JP4781703B2 - Portable container with induction antenna and position detection system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable container with an induction antenna capable of transmitting and receiving radio waves between inside and outside.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a position detection system that can detect the position of a person or object holding a mobile terminal using a mobile terminal that acquires position information using GPS or the like has been used. For example, a position detection system has been proposed in which a portable terminal is accommodated in a portable container such as a bag and the position of the portable terminal can be detected.

In this position detection system, if a bag containing valuables is stolen or lost, the position information of the portable terminal is acquired by wirelessly communicating with the portable terminal using a separately prepared communication terminal. be able to. Therefore, a stolen / lost bag can be detected and recovered at an early stage.

JP 2003-57331 A

There is a great need to apply the above-described position detection system to a container for transporting cash and valuable items that require a strict management system in addition to monitoring bags owned by individuals.
Duralumin cases that provide portability and security are often used as containers for transporting cash and valuables. The duralumin case has lightness and physical strength suitable for transportation, and is suitable for transporting cash and valuables.

On the other hand, the duralumin case has a property of shielding electromagnetic waves and blocks radio waves between the inside and outside of the case. Therefore, even if the above-mentioned portable terminal is accommodated in the duralumin case, it cannot communicate with the portable terminal from the outside.
Such a problem is an adverse effect of using the position detection system in the field of transporting cash and valuables.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a portable container with an induction antenna that can transmit and receive radio waves between the inside and outside even when a material that shields electromagnetic waves is used. And

A portable container with an induction antenna according to the present invention that achieves the above object includes a portable container that houses a transported object, and an outer antenna that is disposed on the outer surface of the portable container and transmits and receives a radio signal of a predetermined frequency. An inner surface antenna that is disposed on the inner surface of the portable container and transmits / receives a radio signal of a predetermined frequency, and an outer surface antenna and the inner surface antenna are connected, and a radio signal received by one of the outer surface antenna and the inner surface antenna is received by the other antenna. And a signal line for guiding to the antenna, and a radio signal received by one antenna is transmitted by the other antenna.

According to the above configuration, since the radio signal having a predetermined frequency generated inside or outside the portable container is guided to the outside or inside as it is, the influence on the radio signal by the portable container is eliminated between the inside and the outside. Wireless communication is possible.

Further, in the portable container with an induction antenna, the outer antenna and the inner antenna are connected via a signal line that extends through the portable container.
Further, in the portable container with an induction antenna, the outer antenna and the inner antenna include an antenna layer that forms an antenna that transmits and receives the radio signal, a substrate layer that includes a substrate on which the antenna is formed, the antenna layer, A protective layer made of an insulator for protecting the substrate layer is laminated to form a planar shape.

In the portable container with an induction antenna, the outer antenna is configured by connecting a signal line to the contact surface side with the portable container.
In the portable container with an induction antenna, the portable container is made of a material having a high radio wave absorption rate or a high radio wave shielding rate.
Furthermore, in the portable container with an induction antenna, the portable container is a duralumin case.

A position detection system according to the present invention includes a portable container with an induction antenna, a portable terminal having a function of detecting its own position information, and a monitoring terminal that wirelessly communicates with the portable terminal at a predetermined frequency to acquire position information. The position of the portable container can be detected by accommodating the portable terminal in the portable container.

  According to the present invention, even a portable container using a material that is difficult to transmit radio waves can wirelessly communicate between the inside and outside without being affected by the portable container. Furthermore, by applying it to a duralumin case with lightness and physical strength suitable for transporting cash and valuables, it is possible to combine physical strength and monitoring by communication, and it is possible to have high security. A portable container can be provided.

  Embodiments of a portable container with an induction antenna and a position detection system using the same according to the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a duralumin case is adopted as an example of a portable container, and a monitoring system for monitoring the theft / loss of the duralumin case will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a portable terminal 2 accommodated in a duralumin case 1 that is a portable container and a center device 3 disposed in a monitoring center include an induction antenna 10 and a mobile phone base station 4 provided in the duralumin case 1. They are connected via a communication network 5 such as a mobile phone network or the Internet network. The monitoring system of the present embodiment performs wireless communication between the mobile terminal 2 and the center device 3 and monitors the abnormality and position information generated in the duralumin case 1 with the center device.

Here, it is known that the duralumin case has physical strength, lightness, and high electromagnetic wave shielding rate, and it is necessary for transportation of cash and valuables that need to protect the contained items from impact and electromagnetic waves. Commonly used in the field. In this embodiment, the duralumin case is employed as the portable container, but it can be replaced with various portable containers. For example, there are an attache case, a suitcase, a personal computer bag, an OA bag, and the like.
In the monitoring system of the present invention, the duralumin case 1 includes an induction antenna 10, thereby enabling communication between the portable terminal 2 and the center device 3. Details of the induction antenna 10 will be described later.

The mobile terminal 2 calculates and stores position information including latitude and longitude based on the GPS signal received from the GPS satellite 6 and the base station information received from the mobile phone base station 4. The calculated and stored position information is transmitted to the center apparatus at a predetermined timing. In addition, the mobile terminal 2 transmits the position information to the center apparatus in response to the position information request command received from the center apparatus 3.
The mobile terminal 2 is connected to an open / close detection sensor 200 that detects opening / closing of the duralumin case 1 and detects that the duralumin case 1 has been opened illegally. When an abnormality is detected, the occurrence of the abnormality is notified to the surroundings, and an abnormality signal and current position information are transmitted to the center device 3.

The portable terminal 2 has a monitoring mode and a release mode as operation modes. The monitoring mode is a mode for monitoring the theft of the duralumin case housing the mobile terminal 2. The release mode is a mode in which the monitoring mode is released. This switching of the monitoring mode is performed by an operation on the mobile terminal 2. When an abnormality is detected by the open / close detection sensor 200 during the monitoring mode, the abnormality is notified to the surroundings, and position information is newly acquired and transmitted to the center device 3 together with the abnormality signal.

  The center device 3 arranged in the monitoring center is a device that is monitored by a supervisor and receives a report from the mobile terminal 2 to confirm the location information of the mobile terminal 2. The center apparatus 3 is managed and operated by an organization that provides a safety confirmation service to a plurality of target persons such as a security company. When the center device 3 receives the abnormal signal from the portable terminal 2, the monitor can identify the position of the duralumin case 1 in which the corresponding portable terminal 2 is accommodated via the center device. The monitor then informs the owner or manager (such as a delivery company) of the occurrence of an abnormality and the current location of the duralumin case 1. Also, if necessary, instruct appropriate actions by the staff. Further, when the theft or loss of the duralumin case 1 is reported from the owner or administrator of the duralumin case 1, a location information request command is transmitted to the corresponding portable terminal 2, and the portable terminal 2 acquires and stores it. Receive location information.

  As described above, the portable terminal 2 and the center device 3 can wirelessly communicate with each other via the induction antenna 10, and monitor the position and state of the duralumin case 1 to be monitored and appropriately cope with theft and loss. Is possible.

Next, the configuration of the mobile terminal 2 will be described. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating functional blocks of the mobile terminal 2.
The mobile terminal 2 includes a power supply unit 21, a wireless communication unit 22, an operation unit 25, a storage unit 26, a notification unit 27, an external interface 28, and a control unit 29.
The power supply unit 21 supplies an operating power supply for the portable terminal and a monitoring power supply for executing monitoring by the open / close detection sensor 200, and is configured by a battery.

The wireless communication unit 22 includes a GPS reception unit 23 that receives a GPS signal from the GPS satellite 6 and a transmission / reception unit 24 that performs wireless communication with the center device 3. As described above, since the duralumin case 1 shields electromagnetic waves, transmission / reception of radio signals to / from the outside is performed via the induction antenna 10 provided in the duralumin case 1.
The operation unit 25 is an input means for the owner to perform an operation for switching the operation mode of the mobile terminal 2. Further, the power supply unit 21 also serves as input means for ON / OFF control of power supply.

The storage unit 26 includes a ROM, a RAM, and the like, and stores various information used for processing. In addition, the storage unit 26 stores a predetermined number of location information (including acquisition time) of the mobile terminal 2. When a predetermined number of position information has already been stored when new position information is acquired, the oldest position information is deleted and new position information is recorded.
The notification unit 27 includes a speaker that outputs an alarm sound when an abnormality occurs.
The external interface 28 is a connection terminal for connecting an open / close detection sensor 200 that detects open / close of the duralumin case 1. The external interface 28 also serves as a terminal to which a charger for charging the battery of the power supply unit 21 is connected.

  The control unit 29 includes a microprocessor, a semiconductor memory, and the like, and controls the entire mobile terminal 2. The control unit 29 includes a communication control unit 30 that controls communication in the wireless communication unit 22, a position detection unit 31 that acquires position information based on information received by the GPS reception unit 23, and an open / close connection that is connected via the external interface 28. An abnormality monitoring unit 32 that performs abnormality monitoring by the detection sensor 200 is included.

When receiving the position information request command from the center device via the wireless communication unit 22, the control unit 29 acquires the position information of the mobile terminal 2 and transmits it to the center device 3. In addition, when the control unit 29 inputs an operation for switching to the monitoring mode from the operation unit 25, the control unit 29 is set to the monitoring mode after a predetermined delay time, and the operation of each unit causes the duralumin case 1 in which the portable terminal 2 is accommodated to be stolen. Monitor for abnormalities. Here, the delay time is a time for preventing the duralumin case 1 from being opened and closed until the portable terminal 2 is accommodated in the duralumin case 1 and closed.

  During the monitoring mode, the control unit 29 operates the position detection unit every predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes), acquires the current position information, and records the acquired position information in the storage unit 26. When the abnormality monitoring unit 32 detects that the duralumin case 1 is opened, the notification unit 27 is activated to generate an alarm sound, and the position detection unit 31 is activated to acquire current position information. In addition, the wireless communication unit 22 is activated to transmit the abnormality signal, the current position information, and the identification code of the portable terminal 2 to the center device 3. At this time, by attaching past position information recorded in the storage unit 26, it is possible to grasp the movement path of the duralumin case 1 before the occurrence of the abnormality at the monitoring center.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of the induction antenna 10 provided in the duralumin case 1.
Inside the duralumin case 1, a pocket 11 for accommodating the mobile terminal 2 is provided, and the induction antenna 10 is arranged on a surface in the vicinity thereof. As will be described in detail later, the induction antenna 10 is composed of a pair of antennas and a cable connecting the two antennas. One antenna is attached to the outer surface of the duralumin case, and the other antenna is attached to the inner surface. Therefore, it is preferable to dispose the inner antenna in the vicinity of the pocket 11 that accommodates the mobile terminal 2 and to dispose the outer antenna at a position facing the inner antenna with the wall surface of the duralumin case 1 interposed therebetween.

As shown in FIG. 3, the duralumin case 1 has a handle on the top surface and a bottom surface as an installation surface. In addition, when a plurality of duralumin cases are delivered in piles, the non-opening side surfaces (the entire surface and the back surface of the duralumin case 1 shown in FIG. 3) are loaded on a truck or the like. Therefore, in order to prevent the induction antenna 10 from being damaged by contact with the ground or other objects, as shown in FIG. 3, the induction antenna 10 is provided on the opening side surface of the duralumin case 1 (left and right surfaces of the duralumin case 1 shown in FIG. 3). Is preferred.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the connection between the portable terminal 2 housed in the duralumin case 1 and the open / close detection sensor 200. The duralumin case has a built-in reed switch 220 that operates depending on the contact / separation state of the magnet 210 on one side and the magnet 210 on the other side. The sensor line 230 forms a loop circuit via a reed switch 220 and a connection terminal 240 led out into the pocket 11. The mobile terminal 2 connected to the sensor via the connection terminal 240 monitors the open / close state of the duralumin case 1 by the abnormality monitoring unit 32. The reed switch 220 is in an ON state when the magnet 210 is close, and forms a closed circuit via the mobile terminal 2. On the contrary, when the magnet 210 is separated, the contact is switched to the OFF state, and the closed circuit is disconnected. The portable terminal 2 applies a minute monitoring voltage to the sensor line 230 and detects the ON / OFF state of the reed switch 220 based on the resistance value of the loop circuit. Since the above-described sensing method using magnetism is conventionally known, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  The magnet 210, the reed switch 220, and the sensor line 230 may not be built in the duralumin case 1 but may be arranged on the inner surface. Further, as the open / close detection sensor 200, various sensors (for example, a limit switch or the like) that can monitor the open / close of the duralumin case 1 can be used.

Next, the configuration of the induction antenna 10 will be described with reference to FIG.
The induction antenna 10 includes an outer antenna 110 that is attached to the outer surface of the duralumin case 1, an inner antenna 120 that is attached to the inner surface of the duralumin case 1, and a connection cable 130 that connects the outer antenna 110 and the inner antenna 120. By guiding the received radio signal and outputting it with the other antenna, radio communication between the inside and outside of the duralumin case 1 is made possible.

FIG. 5A is a plan view of the outer antenna 110 of the induction antenna 10, and FIG. 5B is an XY cross-sectional view of the outer antenna 110. In the present embodiment, the connection cable 130 is integrally formed with the outer antenna 110, and prevents the connection between the outer antenna 110 and the connection cable 130 due to external factors.

The external antenna 110 includes a substrate layer 112 that is a substrate on which an antenna pattern is formed, an antenna layer 114 made of copper foil that forms the antenna pattern on the substrate, and urethane coating to protect the substrate layer 112 and the antenna layer 114. And a protective layer 116 formed by the above. About an antenna pattern, it determines with the communication band which the portable terminal 2 uses for communication. Moreover, a planar thin antenna can be comprised by forming an antenna pattern by vapor-depositing copper foil on a board | substrate. Furthermore, by forming the protective layer 116 by urethane coating, the antenna pattern can be prevented from being damaged and a waterproof effect can be obtained, and it has flexibility and can withstand a certain degree of elastic deformation. According to experiments, an antenna having a thickness of 2 mm or less having sufficient strength, waterproofness, and the like can be generated by setting the thickness of the substrate layer to 1.6 mm and performing urethane coating of 0.2 mm or less.

  The connection cable 130 is provided at the end portion for connecting the internal copper wire 132 led out from the antenna layer 114 to the contact surface side with the duralumin case 1, the protective film 134 covering the internal copper wire 132, and the internal antenna. The terminal 136 is configured.

FIG. 5C is a plan view of the inner antenna 120 of the induction antenna 10, and FIG. 5D is an X′-Y ′ cross-sectional view of the inner antenna 120.
As with the external antenna 110, the internal antenna 120 is formed by laminating a substrate layer 122, an antenna layer 124, and a protective layer 126. Further, the terminal 128 led out from the antenna layer 124 is provided on the contact surface with the duralumin case 1 so as to receive the terminal 136 of the connection cable 130. When the terminal 136 and the terminal 128 are connected, the antenna layer 114 of the outer antenna 110 and the antenna layer 124 of the inner antenna 120 are connected, and the radio signal received by one antenna is not modulated. Guide to the other antenna. In addition, since the induction antenna 10 of this embodiment induces a radio signal without modulation and amplification, a driving power source for induction is not necessary.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the induction antenna 10 is attached to the duralumin case 1. An insertion port 100 having a diameter that gives a slight margin to the outer diameter of the connection cable 130 is provided on the mounting surface of the duralumin case 1, and the terminal 136 and the inner surface of the connection cable 130 are passed through the connection cable 130 through the insertion port 100. A terminal 128 of the antenna 120 is connected. In addition, an adhesive 140 is attached to the contact surfaces of the outer antenna 110 and the inner antenna 120 with the duralumin case 1, and is adhered to the inner and outer surfaces of the duralumin case 1. Thereby, the induction antenna 10 is fixed to the duralumin case 1 in a state where the outer antenna 110 and the inner antenna 120 are connected.

  Moreover, since the structure of the induction antenna 10 and the attachment to the duralumin case 1 are as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the possibility of damage to the induction antenna 10 and detachment from the duralumin case 1 can be reduced. . That is, since the connection cable 130 is not exposed outside the duralumin case 1, it is possible to prevent the connection cable 130 from being cut due to an external factor. Moreover, since the outer antenna 110 and the connection cable 130 are integrated, it is possible to prevent the outer antenna 110 from being detached from the duralumin case 1 due to contact with other objects.

The configuration of the induction antenna 10 and the attachment to the duralumin case 1 may be as shown in FIG. In this case, the terminal 128 of the inner surface antenna 120 is provided on the side surface (thickness surface) of the inner surface antenna 120. Even with the configuration shown in FIG. 7, the connection cable 130 is not exposed to the outside, so that the same effect as described above can be obtained.
In addition, one or a plurality of screw holes may be provided on the attachment surface of the outer antenna 110, the inner antenna 120, and the duralumin case 1, and the induction antenna 10 may be fixed to the duralumin case 1 by an attachment screw.

The duralumin case 1 provided with the induction antenna 10 described above operates as follows when a radio signal from the center device 3 is transmitted. The induction antenna 10 receives a radio signal transmitted from the center device 3 with an external antenna 110 disposed outside the case. Then, the received signal is guided to the inner antenna 120 via the connection cable 130, and the same radio signal as the received radio signal is transmitted by the inner antenna 120.
In addition, when transmitting a radio signal from the portable terminal 2 accommodated in the duralumin case 1, the outer antenna 110 and the inner antenna 120 described above are switched to operate.

  As described above, according to the duralumin case 1 provided with the induction antenna 10 shown in the present embodiment, wireless communication between the inside and outside of the case is possible while maintaining the characteristics of the duralumin case such as physical strength. It becomes. Therefore, if it is used for applications that require high security, such as transporting cash and valuables, it will be possible to remotely report the abnormality that occurred in the case and the current position of the case wirelessly. Will be improved.

  Although this embodiment is considered to be the best mode assumed by the applicant, there are various types and shapes of the portable container, the configuration and shape of the induction antenna, how to attach and attach the induction antenna to the duralumin case, etc. However, the contents of the invention are not limited by the present embodiment in these respects. In particular, it is needless to say that the type of portable container is effective for various portable containers using a material having a high radio wave shielding rate and a high radio wave absorption rate.

It is a figure showing the whole surveillance system composition concerning an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a diagram illustrating functional blocks of a mobile terminal 2. FIG. It is a figure which shows arrangement | positioning of the induction antenna 10 with which the duralumin case 1 is provided. It is a figure which shows typically the connection of the portable terminal 2 and the opening / closing detection sensor 200. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an induction antenna 10. It is a figure which shows the attachment state of the induction antenna. It is a figure which shows the other example of the attachment state of the induction antenna.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Duralumin case 2 ... Mobile terminal 3 ... Center apparatus 4 ... Mobile telephone base station 5 ... Communication network 6 ... GPS satellite 10 ... Induction antenna 110 ... External antenna 120 ... Inner antenna 130 ... Connection cable 200 ... Open / close detection sensor

Claims (5)

A transportable container for storing a transported object;
A flat thin external antenna having an antenna pattern disposed on the outer surface of the portable container and transmitting and receiving a radio signal of a predetermined frequency;
Disposed on the inner surface of the portable container, and the inner surface antenna flat thin shape having an antenna pattern for transmitting and receiving radio signals of the predetermined frequency,
The wireless surface received by one of the outer surface antenna and the inner surface antenna by connecting a contact surface of the outer surface antenna with the portable housing and the inner surface antenna through an insertion hole penetrating the portable housing body. A signal line for guiding the signal to the other antenna,
A portable container with an induction antenna, wherein the radio signal received by the one antenna is transmitted by the other antenna. The outer antenna and the inner antenna are:
An antenna layer forming an antenna for transmitting and receiving the radio signal;
A substrate layer comprising a substrate on which the antenna is formed;
The portable container with an induction antenna according to claim 1, wherein the antenna layer and a protective layer made of an insulator for protecting the substrate layer are stacked to form a planar shape. The portable container with an induction antenna according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the portable container is made of a material having a high radio wave absorption rate or a high radio wave shielding rate. The portable container with an induction antenna according to claim 3 , wherein the portable container is a duralumin case. A portable container with an induction antenna according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
A mobile device with the ability to detect your location,
The mobile terminal and a monitoring terminal that wirelessly communicates at the predetermined frequency to obtain the position information,
A position detection system characterized in that the position of the portable container can be detected by accommodating the portable terminal in the portable container.

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