characterized by controlling to. Further, the fixed time (X) and the predetermined update interval (Y) can be set by a user.

  The intelligent scheduler of the present invention is an intelligent scheduler that informs a user that it is time to depart in consideration of the time required to reach the destination with respect to setting a schedule to arrive at the destination at a scheduled time. , Schedule information acquisition means (for example, 2-14 and 2-5 in FIG. 2) for acquiring the schedule time and destination information of the schedule, and position information acquisition means (for example, 2 in FIG. -13, 2-3) and required time acquisition means (for example, 2-15 and 2-6 in FIG. 2) for acquiring the required time to the destination based on the information on the current position and the information on the destination. ), Time acquisition means for acquiring the current time (for example, 2-12, 2-2 in FIG. 2), and the predetermined time, the required time, and the current time from a predetermined time (X) before the predetermined time. And a prediction control means (for example, 2-11, 16, 17, 18 in FIG. 2) for predicting a time to depart for the destination at an update interval (Y). (For example, 2-11, 16, 17, and 18 in FIG. 2), the time difference (Td) between the current time (Tt) and the scheduled time (To) is the required time (Tr) and the preparation time (α ), The prediction is performed based on whether the sum is less than or equal to.

Further, at the time other than the acquisition of the current position information, at least the position information acquisition means (for example, 2-13 and 2-3 in FIG. 2) and the required time acquisition means (for example, 2-15 and 2-6 in FIG. 2). ) Is turned off, and the predetermined update interval (Y) is controlled to be gradually shortened, or the predetermined time (X) and the predetermined update interval ( Y) can be set by the user. Further, the position information acquisition means (for example, 2-13 and 2-3 in FIG. 2) includes means for acquiring position information such as GPS, and the required time acquisition means (for example, 2-15 and 2-6 in FIG. 2) is a browser. Means for acquiring route information from an external server.
A portable communication device according to the present invention includes any one of the intelligent schedulers described above.

  According to the present invention, since the time to depart is automatically predicted based on the registered schedule information and notified to the user, the schedule is delayed even though the schedule is registered to arrive at the destination at the scheduled time. It is possible to prevent a failure or the like that is not in time, and to save power consumption by unnecessary processing of the scheduler.

  In addition, since the process for predicting the departure time starts from a certain time before the scheduled time and the prediction calculation is repeatedly performed after the start time, not only the power consumption is reduced, but also the notification with high prediction accuracy is possible. .

(Description of configuration)
One embodiment of the schedule notification method, intelligent scheduler, and portable communication device of the present invention will be described with reference to an example of an intelligent scheduler for portable terminals.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of the system configuration of the present embodiment. This embodiment comprises a portable terminal 1-1 carried by a user, a GPS satellite 1-2 for transmitting GPS information, and a route guidance server 1-3 on the network WWW.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the mobile terminal system. The details of the module for realizing a call and various functions as a portable terminal are omitted.
As shown in FIG. 2, the mobile terminal 1-1 includes a scheduler module 2-1 for processing and managing schedule information, a clock module 2-2 for calculating time, and a GPS satellite 1-2. GPS communication module 2-3 for acquiring information, sound source module 2-4 for notifying the user of schedule items by an alarm, schedule storage module 2-5 for storing various information including schedule item information, and route guidance It comprises a (HTTP) browser module 2-6 for obtaining information on the route from the server 1-3 to the destination and the required time for movement.

  The scheduler module 2-1 also acquires a time information acquisition unit 2-12 that acquires information on the current time Tt from the clock module 2-2, and a position information acquisition unit 2 that acquires information on the current position from the GPS communication module 2-3. -13, schedule information acquisition unit 2-14 that acquires at least the scheduled time To, departure preparation time α, destination information from the schedule storage module 2-5, information on the route and required time Tr from the browser module 2-6 A required time information acquisition unit 2-15 for acquiring the first time, a first calculation unit 2-16 for calculating the difference between the scheduled time To and the current time Tt, and a second for adding the required time Tr and the departure preparation time. Of the calculation unit 2-17, the output (To-Tt) of the first calculation unit 2-16, and the output (Tr + α) of the second calculation unit 2-17 are compared to determine the time of departure. Operation timings of the comparison unit 2-18 that outputs an imming signal and the respective function units in the scheduler module 2-1, power on / off of the GPS communication module 2-3, the browser module 2-6, etc., notification timing And a timing control unit 2-11 that performs control such as these.

  Here, the timing control unit 2-11 more specifically calculates the prediction timing of the notification time of the departure time, the generation of the timing signal that drives the sound source module 2-4 at the notification timing, and the calculation operation with respect to the schedule such as the scheduled time. Sleep that turns off the power of at least the GPS communication module 2-3 among the GPS communication module 2-3, the sound source module 2-4, the schedule storage module 2-5, and the browser module 2-6 except for the time A function of controlling the generation timing of the control signal, and in particular, regarding the prediction calculation of the notification timing of the departure time, when the condition of To−Tt ≦ X is satisfied, the notification timing is changed at a cycle of Y (<< X). It has a control function for timing to repeat the prediction calculation. Hereinafter, the operation of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to flowcharts.

(Description of operation)
FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the initial setting input operation according to the present embodiment. As an initial setting, first, an X value for determining a start time (time) To-X of a predicted calculation of a departure time for reaching the scheduled place of the schedule several hours to a few dozen hours before the scheduled time To is input. (S101). Next, the value of the time interval Y for repeatedly performing the prediction calculation after the start of prediction is input (s102). Next, a form such as a notification sound notified from the sound source module 2-4 is set (s103).

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the schedule input operation according to the present embodiment. The schedule function application is activated from the menu screen of the portable terminal 1-1, schedule registration is selected from the schedule screen, and the subject of the event scheduled by the user is input and registered (s201). Next, the scheduled time To of the event is inputted and registered (s202), and the place (destination) is inputted and registered (s203). Furthermore, a setting (alarm setting) as to whether or not to perform an alarm of the schedule function of the present invention is registered (s204). When an alarm is set (s205), a departure preparation time α, which is a time required for preparation at the time of departure, is input and registered (s206). Although illustration is omitted, transportation means is registered if necessary depending on the planned location.

  As described above, the subject name, scheduled time To, planned location, alarm setting, departure preparation time α for the event, transportation means, and the like are registered. These input data are recorded in a separate area for each schedule in a memory or the like managed by the schedule storage module 2-5 of the portable terminal.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a flowchart of the schedule operation of the mobile terminal according to the present embodiment.
When the scheduler module 2-1 is activated, the timing control unit 2-11 first controls to read the schedule data of the subject with the alarm setting closest in time from the schedule storage module 2-5 (s301). Control for determining the start time of the prediction calculation is started. The time information acquisition unit 2-12 acquires the current time Tt, the schedule information acquisition unit 2-14 acquires the scheduled time To of the subject from the schedule storage module 2-5 (s302), and the timing control unit 2-11 Then, it is determined whether or not the current time Tt is within X hours before the scheduled time To. If the current time Tt is earlier than the X time before the scheduled time To, a standby state for the subsequent processing is set (s303), step s302, The determination in s303 is repeated. The repetition period in this case is preferably set to a certain time Z that is sufficiently longer than, for example, a prediction calculation period Y described later.

  When it is detected in step s303 that the current time Tt is within X hours before the scheduled time To, the timing control unit 2-11 starts controlling the prediction calculation of the scheduler module 2-1, The calculation unit 2-16 calculates a time difference Td (= To−Tt) between the scheduled time To and the current time Tt (s304), and the position information acquisition unit 2-13 performs GPS control on the positioning information transmitted from the GPS satellite. Information received via the module 2-3 is received and information on the current position is acquired (s305). Furthermore, the required time information acquisition unit 2-15 sends the obtained current location and the location (destination) registered in the schedule to the external route guidance server 1-3 via the browser module 2-6, and is necessary for movement. The external route guidance server 1-3 searches the route (the route including the transportation means when including the transportation means) from the given position information and the like, and obtains the approximate time tr for the movement. A reply is sent to the index browser module 2-6. The required time information acquisition unit 2-15 acquires information on the required time Tr from the route guidance server via the browser module 2-6 (s306).

  Then, the second calculation unit 2-17 acquires and adds the required time Tr and departure preparation time α from the required time information acquisition unit 2-15 and the schedule information acquisition unit 2-14, respectively, and compares the result with the comparison unit 2-18. It is determined whether or not time difference Td ≦ Tr + α (s307).

  If the comparison unit 2-18 determines in step s307 that the time difference Td> the required time Tr + α, the alarm timing signal is not output, and the timing control unit 2-11 still has time to leave at the present time. For example, the GPS communication module 2-3, the sound source module 2-4, the browser module 2-6, and the like, which consume a large amount of power, are controlled to a sleep state in which the power is turned off (s308). For example, if the current time Tt is 14:00, the schedule time To is 15:00, the required time Tr is 30 minutes, and the preparation time α is 10 minutes, no alarm is issued. Then, after the elapse of a certain time Y (s309), the sleep state is canceled (s310), and the processing from step s305 to step s307 for acquiring the current position by GPS is repeated. That is, since there is a possibility that the position is different from the previous time, the current location and the required time are acquired every Y hours, and the comparison regarding the difference time from the current time to the scheduled time is repeated again.

  If the comparison unit 2-18 determines in step s307 that the time difference Td ≦ the required time Tr + α, the timing signal is output, and the timing control unit 2-11 detects this and sends a control signal for generating an alarm to the sound source module 2. -4, and an alarm notifies the user that it is the preparation start time for departure (s314). For example, in the previous example, if the time Y is 1 minute, an alarm notification is given when the current time is 14:21 minutes.

  After the alarm notification control, the next scheduled data in the schedule storage module 2-5 is searched (s315), and if the next scheduled data set with the alarm is registered, the data is read (s316), and from step s302 Move on to processing. If the next scheduled data is not registered in step s315, the process ends.

  With the above operation, the prediction calculation is repeated from the current position in consideration of the departure preparation time α every Y hours from the time X before (within) the scheduled time To in order from the shortest schedule in time. When the above condition is satisfied, the user is notified by an alarm, so that the planned location can be reached reliably at the scheduled time.

  Then, by setting the start of the prediction calculation as the time X by the initial setting, it is possible to minimize processes that involve power consumption, such as acquisition of unnecessary GPS information, route, and inquiry processing of required time. .

Next, the operation of the mobile terminal, the usage method, and the like will be described using a specific example of schedule setting by the user of the present invention.
Now, the schedule items to be registered in the mobile terminal have the following contents, and the schedule data is input and used as follows.
Subject Date and time for boss visit September 11, 2005, 14:00
Place Tokyu Toyoko Line Tamagawa Station Transportation Train 1. The user inputs the scheduled subject, date and time (scheduled time To) of the scheduled item from the portable terminal, and further inputs the next item.
a, “Tokyu Toyoko Line” is input as the name of the route of transportation b, 30 minutes is input as the preparation time (α) required for preparation from alarm recognition to departure c, for example, c, alarm is sounded at departure time as alarm setting Enter d for ON, input built-in melody 1 etc. as alarm notification sound e, input 3 hours as a fixed time (X) before the scheduled time for setting the time to start prediction calculation f, processing interval for prediction calculation ( Enter 1 minute as Y)

  2. When the schedule function of the mobile terminal is activated at 10:00 on the same day, for example, the mobile terminal first waits for the scheduled time To, the current time Tt, and X = 3 hours, and the start of the operation is 13:00. After that, for example, the current time Tt is acquired in units of Z = 1 hour, and the determination as to whether or not it is the operation start time is repeated. When the time reaches 13:00, the prediction calculation operation is started.

  3. After 13:00, the mobile terminal acquires the current position by GPS, and then accesses a route guidance server on the Internet. If you get the route according to the means of transportation entered in step 1 and get the travel time to the destination, and if you get 30 minutes as the first travel time, the time from the current time to the schedule time> Since the time required for movement is + α, the power supply of the functional block with large power consumption is turned off, the power supply is turned on again after Y = 1 minute, and the same processing is performed. This operation is repeated in units of Y = 1 minute, and an alarm sounds when the time from the current time to the schedule time ≦ the time required for moving to the destination + α.

  4). When the user notices the scheduled item for the alarm ringing, the user can surely arrive at the destination by making preparations and going out during the preset preparation time α.

(Other embodiments)
In the above embodiment, the prediction calculation repetition interval (update interval) Y is set to a constant interval, but the timing control unit 2-11 or the like is controlled so as to gradually become shorter as it approaches the scheduled time To of the schedule. Such control can reduce the power consumption in the initial stage after the start of the prediction calculation, and can improve the prediction accuracy. In addition, the fixed time X and the update interval Y are configured to be settable by the user, but different values can be set for each scheduled item of the schedule. It can be configured to be set in advance. Furthermore, it is possible to configure so that the departure preparation time α and the alarm notification sound are given as default values as system settings.

  In addition, although an example of an alarm sound was explained as a notification means, a pop-up display from a mobile terminal to a desktop PC etc., for example, “** Departure time for taxi ride.” “** For waiting for a home visit. It is possible to display a message such as “Departure time to board the Tokyu Toyoko Line”. Furthermore, it is more kind if the alarm has a function of notifying by voice or original ringtone.

  Further, although an example in which a GPS satellite is used to acquire position information has been shown, it is possible to use base station information of a mobile phone or the like instead of GPS, or to use both together. It is also possible to determine the current position from the radio wave information with the base station. The route guidance server can also be installed in a mobile terminal.

  In addition, the present invention is not limited to a portable terminal such as a cellular phone, and can be incorporated in a portable communication device such as a PDA or a multi-functional wristwatch. Further, the scheduler module 2-1 is not a hardware configuration but is software. It is also possible to configure.

It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the system configuration | structure of this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the system in a portable terminal. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the input operation of the initial setting of this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the input operation of the schedule of this Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the schedule operation | movement of the portable terminal of this Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

1-1 Mobile terminal 1-2 GPS satellite 1-3 Road guide server 2-1 Scheduler module 2-2 Clock module 2-3 GPS communication module 2-4 Sound source module 2-5 Schedule storage module 2-6 Browser module 2- 12 Time information acquisition unit 2-13 Position information acquisition unit 2-14 Schedule information acquisition unit 2-15 Time required information acquisition unit 2-16 First calculation unit 2-17 Second calculation unit 2-18 Comparison unit

Claims (12)

The user predicts the time to depart to the destination based on the required time to the destination calculated based on the acquired current position information and schedule destination information and the scheduled time of the schedule. In the schedule notification method to notify
The notification is repeatedly performed based on the information on the current position acquired at a predetermined update interval from a predetermined time before the scheduled time and the required time, and is performed when a prediction result arriving at the scheduled time is obtained. A characteristic schedule notification method. 2. The schedule notification method according to claim 1, wherein the prediction is made based on whether or not a time difference between a current time and a scheduled time is equal to or less than a sum of the required time and a preparation time required for departure. 3. The schedule notification method according to claim 1, wherein at least the power related to the acquisition of the current position information is turned off except when the current position information is acquired. The schedule notification method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined update interval is controlled to be gradually shortened. 6. The schedule notification method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined time and the predetermined update interval can be set by a user. An intelligent scheduler that informs a user that it is time to depart in consideration of the time required to reach the destination with respect to setting a schedule to arrive at the destination at a scheduled time,
Schedule information acquisition means for acquiring schedule time and destination information of the schedule, position information acquisition means for acquiring information of the current position, the destination based on the information of the current position and the information of the destination The required time acquisition means for acquiring the required time until, the time acquisition means for acquiring the current time, and the destination at a predetermined update interval according to the scheduled time, the required time and the current time from a predetermined time before the scheduled time. An intelligent scheduler comprising prediction control means for predicting a time to depart for the vehicle. 7. The intelligent scheduler according to claim 6, wherein the prediction control means performs prediction based on whether or not a time difference between a current time and a scheduled time is equal to or less than a sum of the required time and a preparation time required for departure. 8. The intelligent scheduler according to claim 6, wherein at least the position information acquisition means and the required time acquisition means to be departed are turned off except when the current position information is acquired. 9. The intelligent scheduler according to claim 6, 7 or 8, wherein the predetermined update interval is controlled to be gradually shortened. 10. The intelligent scheduler according to claim 6, wherein the predetermined time and the predetermined update interval can be set by a user. The position information acquisition means includes means for acquiring position information such as GPS, and the required time acquisition means includes means for acquiring route information from an external server by a browser. Intelligent scheduler described in the section. A portable communication device comprising the intelligent scheduler according to any one of claims 6 to 11.

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