JP4367118B2 - Location confirmation system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a location confirmation system for confirming a position of a terminal owner that reduces current consumption of a location confirming terminal without degrading confirmation precision by eliminating the need for registration of ordinary location information. <P>SOLUTION: The location confirmation terminal 2 receives a start signal from a wireless master unit 1 and transmits a terminal response signal, and a wireless slave unit 3 receives the terminal response signal from the location confirmation terminal 2, transmits a slave unit response signal to the wireless master unit 1 to allow the wireless master unit 1 to particularize the position of the location confirmation terminal 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&amp;NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a location confirmation system capable of communicating by radio waves and confirming the position of an owner. In particular, the present invention relates to a location confirmation terminal capable of using a wireless automatic meter reading system capable of connecting a plurality of wireless slave devices to a wireless master device.

  A block diagram of this type of conventional location confirmation system is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 8, the conventional location confirmation system includes a mobile phone 20 that is a self-phone having a receiving means 201 and a location information sending means 202, and a radio base station 30 that uses the current location of the self-phone as a management area, and The receiver 201 is connected to the radio base station via a line, and the receiving means 201 receives the identification number of the radio base station whose management area is the current location of the own telephone from the radio base station 30 at a predetermined frequency. It was configured to receive wirelessly using radio waves of a band (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  In this configuration, the location information transmission unit 202 receives at least the location information including the identification number of the radio base station received by the reception unit 201 in response to a predetermined instruction such as a key operation, and the radio base station 30 and The data is transmitted to an arbitrary partner (for example, a company head office / branch office or each sales office) via a predetermined line 5.

  Then, when a specific key is operated, the receiving unit 201 communicates wirelessly with the wireless base station 30 that uses the current position of the own telephone 20 as a management area using a predetermined protocol, and from the wireless base station 30 to the wireless base station 30 An identification number assigned in advance to the station is received wirelessly by radio waves in a predetermined frequency band.

  Subsequently, when an instruction for transmitting location information is given by operating another specific key or the like, the location information transmitting unit 202 transmits at least the location information including the identification number of the radio base station received by the receiving unit 201 to the wireless base station. Transmit to the base station 30.

  Accordingly, the user of the mobile phone 20 uses the mobile phone to transmit location information indicating the current location to the radio base station 30 that covers (manages) the current location. It was.

Further, it is common to use a line to transmit information to the information receiver 60, and to enable the information receiver who has received the information to create and provide a database.
JP 05-167704 A

  However, in the above conventional location confirmation system, since the mobile phone which is the location confirmation terminal uses a radio base station of a mobile phone represented by a PHS base station, the location is always received by receiving radio waves from the radio base station. Information must be registered, and communication is performed even when location information is not used, so current consumption increases, and the power of the location confirmation terminal is increased or charged periodically. It was necessary to increase the size and maintenance, making it difficult to use.

  In addition, a mechanism has been proposed in which the user communicates with the radio base station by pressing a button or the like, but registration is necessary when the user presses the button or forgets to register. There was a problem that it became unknown and accurate information could not be obtained.

  Therefore, there is a problem of providing a location confirmation terminal that can be activated only when necessary, consumes less current, and does not require long-term charging or battery replacement.

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described conventional problems, and eliminates registration of position information in a steady state and reduces current consumption of a location confirmation terminal without reducing confirmation accuracy.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a wireless master device, a location confirmation terminal that receives an activation signal from the wireless master device and transmits a terminal response signal, and a terminal response signal from the location confirmation terminal. A plurality of wireless slave devices that transmit child response signals to the wireless master device, and the location of the location confirmation terminal is determined by the location of the wireless slave device that has received the terminal response signal from the location confirmation terminal It is possible.

  As a result, the wireless master unit transmits an activation signal to a wide area and receives this signal to start the location identifying operation of the location confirmation terminal, so there is no need to constantly monitor the movement of the wireless master unit in the area. The battery is not consumed by communication. Therefore, it is possible to operate with a battery for a long time, and it is possible to reduce the trouble of battery replacement and charging, and it is possible to use a battery with a small capacity, so that a small and lightweight location confirmation terminal can be provided. Further, since the location is identified by the arrival of the terminal response signal transmitted from the location confirmation terminal to the wireless slave unit, it can be realized without sacrificing accuracy.

  In addition, since communication is performed only when necessary, the communication volume of the entire system can be reduced and the line capacity can be reduced. Therefore, the line usage fee and the processing capacity of the wireless master unit can be reduced, and the location confirmation system can be inexpensively installed. It can be provided.

  In the location confirmation system of the present invention, the location confirmation terminal receives an activation signal from the wireless master device and transmits a terminal response signal, and the wireless slave device receives the terminal response signal from the location confirmation terminal and receives the wireless parent device. In order to identify the location of the location confirmation terminal according to the location of the wireless slave device that has transmitted the child response signal to the device and received the terminal response signal from the location confirmation terminal, it is not necessary to always perform location confirmation communication. The current consumption of the confirmation terminal is small, battery operation is possible, and the communication volume of the entire system can be reduced, so that there is an effect that the line capacity can be reduced and the load on the wireless master unit can be reduced.

The first invention includes a wireless master device, a location confirmation terminal that receives an activation signal from the wireless master device and transmits a terminal response signal, a terminal response signal from the location confirmation terminal, and the wireless master device. A plurality of wireless slave devices that transmit child response signals to the wireless communication device , wherein the wireless master device includes a shared frequency that is commonly used by another wireless master device and the location confirmation terminal, and the plurality of wireless slave devices. Communication is performed using a natural frequency assigned to each wireless master to communicate with the device, the wireless master is identification information for specifying the location confirmation terminal, information indicating the natural frequency, The location confirmation terminal that transmits the activation signal including information for activating the location confirmation terminal at the shared frequency, and the location confirmation terminal that has received the activation signal includes a terminal response signal including information for identifying the location confirmation terminal Included in the activation signal The wireless handset that has transmitted the broadcast at a frequency and does not specify the destination and has received the terminal response signal, the identification information for specifying the wireless handset that has received the terminal response signal, and the terminal response signal Transmitting a slave unit response signal including identification information for identifying a location confirmation terminal included and information indicating reception strength when the terminal response signal is received to the radio base unit at the natural frequency Then, the position of the location confirmation terminal is specified by the installation location of the wireless slave unit that has received the terminal response signal from the location confirmation terminal. By receiving the activation signal from the master unit that can be transmitted over a wide area, it is possible to perform the position specifying operation. Therefore, it is not necessary to perform communication for position confirmation at all times. Can be operated for a long period of time, and the communication volume of the entire system can be reduced, so that it is possible to provide a low cost location confirmation system that requires less line capacity, line usage fee, and load on the wireless master unit.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, since the wireless slave unit that has received the terminal response signal sets the timing at which the slave unit response signal is transmitted to the wireless master unit as a time determined individually by a predetermined method, Even when a plurality of wireless slave units receive the terminal response signal from the mobile phone, each child response signal is transmitted at different timings, so there is no interference and communication reliability is improved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the wireless master unit confirms information indicating the reception intensity added to the slave unit response signal from the wireless slave unit, and selects a predetermined number of responses from those having a high strength to select the center device. Therefore, even when multiple wireless slave units receive the slave response signal, only the predetermined number of data is sent to the center, so communication with the center is shortened and the communication load on the center is reduced. Is done. In addition, since the radio wave intensity added to the slave unit response is checked at the time of sorting, it is possible to sort the responses from the wireless slave units that are likely to be close without realizing the accuracy of location confirmation. it can.

  In a twelfth aspect of the invention, a wireless slave unit is connected to a meter such as a power meter, a water meter, a gas meter, and the wireless master unit collects information including data read by the meter via the wireless slave unit, Since the automatic meter reading system that transmits the data to the center device is used as a wireless master device and a wireless slave device, the automatic meter reading system installed in each door can be used effectively and can be reliably installed in each door. The area where communication is impossible is eliminated, and a highly accurate location confirmation system can be provided. Further, by constructing a location confirmation system using an existing automatic meter reading system, it becomes possible to provide a service at a low cost without the need for new investment.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by this embodiment.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a location confirmation system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a timing chart for explaining the operation. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a message structure.

  In FIG. 1, 1 is a wireless master device, 2 is a location confirmation terminal, 3, 3a... 3n are a plurality of wireless slave devices, and 4 is an area indicating a communication range. The timing chart of FIG. 2 represents timing on the horizontal axis, and represents the transmission operation and reception operation at the frequencies f1 and f2 of the wireless master device 1, the location confirmation terminal 2, and the wireless slave device 3, respectively. The wireless master device 1 and the wireless slave device 3 communicate with each other using the frequency band f2, and intermittently receive in the frequency band f2. Further, the location confirmation terminal 2 uses the frequency band f1 as a standby frequency, and intermittently performs reception at f1.

  In addition, a parent identification code ON00 is assigned to the wireless master device 1, child identification codes KN00 to KN0n are assigned to the wireless slave devices 3, 3a... 3n, and a terminal identification code TN00 is assigned to the location confirmation terminal. And

  The telegram configuration diagram of FIG. 3 shows the configuration of the activation signal (a), the terminal response signal (c), and the child response signal (f). Each is composed of activation pattern parts (a), (d), (g), a destination part, and a data part. The terminal identification code is assigned to the destination part (b) of the activation signal (a), and the data part (c). Contains a code indicating activation.

  In addition, a broadcast code is entered in the destination part (e) of the terminal response signal (c), a terminal identification code is entered in the data part (f), and an identification code of the wireless master unit is placed in the destination part (c) of the child response signal. However, the received terminal identification code and child identification code are entered in the data part (K).

  Next, the operation in the above configuration will be described.

  For example, when used for a child's whereabouts in an amusement park or the like, the wireless master unit 1 is installed at a high place so as to be able to propagate to a wide area and is designed to propagate radio waves so as to cover the area 4 in the park. . The wireless slaves 3, 3a,... 3n are installed at various locations in the area. It is assumed that the child is carrying the location confirmation terminal 2 on his arm or the like and is carrying around. In the normal state, since the wireless master device does not transmit a signal, the location confirmation terminal is in a state of performing only intermittent reception in the frequency band f1.

  Here, if an abnormal situation such as a lost child occurs and the child's location needs to be confirmed, the wireless master unit 1 is operated, and a start signal (terminal identification code TN00 of the child location confirmation terminal 2 is added) a) is transmitted in the frequency band f1. The location confirmation terminal 2 receives this signal (b), confirms the terminal identification code (A) added to the activation signal (a) as the destination, and activates it because it matches the terminal identification code (TN00) of its own. Accept.

  Next, the location confirmation terminal 2 transmits a terminal response signal (c) using the frequency band f2. In this terminal response signal (c), a broadcast code that does not designate a destination is used as the destination (e). In addition, the terminal identification code (TN00) possessed by itself is added as data (f). The wireless slave devices 3, 3a... 3n are waiting in the frequency band f2. Of these, it is assumed that the wireless slave units 3 and 3a receive the terminal response signal (c) (d) and (e). The wireless slave devices 3 and 3a secure predetermined delay times t1 and t2, respectively, and transmit child response signals (d) and (e) to the wireless master device in the frequency band f2. In the child response signal, the parent identification code (ON00) of the wireless master device 1 is designated as the destination (K), the terminal identification code (TN00) received as data (K), and the respective child identification codes (KN00), (KN01) is added.

  On the other hand, the wireless master device 1 stands by in the frequency band f2 even after the transmission of the activation signal (a) is completed, and the child response signal (f) transmitted without interference due to the difference between the delay times t1 and t2. , (G) is received (h), (i). The wireless master device 1 knows that the wireless slave device that has received the signal of the location confirmation terminal 2 from the data of the received child response signals (h), (i) is the wireless slave device 3, 3a, The installation location of the wireless slave units 3 and 3a is notified.

  As described above, the activation signal is transmitted by specifying the terminal identification code of the location confirmation terminal from the wireless master device 1 capable of transmitting in a wide area, and the location confirmation terminal 2 that receives it transmits the terminal response signal as a broadcast signal. By receiving the wireless slave device 3 and transmitting it as a child response signal to the wireless master device, even if the location confirmation terminal can exist in a wide area, it is not necessary to perform transmission / reception with the wireless slave device other than at the time of calling. The current consumption of the location confirmation terminal can be reduced, and the device can be used for a long time.

  Therefore, even if it is given to a user who cannot perform maintenance such as charging or battery replacement for children, elderly people, pets, etc., problems such as failure to perform these operations and use when necessary are not caused. In addition, if it is disposable without battery replacement, it can be waterproofed by complete sealing, making it possible to realize location checking terminals including pets and swimming pools, and temporary services within facilities such as amusement parks. It becomes possible.

(Embodiment 2)
4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the location confirmation system according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a timing chart for explaining the operation of the location verification system, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a telegram configuration.

  The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a plurality of wireless master devices 1, 1 a, 1 b are connected to the center device 6 via the line 5. Each of the wireless master devices 1, 1a, 1b has wireless slave devices 3, 3a-3h in the respective areas 4, 4a, 4b, and the frequencies f2, f3, This is a point using f4. In the message structure, activation data and frequency data are added to the data part (c) of the activation signal, and radio wave intensity is added to the data part (g) of the child response signal. The center identification code is stored in the data portion (b) of the slave response signal data of the wireless slave unit that received the strongest radio wave.

  In FIG. 4, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. 1, 1a and 1b are wireless master units, 2 is a location confirmation terminal, 3, 3a... 3h are wireless slave units, 4, 4a and 4b are areas, 5 is a line, and 6 is a center device. The timing chart of FIG. 5 represents the timing on the horizontal axis, and represents the transmission operation and reception operation at the frequencies f1 and f2 of the wireless master device 1, 1a, 1b location confirmation terminal 2, and the wireless slave devices 3, 3a, 3b, respectively. Yes.

  Further, parent identification codes ON00,... ON02 are assigned to the wireless master devices 1, 1a, 1b, child identification codes KN00 to KN0n are assigned to the respective wireless slave devices 3, 3a... 3n, and a center identification code (CN00 is assigned to the center device 6). ) And a terminal identification code TN00 is assigned to the location confirmation terminal.

  For example, a description will be given of a case where the owner of the location confirmation terminal 2 uses it for location confirmation assuming that it is moving in the areas 4, 4a, 4b. The center device 6 is sequentially connected to the wireless master units 1, 1a, 1b through the line 5. Connect and inform the location confirmation terminal 2 to confirm the location. The wireless master devices 1, 1 a, 1 b use the activation signals (a), (a ′), (a ″) with the terminal identification code TN 00 of the location confirmation terminal 2 added to the cover areas 4, 4 a, 4 b, respectively. Transmit in band f1.

  If the location confirmation terminal 2 is present in the area 4, the location confirmation terminal 2 receives the activation signal (a) (b) and confirms the terminal identification code (A) added to the activation signal (a) as the destination. Then, the activation is accepted because it matches the terminal identification code (TN00) of its own. Next, the location confirmation terminal 2 transmits a terminal response signal (c) using the frequency band f2 specified in the data part (c). In this terminal response signal (c), a broadcast code that does not designate a destination is used as the destination (e). Also, a terminal identification code (TN00) owned by itself is added as data (f). The wireless slave devices 3, 3a, and 3b are in the frequency band f2, the wireless slave devices 3c to 3e are in the frequency band f3, and the wireless slave devices 3f to 3h are in the frequency band f4. Among these, it is assumed that the wireless slave units 3 and 3a receive the terminal response signal (c) (d) and (e). The wireless slave devices 3 and 3a transmit child response signals (d) and (e) to the wireless master device in the frequency band f2. In the child response signal, the parent identification code (ON00) of the wireless master device 1 is designated as the destination (K), the terminal identification code (TN00) received as data (K), and the respective child identification codes (KN00), (KN01), measure the radio field intensity at the time of reception and add it.

  On the other hand, the wireless master device 1 still stands by in the frequency band f2 after completing the transmission of the activation signal (a), and receives the child response signals (f) and (g) (h) and (i). Assume that the reception strengths at the wireless slave units 3 and 3a are “weak” and “strong”, respectively. In the wireless master device 1, the wireless slave devices 3 and 3a that have received the signal of the location confirmation terminal 2 from the data of the received child response signals (h) and (i) are wireless slave devices 3 and 3a. The center device 6 is notified of the installation location of the wireless slave device 3a as the owner's position.

  As described above, the location can be confirmed in a wider area by connecting with the center device 6 and calling from the plurality of wireless master devices 1. Further, even when the use frequency is different for each area, communication can be performed smoothly by transmitting the use frequency, and the reliability and efficiency of communication can be improved. Further, the wireless slave device 3 measures the radio wave intensity of the radio wave from the location confirmation terminal 2 and transmits it to the wireless master device 1, whereby the location of the location confirmation terminal 2 can be confirmed more accurately. Further, by selecting the response signals for a predetermined number from the child response signals received by the wireless master device 1 in descending order of the radio field intensity received by the wireless slave device, the location confirmation is performed. In order to prevent the communication message between the wireless master unit and the center device from becoming longer without reducing the accuracy of the network, the communication load on the line can be light, and the cost of communication usage can be reduced.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram showing the configuration of the location confirmation system according to the third embodiment of the present invention. The third embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments in that meters 7, 7 a, 7 b are connected to the wireless slave devices 3, 3 a, 3 b and are installed in the houses 8, 8 a, 8 b. The wireless master unit 1 can transmit information including data read by the meter 7 via the wireless slave unit 3 in the previous period.

  In addition, the thing of the same code | symbol as Embodiment 1, 2 has the same structure, and abbreviate | omits description.

  Next, the operation and action will be described. The owner of the location confirmation terminal 2 is confirmed from the center device 6. The activation signal is transmitted from the wireless master device 1 in the same manner as in the second embodiment, the location confirmation terminal 2 that has received this activation signal transmits the terminal response signal, and the wireless slave device 3 that has received the terminal response signal receives the child response. Send a signal. The wireless master device 1 transmits this child response signal to the center device 6, and the center device 6 compares the received child identification code with the customer list, and from the corresponding child identification code, the customer whose wireless slave device is installed is checked. The address is confirmed and reported as the current location of the location confirmation terminal. In this way, by using the wireless master device and the wireless slave device for automatic meter reading, the equipment can be effectively used. In addition, since the meter and the wireless slave unit are installed in each home, it is possible to confirm the location with high accuracy. Furthermore, since the database can be shared by using customer information of the supplier, it is possible to easily and inexpensively introduce a location confirmation system in the automatic meter reading introduction area.

  As described above, in the location confirmation system according to the present invention, the location confirmation terminal receives the activation signal from the wireless master device and transmits the terminal response signal, and the wireless slave device receives the terminal response signal from the location confirmation terminal. In order to identify the position of the location confirmation terminal according to the location of the wireless slave device that has received and transmitted the child response signal to the wireless master device and received the terminal response signal from the location confirmation terminal, communication for constant location confirmation is performed. It is not necessary to do so, the current consumption of the location confirmation terminal is small, battery operation is possible, and the communication volume of the entire system can be reduced, so the line capacity can be reduced and the load on the wireless master unit can be reduced. It can be applied to various applied location confirmation systems.

Configuration diagram of location confirmation system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention Timing chart for explaining the operation of the presence confirmation system in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Explanatory drawing which shows the message | telegram structure of the presence confirmation system in Embodiment 1 of this invention Configuration diagram of location confirmation system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention Timing chart explaining operation of location confirmation system in embodiment 2 of the present invention Message configuration diagram of location confirmation system according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention Configuration diagram of location confirmation system according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention Configuration diagram of conventional location confirmation system

Explanation of symbols

1, 1a, 1b Wireless master device 2 Location confirmation terminal 3, 3a-3h, 3n Wireless slave device 4, 4a, 4b Area 6 Center device 7, 7a, 7b Meter

Claims (4)

With the wireless master unit,
A location confirmation terminal that receives an activation signal from the wireless master and transmits a terminal response signal;
A location confirmation system comprising a plurality of wireless slave devices that receive a terminal response signal from the location confirmation terminal and transmit a child response signal to the wireless master device ,
The wireless master unit includes a shared frequency that is commonly used by other wireless master units and the location confirmation terminal, and a natural frequency assigned to each wireless master unit for communicating with the plurality of wireless slave units. Communicate using
The wireless master unit transmits an activation signal including identification information for identifying the location confirmation terminal, information indicating the natural frequency, and information for activating the location confirmation terminal at the shared frequency,
The location confirmation terminal that has received the activation signal transmits a terminal response signal including information for specifying the location confirmation terminal by broadcast communication that does not specify a destination at the natural frequency included in the activation signal,
The wireless slave device that has received the terminal response signal has identification information for specifying the wireless slave device that has received the terminal response signal, identification information for specifying a location confirmation terminal included in the terminal response signal, A location confirmation system that transmits a slave unit response signal including information indicating reception strength when the terminal response signal is received to the wireless master unit at the natural frequency . The wireless slave unit that has received the terminal response signal transmits a slave unit response signal to the wireless master unit according to a predetermined method according to a predetermined time . Location confirmation system. The wireless master unit confirms information indicating the reception strength added to the slave unit response signal from the wireless slave unit, selects a predetermined number of responses from those having a strong strength, and transmits them to the center device. The location confirmation system according to claim 2 . A meter such as a power meter, a water meter, and a gas meter is connected to the wireless slave unit,
Wherein with wireless master unit collects through the radio personal station information including data needle in the meter, of claim 3 where and transmits the data to the center apparatus <br/> Confirmation system.

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