JP2017033082A - Location specification system, location specification device, wireless tag and locator - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To specify a location of an object existing in a facility with a simple configuration and at small costs.SOLUTION: A wireless tag 10 attached for each object is configured to intermittently transmit a tag signal; receive an RF signal and ultrasonic wave returned from a locator 20 installed in a zone in response to the tag signal; transmit detection information including at least a locator ID detected from the ultrasonic wave and an own terminal ID, and an existence zone specification unit 56B of a location specification device 50 is configured to refer to locator information 54A indicative of a corresponding relation between a preset locator ID and an installation zone of the locator having the locator ID, and acquire the installation zone corresponding to the locator ID included in the detection information; and specify the installation zone as the installation zone of the object corresponding to the terminal ID included in the detection information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a location specifying technique for specifying the location of an object existing in a facility using ultrasonic waves.

  Conventionally, as a technology for identifying the location of an object such as an article or a person existing in a facility, an ultrasonic tag is attached to an object such as a medical device, a staff, or a patient, and an ultrasonic wave is applied to various locations in a hospital. The receiver is arranged, the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the ultrasonic tag at regular intervals are received by each ultrasonic receiver, and the reception information is notified from each ultrasonic receiver to the host device (server). Based on the reception information from each ultrasonic receiver, the position of the ultrasonic receiver that received the ultrasonic wave, and the presence of the ultrasonic wave reception timing in each ultrasonic receiver, etc. A technique for identifying the location of an ultrasonic tag, that is, an object has been proposed (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

“RTLS (Location Detection System) for Hospitals”, Grape Systems, http://www.grape.co.jp/rtls/sonitor.html

  However, in such a conventional technique, it is necessary to transmit reception information related to the ultrasonic wave from the ultrasonic tag received by each ultrasonic receiver to the host device. For this reason, all ultrasonic receivers installed at various locations in the facility must be equipped with a function for data communication with the host device, and all these ultrasonic receivers and the host device are connected via a communication line such as a LAN. There is a need to. In particular, since ultrasonic waves do not pass through the walls of the compartments, it is necessary to install one ultrasonic receiver in each compartment. If you want to further specify the location of the target object in a wide compartment, there are multiple parts in one compartment. It is necessary to install an ultrasonic receiver. Therefore, there is a problem that not only the entire system is complicated and the scale is increased, but also the cost of the entire system is increased due to the product cost of the ultrasonic receiver itself and the installation cost required for connection to the communication network.

  The present invention is to solve such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a location identifying technique that can identify the location of an object existing in a facility with a simple configuration and low cost.

  In order to achieve such an object, the location specifying system according to the present invention is a location specifying system for specifying the location of an object existing in each section in a facility using an ultrasonic wave. A plurality of locators that are installed and return RF signals including their locator ID and ultrasonic waves in response to reception of the tag signal, and are attached to each of the objects, intermittently transmit the tag signal, From the wireless tag, the wireless tag that receives the RF signal and the ultrasonic wave returned from the locator according to the tag signal, and transmits detection information including at least the locator ID detected from the ultrasonic wave and its own terminal ID, and A location identification device that identifies the location of a target object corresponding to the terminal ID included in the detection information based on the locator ID included in the transmitted detection information, and the location identification Refers to the correspondence between the locator ID set in advance as the locator information and the installation section of the locator having the locator ID, acquires the installation section corresponding to the locator ID included in the detection information, and It has an existing block specifying unit that specifies an installed block as a target block corresponding to the terminal ID included in the detection information.

  In addition, according to one configuration example of the location specifying system according to the present invention, the wireless tag detects a reception interval between the RF signal and the ultrasonic wave returned from the locator according to the tag signal, and determines the reception interval. The location identification device transmits the object included in the detection information, and the object corresponding to the terminal ID from the locator having the locator ID installed in the presence section based on the reception interval included in the detection information. And a separation distance calculation unit for calculating a separation distance up to.

  In addition, one configuration example of the location specifying system according to the present invention is that the wireless tag receives the RF signal from the locator within a certain response waiting period from the transmission after transmitting the tag signal. Regardless, if the ultrasonic waves cannot be received, the tag signal is retransmitted at a retransmission interval shorter than the specified transmission interval of the tag signal.

  In addition, one configuration example of the location specifying system according to the present invention is that the wireless tag receives the RF signal from the locator within a certain response waiting period from the transmission after transmitting the tag signal. Regardless, if the ultrasonic waves cannot be received, the response waiting period of the tag signal to be transmitted next is temporarily extended.

  In addition, according to one configuration example of the location specifying system according to the present invention, when the wireless tag receives the RF signals and the ultrasonic waves returned from the plurality of locators according to the tag signal, for each of these locators The detected locator ID and the reception interval are included in the detection information and transmitted, and the separation distance calculation unit calculates the separation distance for each reception interval included in the detection information. Referring to the correspondence between the locator ID set in the locator information in advance and the installation position of the locator having the locator ID, the installation of the locator having the locator ID for each locator ID included in the detection information An existence position calculation unit that obtains each position and calculates the existence position of the object based on the installation position and the separation distance; It is those having in La.

  In addition, according to one configuration example of the location specifying system according to the present invention, when the locator ID is not detected from the RF signal and the locator ID is detected from the respective ultrasonic waves, the wireless tag is configured for each locator. The locator ID detected from the ultrasonic wave of the locator is included in the detection information and transmitted.

  In addition, one configuration example of the above-described location specifying system according to the present invention is a portable device that receives the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the locator and transmits detection information including the locator ID detected from the ultrasonic wave and the terminal ID of the mobile phone. A communication terminal is further provided, and the presence block identifying unit refers to the locator information, obtains an installation block corresponding to the locator ID included in the detection information, and a terminal ID included in the detection information. Are identified as the existing sections of the corresponding mobile communication terminal.

The location specifying device according to the present invention is a location specifying device used in any of the location specifying systems described above.
The wireless tag according to the present invention is a wireless tag used in any of the above-described location specifying systems.
The locator according to the present invention is a locator used in any of the above-described location specifying systems.

  According to the present invention, the locator simply returns an RF signal and an ultrasonic wave according to the tag signal from the wireless tag, and there is no need to perform data communication with the location specifying device (higher-order device). For this reason, it is only necessary to supply commercial power to each locator, and it is not necessary to connect all the locators to the host device via a communication line such as a LAN. As a result, even if one locator is installed in each section and multiple locators are installed in a large section, the entire system is not complicated, and the locator itself is installed for the product cost and communication network connection. The cost does not increase the overall system cost. Therefore, it is possible to specify the location of the object existing in the facility with a simple configuration and low cost.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the location specific system concerning 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a wireless tag. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a locator. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a location specific apparatus. It is a structural example of locator information. It is a structural example of detection information. It is a structural example of location management DB. It is explanatory drawing which shows the calculation method of the target object position based on a separation distance. It is a sequence diagram which shows a location specific operation | movement (in the case of a single locator). It is a timing chart which shows the RF signal and ultrasonic wave (in the case of a single locator) transmitted / received between a wireless tag and a locator. It is a sequence diagram which shows a location specific operation | movement (in the case of 3 locators). It is a timing chart which shows the RF signal and ultrasonic wave which are transmitted from a locator (in the case of 3 locators). It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the location specific system concerning 2nd Embodiment. It is a sequence diagram which shows a location specific operation | movement (in the case of a mobile communication terminal).

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[First Embodiment]
First, the location specifying system 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a location specifying system according to the first embodiment.

  The location specifying system 1 according to the present invention is a system for specifying the location of each target for each target existing in a facility 2 such as a hospital.

  In FIG. 1, a facility 2 to which the location identifying system 1 is applied is a hospital, and the location of an object made up of various medical devices as well as staff and patients is identified as an example. In this facility 2, a hospital room RA, a treatment room RB, and an equipment room RW are provided on both sides of the corridor COR. In each hospital room RA and treatment room RB, various medical devices such as a bed 31, a diagnostic device 32, an infusion table 33, a wheelchair 34, and a stretcher 35 are used, and spare medical devices are stored in the equipment room RW. ing. In addition, a staff member 36 such as a doctor or a nurse enters and leaves each section such as a hospital room RA, a treatment room RB, a corridor COR, and an equipment room RW, and a patient 37 enters the hospital room RA, the treatment room RB, and the corridor COR. Existing.

  The facility 2 to which the location specifying system 1 is applied is not limited to such a hospital. For example, when locating pallets or carts used for transporting and storing luggage in warehouses, or when locating electronic devices such as personal computers and mobile communication terminals in offices, identify the location of objects in various facilities. Can be applied to.

[Location identification system]
As shown in FIG. 1, the location specifying system 1 includes a wireless tag 10, a locator 20, a wireless tag reader RD, and a location specifying device 50.

[Wireless tag]
The wireless tag 10 is a wireless tag that is used by being attached to an object that is a specific target. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the wireless tag.
The wireless tag 10 is provided with an RFI / F unit 11, an ultrasonic receiving unit 12, and a tag control unit 13 as main functional units. These functional units operate with electric power supplied from the battery 14. To do.

The RFI / F unit 11 has a function of transmitting a tag signal to the locator 20 and the wireless tag reader RD by radio waves, and a locator 20 located in the vicinity in a response waiting period preset with respect to the transmission timing of the tag signal. A function of receiving an RF signal returned by radio waves from the radio and a function of detecting a locator ID included in the received RF signal.
The ultrasonic receiving unit 12 has a function of receiving the ultrasonic wave returned from the locator 20 located in the vicinity of the tag signal transmitted from the RFI / F unit 11 and detecting the locator ID included in the ultrasonic wave. Have.

  The tag control unit 13 has a function of intermittently wirelessly transmitting a tag signal from the RFI / F unit 11 and a function of acquiring the locator ID included in the RF signal received according to the tag signal from the RFI / F unit 11 A function for acquiring the locator ID included in the ultrasonic wave received according to the tag signal from the ultrasonic wave receiving unit 12, a function for detecting a reception interval from the RF signal to the ultrasonic wave, and at least from the ultrasonic wave It has a function of transmitting detection information including the detected locator ID and reception interval and the terminal ID for identifying the wireless tag 10 from the RFI / F unit 11 to the wireless tag reader RD. The wireless tag reader RD transmits the received detection information to the location identifying device 50 via a communication network NW such as a wireless LAN or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

  The tag control unit 13 transmits detection information according to the locator ID detected from the ultrasonic wave from the locator 20, but normally, since the ultrasonic wave is reflected without passing through the partition wall, a plurality of locators 20 and other locators 20 are transmitted. When the ultrasonic devices are present in the same section, it is also conceivable that noise interferes with the ultrasonic waves from the locator 20 and a locator ID reception error occurs. In this case, the detection information may be transmitted according to a match between the received RF signal and the locator ID detected from the ultrasonic wave. Thereby, only when the validity of the locator ID is confirmed based on the received RF signal and the ultrasonic wave, the detection information is transmitted to the location specifying device 50. Therefore, the reception error of the RF signal or the ultrasonic wave is detected. It is also possible to prevent location specific errors caused by.

  Further, the wireless tag 10 is provided with an acceleration sensor or a vibration sensor, and the tag control unit 13 compares a detection value indicating the degree of movement or vibration of the object detected by these sensors with a threshold value to obtain a detection value. When the threshold value is exceeded, the RFI / F unit 11 may be instructed to wirelessly transmit the tag signal. Thereby, since the tag signal is automatically transmitted according to the movement generated in the object, the RF signal returned from the locator 20 and the detection information on the ultrasonic wave are transmitted to the location specifying device 50. As a result, the new location of the object is identified. Therefore, as compared with the case where the tag signal is periodically transmitted from the wireless tag 10, the difference between the location specified by the location specifying device 50 and the actual location can be minimized, and the staff 36 and the like move quickly. Even for an object, the latest location can be specified.

[locator]
The locator 20 is composed of a small wireless / ultrasonic device as a whole, and is installed on the wall or ceiling of each section of the facility 2 such as the hospital room RA, the treatment room RB, the equipment room RW, and the corridor COR. In particular, in a relatively large section such as the equipment room RW and the corridor COR, a plurality of places are installed to specify the location in the section in detail. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the locator.

  The locator 20 is provided with an RFI / F unit 21, an ultrasonic transmission unit 22, and a locator control unit 23 as main functional units. Note that the locator 20 does not have a function of performing data communication with the location specifying device 50 serving as a host device, and therefore there is no need to wire a communication line such as a LAN. Can be installed at any position. Therefore, for example, the locator 20 as a whole may be inserted into an AC outlet for use.

The RF I / F unit 21 receives an RF signal including a function for receiving a tag signal transmitted from the radio tag 10 by radio waves and a locator ID for identifying each locator 20 in accordance with an instruction from the locator control unit 23. And a function of transmitting by radio waves.
The ultrasonic transmission unit 22 has a function of transmitting an ultrasonic wave including a locator ID in response to an instruction from the locator control unit 23.
In response to reception of the tag signal by the RFI / F unit 21, the locator control unit 23 instructs the RFI / F unit 21 to return an RF signal including the locator ID, and returns an ultrasonic wave including the locator ID. It has a function of instructing the transmission unit 22.

[Wireless tag reader]
The wireless tag reader RD includes a general wireless tag reader device, and has a function of receiving detection information transmitted by radio waves from the wireless tag 10 and transferring the detection information to the location identifying device 50 via the communication network NW. Since the wireless tag reader RD corresponds to detection information from the plurality of wireless tags 10, the wireless tag reader RD is installed at a substantially central position of a plurality of compartments that are grouped together, that is, at the center ceiling of the corridor COR in FIG.

[Location identification device]
The location specifying device 50 as a whole is composed of an information processing device such as a server device or a personal computer, and based on detection information from the wireless tag 10, the wireless tag 10 in the facility 2 such as an existing section, a separation distance, and an existing position. It has a function to specify the location of FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the location specifying device.
The location specifying device 20 includes a communication I / F unit 51, an operation input unit 52, a screen display unit 53, a storage unit 54, a location management DB 55, and an arithmetic processing unit 56 as main functional units.

The communication I / F unit 51 has a function of performing data communication with the wireless tag reader RD and an external device (not shown) via the communication network NW.
The operation input unit 52 includes operation input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a touch panel, and has a function of detecting an operation input by the operator and outputting the operation to the arithmetic processing unit 56.
The screen display unit 53 includes a screen display device such as an LCD, and has a function of displaying various data such as the location of an object output from the arithmetic processing unit 56 on the screen.

  The storage unit 54 includes a storage device such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory, and has a function of storing various processing information and programs used for the location specifying process executed by the arithmetic processing unit 56. As main processing information stored in the storage unit 54, there are locator information 54A and detection information 54B.

  FIG. 5 is a configuration example of locator information. The locator information 54 </ b> A is data indicating a position related to each locator 20, and is preset according to the installation position of each locator 20. In the configuration example of FIG. 5, for each locator ID for identifying each locator 20, an installation section indicating a section where the locator 20 is installed, and an installation position indicating a coordinate position where the locator 20 is installed Is registered as a set.

  FIG. 6 is a configuration example of detection information. The detection information 54 </ b> B is data related to the RF signal and ultrasonic waves from the locator 20 detected by the wireless tag 10. In the configuration example of FIG. 6, the acquisition date and time, the locator ID, and the reception interval are registered as a set for each terminal ID for identifying the wireless tag 10.

  The location management DB 55 includes a storage device such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory, and is a database that manages the location of each object obtained by the location specifying process executed by the arithmetic processing unit 56. FIG. 7 is a configuration example of the location management DB. Here, for each terminal ID of the wireless tag 10 attached to the target object, the target name indicating the name of the target object, the specific date and time indicating the date and time when the location is specified, and the section where the target object is present A section, a separation distance between the target object and the locator 20 in the vicinity thereof, and an existing position indicating a position coordinate where the target object exists are registered as a set.

  The arithmetic processing unit 56 has a function of realizing various processing units used for the location specifying process by executing a program in the storage unit 54 by the CPU. As main processing units realized by the arithmetic processing unit 56, a detection information acquiring unit 56A, an existing section specifying unit 56B, a separation distance calculating unit 56C, an existing position calculating unit 56D, and a DB processing unit 56E are provided.

  The detection information acquisition unit 56A has a function of acquiring the detection information 54B from the wireless tag 10 received by the communication I / F unit 51 via the wireless tag reader RD and the communication network NW, and storing it in the storage unit 54. ing.

  The existing block identification unit 56B refers to the locator information 54A in the storage unit 54, acquires the installation block corresponding to the locator ID included in the detection information 54B in the storage unit 54, and sets the installation block as the detection information 54B. It has the function to specify as an existence section of the target object corresponding to terminal ID contained in.

  Based on the reception interval included in the detection information 54 </ b> B of the storage unit 54, the separation distance calculation unit 56 </ b> C determines whether the object corresponding to the terminal ID and the object corresponding to the terminal ID from the locator 20 having the locator ID installed in the existing section. It has a function of calculating the separation distance.

In general, the velocity C of ultrasonic waves propagating in air at a temperature of T ° C. is given by the following equation (1).
C = 331.5 + 0.6T (1)
Therefore, when the RF signal and the ultrasonic wave are transmitted from the locator 20 at the same time and there is negligible time for the RF signal to reach from the locator 20 to the wireless tag 10, the reception interval is set as shown in Expression (2). If the velocity C of the equation (1) is integrated with the corresponding propagation time Td, the separation distance D between the locator 20 and the wireless tag 10, that is, the object can be obtained.
D = C × Td (2)
Thereby, it can be seen that the object is present on a spherical surface having a radius D from the installation position of the nearby locator 20.

  When a plurality of locator IDs and reception intervals are included in the detection information 54B of the storage unit 54, the presence position calculation unit 56D determines the locator 20 having the locator ID from the locator information 54A of the storage unit 54 for each locator ID. On the basis of the function of acquiring the installation positions of the locators 20, the installation positions of the locators 20, and the separation distances between the locators 20 and the wireless tags 10 calculated by the separation distance calculation unit 56C. And a function for calculating an existing position.

  FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a method of calculating the object position based on the separation distance. Here, a case where three different locators 20 exist will be described as an example. The coordinate positions related to the position L1 of the locator # 1 are X1, Y1, and Z1, the coordinate positions related to the position L2 of the locator # 2 are X2, Y2, and Z2, and the coordinate positions related to the position L3 of the locator # 3 are X3, Y3, and Z3. When the distances from the object position P to the locators # 1, # 2, and # 3 are D1, D2, and D3, the object position P has radii D1, D2, and D3 centered on L1, L2, and L3. Are present at coordinate positions Xp, Yp, Zp at which the spherical surfaces S1, S2, S3 intersect.

Therefore, by solving the following equations (3), (4), and (5) relating to D1, D2, and D3 simultaneously, the P coordinate positions Xp, Yp, and Zp of the object position can be obtained.
D1 ² = (X1-Xp) ² + (Y1-Yp) ² + (Z1-Zp) ² (3)
D2 ² = (X2−Xp) ² + (Y2−Yp) ² + (Z2−Zp) ² (4)
D3 ² = (X3-Xp) ² + (Y3-Yp) ² + (Z3-Zp) ² (5)

  In FIG. 8, the case where the position on the three-dimensional coordinate is calculated in the case where there are three different locators 20 (# 1- # 3) has been described as an example, but when there are four or more locators 20 present. For example, the object position may be calculated in the same manner as described above by selecting three locators 20 in order of increasing separation distance. On the other hand, when only two different locators 20 exist, the object position is determined by applying the above calculation method on the assumption that the object position exists on the two-dimensional plane where these locators 20 exist. Calculate it. The coordinate position described above is based on a reference coordinate system set in advance for the facility 2.

  The DB processing unit 56E determines the location of the wireless tag 10 including the existing section, the separated distance, the existing position, and the like obtained by the existing section specifying unit 56B, the separated distance calculating unit 56C, and the existing position calculating unit 56D. The location management DB 55 searches the location management DB 55 for the location of the corresponding object in accordance with the function registered in the location management DB 55 in association with the terminal ID of the tag 10 and its specific date and time and the detection operation by the operator detected by the operation input unit 52. Then, the location management DB 55 stores the location of the corresponding object in accordance with the function of displaying the obtained search result on the screen display unit 53 and the search instruction input from the external device via the communication I / F unit 51. And a function of returning the obtained search result to an external device.

[Operation of First Embodiment]
Next, as the operation of the location specifying system 1 according to the present embodiment, a single locator in which only one locator 20 is arranged around the wireless tag 10, and a different 3 around the wireless tag 10. Each case of three locators in which two locators 20 are arranged will be described.

[Single locator]
First, with reference to FIG. 9, a case where only one locator 20 is arranged around the wireless tag 10 as an operation of the location specifying system 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 9 is a sequence diagram showing a location specifying operation (in the case of a single locator).

First, the tag control unit 13 of the wireless tag 10 attached to the object periodically measures the transmission timing, and transmits a tag signal from the RFI / F unit 11 in response to the arrival of the transmission timing ( Step 100).
When the locator control unit 23 of the locator 20 receives the tag signal from the wireless tag 10 by the RFI / F unit 21, the RF signal including its own locator ID in accordance with the response waiting period of the tag signal in the wireless tag 10 Is transmitted from the RFI / F unit 21 (step 101) and at the same time, an ultrasonic wave including its own locator ID is transmitted from the ultrasonic transmission unit 22 (step 102).

  FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing RF signals and ultrasonic waves (in the case of a single locator) transmitted and received between the wireless tag and the locator. These RF signals and ultrasonic waves are modulated by a pulse-position modulation (PPM) method. In this pulse position modulation method, for example, code pulses are used in which the ON interval is a constant time interval and the time interval of the OFF interval is different between data “0” and “1”. Is modulated.

After transmitting the tag signal, the tag control unit 13 of the wireless tag 10 receives the RF signal and the ultrasonic wave returned from the locator 20 by the RFI / F unit 11 and the ultrasonic receiving unit 12, respectively, and sets the locator ID and the reception interval. Detect (step 103).
Usually, since the propagation speed of the ultrasonic wave is lower than that of the RF signal, a delay corresponding to the separation distance from the locator 20 to the wireless tag 10 occurs in the reception timing of the wireless tag 10. Therefore, if this delay is detected as the reception interval Td, the separation distance can be specified.

  At this time, the ultrasonic wave has a large delay depending on the distance and the reception timing is likely to shift, and the possibility that the ultrasonic waves returned simultaneously from a plurality of locators according to the same tag signal collide with each other is low. For this reason, the tag control unit 13 only needs to detect the locator ID from at least the ultrasonic wave. Among the received RF signal and the ultrasonic wave, the tag control unit 13 specifies the RF signal and the ultrasonic wave that match the locator ID included in each, You may make it detect the receiving interval of both about these signal pairs. As a result, the paired RF signal and the ultrasonic wave can be confirmed, and the detection error of the reception interval for the wrong pair can be avoided.

  Note that there may be a case where the distance between the wireless tag 10 and the locator 20 is long and the ultrasonic wave cannot be received within the response waiting period even though the RF signal from the locator 20 is received. In such a case, since the presence of the locator 20 is confirmed by the RF signal, until the ultrasonic wave reaches the upper limit number of retransmissions at the retransmission interval shorter than the specified transmission interval of the tag signal, the tag of step 100 The signal may be retransmitted repeatedly. Alternatively, the response waiting period of the tag signal to be transmitted next time may be extended to the long distance response waiting period, and the tag signal in step 100 may be retransmitted repeatedly until the ultrasonic wave reaches or the upper limit number of retransmissions is reached. .

Thereafter, the tag control unit 13 sends detection information addressed to the location specifying device 50 in which its own terminal ID is added to the pair of the detected locator ID and the reception interval to the tag from the RFI / F unit 11 to the wireless tag reader RD. A signal is transmitted by radio waves (step 104).
The detection information acquisition unit 56A of the location specifying device 50 acquires the detection information from the wireless tag 10 relayed and transferred by the wireless tag reader RD via the communication network NW and the communication I / F unit 51, and indicates the acquired date and time. Along with the acquisition date and time, it is stored in the storage unit 54 as detection information 54B.

  Thereafter, the presence block specifying unit 56B of the location specifying device 50 refers to the locator information 54A of the storage unit 54, acquires the installation block corresponding to the locator ID included in the detection information 54B of the storage unit 54, It is specified as an existing section of an object corresponding to the terminal ID included in the detection information 54B (step 105).

  Further, the separation distance calculation unit 56C of the location specifying device 50, based on the reception interval Td included in the detection information 54B of the storage unit 54, the locator 20 having the locator ID included in the detection information 54B, A separation distance D from the wireless tag 10 having the terminal ID included in the detection information 54B is calculated (step 106).

  Thereafter, the DB processing unit 56E of the location specifying device 50 determines the position where the wireless tag 10 exists, obtained by the presence section specifying unit 56B, the separation distance calculating unit 56C, and further the existing position calculating unit 56D. Are registered in the location management DB 55 in association with the terminal ID and the specific date and time (step 107), and the series of location specifying processes is terminated.

  Note that both the tag signal transmitted from the wireless tag 10 to the locator 20 in step 100 of FIG. 9 and the RF signal transmitted from the locator 20 to the wireless tag 10 in step 101 are both located by the wireless tag reader RD. 50 is relayed. Therefore, for example, when the object moves to a place where the locator 20 is not installed, only the tag signal is relayed to the location specifying device 50.

  For this reason, in the presence section specifying unit 56B of the location specifying device 50, for example, after receiving the tag signal in step 100, if the detection information in step 104 does not arrive even after a predetermined time has passed, the terminal included in the tag signal It is specified that the object corresponding to the ID is present in a section where the locator 20 is not present, and accordingly, the DB processing unit 56E is associated with the terminal ID and is present in the section without the locator. The tag signal reception date and time may be registered in the location management DB 55. Thereby, it is possible to confirm in the location management DB 55 that the object is present in a section where the locator 20 does not exist.

[3 locators]
First, referring to FIG. 11, as the operation of the location specifying system 1 according to the present embodiment, for example, three locators # 1, # 1 located around the wireless tag 10 as in the equipment room RW shown in FIG. A case where # 2 and # 3 (20) are arranged will be described. FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing a location specifying operation (in the case of 3 locators).

First, the tag control unit 13 of the wireless tag 10 attached to the object periodically measures the transmission timing, and transmits a tag signal from the RFI / F unit 11 in response to the arrival of the transmission timing ( Step 110).
The locator control unit 23 of the locator # 1 receives the tag signal from the wireless tag 10 by the RFI / F unit 21 and transmits an RF signal including its own locator ID from the RFI / F unit 21 (step 111). An ultrasonic wave including its own locator ID is transmitted from the ultrasonic wave transmitter 22 (step 112).

  The locator control unit 23 of the locators # 2 and # 3 receives the tag signal from the wireless tag 10 at the RFI / F unit 21 almost simultaneously with the locator # 1, and receives the RF signal including its own locator ID as the RFI / Simultaneously with transmission from the F unit 21 (steps 113 and 115), an ultrasonic wave including its own locator ID is transmitted from the ultrasonic transmission unit 22 (steps 114 and 116).

  FIG. 12 is a timing chart showing RF signals and ultrasonic waves (in the case of three locators) transmitted and received between the wireless tag and the locator. These RF signals and ultrasonic waves are modulated by a pulse-position modulation (PPM) method. In general, the pulse position modulation method is hardly affected by noise, and even when RF signals and ultrasonic waves from a plurality of locators 20 overlap, they can be separated to some extent.

After transmitting the tag signal, the tag control unit 13 of the wireless tag 10 receives the RF signal and the ultrasonic wave returned from the locators # 1, # 2, and # 3 by the RFI / F unit 11 and the ultrasonic receiving unit 12, respectively. The locator ID and the reception intervals Td1, Td2, and Td3 are detected for each of the locators # 1, # 2, and # 3 (step 117).
Thereafter, the tag control unit 13 wirelessly transmits detection information addressed to the location specifying device 50 in which its own terminal ID is added to the three sets of the detected locator ID and the reception interval from the RFI / F unit 11 using a tag signal. The data is transmitted to the tag reader RD (step 118).

  At this time, the RF signals returned from the locators # 1, # 2, and # 3 reach the wireless tag 10 almost simultaneously even if the separation distances are different. There may be a case where the ID cannot be detected. However, since the ultrasonic wave has a large delay depending on the distance and the reception timing is easily shifted, there is a high possibility that the locator ID can be detected. Therefore, even if the locator ID is not detected from the RF signal and the match of the locator ID is not confirmed, the locator ID detected from the ultrasonic wave may be processed as a normal one. In this case, with regard to the reception interval, the reception interval up to the ultrasonic wave from which the locator ID is detected may be detected based on the RF signal returned from an arbitrary locator according to the transmitted tag signal.

  The detection information acquisition unit 56A of the location specifying device 50 acquires the detection information from the wireless tag 10 relayed and transferred by the wireless tag reader RD via the communication network NW and the communication I / F unit 51, and indicates the acquired date and time. Along with the acquisition date and time, it is stored in the storage unit 54 as detection information 54B.

  Thereafter, the presence block specifying unit 56B of the location specifying device 50 refers to the locator information 54A of the storage unit 54, acquires the installation block corresponding to the locator ID included in the detection information 54B of the storage unit 54, It is specified as an existing section of an object corresponding to the terminal ID included in the detection information 54B (step 119).

  Further, the separation distance calculation unit 56C of the location specifying device 50, based on the reception interval Td included in the detection information 54B of the storage unit 54, locates the locator # 1, which has the locator ID included in the detection information 54B. For each of # 2 and # 3, distances D1, D2 and D3 from the wireless tag 10 having the terminal ID included in the detection information 54B are calculated (step 120).

  Subsequently, since the three locator IDs and the reception intervals are included in the detection information 54B of the storage unit 54, the presence position calculation unit 56D acquires these locators # 1 and # 2 acquired from the locator information 54A of the storage unit 54. , # 3, and the distances D1, D2, and D3 between the locator 20 and the wireless tag 10 calculated by the distance calculation unit 56C, based on the calculation method described with reference to FIG. Then, the location of the wireless tag 10, that is, the object is calculated (step 121).

  Thereafter, the DB processing unit 56E of the location specifying device 50 determines the position where the wireless tag 10 is present, which is obtained by the existence section specifying unit 56B, the separation distance calculating unit 56C, and the existing position calculating unit 56D. In association with the ID and its specific date and time, it is registered in the location management DB 55 (step 122), and the series of location specifying processes is terminated.

[Effect of the first embodiment]
As described above, in this embodiment, the wireless tag 10 attached to each object intermittently transmits a tag signal, and the RF signal returned from the locator 20 installed in the section according to the tag signal. And the ultrasonic wave is received, the detection information including at least the locator ID detected from the ultrasonic wave and its own terminal ID is transmitted, and the presence section specifying unit 56B of the location specifying device 50 sets the locator ID and the preset Referring to the locator information 54A indicating the correspondence with the installation section of the locator having the locator ID, the installation section corresponding to the locator ID included in the detection information is acquired, and the installation section includes the terminal ID included in the detection information. And the corresponding section of the target object.

  Therefore, the locator 20 simply returns an RF signal and an ultrasonic wave according to the tag signal from the wireless tag 10, and does not need to perform data communication with the location specifying device 50 (higher-order device). For this reason, it is only necessary to supply commercial power to each locator 20, and it is not necessary to connect all the locators 20 and the host device via a communication line such as a LAN. Thus, even if one locator 20 is installed in each section and a plurality of locators 20 are installed in a large section, the entire system is not complicated, and the product cost of the locator 20 itself and connection to the communication network are not affected. The installation cost required for the system does not increase the cost of the entire system. Therefore, it is possible to specify the location of the object existing in the facility 2 with a simple configuration and low cost.

  Further, since the RF signal and the ultrasonic wave are returned from the locator 20 in response to the tag signal from the wireless tag 10, the wireless tag 10 only needs to operate for a certain response waiting period after transmitting the tag signal. For this reason, the RF tag 10 always transmits the RF signal and the ultrasonic wave from the locator 20 without transmitting the tag signal from the wireless tag 10, and the wireless tag 10 always receives the RF signal. There is no need to wait for ultrasound. Therefore, the operation can be stopped and the power can be saved for the period from the elapse of the response waiting period until the arrival of the new tag signal transmission timing, and the battery consumption of the wireless tag 10 can be greatly reduced. It becomes.

Further, in the present embodiment, the wireless tag 10 detects the reception interval between the RF signal and the ultrasonic wave returned from the locator 20 according to the tag signal, transmits the reception interval including the reception interval, and is separated. Based on the reception interval included in the detection information, the distance calculation unit 56C calculates the separation distance from the locator having the locator ID installed in the existing section to the object corresponding to the terminal ID. Also good.
As a result, the distance from the locator 20 installed in the existing section to the target object is specified in addition to the existing section of the target object, so that the location can be specified in more detail. Therefore, even when the existence section has a certain size or when the object is relatively small, the object can be easily found.

In the present embodiment, when the wireless tag 10 has not received an ultrasonic wave after transmitting a tag signal, even though it has received an RF signal from the locator within a certain response waiting period from the transmission. The tag signal may be retransmitted at a retransmission interval shorter than the specified transmission interval of the tag signal.
Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the time until the reception of the ultrasonic wave is successful and to consider the battery consumption of the wireless tag 10 as compared with the case where the ultrasonic wave reception is attempted by transmitting the tag signal after the predetermined transmission interval. Thus, even when the specified transmission interval is set to be relatively long, it is possible to identify the existing section of the object at an early stage.

In the present embodiment, when the wireless tag 10 has not received an ultrasonic wave after transmitting a tag signal, even though it has received an RF signal from the locator within a certain response waiting period from the transmission. May temporarily extend the response waiting period of the tag signal to be transmitted next.
Thereby, even when the distance to the locator is long and a reception error occurs, it is possible to specify the existence section of the object.

In the present embodiment, when the wireless tag 10 receives RF signals and ultrasonic waves returned from a plurality of locators according to the tag signal, the locator ID and the reception interval detected for each locator are used as detection information. The separation distance calculation unit 56C calculates the separation distance for each reception interval included in the detection information, and the existence position calculation unit 56D determines the locator ID having the preset locator ID and the locator ID. Referring to the locator information 54A indicating the correspondence with the installation position, for each locator ID included in the detection information, the installation position of the locator having the locator ID is acquired, and based on the installation position and the separation distance You may make it calculate the presence position of a target object.
As a result, the location of the object in the presence section is identified, so that the location can be identified in great detail. Therefore, even if the existence section is quite wide, the object can be easily found.

In the present embodiment, when the locator ID is detected from each ultrasonic wave without detecting the locator ID from the RF signal, the wireless tag 10 detects the locator detected from the ultrasonic wave of the locator for each locator. The ID may be included in the detection information and transmitted.
Thereby, even when RF signals from a plurality of locators collide, the presence position of the object in the existence section can be specified.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, with reference to FIG. 13, the location specifying system 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a location specifying system according to the second embodiment.
In the first embodiment, the case where the location of the mobile communication terminal 40 is specified based on the detection information from the wireless tag 10 has been described. In the present embodiment, a case where the location of the mobile communication terminal 40 is specified based on detection information from the mobile communication terminal 40 will be described.

  In the present embodiment, the mobile communication terminal 40 is a general phone terminal or data communication terminal carried by the patient 37 or the staff 36 such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet, or a PDA as a whole, and is transmitted from the locator 20. A function of receiving ultrasonic waves and transmitting detection information including the locator ID detected from the ultrasonic waves and the terminal ID of the ultrasonic waves to the location identifying device 50 via a wireless communication network WL such as a mobile phone network or a wireless LAN. have.

[Operation of Second Embodiment]
Next, with reference to FIG. 14, the location specifying operation for specifying the location of the mobile communication terminal will be described as the operation of the location specifying system 1 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 14 is a sequence diagram showing a location specifying operation (in the case of a mobile communication terminal).

  First, when receiving the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the locator 20 (step 300), the mobile communication terminal 40 detects the locator ID from the ultrasonic wave (step 301), and includes the locator ID and its own terminal ID. The detection information is transmitted to the location identifying device 50 via the wireless communication network WL (step 302). At this time, the ultrasonic wave received by the mobile communication terminal 40 may be an ultrasonic wave returned from the locator 20 according to the tag signal from the wireless tag 10, and a locator ID periodically transmitted from the locator 20. The ultrasonic wave containing may be sufficient.

The outgoing information acquisition unit 56A of the location specifying device 50 acquires the detection information from the mobile communication terminal 40 via the wireless communication network WL and the communication I / F unit 51, and together with the acquisition date and time indicating the acquired date and time, the storage unit 54 is stored as detection information 54B.
Thereafter, the presence block specifying unit 56B of the location specifying device 50 refers to the locator information 54A of the storage unit 54, acquires the installation block corresponding to the locator ID included in the detection information 54B of the storage unit 54, The installation section is specified as the presence section of the mobile communication terminal corresponding to the terminal ID of the mobile communication terminal 40 included in the detection information (step 303).

  Subsequently, the DB processing unit 56E of the location specifying device 50 associates the existing section obtained by the existing section specifying unit 56B with the mobile communication terminal 40 with the terminal ID of the mobile communication terminal 40 and its specific date and time. Registration is made in the location management DB 55 (step 304), and the series of location specifying processes is terminated.

[Effect of the second embodiment]
Thus, in the present embodiment, the mobile communication terminal 40 receives the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the locator 20, transmits detection information including the locator ID detected from the ultrasonic wave and its own terminal ID, The presence block specifying unit 56B of the location specifying device 50 refers to the locator information 54A in the storage unit 54, acquires the installation block corresponding to the locator ID included in the detection information from the mobile communication terminal 40, and determines the installation block. It is specified as an existing section of the mobile communication terminal 40 corresponding to the terminal ID included in the detection information.

  Thereby, even if it is the staff 36 and the patient 37 who are not wearing the wireless tag 10, since the location can be specified if the portable communication terminal 40 is carried, distribution and wearing of the wireless tag 10 can be omitted. The location specifying system 1 can be introduced very easily.

[Extended embodiment]
The present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various changes that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention. In addition, each embodiment can be implemented in any combination within a consistent range.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Location identification system, 10 ... Wireless tag, 11 ... RFI / F part, 12 ... Ultrasonic wave receiving part, 13 ... Tag control part, 14 ... Battery, 20 ... Locator, 21 ... RFI / F part, 22 ... Ultrasound Transmission unit, 23 ... Locator control unit, 31 ... Bed, 32 ... Diagnostic equipment, 33 ... Drip stand, 34 ... Wheelchair, 35 ... Stretcher, 36 ... Staff 36 ... Patient, 40 ... Mobile communication terminal, 50 ... Location identification device , 51 ... Communication I / F section, 52 ... Operation input section, 53 ... Screen display section, 54 ... Storage section, 54A ... Locator information, 54B ... Detection information, 55 ... Location management DB, 56 ... Calculation processing section, 56A ... Detection information acquisition unit, 56B ... existing section specifying unit 56B ... separation distance calculation unit, 56D ... existing position calculation unit, 56E ... DB processing unit, RD ... wireless tag reader, NW ... communication network, WL ... wireless communication network, RA ... patient room , RB ... Incubation cabinet, RW ... equipment room.

Claims (10)

A location identifying system for identifying the location of an object existing in each section of a facility using ultrasound,
A plurality of locators that are installed in each of the sections and return an RF signal and an ultrasonic wave including their locator ID in response to reception of the tag signal;
A locator ID that is attached to each object, intermittently transmits the tag signal, receives an RF signal and an ultrasonic wave returned from the locator according to the tag signal, and is detected from at least the ultrasonic wave; A wireless tag for transmitting detection information including its own terminal ID;
Based on the locator ID included in the detection information transmitted from the wireless tag, a location specifying device that specifies the location of the target object corresponding to the terminal ID included in the detection information,
The location specifying device refers to a correspondence relationship between a locator ID set in advance as locator information and a locator installation section having the locator ID, and obtains an installation section corresponding to the locator ID included in the detection information And a location identifying unit that identifies the location as the location of the object corresponding to the terminal ID included in the detection information. In the location identifying system according to claim 1,
The wireless tag detects a reception interval between the RF signal and the ultrasonic wave returned from the locator according to the tag signal, and transmits the reception interval including the reception interval,
The location specifying device calculates a separation distance from a locator having the locator ID installed in the existence section to a target corresponding to the terminal ID based on a reception interval included in the detection information A location identifying system further comprising a calculation unit. In the location identifying system according to claim 1 or 2,
If the radio tag fails to receive the ultrasonic wave after receiving the RF signal from the locator within a certain response waiting period from the transmission after transmitting the tag signal, A location specifying system which retransmits a tag signal at a retransmission interval shorter than a prescribed transmission interval of a signal. In the location identifying system according to claim 1 or 2,
When the wireless tag fails to receive the ultrasonic wave after receiving the RF signal from the locator within a certain response waiting period from the transmission after transmitting the tag signal, A location specifying system characterized by temporarily extending a response waiting period of a tag signal to be transmitted. In the location identifying system according to claim 2,
When the wireless tag receives the RF signal and the ultrasonic wave returned from the plurality of locators according to the tag signal, the detection information includes the locator ID and the reception interval detected for each locator. Send
The separation distance calculation unit calculates the separation distance for each reception interval included in the detection information,
The location specifying device refers to the correspondence between the locator ID set in the locator information in advance and the installation position of the locator having the locator ID, and for each locator ID included in the detection information, A location specifying system further comprising: an existing position calculation unit that acquires the installation positions of the locators having a position and calculates the existing position of the object based on the installation positions and the separation distance. In the location identifying system according to claim 5,
When the locator ID is not detected from the RF signal and the locator ID is detected from each ultrasonic wave, the wireless tag detects, for each locator, the locator ID detected from the ultrasonic wave of the locator as the detection information. A location identifying system characterized by being included in the transmission. In the location identifying system according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
A mobile communication terminal that receives the ultrasonic wave transmitted from the locator and transmits detection information including the locator ID detected from the ultrasonic wave and its own terminal ID;
The presence section specifying unit refers to the locator information, acquires an installation section corresponding to the locator ID included in the detection information, and the portable communication terminal corresponding to the terminal ID included in the detection information A location identification system characterized by being identified as an existing partition.   A location specifying device used in the location specifying system according to claim 1.   A wireless tag used in the location specifying system according to claim 1. A locator used in the location specifying system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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