JP2021001769A - Program, and lighting device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a program for enabling an information terminal to support to estimate the present position of the information terminal.SOLUTION: A program stored in a storage part 24 of an information terminal 20 is a program for causing the information terminal 20 to execute an information processing method including a first acquisition step for acquiring position information showing an installation position of a lighting device 10 from the lighting device 10, a second acquisition step for acquiring a GPS signal, and an estimation step for estimating a present position of the information terminal 20 on the basis of the acquired GPS signal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to programs and lighting devices used in lighting systems.

Conventionally, outdoor lighting devices such as road lights or street lights are known. Patent Document 1 discloses a street light provided inside a main body with a communication control unit capable of communicating a light emission control signal by wire or wirelessly.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-213041

The present invention provides a program and a lighting device capable of assisting an information terminal in estimating the current position of the information terminal.

The program according to one aspect of the present invention is acquired by a first acquisition step of acquiring position information indicating the installation position of the lighting device from the lighting device and a second acquisition step of acquiring a GPS (Global Positioning System) signal. This is a program for causing the information terminal to execute an information processing method including an estimation step of estimating the current position of the information terminal based on the position information and the acquired GPS signal.

The lighting device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a transmission unit that transmits position information indicating the installation position of the lighting device by radio wave communication.

According to the present invention, a program and a lighting device capable of assisting an information terminal in estimating the current position of the information terminal are realized.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a lighting system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the lighting system according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of position information transmitted by the lighting device. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an operation example 1 of the lighting system according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an operation example 2 of the lighting system according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is an external view of the lighting device according to the first modification. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the range of radio waves of the lighting device according to the second modification. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another example of the range of radio waves of the lighting device according to the second modification. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an outline of the lighting system according to the third modification. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a street light that transmits position information. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a tunnel lighting device that transmits position information.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be specifically described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that all of the embodiments described below are comprehensive or specific examples. Numerical values, shapes, materials, components, arrangement positions and connection forms of components, steps, order of steps, etc. shown in the following embodiments are examples, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Further, among the components in the following embodiments, the components not described in the independent claims will be described as arbitrary components.

It should be noted that each figure is a schematic view and is not necessarily exactly shown. Further, in each figure, substantially the same configuration may be designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate description may be omitted or simplified.

(Embodiment)
[Outline of lighting system]
First, the configuration of the lighting system according to the embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of a lighting system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the lighting system according to the embodiment.

The lighting system 100 includes a plurality of lighting devices 10 and an information terminal 20. As shown in FIG. 1, each of the plurality of lighting devices 10 is a road light including, for example, a support column 10a and a lamp 10b, and the plurality of lighting devices 10 are installed at intervals along the road. .. Further, each of the plurality of lighting devices 10 constantly transmits position information (for example, information indicating the coordinates of the installation position) indicating the installation position of the lighting device 10.

The information terminal 20 is, for example, a car navigation device mounted on a vehicle. The information terminal 20 estimates the current position of the information terminal 20 by using the position information transmitted by the lighting device 10 and the GPS signal in combination. As a result, the current position can be estimated even during a period in which reception of either the position information transmitted by the lighting device 10 or the GPS signal is interrupted.

[Lighting system configuration]
Next, a specific configuration of the lighting device 10 will be described mainly with reference to FIG. The lighting device 10 includes a light source 11, a light emission control circuit 12, a control unit 13, a storage unit 14, and a position information transmission device 15. These components are housed in, for example, the lamp 10b.

The light source 11 is a light emitting module whose light emission is controlled by the control unit 13. The light source 11 is, for example, a light emitting module in which a plurality of LED elements are mounted on a substrate. The LED element is an LED element that emits white light (specifically, light bulb color or warm white), which is realized by a blue LED chip and a phosphor-containing resin (sealing member) that seals the blue LED chip. Is. The light source 11 may be a light emitting module using a semiconductor light emitting element such as a semiconductor laser, or a solid light emitting element such as an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) or an inorganic EL.

The light emission control circuit 12 is a circuit that supplies a voltage and a current to the light source 11 based on the control of the control unit 13.

The control unit 13 controls the light emission of the light source 11 via the light emission control circuit 12. The control unit 13 is realized by, for example, a microcomputer, but may be realized by a processor.

The storage unit 14 is a storage device that stores a program executed by the control unit 13. Specifically, the storage unit 14 is realized by a semiconductor memory or the like.

The position information transmitting device 15 is a transmitter that constantly (repeatedly) transmits position information indicating the installation position of the lighting device 10. Specifically, the position information transmission device 15 includes a transmission unit 16, a transmission control unit 17, and a storage unit 18.

The transmission unit 16 is a wireless communication circuit (in other words, a wireless communication module) that transmits position information based on the control of the transmission control unit 17. The transmission unit 16 transmits the position information by radio wave communication, for example, but the position information may be transmitted by optical communication. The communication standard of the communication performed by the transmission unit 16 is not particularly limited.

The transmission control unit 17 reads out the position information of the lighting device 10 stored in the storage unit 18, and causes the transmission unit 16 to transmit the read position information. The transmission control unit 17 is realized by, for example, a microcomputer, but may be realized by a processor.

The position information is unilaterally transmitted from the transmission unit 16 instead of being transmitted in response to a request from an external device such as the information terminal 20. That is, the position information is transmitted as a beacon signal. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of position information transmitted by the lighting device 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, the position information includes header information, latitude information located immediately after the header information, and longitude information located immediately after the latitude information at the time of transmission, and these information are repeated in order. Will be sent. By including the header information in the position information, the information terminal 20 can accurately specify the positions of the latitude information and the longitude information. For example, even when the reception of the position information is started from the position (a) in FIG. 3, the information terminal 20 uses the header information as a marker to display the latitude information and the longitude information immediately after the next header information ( (B) of FIG. 3 can be obtained.

The storage unit 18 is a storage device that stores a program executed by the transmission control unit 17 and the position information of the lighting device 10. Specifically, the storage unit 18 is realized by a semiconductor memory or the like.

The position information is stored in the storage unit 18 in advance by the time the lighting device 10 is shipped, for example. In this case, the manufacturer of the lighting device 10 needs to know where the lighting device 10 is installed at least at the time of shipment. The position information may be written in the storage unit 18 after the lighting device 10 is installed. In this case, the position information transmitting device 15 includes a communication unit that communicates with a writing device for writing the installation position to the storage unit 18, and the position information transmitting device 15 is communicated and connected to the writing device after the lighting device 10 is installed. The position information is written in the storage unit 18 by the writing device. The writing device is, for example, a portable information terminal such as a tablet terminal or a notebook computer. The communication between the position information transmitting device 15 and the writing device is, for example, wireless communication, but may be wired communication.

[Information terminal configuration]
Next, a specific configuration of the information terminal 20 will be described. The information terminal 20 includes an acquisition unit 21, a GPS signal acquisition unit 22, an information processing unit 23, a storage unit 24, and a display unit 25.

The acquisition unit 21 is a wireless communication circuit (wireless communication module) that acquires position information transmitted by the transmission unit 16 of the lighting device 10. Specifically, the acquisition unit 21 is a communication circuit that performs radio wave communication. The acquisition unit 21 acquires the position information by radio communication, for example, but may acquire the position information by optical communication. The communication standard of the communication performed by the acquisition unit 21 is not particularly limited.

The GPS signal acquisition unit 22 acquires a GPS signal transmitted from a satellite. The GPS signal acquisition unit 22 is, for example, a GPS module including a GPS antenna.

The information processing unit 23 estimates the current position of the information terminal 20 based on the acquired position information and the acquired GPS signal. Further, the information processing unit 23 causes the display unit 25 to display the estimated current position on the map. The information processing unit 23 is realized by, for example, a microcomputer, but may be realized by a processor.

The storage unit 24 is a storage device that stores a program executed by the information processing unit 23, map information, and the like. Specifically, the storage unit 24 is realized by an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or the like.

The display unit 25 is a display device that displays an image under the control of the information processing unit 23. The display unit 25 is realized by, for example, a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel.

[Operation example 1]
Next, operation example 1 of the lighting system 100 will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of operation example 1 of the lighting system 100. In other words, the flowchart of FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an information processing method performed by the information processing unit 23.

In the operation example 1, the acquisition unit 21 of the information terminal 20 acquires the position information indicating the installation position of the lighting device 10 from the lighting device 10, and the information processing unit 23 acquires the position information of the information terminal 20 based on the acquired position information. The current position is estimated (S11). Specifically, the information processing unit 23 estimates the position indicated by the position information acquired from the lighting device 10 as the position of the information terminal 20. Further, the information processing unit 23 causes the display unit 25 to display the current position on the map based on the map information stored in the storage unit 24 and the estimated current position (S12).

The information processing unit 23 determines whether or not the reception of the position information from the lighting device 10 is interrupted (S13), and if it is determined that the reception of the position information is not interrupted (No in S13), the lighting The current position estimation process (S11) and the display process (S12) based on the position information from the device 10 are continued.

For example, when a plurality of lighting devices 10 are arranged side by side along a road as shown in FIG. 1, the information terminal 20 mounted on the vehicle 30 traveling on the road may be a plurality of lighting devices 10. Location information can be received from either. In such a case, the current position estimation process based on the position information from the lighting device 10 is continued.

On the other hand, for example, when the vehicle 30 approaches another road from the road as shown in FIG. 1, the lighting device 10 transmitting the position information does not exist, and the reception of the position information may be interrupted. In such a case, it is determined that the reception of the position information from the lighting device 10 is interrupted (Yes in S13), the GPS signal acquisition unit 22 acquires the GPS signal from the satellite, and the information processing unit 23 acquires the acquired GPS. The current position of the information terminal 20 is estimated based on the signal (S14). Specifically, the information processing unit 23 estimates the position calculated based on the GPS signal as the position of the information terminal 20. Further, the information processing unit 23 causes the display unit 25 to display the current position on the map based on the map information stored in the storage unit 24 and the estimated current position (S15).

After that, the information processing unit 23 determines whether or not the reception of the position information from the lighting device 10 has been restored (S16), and if it is determined that the reception of the position information has not been restored (S16). No), the current position estimation process (S14) based on the GPS signal, and the display process (S15) are continued. On the other hand, when it is determined that the reception of the position information from the lighting device 10 is recovered (Yes in S16), the current position estimation process (S11) and the display process (S12) based on the position information from the lighting device 10 are performed. Is restarted.

As described above, in the operation example 1, the information terminal 20 basically estimates the current position based on the position information received from the lighting device 10, and during the period when the position information cannot be acquired, the information terminal 20 basically estimates the current position based on the GPS signal. To estimate. As a result, the information terminal 20 can estimate the current position of the information terminal 20 even during the period when the position information cannot be obtained from the lighting device 10. In the operation example 1, the information terminal 20 preferentially uses the position information from the lighting device 10 when both the position information from the lighting device 10 and the GPS signal can be acquired.

[Operation example 2]
Next, operation example 2 of the lighting system 100 will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of operation example 2 of the lighting system 100. In other words, the flowchart of FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an information processing method performed by the information processing unit 23.

In operation example 2, the GPS signal acquisition unit 22 of the information terminal 20 acquires a GPS signal from the satellite, and the information processing unit 23 estimates the current position of the information terminal 20 based on the acquired GPS signal (S21). .. Specifically, the information processing unit 23 estimates the position calculated based on the GPS signal acquired from the lighting device 10 as the position of the information terminal 20. Further, the information processing unit 23 causes the display unit 25 to display the current position on the map based on the map information stored in the storage unit 24 and the estimated current position (S22).

The information processing unit 23 determines whether or not the reception of the GPS signal from the satellite is interrupted (S23), and if it is determined that the reception of the GPS signal is not interrupted (No in S23), the GPS signal is used. Based on this, the current position estimation process (S21) and the display process (S22) are continued.

For example, the information terminal 20 mounted on the vehicle 30 traveling on a road in which the GPS signal is well received can receive the GPS signal while traveling on this road. In such a case, the current position estimation process based on the GPS signal is continued.

On the other hand, for example, when the vehicle 30 approaches a road in which the GPS signal reception state is poor, the GPS signal reception may be interrupted. In such a case, it is determined that the reception of the GPS signal is interrupted (Yes in S23), the acquisition unit 21 acquires the position information from the lighting device 10, and the information processing unit 23 acquires the information based on the acquired position information. The current position of the terminal 20 is estimated (S24). Specifically, the information processing unit 23 estimates the position indicated by the position information acquired from the lighting device 10 as the position of the information terminal 20. Further, the information processing unit 23 causes the display unit 25 to display the current position on the map based on the map information stored in the storage unit 24 and the estimated current position (S25).

After that, the information processing unit 23 determines whether or not the reception of the GPS signal has been restored (S26), and if it is determined that the reception of the GPS signal has not been restored (No in S26), the lighting device The current position estimation process (S24) and the display process (S25) based on the position information from 10 are continued. On the other hand, when it is determined that the reception of the GPS signal has been restored (Yes in S26), the current position estimation process (S21) and the display process (S22) based on the GPS signal are restarted.

As described above, in the operation example 2, the information terminal 20 basically estimates the current position based on the GPS signal, and during the period when the GPS signal cannot be acquired, the information terminal 20 determines the current position based on the position information from the lighting device 10. presume. As a result, the information terminal 20 can estimate the current position of the information terminal 20 even during the period when the GPS signal cannot be acquired. In operation example 2, the information terminal 20 preferentially uses the GPS signal when both the position information from the lighting device 10 and the GPS signal can be acquired.

[Modification 1]
In the above embodiment, the position information transmitting device 15 is housed in the lamp 10b, but the position information transmitting device 15 may be attached to the outside of the lamp 10b. FIG. 6 is an external view of the lighting device according to the first modification.

In the lighting device 110 shown in FIG. 6, the position information transmitting device 115 is attached to the end of the support column 110a on the lamp 110b side. That is, the lighting device 110 is realized by attaching the position information transmitting device 115 to the existing (that is, installed) lighting device later. In this way, the position information transmitting device 115 that can be attached to the existing lighting device can impart the position information transmitting function to the existing lighting device.

The specific configuration of the position information transmitting device 115 is almost the same as that of the position information transmitting device 15, but includes a power receiving terminal for receiving power supply from the power supply line for the existing lighting device. With such a power receiving terminal, the position information transmitting device 115 can be easily attached to the existing lighting device (electrical work).

[Modification 2]
By the way, in the situation as shown in FIG. 1, when the information terminal 20 receives the position information from each of the plurality of lighting devices 10 at substantially the same timing, the position information having a high received signal strength is adopted. Processing may be required. Therefore, the reachable range of the position information of the lighting device 10 (that is, the reachable range of the radio wave) may be adjusted so as not to overlap with the lighting device 10 located next to it. FIG. 7 is a diagram (viewing the road from above) showing an example of the range of radio waves of a plurality of lighting devices.

As shown in FIG. 7, the range C of the radio wave of the lighting device 10c and the range D of the radio wave of the lighting device 10d are restricted so as not to overlap in a plan view. Specifically, the directivity of the antenna included in the transmitting unit 16 is adjusted. As a result, the information terminal 20 is prevented from receiving position information from each of the plurality of lighting devices 10 at the same time.

Further, the range of the radio wave of the lighting device 10 may be longer in the extending direction of the road in a plan view. FIG. 8 is a diagram (viewed from road information) showing an example of the reach of such radio waves. As shown in FIG. 8, if the range E of the radio wave of the lighting device 10e is long in the extending direction of the road in a plan view, it is possible to realize the provision of position information using a relatively small number of lighting devices 10e. ..

[Modification 3]
In the above embodiment, the information terminal 20 is a car navigation device, but the information terminal 20 is not limited to the car navigation device. The information terminal 20 may be a mobile terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an outline of the lighting system according to the third modification. It is a figure which shows the information terminal realized as a mobile terminal.

The lighting system 200 shown in FIG. 9 includes a plurality of lighting devices 10 and an information terminal 120 realized as a mobile terminal. The plurality of lighting devices 10 can provide position information to the information terminal 120 realized as a mobile terminal. Further, in this case, the current position estimated by the information terminal 120 may be used not only in the navigation application but also in other application programs such as a game application.

[Modification example 4]
In the above embodiment, the lighting device 10 has been described as a road light, but the specific embodiment of the lighting device 10 is not particularly limited. For example, the lighting device 10 may be realized as a street light 210 that transmits position information as shown in FIG. Further, the lighting device 10 may be realized as a tunnel lighting device 310 for transmitting position information as shown in FIG.

Further, although not shown, the lighting device 10 does not need to be installed in an outdoor area, and may be a lighting device installed in an indoor area such as an underground mall or the basement of a building. If a lighting device installed in an indoor area where GPS signals are difficult to reach is used as the lighting device 10, the information terminal 20 estimates the current position with high accuracy based on the position information from the lighting device 10 even if the GPS signal cannot be received. can do.

[Effects, etc.]
As described above, the program stored (in other words, installed) in the storage unit 24 (or the storage unit of the information terminal 120) of the information terminal 20 is a position indicating the installation position of the lighting device 10 from the lighting device 10. Based on the first acquisition step (S11, etc.) for acquiring information, the second acquisition step (S14, etc.) for acquiring GPS signals, the acquired position information, and the acquired GPS signal, the information terminal 20 This is a program for causing the information terminal 20 to execute an information processing method including an estimation step (S11, S14, etc.) for estimating the current position.

Such a program can assist the information terminal 20 in estimating the current position of the information terminal 20. Specifically, the above program can prevent the information terminal 20 from being unable to estimate the current position by using the position information from the lighting device 10 and the GPS signal in a complementary manner.

Further, in the estimation step, the current position is estimated based on the acquired position information (S11), and during the period when the position information cannot be acquired, the current position is estimated based on the acquired GPS signal (S14).

As a result, the information terminal 20 can estimate the current position of the information terminal 20 based on the GPS signal even during the period when the position information cannot be acquired from the lighting device 10.

Further, in the estimation step, the current position is estimated based on the acquired GPS signal (S21), and during the period when the GPS signal cannot be acquired, the current position is estimated based on the acquired position information (S24).

As a result, the information terminal 20 can estimate the current position of the information terminal 20 based on the position information from the lighting device 10 even during the period when the GPS signal cannot be acquired.

In addition, the above-mentioned information processing method further includes a display step (S12 or the like) for displaying the estimated current position on the map.

As a result, the information terminal 20 can display the estimated current position on the map.

Further, the lighting device 10 is a road light, and the information terminal 20 is mounted on the vehicle 30.

Such a program can realize the estimation of the current position of the vehicle 30 by the information terminal 20.

Further, the lighting device 10 includes a transmission unit 16 that transmits position information indicating the installation position of the lighting device 10 by radio wave communication.

Such a lighting device 10 can support the estimation of the current position of the information terminal 20 by the information terminal 20.

(Other embodiments)
Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments.

For example, it may be set by the user whether the position information from the lighting device is preferentially used as in the operation example 1 or the GPS signal is preferentially used as in the operation example 2. In this case, the information processing method executed by the information terminal includes a step of accepting the position information from the lighting device and the setting of which of the GPS signals is preferentially used.

Further, in the above embodiment, another processing unit may execute the processing executed by the specific processing unit. Further, the order of the plurality of processes may be changed, or the plurality of processes may be executed in parallel.

Further, in the above embodiment, each component may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or a processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory.

In addition, each component may be realized by hardware. Each component may be a circuit (or integrated circuit). These circuits may form one circuit as a whole, or may be separate circuits from each other. Further, each of these circuits may be a general-purpose circuit or a dedicated circuit.

In addition, general or specific embodiments of the present invention may be realized in recording media such as systems, devices, methods, integrated circuits, computer programs or computer-readable CD-ROMs. Further, it may be realized by any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program and a recording medium.

For example, the present invention may be realized as a lighting system of the above embodiment, as a lighting device of the above embodiment, or as a position information transmitting device of the above embodiment. Good. Further, the present invention may be realized as an information processing method of the above-described embodiment, or may be realized as a computer-readable non-temporary recording medium in which the program of the above-described embodiment is recorded.

In addition, it is realized by applying various modifications to each embodiment that can be conceived by those skilled in the art, or by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of each embodiment within the range not deviating from the gist of the present invention. The form is also included in the present invention.

10, 10c, 10d, 10e, 110 Lighting device 16 Transmitter 20, 120 Information terminal 30 Vehicle 100, 200 Lighting system

Claims (6)

The first acquisition step of acquiring the position information indicating the installation position of the lighting device from the lighting device, and
The second acquisition step to acquire the GPS (Global Positioning System) signal, and
A program for causing the information terminal to execute an information processing method including an estimation step of estimating the current position of the information terminal based on the acquired position information and the acquired GPS signal. In claim 1, in the estimation step, the current position is estimated based on the acquired position information, and the current position is estimated based on the acquired GPS signal during the period when the position information cannot be acquired. Described program. In the estimation step, the current position is estimated based on the acquired GPS signal, and the current position is estimated based on the acquired position information during the period when the GPS signal cannot be acquired. Described program. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the information processing method further includes a display step of displaying the estimated current position on a map. The lighting device is a road light.
The program according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the information terminal is mounted on a vehicle. It ’s a lighting device,
A lighting device including a transmission unit that transmits position information indicating the installation position of the lighting device by radio wave communication.

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