JP4572188B2 - Travel assistance system, travel assistance method, travel assistance program, and program recording medium - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a traveling assistance system, a traveling assistance method, a traveling assistance program, and a program recording medium, and in particular, a traveling assistance system that assists and supports a traveling operation using a wireless communication system using a portable terminal such as a PHS terminal, and traveling assistance. The present invention relates to a method, a tour assistance program, and a program recording medium. For example, the present invention can be suitably applied to a patrol system for performing patrol security of buildings.

In the conventional patrol system in which the patrol inspection site is patroled sequentially, it is described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-207451 “Patrol Inspection Support System” and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 2-121099 “Patrol System”. As described above, a mechanism for associating a traveling inspection place with a time using a traveling clock by using a key assigned to each traveling inspection place has been mainly used. At present, many of them use a conventional cyclic clock.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-207451 (page 4-5) Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-121099 (page 4)

  However, in the patrol system using a patrol clock, the upper limit value for the number of patrol inspection places is low, and the data of only the patrol inspection place and time can be a cyclic record, but there is little information to be obtained, It was difficult to use other information. Furthermore, management in real time has been difficult.

  On the other hand, in recent years, wireless communication systems using so-called portable terminals such as PHS terminals, cellular phone terminals, PDAs, portable notebook PCs, and wireless LAN terminals have been established as communication infrastructures, and patrol persons carry portable terminals. Thus, it is possible to exchange information with a server that manages the traveling information by using such an existing wireless communication system, thereby assisting and assisting the traveling operation. For example, there are many examples in which an extension PHS system is constructed as a communication infrastructure in a building. By using the communication infrastructure of this existing extension PHS system for a patrol system for performing a patrol inspection of a building, It has become possible to reduce the cost of infrastructure for support.

  Further, as a mechanism for identifying a patrol place, a recording medium for recording information for identifying a patrol place, such as a barcode, an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag, an IC tag, a wireless tag, etc., instead of a key at a conventional patrol inspection place If it is decided to install it in each patrol place, the creation cost of barcodes and RFID tags etc. is low, the installation is easy, and the external recorded on the barcodes and RFID tags etc. Since it has become possible to mount an external information reading mechanism capable of reading information on a portable terminal, an effective patrol assistance system can be economically constructed.

  From this point of view, the present invention provides a portable terminal equipped with a mechanism for reading external information recorded on a recording medium such as a barcode or an RFID tag and a mechanism for acquiring position information indicating the current position, and the wireless of the portable terminal. A traveling assistance system, a traveling assistance method, a traveling assistance program, and a program recording medium capable of solving problems in a conventional traveling system by assisting a traveling operation by using a wireless communication system for communication It is intended to provide.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the tour assistance system, the tour assistance method, the tour assistance program, and the program recording medium according to the present invention employ the following characteristic configurations.

(1) A patrol person carrying a mobile terminal patrols while checking the state at each patrol place, and notifies the state check result at each patrol place to the server that manages the patrol information via the network. In the patrol assistance system that assists the operation, information for identifying each patrol place is arranged for each patrol place, and the portable terminal carried by the patrol person reads information outside the portable terminal And a position information acquisition mechanism capable of acquiring the current position as position information, and when a patroller carrying the mobile terminal arrives at the patrol location, the mobile terminal With the external information reading mechanism, information for identifying the patrol place is read as patrol place specifying information, and the position information acquired by the position information acquiring mechanism; The cyclic aid system via the network, transmitting to the server.
(2) In the tour assistance system according to (1), when the server receives the tour location specifying information and the location information from the mobile terminal, the server uses the tour location specifying information and the location information. A patrol assistance system that confirms whether the patrolman has arrived at the correct patrol place.
(3) In the patrol assistance system of (2) above, when the server determines that the patrol person has not arrived at the correct patrol location, the server transmits the patrol location specifying information and the location information. A tour assistance system that returns information to be reconfirmed to the original portable terminal via the network.
(4) In the patrol assistance system of (2), when the server confirms that the patrol person has arrived at the correct patrol place, the item to be inspected at the patrol place is set as the state check item, A patrol assistance system that returns the patrol location specifying information and the location information to the mobile terminal that has transmitted the data via a network.
(5) In the patrol assistance system according to (4), the server may change the state check item of the patrol place for each patrol place and transmit the change to the mobile terminal via the network. Travel assistance system that can.
(6) In the patrol assistance system according to (4) or (5), when the portable terminal receives the condition check item from the server, the condition check received using the output means of the portable terminal Displaying the item, notifying the patrol person carrying the mobile terminal, and using the input means of the mobile terminal, the inspection result input from the patrol person as the state inspection result at the patrol place via the network A patrol assistance system for transmitting to the server.
(7) In the tour assistance system according to (6), when the server receives the status check result at the tour location from the mobile terminal, the server confirms whether the received status check result at the tour location is normal. Patrol assistance system to do.
(8) In the patrol assistance system of (7) above, when the server determines that the state check result at the patrol place includes an abnormal state, the server checks the state at the patrol place. A tour assistance system that returns information instructing re-inspection to the mobile terminal that has transmitted the result via the network.
(9) In the patrol assistance system of (7) above, when the server determines that all of the state inspection results at the patrol place are in a normal state, the server has transmitted the state inspection result at the patrol place. A tour assistance system that returns information indicating the next tour location to be visited to the original mobile terminal via the network.
(10) In the patrol assistance system according to any one of (1) to (9), the server obtains position information indicating a current position from the position information acquisition mechanism of the mobile terminal carried by a patrolman who is traveling. A tour assistance system that obtains information as needed via the network as needed and returns information indicating the next tour location to be visited to the mobile terminal that has obtained the location information via the network.
(11) In the traveling assistance system according to any one of (1) to (10) above, the mobile terminal is a terminal type of any one of a PHS terminal, a mobile phone terminal, a PDA, a mobile notebook PC, and a wireless LAN terminal. A patrol assistance system that is configured and includes a wireless communication system in which the network performs wireless communication in accordance with the type of terminal that constitutes the mobile terminal.
(12) In the traveling assistance system according to any one of (1) to (11), the external information reading mechanism provided in the portable terminal records a barcode scanner that reads a barcode, and the recorded content of an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag A traveling assistance system comprising any one of an RFID tag reader for reading the content, an IC tag reader for reading the content recorded on the IC tag, and a magnetic tag reader for reading the content recorded on the magnetic tag.
(13) In the patrol assistance system according to any one of (1) to (12) above, a wireless communication system in which the position information acquisition mechanism provided in the mobile terminal performs wireless communication according to a terminal type constituting the mobile terminal A traveling assistance system comprising either means of obtaining position information by using position information or obtaining position information by installing GPS means.
(14) A visitor who carries a mobile terminal circulates while checking the state at each traveling place, and assists the operation of notifying the state inspection result at each traveling place to the server that manages the traveling information. In the patrol assistance method, for each patrol place, information for identifying each patrol place is arranged, and when the patroller carrying the mobile terminal arrives at the patrol place, A patrol assistance method that reads information for identifying a patrol place as patrol place specifying information and transmits the information to the server together with position information indicating a current position of the mobile terminal.
(15) In the patrol assistance method of (14), when the server receives the patrol location specifying information and the location information from the mobile terminal, the server uses the patrol location specifying information and the location information. A patrol assistance method for confirming whether the patrol person has arrived at the correct patrol place.
(16) In the patrol assistance method of (15), when the server confirms that the patrol person has arrived at the correct patrol place, the item to be inspected at the patrol place is set as the state check item. A patrol assistance method for returning to the mobile terminal that has transmitted the patrol location specifying information and the location information.
(17) The tour assistance method according to (16), wherein the server can change the state check item of the tour location for each tour location and transmit the change to the mobile terminal.
(18) In the tour assistance method according to (16) or (17), when the portable terminal receives the state inspection item from the server, the portable terminal displays the received state inspection item, A patrol assistance method for notifying a traveling patrol person and transmitting an inspection result input from the patrol person as a state inspection result at the patrol place to the server.
(19) In the patrol assistance method of (18), when the server receives the status check result at the patrol location from the mobile terminal, the server confirms whether the received status check result at the patrol location is normal. When it is determined that all of the state inspection results at the patrol location are in a normal state, the next patrol location to be visited is sent to the mobile terminal that has transmitted the state inspection result at the patrol location. A patrol assistance method that returns information to be directed.
(20) In the patrol assistance method according to any one of (14) to (19), the server needs location information indicating a current location from the location information acquisition mechanism of the mobile terminal carried by the patrolman who is traveling. A traveling assistance method for acquiring information at any time according to the information and returning information indicating a next traveling place to be visited to the mobile terminal that has acquired the position information.
(21) A traveling assistance program that implements the traveling assistance method according to any one of (14) to (20) as a program executable by a computer.
(22) A program recording medium in which the tour assistance program of (21) is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

  According to the patrol assistance system, the patrol assistance method, the patrol assistance program, and the program recording medium of the present invention, a mechanism for reading external information recorded on a recording medium such as a barcode or an RFID tag and a mechanism for acquiring position information indicating the current position At least a recording medium such as a barcode or an RFID tag in which external information for identifying a traveling place is recorded, and a portable communication terminal that can be used as a wireless communication system for wireless communication of the portable terminal. The construction of the patrol assistance system can improve the quality of the patrol work, prevent the occurrence of an oversight or a route error, and can support the efficient patrol work.

  That is, according to the present invention, the following effects can be achieved. First, by using an existing communication infrastructure such as a PHS communication system as a wireless communication system, a patrol person can read external information recorded on a barcode, an RFID tag, etc. and acquire position information indicating the current position. By carrying a mobile terminal equipped with a mechanism and traveling around, information recorded on a barcode or RFID tag installed at the traveling location (touring point) where the patrolman moved (identifies the traveling location) Data) is sent to the server that manages the travel information, including not only the result of reading the data as external information but also the location information of the mobile terminal, so that the visitor arrives at the specified tour location designated by the server. It is possible to confirm more reliably whether or not, and it is possible to assist the tour using the already installed wireless communication system. The stem of the can be economically feasible.

  Second, the server should check at the patrol place using the existing communication infrastructure as a radio communication system when it is confirmed that the visitor has arrived at the designated patrol place. Since the state inspection items are instructed, the inspection quality at the patrol place can be improved, the inspection failure of the patrol person can be surely prevented, and the work efficiency can be improved. In addition, the inspection results at the patrol place can be returned to the server and checked in real time on the server. If there is a problem with the inspection results, the patrol person who stays at the patrol place immediately. Can be instructed to re-inspect and prevent oversight of the inspection.

  Third, the server uses the existing communication infrastructure as a wireless communication system when it is confirmed that there are no problems with the inspection results for all inspection items to be checked at the patrol place where the patrolman is currently located. Since the patrol place is instructed to the next place to be inspected, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a patrol route mistake of the patrol person and to perform efficient patrol.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a tour assistance system, tour assistance method, tour assistance program, and program recording medium according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following embodiment, a PHS terminal with a barcode scanner equipped with a position information acquisition mechanism is used as a portable terminal equipped with a mechanism for reading external information and a position information acquisition mechanism carried by a patrol person. Although described, the present invention is not limited to such a case.

  For example, an RFID tag reader, IC tag reader, or wireless tag reader capable of reading external information recorded on an RFID tag, IC tag, or wireless tag as a mechanism for reading external information may be provided instead of the barcode scanner. A mobile phone terminal, a PDA, a portable notebook PC, or various portable wireless LAN terminals may be used instead of the PHS terminal as the type of portable terminal. In addition, as a position information acquisition mechanism of the mobile terminal, instead of acquiring position information used for communication of the PHS terminal, position information used for communication of a mobile phone terminal or a wireless LAN terminal is acquired. Alternatively, a GPS mechanism may be mounted.

(Features of the present invention)
Prior to the description of the embodiments of the present invention, first, the outline of the features of the present invention will be described. As described above, the present invention provides a portable terminal provided with a mechanism for reading external information and a position information acquisition mechanism carried by a patrol person at the time of patrol, a server that manages patrol information, and the portable terminal performs wireless communication. It is characterized by providing assistance for performing efficient and effective patrol using a wireless communication system composed of a network.

  That is, the present invention has the following main features. By using the configuration as described above, when the patrol person arrives at the patrol place, the external information for specifying the patrol place is acquired and transmitted from the mobile terminal to the server. The position information indicating the current position is also acquired, and the acquired position information can be included in the external information for specifying the traveling place and transmitted to the server. In addition, when the server confirms that the current location of the patrol person is the correct patrol location, the server should return the inspection items to be inspected at the patrol location from the server to the mobile terminal in real time. It is possible. Furthermore, when the server confirms that all the inspection results at the current patrol location are normal, it is possible to instruct the next patrol location from the server to the portable terminal.

(Configuration of Example)
Next, regarding the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention, as described above, a PHS terminal with a barcode scanner having a position information acquisition mechanism is used as a portable terminal having an external information reading mechanism and a position information acquisition mechanism. The case of using will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of the system configuration of the tour assistance system according to the present invention, for explaining the concept of the tour assistance system of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of a system configuration for explaining the main part of the patrol assistance system according to the present invention. The main part in the server for managing the patrol information and the PHS terminal carried by the patrol person is shown. Extracted and shown. FIG. 3 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of a specific system configuration of the patrol assistance system according to the present invention, and shows an example of a specific block configuration of a server and a PHS terminal.

  First, the concept of the tour assistance system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the system configuration diagram of FIG. The patrol assistance system 100 according to the present invention performs PHS communication between the server 10 that manages patrol information, the PHS terminal 20 with a bar code scanner carried by the patrol person, and the server 10 and the PHS terminal 20 with a bar code scanner. Network 30 (PHS communication network) for performing at least.

  A patrol person carrying the PHS terminal 20 with a barcode scanner patrols while sequentially checking a patrol place according to an instruction from the server 10. When the patrol person reaches the patrol place A, the bar code 2A installed at the patrol place A (applied to an appropriate place such as the entrance of the patrol place A) is read by the PHS terminal 20 with the bar code scanner. The position information of the PHS terminal 20 with the barcode scanner carried by the patrol person is acquired as the position information of the patrol person, and the read bar code data and the acquired position information of the patrol person are included in the PHS mail. The data is edited into a format, and mail is transmitted from the PHS antenna 1 </ b> A installed in the traveling place A to the server 10 via the network 30.

  The server 10 that has received the mail including the barcode 2A of the patrol place A and the position information of the visitor from the PHS terminal 20 with the barcode scanner confirms the mail transmission place from the barcode 2A and the position information of the visitor. To confirm that the mail is correctly transmitted from the traveling place A. If it is confirmed that the message is correctly transmitted, the server 10 creates a reply mail in which items to be inspected at the patrol location A are edited as the status check items, and further via the network 30, the patrol location. The data is transmitted to the PHS terminal with barcode scanner 20 carried by the patrol person via the A PHS antenna 1A.

  The patrol person who has received the reply mail including the state inspection item of the traveling place A from the server 10 at the PHS terminal 20 with the barcode scanner sequentially performs the inspection at the traveling place A according to the state inspection item, and the inspection result. Is created as a result of the state inspection at the traveling location A, and is sent from the PHS antenna 1A to the server 10 via the network 30.

  The server 10 that has received the mail including the result of the state inspection at the patrol location A from the PHS terminal 20 with the barcode scanner confirms the inspection result of the patrol location A, and confirms that there is no abnormality in the patrol location A. A reply mail instructing the inspection place B to be visited next is created, and the bar carried by the patrol person at the visiting place A via the network 30 and further via the PHS antenna 1A of the visiting place A. It transmits with respect to the PHS terminal 20 with a code scanner.

  The patrol person who has received the reply mail instructing the next patrol location B from the server 10 at the PHS terminal 20 with the barcode scanner moves to the next patrol location B instructed from the server 10 and travels to the patrol location A. By performing the same information exchange with the server 10 as in the case of, the inspection work at the patrol place B is performed. Thereafter, according to an instruction from the server 10, the patrol person moves to the next patrol place instructed, and repeats the patrol inspection work to complete the patrol of all predetermined patrol places registered in the server 10. Repeat until.

  Next, with reference to the system configuration diagram of FIG. 2, main components mounted on the server 10 and the PHS terminal 20 with a barcode scanner for each mail transmission / reception will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the server 10 includes contents included in the mail received from the wireless unit 11 that transmits and receives mail in the PHS mail format by radio signals and the PHS terminal 20 with a barcode scanner via the network 30. At least a determination unit 12 for confirming and determining (barcode data, position information, state inspection results, etc.) is provided.

  On the other hand, the PHS terminal 20 with a barcode scanner has a wireless unit 21 that transmits and receives PHS mail format mail via a network 30 and barcodes 2A, 2B installed at the traveling locations A, B,. ,... Are at least provided.

  Next, a specific block configuration example of the server 10 and the PHS terminal 20 with a barcode scanner will be further described with reference to the system configuration diagram of FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, in addition to the wireless unit 11 and the determination unit 12 described above, the server 10 includes an input unit 13 including a keyboard, an output unit 14 including a CRT and an LCD, and a storage unit 15 that stores various types of information. And the control part 16 which controls operation | movement of the whole server 10 is comprised.

  On the other hand, the PHS terminal 20 with a barcode scanner has substantially the same configuration as that of the server 10 and includes a barcode scanner 22, an input unit 23 including keys and buttons, an LCD, and the like in addition to the wireless unit 21 described above. The output unit 24 includes a storage unit 25 that stores various types of information, and a control unit 26 that controls the overall operation of the PHS terminal 20 with a barcode scanner.

  Here, each of the control unit 16 and the control unit 26 of the server 10 and the PHS terminal 20 with the barcode scanner includes a CPU capable of executing the program, and follows a control procedure created as a tour assistance program. It is also possible to operate.

(Description of operation of the embodiment)
Next, an example of the operation of the patrol assistance system according to the present invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3 will be described in detail with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the operation of the PHS terminal 20 with a barcode scanner of the patrol assistance system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The bar carried by the patrol person who arrives at the patrol place to be inspected. An example of an operation of transmitting the read barcode data and position information to the server 10 by operating the PHS terminal with code scanner 20 is shown. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the operation of the server 10 of the patrol assistance system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The PHS mail including the barcode data and the position information from the PHS terminal with barcode scanner 20 is shown. 2 shows an example of the operation of the server 10 that has received.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the next operation of FIG. 4 in the PHS terminal 20 with a barcode scanner of the traveling assistance system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. However, an example of an operation of transmitting the result of the inspection based on the state inspection item at the patrol place received from the server 10 to the server 10 as the state inspection result is shown. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the next operation of FIG. 5 in the server 10 of the tour assistance system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. The result of the state check at the tour place from the PHS terminal 20 with a barcode scanner is shown. 2 shows an example of the operation of the server 10 that has received.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the next operation of FIG. 6 in the PHS terminal 20 with a barcode scanner of the tour assistance system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. 2 shows an example of the operation of the PHS terminal with a barcode scanner 20 that has received information instructing from the server 10.

  First, using the flowchart of FIG. 4, the PHS terminal 20 with the barcode scanner of the patrol person who arrived at the patrol location A to be inspected waits for the PHS antenna A1, acquires the position information of the PHS antenna A1, and Then, an operation of waiting for a radio signal transmitted from the server 10 or the like is started (step S01).

  Next, the bar code installed at the patrol place is read by the bar code scanner 22 arranged in the input unit 23 of the PHS terminal 20 with the bar code scanner, stored in the storage unit 25, and the control unit 26 notifies the fact. Is notified (step S02).

  The control unit 26 of the PHS terminal with barcode scanner 20 reads out the barcode data (data for identifying the patrol location) stored in the storage unit 25 and determines the current location of the PHS terminal with barcode scanner 20. It is detected as position information, edited into a PHS mail format in which position information is added to the read barcode data (step S03), and mail is transmitted from the wireless unit 21 to the server 10 via the network 30 (step S04). ). Thereafter, the PHS terminal with barcode scanner 20 shifts to a standby state until a mail reply from the server 10 is received.

  Next, the operation of the server 10 that has received the PHS mail including the barcode data and the position information from the PHS terminal with barcode scanner 20 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. In step S04 shown in FIG. 4, the PHS mail including the barcode data indicating the traveling location and the position information indicating the current position of the PHS terminal with barcode scanner 20 transmitted from the PHS terminal with barcode scanner 20 is sent to the server 10. Is received by the wireless unit 11, the received barcode data and position information are stored in the storage unit 15, and a notification to that effect is sent to the control unit 16 (step S 11).

  The control unit 16 of the server 10 reads the barcode data stored in the storage unit 15, drives the determination unit 12, and reads the read barcode data (that is, the barcode data received from the PHS terminal 20 with a barcode scanner). ) Determines whether or not the patrol place to be checked is correctly indicated (step S12).

  When the determination result in the determination unit 12 is that the barcode data does not correctly indicate the circulation location to be inspected (NO in step S12), the control unit 16 visits the PHS terminal 20 with the barcode scanner as the transmission source. A message that prompts the user to reconfirm the patrol location is generated, and the PHS mail format is sent from the wireless unit 11 via the network 30 to the PHS terminal with barcode scanner 20 that is the transmission source (step S16). ). Thereafter, the server 10 returns to a state of waiting for a radio signal transmitted from the PHS terminal 20 with a barcode scanner or the like via the network 30.

  On the other hand, if the determination result in the determination unit 12 is that the barcode data correctly indicates the patrol place to be inspected (YES in step S12), the control unit 16 stores the paired barcode data in the storage unit 15. The position information read out and the determination unit 12 is driven to read out the position information (that is, information indicating the current position of the PHS terminal with barcode scanner 20 received from the PHS terminal with barcode scanner 20). It is determined whether or not the bar code data correctly indicates the same patrol place to be checked as the patrol place specified (step S13).

  As a determination result in the determination unit 12, if the position information does not correctly indicate the same tour location to be inspected as the tour location specified by the barcode data (NO in step S13), the process proceeds to step S16. As described above, the control unit 16 performs an operation of generating and transmitting a message that prompts the patrol person who carries the PHS terminal 20 with the barcode scanner as the transmission source to reconfirm the patrol location. Thereafter, the server 10 returns to a state of waiting for a radio signal transmitted from the PHS terminal 20 with a barcode scanner or the like via the network 30.

  On the other hand, as a determination result in the determination unit 12, when the position information correctly indicates the same tour location to be checked as the tour location specified by the barcode data (YES in step S 13), the control unit 16 Is determined to have arrived at the correct patrol place, the items to be checked by the patrol person at the current patrol place are read out from the storage unit 15 and generated as state check items (step S14). Then, the wireless unit 11 sends a mail via the network 30 to the PHS terminal with barcode scanner 20 as the transmission source (step S15). Thereafter, the server 10 returns to a state of waiting for a radio signal transmitted from the PHS terminal 20 with a barcode scanner or the like via the network 30.

  Next, the operation of the PHS terminal 20 with a barcode scanner that has received the PHS mail including the state check item in the current patrol place from the server 10 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. In step S15 shown in FIG. 5, when the PHS mail transmitted from the server 10 and including the state inspection item at the current patrol place is received by the wireless unit 21 of the PHS terminal 20 with the barcode scanner, the PHS mail is received. The state inspection item is stored in the storage unit 25, and a notification to that effect is sent to the control unit 26 (step S21). The control unit 26 of the PHS terminal 20 with the barcode scanner displays the received state inspection item on the output unit 24 such as an LCD and notifies the patrol person (step S22).

  The patrol person checks the patrol place according to the state check item displayed on the output unit 24, and inputs the check result using the input unit 23 such as a key of the PHS terminal 20 with the barcode scanner, The information is sequentially stored in the storage unit 25 in association with each state inspection item (step S23). When the inspections for all the state inspection items are completed, the control unit 26 reads out the inspection results stored in association with the respective state inspection items from the storage unit 25, summarizes them as the state inspection results, and in the PHS mail format. Mail is transmitted from the wireless unit 21 to the server 10 via the network 30 (step S24). Thereafter, the PHS terminal with barcode scanner 20 shifts to a standby state until a mail reply from the server 10 is received.

  Next, the operation of the server 10 that has received the PHS mail including the result of the state inspection at the patrol place from the PHS terminal 20 with the barcode scanner will be described using the flowchart of FIG. In step S24 shown in FIG. 6, when the PHS mail including the state check result transmitted from the PHS terminal 20 with the barcode scanner is received by the wireless unit 11 of the server 10, the received state check result is stored in the storage unit 15. Then, this is notified to the control unit 16 (step S31). The control unit 16 of the server 10 reads out the state inspection result stored in the storage unit 15 and drives the determination unit 12 to determine whether or not the read out state inspection result is normal without any problem. Determination is made (step S32).

  If the determination result in the determination unit 12 has a problem as a result of the state inspection at the patrol place and does not indicate that the result is normal (NO in step S22), the control unit 16 sends the PHS terminal with a barcode scanner as the transmission source The PHS terminal 20 with a barcode scanner as a transmission source is generated from the wireless unit 11 via the network 30 in the PHS mail format by generating a message that prompts the patrol person carrying the mobile phone 20 to re-inspect the state of the patrol place. Is sent to the mail (step S35). Thereafter, the server 10 returns to a state of waiting for a radio signal transmitted from the PHS terminal 20 with a barcode scanner or the like via the network 30. Note that the PHS terminal 20 with a barcode scanner that has received the message for prompting the re-inspection again performs the inspection operation of the patrol place shown in the flowchart of FIG.

  On the other hand, if the determination result in the determination unit 12 indicates that the result of the state inspection at the tour location is normal without any problem (YES in step S32), the control unit 16 stores the visit location to be visited next in the storage unit. 15, information indicating the next patrol location is set (step S 33), and the PHS mail format is sent from the wireless unit 11 to the PHS terminal 20 with a barcode scanner as a transmission source via the network 30. Transmit (step S34). Thereafter, the server 10 returns to a state of waiting for a radio signal transmitted from the PHS terminal 20 with a barcode scanner or the like via the network 30.

  Next, the operation of the PHS terminal 20 with the barcode scanner that has received the PHS mail including the information indicating the next patrol place from the server 10 will be described using the flowchart of FIG. In step S34 shown in FIG. 7, when the PHS mail transmitted from the server 10 and including information indicating the next patrol location is received by the radio unit 21 of the PHS terminal 20 with the barcode scanner, the received next patrol location is received. Is stored in the storage unit 25 and a notification to that effect is sent to the control unit 26 (step S41). The control unit 26 of the PHS terminal 20 with the barcode scanner displays the received next patrol place on the output unit 24 such as an LCD and notifies the patrol person (step S42).

  The patrol person starts moving according to the instruction of the next patrol place displayed on the output unit 24. (Step S43).

(Explanation of effects in this embodiment)
As described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained in the tour assistance system according to this embodiment.

  First, by using an existing communication infrastructure called a PHS communication system, a patrol person carries a PHS terminal 20 with a barcode scanner equipped with a position information acquisition mechanism indicating the current position, and patrols the patrol person. In addition to the result of reading, as external information, a bar code (data for specifying the patrol location) installed at the patrol location (tour point) to which the user has moved, the patrol is performed including the location information of the PHS terminal 20 with the barcode scanner. By transmitting the information to the server that manages the information, the server 10 can more reliably confirm whether or not the patrol person has arrived at the designated patrol place, and the PHS that has already been installed. Since the patrol assistance can be performed using the communication system, the patrol assistance system can be realized economically.

  Secondly, when it is confirmed that the patrol person has arrived at the designated patrol place, the server 10 performs inspection at the patrol place using the existing communication base called the PHS communication system. It is configured to indicate the state inspection items to be checked, so that the optimum items can be instructed as items to be checked as appropriate according to the situation of the patrol place when the patrolman arrives. It is possible to improve the quality, reliably prevent the inspection by the patrolman, and improve the work efficiency. Further, the inspection result at the patrol place can be returned to the server 10 and confirmed in real time by the server 10. If there is a problem with the inspection result, the inspection result stays at the patrol place immediately. A re-inspection can be instructed to a patrol person, and an oversight of the inspection can be prevented.

  Third, the server 10 uses an existing communication infrastructure called a PHS communication system when it is confirmed that there are no problems in the inspection results for all inspection items to be inspected at the patrol place where the patrolman is currently located. Thus, since a tour location to be checked next is instructed to the patrol person, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a patrol route mistake of the patrol person and perform efficient patrol.

(Another embodiment of the present invention)
Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  In the embodiment described above, a bar code is used as information installed at each patrol place to specify the patrol place, and the bar code is used as external information for the PHS terminal as an example of a portable terminal capable of reading external information. Although the case where the barcode scanner capable of reading the contents of the above is provided has been described, the present invention is not limited to such a case. For example, a storage medium for information (so-called external information existing outside from a mobile terminal) installed in a patrol place to identify each patrol place, an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag, an IC tag, or In addition, recording may be performed on a recording medium such as a wireless tag, and such a recording medium may be a contact type tag as well as a non-contact type tag.

  When the information installed in the patrol place is recorded on the RFID tag, IC tag, or wireless tag, the RFID tag, IC tag, or wireless tag can be read by the portable terminal carried by the patrol person. A simple RFID tag reader, IC tag reader, or wireless tag reader may be mounted instead of the barcode scanner described above.

  In the above-described embodiment, the PHS terminal that performs PHS communication has been described as the type of mobile terminal carried by the patrol person. However, instead of the PHS terminal, a mobile phone terminal, PDA, portable notebook PC, or Any of various terminals capable of wireless communication such as a wireless LAN terminal may be used.

  In addition, as the position information acquisition mechanism for acquiring the current position of the mobile terminal, that is, the current position of the patroller who carries the mobile terminal, in the above-described embodiment, it is assumed that the position registration information regarding the PHS terminal is used. However, the present invention is not limited to such a case. For example, location registration information regarding a mobile phone terminal, a PDA, or a mobile notebook PC may be used depending on the type of mobile terminal used. Even if it is the kind of portable terminal, the location registration information regarding the wireless LAN terminal may be used, or the GPS function may be mounted on the portable terminal. Furthermore, as external information recorded on a recording medium such as a barcode or an RFID tag installed at a patrol place, not only information for specifying the patrol place but also position information itself is added and set. The information may be read by a portable terminal carried by the patrol person and transmitted to the server including the position information together with the information for specifying the patrol place.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where only the inspection related to the state inspection item of the patrol place is performed has been described. However, the patrol person, for example, of the PHS terminal 20 with the barcode scanner in FIG. It is also possible to input other information in the patrol place using the input unit 23 such as a key and transmit it to the server. For example, it can also serve as a report such as cautionary matters or daily reports.

  In addition, since the patroller travels with a portable terminal such as a PHS terminal, unlike the above-described embodiment, the patroller also includes a portable terminal including a period from moving from one patrol place to the next patrol place. While turning on the terminal power supply, it is kept in the on state, the current position can be always acquired as location information via the network, and the wireless signal transmitted from the server etc. is set to a standby state where it can always be received. You may make it leave. As a result, the server can acquire the current position of the patrolman as needed as position information regarding the mobile terminal by using a wireless communication system such as a PHS communication system. In addition, by notifying the mobile terminal of the patrol person in real time, for example, it is possible to change the patrol route, and it is also possible to cope with a flexible patrol work. Furthermore, since the server can centrally manage the data during the tour, it is possible to create an efficient tour schedule and instruct the visitor.

  The configuration of the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, it should be noted that such examples are merely illustrative of the invention and do not limit the invention in any way. Those skilled in the art will readily understand that various modifications and changes can be made according to a specific application without departing from the gist of the present invention.

It is a system configuration figure showing an example of a system configuration of a patrol assistance system by the present invention. It is a system configuration figure showing an example of a system configuration for explaining the principal part of the patrol assistance system by the present invention. It is a system configuration figure showing an example of the concrete system configuration of the patrol assistance system by the present invention. It is a flowchart explaining an example of operation | movement of the PHS terminal with a barcode scanner of the patrol assistance system which is one Example of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining an example of operation | movement of the server of the patrol assistance system which is one Example of this invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the next operation of FIG. 4 in the PHS terminal with a barcode scanner of the traveling assistance system according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is a flowchart explaining an example of the next operation | movement of FIG. 5 in the server of the traveling assistance system which is one Example of this invention. It is a flowchart explaining an example of the next operation | movement of FIG. 6 in the PHS terminal with a barcode scanner of the traveling assistance system which is one Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1A PHS antenna 1B PHS antenna 2A Barcode 2B Barcode 10 Server 11 Radio unit 12 Judgment unit 13 Input unit 14 Output unit 15 Storage unit 16 Control unit 20 PHS terminal with barcode scanner 21 Radio unit 22 Barcode scanner 23 Input unit 24 Output unit 25 Storage unit 26 Control unit 30 Network 100 Travel assistance system

Claims (18)

Assisting the operation of a visitor carrying a mobile terminal patrols while checking the status at each patrol location and notifies the status check result at each patrol location to the server that manages the patrol information via the network In the patrol assistance system that performs
For each patrol place, information for identifying each patrol place is arranged, and the portable terminal carried by the patrol person can read information outside the portable terminal and the current position. And a position information acquisition mechanism capable of acquiring as position information,
When a patrol person carrying the mobile terminal arrives at the patrol location, the external information reading mechanism of the mobile terminal reads information identifying the patrol location as travel location specifying information, and the position information acquisition mechanism Along with the acquired location information, send it to the server via the network,
When the server receives the patrol location specifying information and the position information from the mobile terminal, the server uses the patrol location specifying information and the location information to determine whether or not the patrol person has arrived at the correct patrol location. or to confirm,
When it is confirmed that the patrol person has arrived at the correct patrol place, the patrol place specifying information and the position information are transmitted through the network as items to be inspected at the patrol place as state check items. Returning to the said portable terminal of the transmission origin who carried out, The patrol assistance system characterized by the above-mentioned .   In the patrol assistance system according to claim 1, when the server determines that the patrol person has not arrived at the correct patrol place, the server transmits the patrol place specifying information and the position information. A traveling assistance system, wherein information to be reconfirmed is returned to the portable terminal via the network. 3. The tour assistance system according to claim 1 , wherein the server changes the state check item of the tour location for each tour location and transmits the change to the mobile terminal via the network. A patrol assistance system characterized by being able to. 4. The tour assistance system according to claim 1 , wherein when the portable terminal receives the state check item from the server, the portable terminal uses the output means of the portable terminal to receive the state check item. Is displayed, and the inspection result inputted from the visitor using the input means of the portable terminal is notified as the state inspection result at the visiting place via the network. A traveling assistance system, which transmits to the server. 5. The tour assistance system according to claim 4 , wherein the server, when receiving the status check result at the tour location from the portable terminal, confirms whether or not the received status check result at the tour location is normal. A patrol assistance system characterized by 6. The patrol assistance system according to claim 5 , wherein when the server determines that the state check result at the patrol place includes an abnormal state, the server checks the state check result at the patrol place. A traveling assistance system, wherein information that instructs re-inspection is returned to the mobile terminal that has transmitted the data via the network. 6. The patrol assistance system according to claim 5 , wherein when the server determines that all of the state inspection results at the patrol place are in a normal state, the server that has transmitted the state inspection result at the patrol place. A tour assistance system, wherein information indicating a next tour location to be visited is returned to the portable terminal via the network. The travel assistance system according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein the server receives position information indicating a current position from the position information acquisition mechanism of the mobile terminal carried by a traveling patrol person via the network. Thus, a traveling assistance system characterized in that information that is acquired at any time as necessary and that indicates a next traveling place to be visited is returned to the portable terminal that has acquired the position information via the network.   10. The patrol assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal is composed of any one of PHS terminal, mobile phone terminal, PDA, portable notebook PC, and wireless LAN terminal. The traveling assistance system is characterized in that the network comprises a wireless communication system that performs wireless communication according to the type of terminal that constitutes the mobile terminal.   11. The traveling assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the external information reading mechanism provided in the portable terminal is a barcode scanner for reading a barcode, or an RFID tag reader for reading a recorded content of an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag. A traveling assistance system comprising: an IC tag reader for reading the recorded content of the IC tag; and a magnetic tag reader for reading the recorded content of the magnetic tag.   The position registration information in a wireless communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the position information acquisition mechanism provided in the mobile terminal performs wireless communication according to a terminal type constituting the mobile terminal. A traveling assistance system characterized in that it is acquired by using any one of the following means: or a GPS means is mounted to acquire position information. A patrol assistance method for assisting an operation in which a patrol person carrying a mobile terminal patrols while checking the state at each patrol place, and notifies the server that manages the patrol information of the state check result at each patrol place Because
Information for identifying each patrol location is arranged for each patrol location, and the mobile terminal has information for identifying the patrol location when a patroller carrying the mobile terminal arrives at the patrol location. Read as traveling place identification information, and send to the server together with the position information indicating the current position of the mobile terminal,
When the server receives the patrol location specifying information and the position information from the mobile terminal, the server uses the patrol location specifying information and the location information to determine whether or not the patrol person has arrived at the correct patrol location. or to confirm,
When it is confirmed that the patrol person has arrived at the correct patrol place, the item to be inspected at the patrol place is set as a state check item, and the source of the sender that has sent the patrol place specifying information and the position information is transmitted. A patrol assistance method characterized by returning to a portable terminal . 13. The traveling assistance method according to claim 12 , wherein the server can change the state check item of the traveling place for each traveling place and transmit it to the mobile terminal. . 14. The tour assistance method according to claim 12 or 13 , wherein when the mobile terminal receives the status check item from the server, the mobile terminal displays the received status check item and carries the mobile terminal. And the inspection result input from the patrol person is transmitted to the server as the state inspection result at the patrol place. In the patrol assistance method according to claim 14 , when the server receives the status check result at the patrol location from the mobile terminal, the server checks whether the status check result at the patrol location received is normal, When it is determined that all of the state inspection results at the patrol location are in a normal state, the mobile terminal that has transmitted the state inspection result at the patrol location is instructed to the next patrol location to be visited A patrol assistance method characterized by returning information. 16. The tour assistance method according to claim 12 , wherein the server obtains position information indicating a current position from the position information acquisition mechanism of the mobile terminal carried by the patrolman who is traveling as needed. A traveling assistance method, characterized in that information obtained and information indicating a next traveling place to be visited is returned to the mobile terminal that has obtained the position information. A tour assistance program, wherein the tour assistance method according to any one of claims 12 to 16 is implemented as a program executable by a computer. A program recording medium, wherein the tour assistance program according to claim 17 is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

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