JP2010056958A - Information processing system, information management apparatus, information management method, information providing apparatus, and information providing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suitably set area information to be used for tracing and managing the positions of cargos in physical distribution. <P>SOLUTION: In an information processing system, a personal computer 18 receives input information for area setting on an area setting picture for setting areas on points of a route on which a communication terminal 12 moves, and transmits the input information for the area setting to a management server 17 through a network 16. The management server 17 receives the input information for area setting through the network 16, sets an areas of points based on the input information for the area setting, stores the set area setting information by associating it with the identification information of the communication terminal 12, and determines an area of the communication terminal 12 which transmits positional information based on GPS positioning by using the stored area setting information. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information management apparatus and an information management method, and an information providing apparatus and an information providing method, and in particular, can set area information used when tracking and managing the position of cargo in a logistics transaction. The present invention relates to an information processing system, an information management apparatus and an information management method, and an information providing apparatus and an information providing method.

Today, various logistics transactions are taking place between remote locations in Japan. In such a logistics transaction, it is important to manage whether or not the cargo has correctly reached the destination. Therefore, in order to manage whether the cargo has arrived at the destination, the current position of the cargo in the logistics process is sequentially measured using, for example, a GPS receiver, and the current position of the cargo is determined using position information based on this GPS positioning. A technique for tracking and managing has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2001-213503 A

  When managing the current position of a cargo in a logistics transaction using, for example, location information based on GPS positioning, a terminal equipped with at least a GPS receiver is provided in a transport vehicle (or transport ship) that transports the cargo or the cargo itself. Like that. Thereby, it is possible to track the current position of a transport vehicle (or transport ship) or a cargo provided with a terminal with a GPS receiver. For example, the position of the transportation vehicle and the cargo in the logistics transaction is tracked and managed until the transportation vehicle (or transportation ship) or the cargo provided with the terminal with the GPS receiver moves from the departure point A to the arrival point B.

  However, in the past, even if the position of a transport vehicle (or transport ship) or cargo could be tracked and managed to some extent from the departure point A to the arrival point B using position information based on GPS positioning, There is a problem that it is difficult to accurately grasp when a transport vehicle (or a transport ship) or a cargo departs from the departure point A and arrives at the arrival point B.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an information processing system, an information management device, and an information management system that can suitably set area information used when tracking and managing the position of a cargo in a logistics transaction An object is to provide an information management method, an information providing apparatus, and an information providing method.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an information processing system of the present invention is connected to a communication terminal, a communication terminal and a base station network, and manages an information management apparatus that manages position information of the communication terminal, and an information management apparatus And an information processing apparatus connected via a network, the information processing apparatus sets an area at least at one or more points on the route on which the communication terminal moves or on the route on which the communication terminal moves On the area setting screen, input information related to area setting is received, input information related to the received area setting is transmitted to the information management apparatus via the network, and the information management apparatus receives input related to area setting from the information processing apparatus. The information is received via the network, and the communication terminal moves based on the received input information related to the area setting. Route or set the area for at least one or more points to, and to store in association with identification information of the communication terminal area setting information set.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an information management apparatus of the present invention is an information management apparatus that is connected to a communication terminal via a base station network and manages position information of the communication terminal. An area setting means for setting an area regarding a route or at least one point on which the communication terminal moves based on input information related to area setting from an information processing apparatus connected to the information processing apparatus, and an area set by the area setting means Storage means for storing area setting information in association with identification information of the communication terminal, position information receiving means for receiving the position information of the communication terminal transmitted from the communication terminal via the base station network, and storage by the storage means Using the area setting information and the position information of the communication terminal received by the position information receiving means. Characterized in that it comprises and an area determination unit that performs constant.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an information management method according to the present invention is an information management method for an information management apparatus that is connected to a communication terminal via a base station network and manages position information of the communication terminal. An area setting step for setting an area regarding a route or at least one or more points on which the communication terminal moves based on input information related to area setting from an information processing apparatus connected via a network, and processing of the area setting step A storage step of storing area setting information related to the area set in accordance with the identification information of the communication terminal, and a position information receiving step of receiving the position information of the communication terminal transmitted from the communication terminal via the base station network And the area setting information and position information reception step stored by the storage step processing. Using the position information of the received communication terminal, characterized in that it comprises and an area determination step of performing an area determination of the communication terminal.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the information providing apparatus according to the present invention provides an area related to the location information of the communication terminal and an area set in advance in the communication terminal from the information processing apparatus connected to the information providing apparatus via the network. Receiving means for receiving setting information via a network, and acquiring means for acquiring map information relating to an area including a position where the communication terminal has moved in the past based on the position information of the communication terminal received by the receiving means. Based on the map information acquired by the acquisition means, the position information of the communication terminal, and the area setting information, the area that has been moved in the past is superimposed on the map, and the already set area is displayed on the map. The generation means for generating the superimposed area confirmation image information, the area confirmation image information generated by the generation means, and the communication terminal The area editing screen image information for editing the are area via a network, comprising a transmission unit to the information processing apparatus.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, the information providing method of the present invention provides an area related to the location information of the communication terminal and the area preset in the communication terminal from the information processing apparatus connected to the information providing apparatus via the network. Based on the reception step of receiving the setting information via the network and the position information of the communication terminal received by the processing of the reception step, map information relating to the area including the position where the communication terminal has moved in the past is acquired from the outside. Based on the acquisition step, the map information acquired by the processing of the acquisition step, the position information of the communication terminal and the area setting information, the position of the communication terminal that has been moved in the past is already set on the map. A generation step for generating area confirmation image information in which an area is superimposed on a map, and an error generated by the processing of the generation step Characterized in that it comprises an A verification image information, and transmits an area editing screen image information for editing the area set in the communication terminal to an information processing apparatus via a network step.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the area information used when tracking and managing the position of a cargo in physical distribution transaction can be set suitably.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the management server manages position information related to a communication terminal attached to a transport vehicle (transport ship) or cargo itself that moves between domestic or international locations, and from a personal computer owned or managed by the user. In accordance with the emergency position information acquisition instruction or periodic position information acquisition instruction, an emergency position information acquisition command (emergency position information acquisition request) or periodic position information distribution command (periodic position information distribution request) is sent to the communication terminal via the base station network. To send. The communication terminal transmits the position information regarding the communication terminal acquired using the built-in GPS receiver to the management server in accordance with the emergency position information acquisition request and the periodic position information distribution request from the management server.

  When the management server receives the position information regarding the communication terminal from the communication terminal, the management server appropriately updates the position information history database based on the received position information regarding the communication terminal. The management server receives input information related to the area setting transmitted from the personal computer owned or managed by the user, and based on the received input information related to the area setting, the area related to the communication terminal (the departure point area and the arrival point area). Point area) is set, and area setting information is stored (registered) in the area setting information database. The management server performs area determination of the communication terminal based on the received position information regarding the communication terminal using the area setting information regarding the communication terminal that has been set and registered in advance. In addition, the management server transmits, to the personal computer, the position information related to the communication terminal registered in the position information database and the area setting information registered in the area setting information database as necessary. In FIG. 1, the portion surrounded by a dotted line is a generally undisclosed ASP service.

  FIG. 2 shows the overall configuration of the network system 11 in the first embodiment of the present invention.

  In the network system 11, a base station 13 which is a fixed radio station is installed in each cell in which a communication service providing area is divided into a desired size, and a provider (operator) of a public mobile phone (mobile phone) is installed. Each base station 13 is installed in each cell. For example, in the case of the operator A, a plurality of base stations 13-1-1 to 13-1-n are installed as the base station 13-1 managed by the operator A. For example, in the case of the operator B, a plurality of base stations 13-2-1 to 13-2-n are installed as the base station 13-2 managed by the operator B. For example, in the case of the operator C, a plurality of base stations 13-3-1 to 13-3-n are installed as the base station 13-3 managed by the operator C. Hereinafter, the same applies to the base station 3-n managed by the operator N. In the first embodiment of the present invention, the case where the number of operators of public mobile telephones (mobile telephones) is n is described. However, the number n of operators may be one or more. In the first embodiment of the present invention, the communication terminal 12 is connected to the base station 13 managed by any one of a plurality of operators.

  These base stations 13-1 to 13-n include, for example, a code division multiple access system called a W-CDMA (Wideband-Code Division Multiple Access) or a GSM (Global System for Mobile). Wireless connection is made by various wireless connection methods such as a communication method. For example, when wirelessly connected by a code division multiple access method called W-CDMA, for example, 2 [Mbps] of a frequency band of 2 [GHz] is used, and 2 [Mbps] when moving and 384 [Kbps] when moving Data can be communicated at high speed at the data transfer rate. The communication terminal 12 is attached to a transport vehicle (transport ship) that moves between domestic or international locations or the cargo itself. Therefore, in general, there are a plurality of communication terminals 12 depending on the amount of cargo (or transportation vehicles, etc.) to be transported.

  The communication terminal 12 includes a GPS receiver (not shown) (GPS receiver shown in FIG. 3), and receives GPS waves (GPS information) from GPS satellites 14-1 to 14-4 at the GPS receiver. .

  The base stations 13-1 to 13-n are connected to a roaming network group 15 which is a public line network via a wired line, and one roaming network is installed for each mobile phone operator (operator). Are managed. For example, the operator A has a roaming network 15-1 installed and managed. Further, for example, the operator B has a roaming network 15-2 installed and managed. Further, for example, the operator C is installed and managed by the roaming network 15-3. Similarly, for example, the operator N is installed and managed by the roaming network 15-n.

  The roaming network group 15 includes a wired or wireless network 16 (for example, the Internet (IP), a LAN (Local Area Network), a WAN (Wide Area Network), etc.) via an access server (not shown) of an Internet service provider. Are connected). Connected to the network 16 is a management server 17 (information management apparatus according to the present invention) that manages location information regarding the communication terminal 12 that is appropriately transmitted from the communication terminal 12 via the roaming network group 15. Further, a personal computer 18 owned or managed by a user who desires to track and manage the communication terminal 12 is connected to the network 16. In the following, the base stations 13-1 to 13-n are collectively referred to as the base station 13 when it is not necessary to individually distinguish them. In the following description, the communication terminal 12 is referred to as the communication terminal 12 when it is not necessary to distinguish between them.

  FIG. 3 shows an internal configuration of the communication terminal 12 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In the case of FIG. 3, the internal configuration of the communication terminal 12 assuming a wireless connection by a code division multiple access method called W-CDMA, for example, is shown. Of course, another wireless connection method is used. It may be. For example, when a GSM connection method is used, GMSK (Gaussian Filtered Minimum Shift Keying) is used as a digital modulation method. In addition, processing by any connection method such as W-CDMA wireless connection method or GSM wireless connection method can be performed, and as appropriate, W-CDMA wireless connection method, GSM wireless connection method, etc. Several wireless connection methods may be selectively used.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the radio signal transmitted from the base station 13 is received by the antenna 31 and then input to the reception circuit (RX) 33 via the antenna duplexer (DUP) 32. The receiving circuit 33 mixes the received radio signal with the local oscillation signal output from the frequency synthesizer (SYN) 34 and converts the frequency into an intermediate frequency signal (down-conversion). Then, the reception circuit 33 orthogonally demodulates the down-converted intermediate frequency signal and outputs a reception baseband signal. The frequency of the local oscillation signal generated from the frequency synthesizer 34 is instructed by a control signal SYC output from the control unit 38.

  The reception baseband signal from the reception circuit 33 is input to the signal processing unit 36. The signal processing unit 36 includes a RAKE receiver (not shown). In this RAKE receiver, a plurality of paths included in the received baseband signal are despread with each spreading code (that is, the same spreading code as that of the spread received signal). Then, the signals of the respective paths subjected to the despreading process are subjected to coherent Rake synthesis after the phase is adjusted. The data sequence after Rake combining is subjected to deinterleaving and channel decoding (error correction decoding), and then binary data determination is performed. Thereby, received packet data of a predetermined transmission format is obtained. The received packet data is input to the compression / decompression processing unit 17.

  The compression / decompression processing unit 37 is configured by a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) or the like, and the received packet data output from the signal processing unit 36 is separated for each medium by a demultiplexing unit (not shown), and the separated data for each medium Each is decrypted.

  On the other hand, when transmitting the position information regarding the communication terminal 12 to the management server 17 via the roaming network group 15, the control unit 38 performs GPS positioning based on the GPS wave (GPS information) received by the GPS receiving unit 41. Based on the generated position information, the position information based on the generated GPS positioning is input to the compression / decompression processing unit 37. The compression / decompression processing unit 37 multiplexes data including position information based on GPS positioning from the control unit 38 according to a predetermined transmission format by a demultiplexing unit (not shown) and then packetizes the packetized transmission packet data. The data is output to the processing unit 36.

  The signal processing unit 36 performs spread spectrum processing on the transmission packet data output from the compression / decompression processing unit 37 using the spread code assigned to the transmission channel, and outputs the output signal after the spread spectrum processing to the transmission circuit (TX ) 35. The transmission circuit 35 modulates the signal after the spread spectrum processing using a digital modulation method such as a QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying) method, under the control of the control unit 38. The transmission circuit 35 combines the digitally modulated transmission signal with a local oscillation signal generated from the frequency synthesizer 34 and frequency-converts (up-converts) the signal into a radio signal. Then, the transmission circuit 35 amplifies the radio signal generated by this up-conversion at high frequency so that the transmission power level instructed by the control unit 38 is obtained. The radio signal amplified by the high frequency is supplied to the antenna 31 through the antenna duplexer 32 and transmitted from the antenna 31 to the base station 13.

  The control unit 38 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The CPU is loaded into the RAM from a program stored in the ROM or the storage unit 39. In addition, various processes are executed in accordance with various application programs including an operating system (OS), and various control signals are generated and supplied to the respective units to comprehensively control the communication terminal 12. The RAM appropriately stores data necessary for the CPU to execute various processes.

  The storage unit 39 is composed of, for example, a flash memory element that is an electrically rewritable and erasable nonvolatile memory, an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), and the like, and various application programs executed by the CPU of the control unit 38 and various types The data group is stored. The storage unit 39 stores a command program composed of commands, various firmware, and the like in each memory area. Furthermore, the communication terminal 12 is provided with a clock circuit (timer) 40 that measures the current accurate current time.

  The GPS receiver 41 receives GPS waves (GPS information) from the GPS satellites 14-1 to 14-4 via the GPS antenna 42 under the control of the controller 38. The GPS information includes, for example, transmission time information from the respective GPS satellites 14-1 to 14-4. Thereafter, the GPS information is input to the control unit 38. And the control part 38 calculates the positional information (latitude / longitude information) which shows the present location of the communication terminal 12 using the acquired GPS information (In addition, for example, it can calculate from 3 thru | or four GPS information. Desirably, position information based on GPS positioning, which is position information indicating the current location of the communication terminal 12, is obtained. In general, latitude and longitude are acquired as position information obtained based on the GPS information, but address information corresponding to latitude and longitude may be acquired. Therefore, “position information based on GPS positioning” includes information such as position information (for example, latitude / longitude information) calculated from GPS information and address information corresponding to the information. The power supply circuit 44 generates a predetermined operating power supply voltage Vcc based on the output of the battery 43 and supplies it to each circuit unit.

  FIG. 4 shows the internal configuration of the management server 17 applicable to the information management apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the CPU 51 executes various processes according to a program stored in the ROM 52 or a program loaded from the storage unit 58 to the RAM 53. The RAM 53 also appropriately stores data necessary for the CPU 51 to execute various processes.

  The CPU 51, ROM 52, and RAM 53 are connected to each other via a bus 54. An input / output interface 55 is also connected to the bus 54. The input / output interface 55 includes an input unit 56 including a keyboard and a mouse, a display including a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) and an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an output unit 57 including a speaker, and a hard disk. A communication unit 59 including a storage unit 58, a modem, a terminal adapter, and a network interface (all not shown) is connected. The storage unit 58 stores a position information history database and an area setting information database.

  A drive 60 is connected to the input / output interface 55 as necessary, and includes a magnetic disk 61 (including a floppy disk), an optical disk 62 (CD-ROM (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory)), and a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk). ), A magneto-optical disk 63 (including MD (Mini-Disk)), a semiconductor memory 64, or the like is appropriately mounted, and then a read computer program is installed in the storage unit 58 as necessary.

  FIG. 5 shows an internal configuration of the personal computer 18 applicable to the information processing apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Note that the configuration of the personal computer 18 in FIG. 5 is basically the same as the configuration of the management server 17 in FIG.

  Next, the positional information transmission processing in the communication terminal 12 of FIG. 3 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The position information transmission process in the communication terminal 12 is started by receiving a periodic position information acquisition request from the management server 17. Of course, the present invention is not limited to such a case, and may be automatically started after the communication terminal 12 is attached to the cargo or the like without waiting for the reception of the periodic position information acquisition request from the management server 17. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a case is assumed in which a transport vehicle or cargo provided with the communication terminal 12 transports from a departure point A to an arrival point B, for example. At this time, a departure point area is set in the vicinity of the departure point A, and an arrival point area is set in the vicinity of the arrival point B. A method for setting the departure point area and the arrival point area will be described later.

  In step S1, the control unit 38 determines whether or not the periodic position information acquisition request is received from the management server 17 via the roaming network group 15, the antenna 31, the receiving circuit 33, and the like, and manages the periodic position information acquisition request. It waits until it determines with having received from the server 17. In step S <b> 1, when the control unit 38 determines that the periodic position information acquisition request has been received from the management server 17, the control unit 38 starts the position information transmission process regarding the communication terminal 12.

  In step S3, the control unit 38 uses the clock circuit 40 to determine whether or not a predetermined time (for example, 1 hour) set in advance has elapsed since the position information transmission process was completed most recently. The process waits until it is determined that a predetermined time has passed since the position information transmission process was completed recently. Note that immediately after the start of the position information transmission process, the communication terminal 12 may immediately transmit the current position information to the management server 17 via the base station network, skipping the timer determination process in step S3. . The timer determination process uses the clock circuit 40. However, the present invention is not limited to such a case. For example, it may be determined whether a predetermined time has elapsed by a soft timer. The predetermined time may be, for example, 10 minutes or 30 minutes. However, if the predetermined time is shortened, the current position of the communication terminal 12 can be traced in detail, but the power consumption in the communication terminal 12 increases accordingly. End up. Therefore, it is desirable to set the predetermined time so that the current position of the communication terminal 12 can be accurately grasped while suppressing an increase in power consumption to some extent.

  If the control unit 38 determines in step S3 that a predetermined time has not elapsed since the last time the position information transmission process was completed, the control unit 38 requests a periodic position information acquisition request in step S4. Is received, it is determined whether an emergency location information acquisition request has been received from the management server 17 via the roaming network group 15, the antenna 31, the receiving circuit 33, or the like. When the control unit 38 determines in step S4 that the emergency position information acquisition request has not been received from the management server 17, the process returns to step S3, and the processes after step S3 are executed. On the other hand, when it is determined in step S4 that the control unit 38 has received the emergency position information acquisition request from the management server 17, the process proceeds to step S5, and position information acquisition processing based on GPS positioning is executed. Thus, when an emergency position information acquisition request is received before it is determined that a predetermined time set in advance by the timer determination process in step S3 has elapsed, GPS positioning is performed even before the predetermined time has elapsed. Based location information can be obtained.

  When the control unit 38 determines in step S3 that a predetermined time has elapsed since the position information transmission process was completed most recently, the control unit 38 activates the GPS reception unit 41 in step S5. , Reception of GPS waves (GPS information) from the GPS satellites 14-1 to 14-4 is started. The GPS receiver 41 receives GPS waves (GPS information) from the GPS satellites 14-1 to 14-4 via the GPS antenna 42 under the control of the controller 38. The GPS information includes, for example, transmission time information from the respective GPS satellites 14-1 to 14-4. Thereafter, the GPS information is input to the control unit 38.

  In step S <b> 6, the control unit 38 calculates position information (latitude / longitude information) indicating the current location of the communication terminal 12 using the acquired GPS information, and GPS positioning that is position information indicating the current location of the communication terminal 12. Find location information based on. The position information based on the GPS positioning includes information on longitude and latitude such as “E122.23.98-N34.32.23 34”.

  In step S7, the control unit 38 determines whether or not the positioning accuracy of the positional information based on the acquired GPS positioning is valid, that is, whether or not the positional information based on the GPS positioning is acquired with a high positioning accuracy. judge. For example, when the positioning accuracy based on GPS positioning is the lowest level 1 among levels 1 to 3, it is not desirable to use it as position information indicating the current position of the communication terminal 12, and therefore the position based on GPS positioning. It is determined that the positioning accuracy of information is not effective.

  When the control unit 38 determines that the positioning accuracy of the position information based on the GPS positioning is valid in step S <b> 7, the control unit 38 reads the latest history learning data stored in the storage unit 39. In the history learning data, records relating to routes generated when the communication terminal 12 determines the roaming network 15-x using position information based on GPS positioning and the like are sequentially registered. In the embodiment of the present invention, a record relating to a route generated by each communication terminal 12 or history learning data updated using the record is appropriately managed at the time of the location information transmission process. In addition to being transmitted to the server 17, the management server 17 merges (integrates) the records (history learning data) from the respective communication terminals 12 and manages them as a single piece of history learning data. The latest history learning data managed centrally at 17 may be transmitted to each communication terminal 12.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of the data structure of the history learning data stored in the storage unit 39. As shown in FIG. 8, in the history learning data, a path through which the communication terminal 12 has passed in the past is registered as a record (record), for example, in the form of a table. Specifically, in the history learning data of FIG. 8, record numbers, route numbers, route IDs, operators, positions, traveling directions, positioning time zones, adjacent route IDs, and learning numbers are registered in association with each other. . The history learning data is managed in a plurality of table formats in the storage unit 39. Of the history learning data shown in FIG. 8, the current position of the communication terminal 12 is “E122.23.98-N34.32.23”. 34 ”is the data structure of history learning data.

  For example, in the case of the first line, the record number is “0001”, and the record number that records the route that the communication terminal 12 has passed in the past is “0001”. The route NO is “9898”, which indicates that the route NO selected by the departure point and the destination when the communication terminal 12 moves is “9898”. The route ID is “2222”, and the route ID of the movement route selected in a short distance when the communication terminal 12 moves is “2222”. The operator is “A”, and the selected business operator is “business operator A”. The position is “E122.23.98-N34.32.23 34”, which indicates that the current position of the communication terminal 12 measured using the GPS receiver 41 is “E122.23.98-N34.32.23 34”. . The traveling direction is “35”, indicating that the traveling direction of the communication terminal 12 is the traveling direction indicated by “direction 35”. The positioning time zone is “12”, which indicates that the time zone measured using the GPS receiver 41 is “12:00:00 to 12:59:59”. The adjacent route ID is “1111”, which indicates that the route ID adjacent to this moving route indicated by the route ID “2222” is “1111”. The number of learning is “3”, and the current position of the communication terminal 12 has been calculated using the GPS receiver 41 in the past. As a result, the same calculation result is obtained, and the number of times this record is used is “3”. It is shown that. The same applies to the second and subsequent rows.

  In step S9, the control unit 38 selects an operator to be used for wireless connection in consideration of communication stability, communication cost, and the like based on the read history learning data, region-specific operator information, region information, and the like. , One of the roaming networks 15-x is determined from the roaming network group 15. In step S <b> 10, the control unit 38 controls the mobile phone wireless communication unit to wirelessly connect to the determined roaming network 15-x via the base station 13 via the antenna 31. At this time, the wireless connection is performed by the communication method according to the determined roaming network 15-x. If the electric field strength in the area is weak and a wireless connection to the roaming network 15-x cannot be established, the connection process may be retried for a predetermined number of times (for example, a few times). Good.

  In step S11, when the wireless connection with the determined roaming network 15-x is established, the control unit 38 controls the mobile phone wireless communication unit, and obtains the position information based on the acquired GPS positioning and other new information. Are transmitted to the management server 17 via the roaming network 15-x, the network 16, and the like together with the data (or history learning data) such as the record number generated at the same time.

  Thereafter, in step S11, the control unit 38 updates the history learning data stored in the storage unit 39 based on the information based on the acquired GPS positioning, the newly assigned record number, and the like. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S3, the processes after step S3 are repeatedly executed, and position information based on GPS positioning is acquired at predetermined time intervals set in advance, and position information based on the acquired GPS positioning is displayed. The roaming network 15-x is determined using the wireless connection by the determined roaming network 15-x, and the position information based on the GPS positioning is transmitted to the management server 17.

  On the other hand, when the control unit 38 determines in step S7 that the positioning accuracy of the position information based on the GPS positioning is not effective, the control unit 38 determines in step S13 a predetermined number of times (for example, two or three times). ) It is determined whether or not the position information acquisition process has been retried. When the control unit 18 determines in step S13 that the position information acquisition process has not been retried for a predetermined number of times (for example, two or three times) set in advance, the process returns to step S5, and after step S5 The position information acquisition process is repeatedly executed until the position information acquisition process is retried for a predetermined number of times (for example, two or three times).

  When the control unit 18 determines in step S13 that the position information acquisition process has been retried a predetermined number of times (for example, two or three times) set in advance, the control unit 38 performs GPS in that area in step S14. It recognizes that the situation of the radio waves from the satellites 14-1 to 14-4 is bad and cannot acquire position information based on GPS positioning accurately, and performs error processing. In addition, you may make it perform an acquisition process repeatedly until the positional information based on GPS positioning is acquired effectively, without restricting to the predetermined number of times set beforehand. Thereafter, the process returns to step S3.

  In the location information transmission process in the communication terminal 12 described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 6, the emergency location information acquisition request is received as necessary after receiving the regular location information acquisition request. Not only in such a case, the reception process of the periodic position information acquisition request and the reception process of the emergency position information acquisition request are executed in parallel, and either the periodic position information acquisition request or the emergency position information acquisition request is received Each position information transmission process may be started in accordance with any received position information acquisition request. The processing in this case is shown in FIG. 22 and FIG. Note that the processing in FIGS. 22 and 23 is basically the same as the processing in FIG. 6, and the description thereof will be omitted because it is repeated.

  With reference to the flowchart of FIG. 9, the positional information reception process in the management server 17 of FIG. 4 is demonstrated.

  In step S31, the communication unit 59 receives data related to location information based on GPS positioning and other updated records from the communication terminal 12 via the roaming network group 15 and the network 16, and is based on the received GPS positioning. Data relating to the position information and other updated records is supplied to the control unit via the bus 54.

  In step S32, the CPU 51 of the control unit acquires the position information based on the GPS positioning and other updated records supplied from the communication unit 59, and acquires the position information based on the acquired GPS positioning and other updates. The position information history database stored in the storage unit 58 is updated based on the data relating to the recorded record.

  FIG. 10 illustrates a configuration example of the position information history database stored in the storage unit 58. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the location information history is associated with each communication terminal 12 and registered. This location information history database is updated based on location information based on GPS positioning from each communication terminal 12 acquired via the communication unit 59.

  In step S <b> 33, the CPU 51 of the control unit reads area setting information regarding the communication terminal 12 that has transmitted the position information based on the GPS positioning from the area setting information database of the storage unit 58. FIG. 11 shows a configuration example of the area setting information database stored in the storage unit 58. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, the area setting information is registered in association with each communication terminal 12 in advance. The area setting information includes at least latitude / longitude information indicating the departure point area and latitude / longitude information indicating the arrival point area.

  In step S34, the CPU 51 of the control unit starts area determination of the communication terminal 12 that has transmitted the position information based on the GPS positioning, using the read area setting information. In step S35, the CPU 51 of the control unit uses the read area setting information and the received position information based on the GPS positioning, and the position of the communication terminal 12 that has transmitted the position information based on the GPS positioning is determined as the departure point A. It is determined whether or not the vehicle is within the departure point area set in the above. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, when the position information based on GPS positioning transmitted from the communication terminal 12 includes latitude / longitude information indicating the point α or β, Since the position is the point α or β in the departure point area, it is determined that the position of the communication terminal 12 that has transmitted the position information based on the GPS positioning is within the departure point area set as the departure point A. . On the other hand, when the latitude and longitude information indicating the point γ is included in the position information based on the GPS positioning transmitted from the communication terminal 12, the current position of the communication terminal 12 is the point γ outside the departure point area. Then, it is determined that the position of the communication terminal 12 that has transmitted the position information based on the GPS positioning is outside the departure point area set as the departure point A.

  When the CPU 51 of the control unit determines in step S35 that the position of the communication terminal 12 is within the departure point area set as the departure point A, the CPU 51 of the control unit determines that the communication terminal 12 is in the departure point area in step S36. Recognize that it exists within. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S31, and the processes after step S31 are repeatedly executed. On the other hand, if the CPU 51 of the control unit determines in step S35 that the position of the communication terminal 12 is outside the departure point area set as the departure point A, the CPU 51 of the control unit determines the position of the storage unit 58 in step S37. With reference to the information history database, it is determined whether or not the position immediately before the communication terminal 12 indicated by the position information based on the GPS positioning is within the departure point area set as the departure point. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, when the position information based on the GPS positioning transmitted from the communication terminal 12 includes latitude / longitude information indicating the point γ, the communication terminal indicated by the position information based on the GPS positioning When the position immediately before 12 is the point β in the departure point area, it is determined that the position immediately before the communication terminal 12 indicated by the position information based on the GPS positioning is within the departure point area set as the departure point. Is done. On the other hand, when the position information based on the GPS positioning transmitted from the communication terminal 12 includes latitude / longitude information indicating the point δ, the position immediately before the communication terminal 12 indicated by the position information based on the GPS positioning starts. When it is a point γ outside the point area, it is determined that the position immediately before the communication terminal 12 indicated by the position information based on the GPS positioning is outside the departure point area set as the departure point.

  When the CPU 51 of the control unit determines in step S37 that the position immediately before the communication terminal 12 indicated by the position information based on GPS positioning is within the departure point area set as the departure point, the CPU 51 of the control unit In step S38, the communication terminal 12 recognizes that it has left the departure point area. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S31, and the processes after step S31 are repeatedly executed.

  On the other hand, when the CPU 51 of the control unit determines in step S37 that the position immediately before the communication terminal 12 indicated by the position information based on GPS positioning is outside the departure point area set as the departure point, The CPU 51 recognizes that the communication terminal 12 has already left the departure point area and is moving on the transportation route, and whether the position of the communication terminal 12 is within the arrival point area set as the arrival point B in step S39. Determine whether or not. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, when the latitude and longitude information indicating the point ζ is included in the position information based on the GPS positioning transmitted from the communication terminal 12, the current position of the communication terminal 12 is within the arrival point area. Therefore, it is determined that the position of the communication terminal 12 that has transmitted the position information based on the GPS positioning is within the arrival point area set as the arrival point B. On the other hand, when the latitude and longitude information indicating the point ε is included in the position information based on the GPS positioning transmitted from the communication terminal 12, the current position of the communication terminal 12 is the point ε outside the arrival point area. The position of the communication terminal 12 that has transmitted the position information based on the GPS positioning is determined to be outside the arrival point area set as the arrival point B.

  When the CPU 51 of the control unit determines in step S39 that the position of the communication terminal 12 is outside the arrival point area set as the arrival point B, the CPU 51 of the control unit determines in step S40 that the position of the communication terminal 12 is left. It is determined whether or not the route is set between the point A and the arrival point B. The transportation route set between the departure point A and the arrival point B is predetermined with a broken line formed by connecting a plurality of continuous points between the departure point A and the arrival point B as a center line. This is an area having a width (for example, several meters). For example, as shown in FIG. 7, if the position information based on GPS positioning transmitted from the communication terminal 12 includes latitude / longitude information that does not exist in the preset route, Is determined to be out of the path. On the other hand, when the position information based on GPS positioning transmitted from the communication terminal 12 includes latitude / longitude information existing in a preset route, the current position of the communication terminal 12 is in the route. It is determined.

  When the CPU 51 of the control unit determines in step S40 that the position of the communication terminal 12 is in the route set between the departure point A and the arrival point B, the CPU 51 of the control unit determines in step S41 that the communication terminal 12 12 is in the transportation route set between the departure point A and the arrival point B. On the other hand, if the CPU 51 of the control unit determines in step S40 that the position of the communication terminal 12 is not in the route set between the departure point A and the arrival point B, the CPU 51 of the control unit determines in step S42. The communication terminal 12 recognizes that it is outside the transportation route set between the departure point A and the arrival point B. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S31, and the processes after step S31 are repeatedly executed.

  When the CPU 51 of the control unit determines in step S39 that the position of the communication terminal 12 is within the arrival point area set as the arrival point B, the CPU 51 of the control unit stores the position information history of the storage unit 58 in step S43. With reference to the database, it is determined whether or not the position immediately before the communication terminal 12 indicated by the position information based on GPS positioning is outside the arrival point area set in the arrival point B. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, when latitude / longitude information indicating a point ζ is included in the position information based on GPS positioning transmitted from the communication terminal 12, the communication terminal indicated by the position information based on GPS positioning When the position immediately before 12 is a point ε outside the arrival point area, the position immediately before the communication terminal 12 indicated by the position information based on the GPS positioning is outside the arrival point area set as the arrival point B. Determined. On the other hand, when the position information based on the GPS positioning transmitted from the communication terminal 12 includes latitude / longitude information indicating the point η, the position immediately before the communication terminal 12 indicated by the position information based on the GPS positioning arrives. When the point ζ is within the point area, it is determined that the position immediately before the communication terminal 12 indicated by the position information based on the GPS positioning is within the arrival point area set as the arrival point B.

  When the CPU 51 of the control unit determines in step S43 that the position immediately before the communication terminal 12 indicated by the position information based on GPS positioning is outside the arrival point area set as the arrival point B, the CPU 51 of the control unit Recognizes that the communication terminal 12 has entered the arrival point area in step S44. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S31, and the processes after step S31 are repeatedly executed. On the other hand, when the CPU 51 of the control unit determines in step S43 that the position immediately before the communication terminal 12 indicated by the position information based on GPS positioning is within the arrival point area set as the arrival point B, the control unit In step S45, the CPU 51 recognizes that the communication terminal 12 exists in the arrival point setting area. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S31, and the processes after step S31 are repeatedly executed.

  It should be noted that the departure point area set for the departure point A has been left, the communication terminal 12 is outside the transportation route set between the departure point A and the arrival point B, or is set to the arrival point B For example, in order to notify the user that the area has been entered, such as whether it has entered the arrival point area, a mail describing the fact is created and the user owns the created mail or You may make it transmit to the personal computer 18 to manage via the communication part 59. FIG. The position information reception process in this case is shown in FIG. Note that the processing in FIG. 12 is basically the same as the processing in FIG. 9 and the description thereof will be repeated, and will be omitted as appropriate.

  When the CPU 51 of the control unit recognizes that the communication terminal 12 has left the departure point area in step S58, the CPU 51 of the control unit indicates that the communication terminal 12 has left the departure point area set as the departure point A in step S59. Create an email for In step S <b> 60, the CPU 51 of the control unit controls the communication unit 59 and transmits the created mail to the personal computer 18 via the network 16.

  If the CPU 51 of the control unit recognizes that the communication terminal 12 is outside the transportation route set in step S64, the CPU 51 of the control unit is outside the transportation route in which the communication terminal 12 is set in step S65. Is created (that the communication terminal 12 has gone out of the set transportation route). In step S <b> 66, the CPU 51 of the control unit controls the communication unit 59 and transmits the created mail to the personal computer 18 via the network 16.

  Furthermore, when the CPU 51 of the control unit recognizes that the communication terminal 12 has left the arrival point area in step S68, the CPU 51 of the control unit exits the arrival point area set as the arrival point B in step S69. Create an email to the effect. In step S <b> 70, the CPU 51 of the control unit controls the communication unit 59 and transmits the created mail to the personal computer 18 via the network 16.

  Thereby, it is possible to appropriately notify the area determination result of the communication terminal 12 to a user who desires tracking / management of the communication terminal 12. Of course, the notification method may be a method other than the mail transmission. Of course, you may make it alert | report to a user in points other than this.

  Here, an input information transmission process related to area setting in the personal computer 18 of FIG. 5 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S <b> 81, the CPU 71 of the control unit of the personal computer 18 establishes a connection with the management server 17 via the communication unit 79 and the network 16. In step S82, the CPU 71 of the control unit determines whether or not an instruction to start the area setting process is accepted by operating the input unit 76 by the user, and an instruction to start the area setting process is accepted. Wait until

  When the CPU 71 of the control unit determines in step S82 that an instruction to start the area setting process has been received, the CPU 71 of the control unit controls the communication unit 79 to transmit an HTML file related to the area setting screen from the management server 17 to the network. 16 is received. In step S84, the CPU 71 of the control unit performs lexical analysis and syntax analysis of the HTML file related to the area setting screen received from the management server 17, and acquires area setting screen image information in step S85.

  In step S86, the CPU 71 of the control unit controls the output unit 77 to display an area setting screen based on the area setting screen image information. The output unit 77 displays an area setting screen as shown in FIG. 14, for example, under the control of the CPU 71. In the area setting screen shown in FIG. 14, a desired area can be searched in the area search field. Further, it is determined whether or not the communication terminal 12 has left the departure point area set as the departure point A, or whether or not the communication terminal 12 has entered the arrival point area set as the arrival point B is determined. It is possible to select whether to send an e-mail when determining the area. Furthermore, the departure point area and the arrival point area can be defined in various shapes, for example, by performing region selection, line selection, and circle selection, and these shapes are represented by latitude and longitude. Further, when a transportation route between the departure point A and the arrival point B is set, as shown in FIG. 24, a plurality of consecutive points (for example, selected points 1 to 1) between the departure point A and the arrival point B are set. 4), and a predetermined width (for example, several meters) is given with a polygonal line formed by connecting them as a center line. In addition, the width | variety which a path | route has can be changed suitably.

  In step S <b> 87, the CPU 71 of the control unit accepts various inputs related to area setting on the area setting screen displayed on the output unit 77 when the input unit 76 is operated by the user. After the input is accepted on the area setting screen, when a confirmation instruction is given by the user operating the input unit 76, the CPU 71 of the control unit controls the communication unit 79 to input information regarding area setting. The identification information of the communication terminal 12 (for example, the communication terminal number) is transmitted to the management server 17 via the network 16.

  With reference to the flowchart of FIG. 15, the area setting process in the management server 17 corresponding to the input information transmission process regarding the area setting in the personal computer 18 will be described. The management server 17 and the personal computer 18 are connected via the network 16.

  In step S101, the communication unit 59 of the management server 17 receives the input information regarding the area setting transmitted from the personal computer 18 via the network 16, and supplies the received input information regarding the area setting to the CPU 51 of the control unit. To do. In step S102, the CPU 51 of the control unit acquires input information related to the area setting supplied from the communication unit 59, and based on the acquired information related to the area setting, the area related to the communication terminal 12 (departure point area and arrival point area). Set. At this time, the set area setting information includes not only longitude / latitude information that defines the departure point area and the arrival point area, but also information related to the presence / absence of mail transmission after the determination when performing area determination. In step S <b> 103, the CPU 51 of the control unit stores the set area setting information in the area setting information database of the storage unit 58 in association with the identification information of the communication terminal 12.

  In the first embodiment of the present invention, a communication server 12, a management server 17 as an information management device that is connected to the communication terminal 12 via a base station network and manages location information of the communication terminal 12, and a management server 17 And the personal computer 18 as an information processing apparatus connected via the network 16, the personal computer 18 is at least one of a route on which the communication terminal 12 moves or a route on which the communication terminal 12 moves. On the area setting screen for setting an area at the above points (for example, departure point and arrival point), input information related to area setting is received, and input information related to the received area setting is input to the management server 17 via the network 16. The management server 17 sends an error message from the personal computer 18. A) input information related to the setting is received via the network 16, and based on the received input information related to the area setting, an area is set for at least one point, and the set area setting information is identified by the communication terminal 12. Information (for example, a communication terminal number) can be stored in association with the information. And the management server 17 can perform the area determination of the communication terminal 12 which has transmitted the positional information based on the GPS positioning using the stored area setting information.

  Thereby, even when the position of a transport vehicle (or transport ship) or cargo is tracked and managed to some extent from the departure point A to the arrival point B using position information based on GPS positioning, the transport vehicle (or transport ship) And a time when the cargo departs from the departure point A and the communication terminal 12 is in or out of the preset route, or when it arrives at the arrival point B (a preset area ( The starting point area and the arriving point area can be determined, and area information used when tracking and managing the position of the cargo in the logistics transaction can be suitably set.

  By the way, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the departure point area and the arrival point area or the area related to the transportation route are set in advance on the area setting screen of the Web site managed by the management server 17. However, in this case, since the area is set using the longitude / latitude information, it is difficult not only to visually recognize the area set for the user, but also to set the area desired by the user appropriately. Therefore, once an area is set on the area setting screen using the personal computer 18 and area determination is performed a predetermined number of times or more using the set area, the area information is set based on the position information, area setting information, and map information. The position of the communication terminal 12 and the set area are superimposed and displayed on the map. Next, the personal computer 18 edits the set area while referring to the superimposed position, area, and map, and the personal computer 18 transmits the area editing information to the management server 17 and also the management server 17. Edits the already set area based on the area editing information from the personal computer 18.

  As a result, the area once set using the latitude and longitude information can be appropriately edited to the area desired by the user, and as a result, the transportation vehicle (or transportation ship) or cargo departs from the departure point A at any time. In addition, it is possible to determine with high accuracy by using the edited area when the arrival point B is reached.

  In particular, conventionally, it is assumed that the communication terminal 12 that moves only in the country is tracked and managed, and whether the communication terminal 12 has left the departure point area within the range where the change in latitude and longitude is small, or the arrival point area I've been judging whether it has entered. At this time, when the area determination of the communication terminal 12 is performed, the area determination is performed using a predetermined approximate expression assuming a range in which the change in latitude and longitude is small. However, when tracking / managing the international communication terminal 12, it is necessary to determine the area of the communication terminal 12 within an area where the change of latitude and longitude is large. Therefore, a range where the change of latitude and longitude is small is assumed. The amount of calculation when performing area determination of the communication terminal 12 using the predetermined approximate expression becomes enormous, and it may be difficult to perform area determination of the communication terminal 12 in some cases. Therefore, in the second embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to avoid the area determination of the communication terminal 12 using an approximate expression as much as possible by improving the accuracy of the set area. Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 16 is a conceptual diagram of the second embodiment of the present invention. The conceptual diagram shown in FIG. 16 is basically the same as the conceptual diagram of the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1, and the description thereof will be repeated, and will be omitted as appropriate.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the personal computer owned or managed by the user acquires the location information and area setting information of the communication terminal managed by the management server as necessary. When editing the area setting information once set, the personal computer transmits the acquired location information and area setting information of the communication terminal to the content server. When the content server receives the position information and area setting information of the communication terminal from the personal computer, the content server acquires, from the map content server, map information related to an area including the position where the communication terminal has moved in the past based on the position information of the communication terminal. . Based on the acquired map information, the location information of the communication terminal, and the area setting information, the content server superimposes the position of the communication terminal that has moved in the past on the map, and sets the departure point area and arrival point that have already been set. The area confirmation image information in which the point area is also superimposed on the map is generated.

  The personal computer acquires area confirmation image information and area editing screen image information from the content server, displays an area confirmation image based on the acquired area confirmation image information, and displays an area editing screen based on the area editing screen image information. Then, input information related to area editing is received on the area editing screen. The personal computer transmits input information regarding the received area editing to the management server. The management server receives input information related to area editing from the personal computer, and edits the area setting information registered in the area setting information database based on the received input information related to area editing. In FIG. 16, a portion surrounded by a dotted line is generally an undisclosed ASP service, and a portion surrounded by a one-dot chain line is a publicly disclosed ASP service.

  FIG. 17 shows the overall configuration of the network system 11 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Note that the network system 11 shown in FIG. 17 is basically the same as the network system 11 according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG.

  Connected to the network 16 is a content server 19 (information providing apparatus according to the present invention) that provides area confirmation image information and area editing screen image information to the personal computer 18. In addition, a map content server 20 that provides map information is also connected to the network 16.

  FIG. 18 shows an internal configuration of the content server 19 applicable to the information providing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Note that the configuration of the content server 19 in FIG. 18 is basically the same as the configuration of the management server 17 in FIG.

  FIG. 19 shows an internal configuration of the map content server 20 applicable to the information providing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The configuration of the map content server 20 shown in FIG. 19 is basically the same as the configuration of the management server 17 shown in FIG.

  The processing of the management server 17, the processing of the personal computer 18, the processing of the content server 19, and the processing of the map content server 20 when editing the area setting information will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  In step S <b> 211, when the CPU 71 of the personal computer 18 receives an instruction to connect to the management server 17 by operating the input unit 76 by the user, the CPU 71 generates a connection request to the management server 17 and sets the communication unit 79. The connection request thus generated is transmitted to the management server 17 via the network 16. In step S201, the communication unit 59 of the management server 17 receives the connection request from the personal computer 18, and supplies the received connection request to the CPU 51 of the control unit. In step S202, when acquiring the connection request supplied from the communication unit 59, the CPU 51 of the control unit generates a connection response that is a response to the connection request, controls the communication unit 59, and transmits the generated connection response to the network 16. To the personal computer 18. Thereby, the connection between the management server 17 and the personal computer 18 is established.

  In step S <b> 213, when the CPU 71 of the personal computer 18 receives an instruction to acquire the position information and area setting information of the communication terminal 12 from the management server 17 by operating the input unit 76 by the user, An acquisition request for position information and area setting information is generated, the communication unit 79 is controlled, and the generated acquisition request (acquisition request for position information and area setting information of the communication terminal 12) is sent to the management server 17 via the network 16. Send. This acquisition request includes identification information (for example, a communication terminal number) for identifying the communication terminal 12.

  In step S <b> 203, the communication unit 59 of the management server 17 receives an acquisition request (acquisition request for position information and area setting information of the communication terminal 12) from the personal computer 18, and sends the received acquisition request to the CPU 51 of the control unit. Supply. In step S <b> 204, when the CPU 51 of the control unit acquires the acquisition request supplied from the communication unit 59, the CPU 51 of the control unit stores in the position information history database of the storage unit 58 based on the identification information of the communication terminal 12 included in the acquisition request. The past position information of the registered communication terminal 12 is read, and the area setting information related to the communication terminal 12 registered in the area setting information database of the storage unit 58 is read (see FIGS. 10 and 11). The CPU 51 of the control unit controls the communication unit 59 and transmits the read location information and area setting information of the communication terminal 12 to the personal computer 18 via the network 16.

  In step S214, the communication unit 79 of the personal computer 18 receives the position information and area setting information of the communication terminal 12 from the management server 17, and receives the received position information and area setting information of the communication terminal 12 from the CPU 71 of the control unit. To supply. In step S215, when the CPU 71 of the personal computer 18 acquires the position information and area setting information of the communication terminal 12 supplied from the communication unit 79, the CPU 71 generates a connection request to the content server 19 and controls the communication unit 79. The generated connection request is transmitted to the content server 19 via the network 16. In step S231, the communication unit 109 of the content server 19 receives the connection request from the personal computer 18, and supplies the received connection request to the CPU 101 of the control unit. In step S232, when acquiring the connection request supplied from the communication unit 109, the CPU 101 of the control unit generates a connection response that is a response to the connection request, controls the communication unit 109, and transmits the generated connection response to the network 16. To the personal computer 18. Thereby, the connection between the personal computer 18 and the content server 19 is established.

  In step S <b> 217, the CPU 71 of the personal computer 18 controls the communication unit 79 and transmits the location information and area setting information of the communication terminal 12 held on the RAM 73 or the storage unit 78 to the content server 19 via the network 16. To do. In the second embodiment of the present invention, when the personal computer 18 receives the position information and area setting information of the communication terminal 12 from the management server 17, it automatically connects to the content server 19 and communicates with the content server 19. The position information and area setting information of the terminal 12 are transmitted. However, the present invention is not limited to such a case, and the position information and area setting information of the communication terminal 12 is transmitted to the content server 19 after waiting for an instruction from the user. It may be.

  In step S233, the communication unit 109 of the content server 19 receives the position information and area setting information of the communication terminal 12 from the personal computer 18, and receives the received position information and area setting information of the communication terminal 12 from the CPU 101 of the control unit. To supply. In step S 234, when the CPU 101 of the content server 19 acquires the position information and area setting information of the communication terminal 12 supplied from the communication unit 109, to the map content server 20 in order to acquire the map information from the map content server 20. The connection request is generated, the communication unit 109 is controlled, and the generated connection request is transmitted to the map content server 20 via the network 16. In step S241, the communication unit 129 of the map content server 19 receives the connection request from the personal computer 18, and supplies the received connection request to the CPU 121 of the control unit. In step S232, when acquiring the connection request supplied from the communication unit 129, the CPU 121 of the control unit generates a connection response that is a response to the connection request, controls the communication unit 129, and transmits the generated connection response to the network 16. Is transmitted to the content server 19. Thereby, the connection between the content server 19 and the map content server 20 is established.

  In step S236, the CPU 101 of the content server 19 generates a map information acquisition request for requesting the map content server 20 to acquire map information related to an area including the position where the communication terminal 12 has moved in the past. The control unit 109 is controlled to transmit the generated map information acquisition request to the map content server 20 via the network 16. In step S243, the communication unit 129 of the map content server 20 receives the map information acquisition request from the content server 19, and supplies the received map information acquisition request to the CPU 121 of the control unit. In step S244, the CPU 121 of the control unit acquires the map information acquisition request supplied from the communication unit 129, and maps information from the map information stored in the storage unit 128 according to the acquired map information acquisition request. The map information related to the area including the position where the communication terminal 12 requested in the acquisition request is included is extracted, the communication unit 129 is controlled, and the extracted map information is transmitted to the content server 19 via the network 16. To do.

  In step S237, the communication unit 109 of the content server 19 receives the map information from the map content server 20, and supplies the received map information to the CPU 101 of the control unit. In step S238, the CPU 101 of the control unit acquires the map information supplied from the communication unit 109, and based on the acquired map information, the position information of the communication terminal 12, and the area setting information, in the past of the communication terminal 12. Area confirmation image information in which the already set departure point area and arrival point area are also superimposed on the map is generated while the moved position is superimposed on the map. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 21, the area confirmation image information includes a map of the departure point area and the arrival point area that are already set while the position of the communication terminal 12 that has moved in the past is superimposed on the map. Is the image information superimposed.

  The CPU 101 of the control unit controls the communication unit 109 to transmit area confirmation image information and area editing screen image information for editing the area to the personal computer 18 via the network 16.

  In step S218, the communication unit 79 of the personal computer 18 receives the area confirmation image information and the area editing screen image information from the content server 19, and receives the received area confirmation image information and area editing screen image information from the CPU 71 of the control unit. To supply. The CPU 71 of the control unit acquires the area confirmation image information and the area editing screen image information supplied from the communication unit 79, and an area editing screen based on the area confirmation image and area editing screen image information based on the acquired area confirmation image information. Is displayed on the output unit 77.

  For example, the area confirmation image displayed by the output unit 77 is the image shown in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIG. 21, the arrival point area set for the arrival point B is displayed superimposed on the image relating to the building on the map existing at the actual arrival point B. As a result, the user can visually and directly check whether the departure point area and the arrival point area that have already been set match the area such as the actual building using the longitude / latitude information. Can do. In the case of FIG. 21, there is a portion that does not match the building area and the arrival point area.

  In step S220, the CPU 71 of the control unit accepts input information related to area editing on the area editing screen when the input unit 76 is operated by the user. For example, in the case of FIG. 21, the arrival point area is edited so that the building area and the arrival point area coincide. In step S <b> 221, the CPU 71 of the control unit controls the communication 79, and transmits input information relating to the received area editing to the management server 17 via the network 16. In step S205, the communication unit 59 of the management server 17 receives input information related to area editing from the personal computer 18, and supplies the received input information related to area editing to the CPU 51 of the control unit. In step S <b> 206, the CPU 51 of the control unit acquires input information related to area editing supplied from the communication unit 59 and reads the area setting information of the communication unit 12 registered in the area setting information database of the storage unit 58. The CPU 51 of the control unit edits the read area setting information based on the acquired input information related to area editing. Then, the CPU 51 of the control unit stores the edited area setting information in the area setting information database of the storage unit 58. Thus, for example, in the case of FIG. 21, the arrival point area can be edited so as to coincide with the actual building area.

  In the second embodiment of the present invention, a communication terminal 12, a management server 17 as an information management device that is connected to the communication terminal 12 via a base station network and manages the location information of the communication terminal 12, and a management server 17 and personal computer 18 as an information processing apparatus connected via network 16, and area confirmation that is connected to personal computer 18 via network 16 and used to confirm a set area on a map. In an information processing system including a content server 19 as an information providing device that provides image information, the personal computer 18 receives the location information and area setting information of the communication terminal 12 from the management server 17 via the network 16. The received location information and area setting information of the communication terminal 12 The area confirmation image information and the area editing screen image information from the content server 19 are transmitted to the content server 19 as the information providing device, and the area confirmation image based on the received area confirmation image information is displayed. In addition, an area editing screen based on the received area editing screen image information is displayed, input information related to area editing is received on the area editing screen, and the received input information related to area editing is sent to the management server 17 via the network 16. The content server 19 receives the position information and area setting information of the communication terminal 12 from the personal computer 18, and based on the received position information of the communication terminal 12, the position where the communication terminal 12 has moved in the past Map information about the area that contains Based on the acquired map information, the position information of the communication terminal 12, and the area setting information, the position of the communication terminal 12 that has moved in the past is already set while being superimposed on the map. The area confirmation image information in which the area is superimposed on the map is generated, and the generated area confirmation image information and area edit screen image information are transmitted to the personal computer 18 via the network 16. Input information relating to the area editing is received via the network 16, and based on the received input information relating to area editing, the stored area setting information is edited and stored using the edited area setting information. Area setting information can be updated.

  As a result, the area once set using the latitude and longitude information can be appropriately edited to the area desired by the user, and as a result, the transportation vehicle (or transportation ship) or cargo departs from the departure point A at any time. In addition, it is possible to determine with high accuracy by using the edited area when the arrival point B is reached. Accordingly, it is possible to preferably set area information used when tracking and managing the position of the cargo in the logistics transaction, and it is possible to preferably track and manage the location of the cargo.

  In the second embodiment of the present invention, the area confirmation image information is generated on the content server 19. However, the present invention is not limited to such a case, and the personal computer 18 acquires the map information to obtain the area confirmation image. Information may be generated.

  The series of processes described in the embodiments of the present invention can be executed by software, but can also be executed by hardware.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the steps of the flowchart show an example of processing that is performed in time series in the order described. However, even if they are not necessarily processed in time series, they are executed in parallel or individually. The processing to be performed is also included.

The conceptual diagram of 1st Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a network system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The block diagram which shows the internal structure of the communication terminal which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the internal structure of the management server applicable to the information management apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of a personal computer applicable to an information processing apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The flowchart explaining the positional information transmission process in the communication terminal of FIG. The figure which shows the transport route of the transport vehicle and cargo provided with the communication terminal. The figure showing an example of the data structure of the history learning data memorize | stored in the memory | storage part. The flowchart explaining the positional information reception process in the management server of FIG. The figure which shows the structural example of the positional infomation history database memorize | stored in the memory | storage part. The figure which shows the structural example of the area setting information database memorize | stored in the memory | storage part. The flowchart explaining the other positional information reception processing in the management server of FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining input information transmission processing related to area setting in the personal computer of FIG. 5. The figure which shows the example of a display of the area setting screen displayed on the output part of FIG. The flowchart explaining the area setting process in a management server corresponding to the input information transmission process regarding the area setting in a personal computer. The conceptual diagram of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the whole structure of the network system in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the structure inside the content server applicable to the information provision apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the structure inside the map content server applicable to the information provision apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The flowchart explaining the process of a management server, the process of a personal computer, the process of a content server, and the process of a map content server at the time of editing area setting information. The figure which shows the example of a display of the area confirmation image displayed on the output part of FIG. The flowchart explaining the positional information transmission process based on the regular positional information acquisition request in the communication terminal of FIG. The flowchart explaining the positional infomation transmission process based on the emergency location information acquisition request in the communication terminal of FIG. Explanatory drawing explaining the area setting method of a path | route.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Network system, 12 ... Communication terminal, 13 (13-1 thru | or 13-n) ... Base station, 14 (14-1 thru | or 14-4) ... GPS satellite, 15 ... Roaming network group, 16 ... Network, 17 Management server 18 Personal computer 19 Content server 20 Map content server 31 Antenna 32 Duplexer (DUP) 33 Receiver circuit RX 34 Frequency synthesizer SYN 35 ... Transmitting circuit (TX), 36 ... Signal processing unit, 37 ... Compression / decompression processing unit, 38 ... Control unit, 39 ... Storage unit, 40 ... Clock circuit, 41 ... GPS receiving unit, 42 ... GPS antenna, 43 ... Batteries, 44 ... power supply circuit, 51 ... CPU, 52 ... ROM, 53 ... RAM, 54 ... bus, 55 ... input / output interface, 56 ... input unit, 5 ... Output unit 58 ... Storage unit 59 ... Communication unit 60 ... Drive 61 ... Magnetic disk 62 ... Optical disk 63 ... Magnetic disk 64 ... Semiconductor memory 71 ... CPU 72 ... ROM 73 ... RAM 74 ... Bus, 75 ... Input / output interface, 76 ... Input unit, 77 ... Output unit, 78 ... Storage unit, 79 ... Communication unit, 80 ... Drive, 81 ... Magnetic disk, 82 ... Optical disk, 83 ... Magnetic optical disk, 84 ... Semiconductor memory 101 ... CPU 102 ... ROM 103 ... RAM 104 ... Bus 105 ... Input / output interface 106 ... Input unit 107 ... Output unit 108 ... Storage unit 109 ... Communication unit 110 ... Drive DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 111 ... Magnetic disk, 112 ... Optical disk, 113 ... Magneto-optical disk, 114 ... Semiconductor memory, 121 ... CPU, 122 ... ROM, 1 3 ... RAM, 124 ... bus, 125 ... input / output interface, 126 ... input unit, 127 ... output unit, 128 ... storage unit, 129 ... communication unit, 130 ... drive, 131 ... magnetic disk, 132 ... optical disk, 133 ... light Magnetic disk, 134... Semiconductor memory.

Claims (11)

A communication terminal; an information management device connected to the communication terminal via a base station network and managing location information of the communication terminal; and an information processing device connected to the information management device via the network In the information processing system,
The information processing apparatus includes:
On the area setting screen for setting an area at least one point on the route on which the communication terminal moves or on the route on which the communication terminal moves, input information related to area setting is received,
Send the input information regarding the received area setting to the information management device via the network,
The information management device includes:
Receiving input information about the area setting from the information processing apparatus via a network;
Based on the received input information regarding the area setting, an area is set for a route or at least one point where the communication terminal moves,
An information processing system that stores set area setting information in association with identification information of the communication terminal. The information processing system further includes an information providing device that is connected to the information processing device via a network and provides area confirmation image information used when confirming a set area on a map,
The information processing apparatus includes:
Receiving the location information of the communication terminal and the area setting information from the information management device via a network;
Transmitting the received location information of the communication terminal and the area setting information to the information providing device;
The area confirmation image information and the area editing screen image information from the information providing apparatus are received via the network, and the area confirmation image based on the received area confirmation image information is displayed, and the received area editing screen image Display the area editing screen based on information,
Accepts input information related to area editing on the area editing screen,
Sending the received input information related to the area editing to the information management device via the network,
The information providing apparatus includes:
Receiving the location information of the communication terminal and the area setting information from the information processing device;
Based on the received location information of the communication terminal, obtain map information about the area including the position where the communication terminal has moved in the past, from the outside,
Based on the acquired map information, the position information of the communication terminal, and the area setting information, the previously set area is superimposed on the map while the position of the communication terminal moved in the past is superimposed on the map. Generate area confirmation image information,
The generated area confirmation image information and the area editing screen image information are transmitted to the information processing apparatus via a network,
The information management device includes:
Receiving input information related to the area editing from the information processing apparatus via a network;
Based on the received input information related to the area editing, the stored area setting information is edited,
The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the stored area setting information is updated using the edited area setting information.   The information according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the information management device performs area determination of the communication terminal using the stored area setting information and the received position information of the communication terminal. Processing system. In an information management apparatus that is connected to a communication terminal via a base station network and manages position information of the communication terminal,
An area setting means for setting an area for a route or at least one point where the communication terminal moves based on input information regarding area setting from an information processing device connected to the information management device via a network;
Storage means for storing area setting information related to the area set by the area setting means in association with identification information of the communication terminal;
Position information receiving means for receiving position information of the communication terminal transmitted from the communication terminal via a base station network;
An area determination unit that performs area determination of the communication terminal using the area setting information stored by the storage unit and the position information of the communication terminal received by the position information reception unit. Information management device. The input information regarding the area setting includes at least longitude / latitude information regarding the area,
The area setting means sets an area for a route on which the communication terminal moves or at least one or more points based on longitude / latitude information related to the area included in input information related to the area setting. Item 5. The information management device according to Item 4.   If it is determined by the area determination means that the communication terminal has exited the preset area, entered the area, or the communication terminal is in or out of the preset path, The information management apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: a mail transmission unit that creates a mail indicating the effect and transmits the created mail to the information processing apparatus via a network. Area editing input information receiving means for receiving input information relating to area editing used for editing the area set by the setting means from the information processing apparatus via a network;
Editing means for editing the area setting information stored by the storage means based on the input information related to the area editing received by the area editing input information receiving means;
5. The information management apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising an updating unit that updates the area setting information stored in the storage unit using the area setting information edited by the editing unit. .   The said editing means edits the said area setting information so that the set area may correspond with the predetermined area on a map based on the input information regarding the said area editing. Information management device. In the information management method of the information management device connected to the communication terminal via the base station network and managing the location information of the communication terminal,
An area setting step for setting an area regarding a route or at least one or more points on which the communication terminal moves based on input information related to area setting from an information processing apparatus connected to the information management apparatus via a network;
A storage step of storing area setting information related to the area set by the processing of the area setting step in association with identification information of the communication terminal;
A location information receiving step of receiving location information of the communication terminal transmitted from the communication terminal via a base station network;
An area determination step of performing area determination of the communication terminal using the area setting information stored by the processing of the storage step and the position information of the communication terminal received by the processing of the position information reception step. An information management method characterized by that. Receiving means for receiving, via the network, location information of the communication terminal and area setting information relating to an area set in advance in the communication terminal, from the information processing apparatus connected to the information providing apparatus via the network;
Based on the position information of the communication terminal received by the reception means, an acquisition means for acquiring map information regarding an area including a position where the communication terminal has moved in the past;
Based on the map information acquired by the acquisition means, the position information of the communication terminal, and the area setting information, the area that has been set in the past is superimposed on the map while the position of the communication terminal that has moved in the past is superimposed on the map. Generating means for generating area confirmation image information superimposed on a map;
A means for transmitting the area confirmation image information generated by the generation means and the area editing screen image information for editing the area set in the communication terminal to the information processing apparatus via a network; An information providing apparatus characterized by the above. A receiving step of receiving, via the network, location information of the communication terminal and area setting information relating to an area set in advance in the communication terminal, from the information processing apparatus connected to the information providing apparatus via the network;
Based on the position information of the communication terminal received by the process of the reception step, an acquisition step of acquiring map information regarding an area including a position where the communication terminal has moved in the past from the outside;
Based on the map information acquired by the processing of the acquisition step, the position information of the communication terminal, and the area setting information, the position of the communication terminal that has moved in the past is already set on the map. A generation step of generating area confirmation image information in which the area is superimposed on the map;
Transmitting the area confirmation image information generated by the processing of the generation step and the area editing screen image information for editing the area set in the communication terminal to the information processing apparatus via a network; An information providing method comprising:

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