JP3215078B2 - Wireless guidance system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a radio guidance system for transmitting a unique ID code from each transmitting device to the transmitting device and, in a portable receiving device, providing a message to a user in accordance with the received ID code. In particular, the present invention relates to a wireless guidance system in which a guidance area is determined by an arrangement of a loop antenna used for transmitting an ID code in a transmission device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The present applicant has filed Japanese Patent Application No.
The wireless guidance system proposed in 221330 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG.
,..
It has a configuration in which it is arranged on floors, walls, ceilings, etc. along the guideways of museums and art museums. As shown in FIG. 5, each transmitting device 12 includes, in addition to the loop antenna 10, its transmitting device 12
An ID generator 12a for generating a unique guide ID (for example, a binarized combination code), and a transmitter 12b for wirelessly transmitting the generated guide ID from the loop antenna 10. On the other hand, a user who moves along the guideway while repeating traveling and stopping carries the portable receiving device 14 (for example, is suspended from the neck), and this portable receiving device 1
4, a receiving antenna 14a for receiving a signal transmitted from each transmitting device 12 via the loop antenna 10 as shown in FIG. 6, a receiving unit 14b for extracting a guide ID from the received signal, Guidance ID (that is, guidance I which will be transmitted by any transmitting device 12)
D) is a table for associating guide data indicating a message to be provided to the user with a guide data section 14c, an ID for obtaining guide data by referring to the guide data section 14b according to the guide ID extracted by the receiving section 14b.
It has a decryption control unit 14d and a guidance data output unit 14e that provides a message to the user in the form of display or voice based on the obtained guidance data.

[0003] Here, as shown in FIG. 7, the direction of a magnetic field (magnetic flux density) B generated in each loop antenna 10 depends on the direction of a current I flowing through the antenna conductor of the loop antenna 10 and the user with respect to this antenna conductor. , The direction of the induced voltage E to the receiving antenna 14a is reversed when the user is inside the loop antenna 10 and when the user is outside the loop antenna 10. This appears as a phase inversion of the reception ID in the receiving unit 14b. Therefore, when the portable receiving device 14, especially the ID decoding control unit 14d, receives a code obtained by inverting the phase of the pre-registered guide ID, the transmitting device associated with the pre-registered guide ID is received. Assuming that the outside of the loop antenna 10 is outside the twelve loop antennas 10, predetermined error processing is performed. As described above, according to the system proposed by the present applicant, the space inside the loop antenna 10 (FIG.
Only the inside guide area 16) has its loop antenna 10
Can be provided by the transmitting device 12 according to the above. As a result, the message received by the user is always 1
Since it is a type, there is no confusion that a plurality of messages are provided to a user simultaneously or in a mixed form. Also, the guidance area 1 is set on the portable receiving device 14 side.
6 can be accurately identified by determining the presence or absence of phase inversion, so that a plurality of guide areas 16 can be arranged in close proximity.

[0004] However, there is room for improvement in this system. First, since one transmission device 12 is required to provide one guidance area 16, the number of transmission devices 12 must be provided by the number of guidance areas 16, which is uneconomical in terms of facility installation costs and the like. is there. Second, it is necessary to reduce the size or size of the loop antenna 10 in order to make the guide area 16 smaller. In order to prevent the spread of the magnetic field B from being suppressed, the current I must be increased. This is uneconomical in terms of power consumption and facility maintenance costs.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION One of the objects of the present invention is to reduce the number of transmitting devices and loop antennas so that more guidance areas can be realized, thereby reducing the cost required for introducing and laying the transmitting devices and loop antennas. Another object of the present invention is to provide a system which is economical in terms of power consumption and facility maintenance cost by realizing a small guide area without reducing the size or size of the loop antenna.

In order to achieve such an object, in the wireless guidance system according to the present invention, the portable receiving device simultaneously transmits a plurality of guidance IDs for at least two of the plurality of transmitting devices constituting the system. The loop antennas are at least partially overlapped so that they can be received. At the same time, the portable receiving device receives a pre-registered combination among the pre-registered guide ID combinations. Then, a message corresponding to the combination is provided to the user. As described above, since the guide area can be specified using not only the guide ID but also the combination of the guide IDs, the number of the guide areas can be larger than the number of the transmitting device and the number of the loop antennas. A guide area smaller than the size or size of the antenna can be realized. Therefore, the number of transmitting devices and their loop antennas is reduced,
The cost required for installation, installation and maintenance can be reduced,
The spread of the magnetic field can be maintained or expanded without passing a large current through the loop antenna, and power consumption and facility maintenance costs can be reduced.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The same or corresponding members as those shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be partially omitted.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration of a wireless guidance system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in this figure, in the present embodiment, the loop antenna 10-1 of the transmitting device 12-1 and the loop antenna 10-2 of the transmitting device 12-2 are used.
Are partially overlapped, and similarly, the loop antenna 10-2 of the transmission device 12-2 and the loop antenna 10-3 of the transmission device 12-3 partially overlap. In the present embodiment, the space inside only the loop antenna 10-1 is inside the guide area 16-1, and the space inside only the loop antenna 10-2 is inside the guide area 16-2, only inside the loop antenna 10-3. A certain space is defined as a guide area 16-3, and a space inside both the loop antennas 10-1 and 10-2 is defined as a guide area 16-12 and a loop antenna 10-2.
Guide space 1 inside the space inside both -2 and 10-3
6-23, the functional configuration of the portable receiving device 14 is improved so that a different message can be provided to the user for each guidance area.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the portable receiving device 14 in the present embodiment. The portable receiver 14 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, a signal that is wirelessly transmitted intermittently and randomly from a transmitting apparatus 12 having the configuration shown in FIG. To receive. Receiver 1
4b reproduces the guidance ID from the received signal and supplies it to the ID conversion unit 14f. As shown in FIG. 3, the ID conversion unit 14f inputs the reproduced guidance ID through its ID input unit 14f1, and has a capacity capable of storing a predetermined number (two or more) of guidance IDs. ID storage unit 14f
Stored in 2.

The reception ID storage unit 14f2 stores, for example, a guidance ID input by the ID input unit 14f1 during a predetermined period in the past. Alternatively, a configuration may be adopted in which the storage content is periodically reset, and the guidance ID input by the ID input unit 14f1 is stored from reset to reset. In any case, when the user is inside one loop antenna 10, the reception ID storage unit 14f2 stores the loop antenna 1
One type of guidance ID transmitted from 0 is held, and when in the overlapping area of the plurality of loop antennas 10, all the guidance IDs transmitted from the plurality of loop antennas 10 (that is, a plurality of types of guidance IDs) can be stored. The configuration is as follows.

On the other hand, in the ID conversion table 14f3, a guide ID registered in advance, that is, one of the transmitting devices 12
Guide IDs and their combinations that will be sent from
The converted IDs to be supplied to the decryption control unit 14d are associated with each other. The ID selection unit 14f4 includes a reception ID storage unit 14f
2 is the guidance ID or the combination of the guidance IDs is I
The ID decryption control unit 1 refers to the ID conversion table 14f3 based on the guide ID or the combination of the guide IDs on condition that the ID decoding table 14f3 is registered.
Select the post-conversion ID to be supplied to 4d. ID output unit 1
4f5 stores the selected converted ID in the ID decryption control unit 14
d, and the ID decoding control unit 14d converts the supplied converted ID into guide data in the same procedure as in the previous proposal, and outputs the guide data from the guide data output unit 14e.

As described above, when a plurality of types of guidance IDs have been received within a predetermined period in the past or after a predetermined time in the past (reset time) and up to the present, the combination of the plurality of types of guidance IDs received is converted into a specific The portable receiving device 14 has a function of converting the ID into an ID and outputting guidance data corresponding to the ID after the conversion.
, The loop antennas 10 can be overlapped with each other. As a result, not only the space covered by one loop antenna 10 alone, but also the space covered by a plurality of loop antennas 10 in an overlapping manner can be set as the individual guide areas 16, It is possible to reduce the number of the transmitters 12 and the number of the loop antennas 10 and to reduce facility costs. At the same time, a small guide area 16 can be realized while the size or size of the loop antenna 10 is large, so that the spread of the magnetic field B can be maintained and expanded without increasing the current I. In a system in which the loop antenna 10 is buried on the floor and the user walks with the portable receiving device 14 suspended from the neck,
The magnetic field B is required to be spread by about 1 m or more in order to enable the portable receiving device 14 to receive the guidance ID properly. In the present embodiment, such a requirement is satisfied without increasing the current I. Can be. In addition, since the transmission from each transmitting device 12 is performed intermittently at random timing, the probability of collision / interference between signals from the plurality of transmitting devices 12 is negligible.

In the above description, an example in which two loop coils 10 partially overlap is shown, but three or more loop coils 10 may partially overlap.
When the number of loop antennas 10 is n, one guide area 16
When the maximum number of the loop antennas 10 covering the area is represented by a, the number of the guide areas 16 is

[Number 1] _{n C a + n C a-} 1 + ... + n C 3 + n C 2 + n C 1 becomes so evident from the fact the, according to the present embodiment,
As the value of “a” is increased, an economical system in which the number of the transmission devices 12 and the number of the loop antennas 10 are reduced can be realized. For example, when n = 4 and a = 2, at most ₄ C ₂ +
_{While 4} C ₁ = 10 guide areas 16 can be realized,
When n = 4 and a = 3, ₄ C ₃ = 4! / (3! × 1
! ) = Fourteen guide areas 16 can be provided.

In the above description, the space covered by one loop antenna 10 or the space covered by a plurality of loop antennas 10 is defined as the guide area 16. It can also be a guidance area. For example, the guidance ID of the transmission device 12-1
If the combination of the code whose phase is inverted and the guidance ID of the transmission device 12-2 is associated with a specific selected ID on the ID conversion table 14f3, the loop antenna 10-
A space outside the loop antenna 1 and inside the loop antenna 10-2 (however, limited to a range where the magnetic field B of the loop antenna 10-1 can reach) can also be one of the guide areas 16. . In this way, for example, it is possible to notify the user of the restricted area and to inform the user of the area within the restricted area which may be entered exceptionally.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a spatial layout diagram showing a configuration of a wireless guidance system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a portable receiving device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an ID conversion unit according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a spatial layout diagram showing a configuration of a wireless guidance system according to the prior proposal.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a transmission device.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a portable receiving device according to the prior proposal.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the principle of guidance area identification using a loop antenna.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 loop antenna, 12 transmitting device, 14 portable receiving device, 14f ID conversion unit, 16 guidance area.

Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Naoshi Furukawa 5-1-1 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo Nihon Radio Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Yutaka Sada 5-1-1 Shimorenjaku, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo Nihon Stock In-house (56) References JP-A-11-68645 (JP, A) JP-A-9-275371 (JP, A) JP-A-8-274710 (JP, A) JP-A-52-19002 (JP, A) JP-A-7-170218 (JP, A) JP-A-7-154322 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H04B 7/24-7/26 H04Q 7 / 00-7/38

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An information processing apparatus includes: a plurality of transmitting devices for wirelessly transmitting a guide ID unique to a transmission source from a loop antenna thereof; and a portable receiving device carried by a user, wherein the portable receiving device is registered in advance. When the guide ID is received wirelessly, a message corresponding to the guide ID is provided to the user, and when an ID that is not registered in advance such as a code obtained by inverting the guide ID registered in advance, such as a code, is received. In a radio guidance system that processes as an error, loop antennas of different transmission devices are at least partially overlapped so that a plurality of guidance IDs can be received at the same time, and the portable reception device is registered in advance. When a combination registered in advance among the combinations of guidance IDs is received, a message corresponding to the combination is provided to the user. Radio guidance system, wherein the door.