JP4921123B2 - MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE, MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE CONTROL METHOD, AND MOBILE MONITORING SYSTEM - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a mobile communication device that acquires position information of a mobile body transmitted from positioning means that measures the position of an object, and transmits the acquired position information to a management device that manages the status of the mobile body, The present invention relates to a method for controlling a mobile communication device and a mobile monitoring system using the mobile communication device.

  Conventionally, in order to accurately grasp the status of mobile objects such as construction machines distributed in remote locations, a communication device has been mounted on the mobile object, and this communication device is regularly monitored from positioning means including GPS satellites. A moving body monitoring system that transmits the position information of a moving body to be acquired to a management device on the manager side is realized (for example, see Patent Document 1). In this prior art, in addition to the communication device transmitting the position information of the moving body to the management apparatus at a fixed time interval, the position information of the moving body is transmitted to the management apparatus every time the moving body moves by a predetermined distance. is doing.

International Publication No. 00/55827 Pamphlet

  By the way, when the moving body works indoors such as a factory or in an urban area surrounded by high-rise buildings, the GPS sensor mounted on the moving body cannot capture the GPS satellite and acquires position information from the GPS satellite. It may not be possible. In this case, the management apparatus estimates the position of the moving body using the position information last received from the communication apparatus. However, the movement interval of the moving body that is a reference when the communication device transmits the position information is relatively long (for example, the communication cost can be suppressed even when the moving body moves a long distance). Generally, it is set to about 10 km. For this reason, the area necessary for estimating the current position of the moving body from the position information transmitted last by the communication apparatus is wide (for example, within a radius of 10 km), and the position of the moving body is accurately estimated on the management apparatus side. It was difficult.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and it is possible to improve the estimation accuracy of the position of a moving object in a place where position information cannot be obtained, a control method for the mobile communication apparatus, and An object is to provide a mobile monitoring system.

  In order to solve the above-described problems and achieve the object, a mobile communication device according to the present invention is mounted on a mobile body, and position information of the mobile body transmitted from positioning means for positioning the position of the object is received. If it is a mobile communication device that acquires and transmits the acquired location information to a management device that manages the status of the mobile body, and if the location information of the mobile body cannot be acquired from the positioning means for a predetermined time or longer, it has already been Control means for performing control to transmit the latest position information of the acquired position information of the moving body to the management apparatus is provided.

  In the mobile communication device according to the present invention, in the above invention, the control unit tries to acquire the position information of the mobile unit when the position information of the mobile unit cannot be acquired from the positioning unit for a predetermined time or more. Is controlled to transmit the latest position information within a time span that is included only once.

  In the mobile communication device according to the present invention, in the above invention, the control means transmits the latest position information only once when the position information of the mobile object cannot be acquired from the positioning means for a predetermined time or more. Control is performed.

  In the mobile communication device according to the present invention as set forth in the invention described above, when the control unit cannot acquire the position information of the mobile unit from the positioning unit for a predetermined time or more, the latest position information is acquired at predetermined time intervals. Control is performed to transmit a plurality of times.

  In the mobile communication device according to the present invention as set forth in the invention described above, the time interval for transmitting the latest position information gradually increases.

  In the mobile communication apparatus according to the present invention as set forth in the invention described above, the control means cannot acquire the position information of the mobile body from the positioning means for a predetermined time or more, and transmits the latest position information to the management apparatus. Then, when the position information is newly acquired from the positioning means, control is performed to transmit the position information newly acquired from the positioning means to the management device regardless of the moving distance of the moving body. .

  In the mobile communication device according to the present invention, in the above invention, the control means transmits the position information of the mobile body to the management device, and at least the position of the mobile body with respect to the transmitted position information. Control is performed to transmit identification information for identifying characteristics determined by using an elapsed time since the last acquisition of position information.

  The control method of the mobile communication device according to the present invention acquires the position information of the mobile body that is mounted on the mobile body and is transmitted from positioning means that measures the position of the object, and the acquired position information is A method of controlling a mobile communication device that transmits to a management device that manages the status of a mobile body, wherein if the location information of the mobile body cannot be acquired from the positioning means for a predetermined time or more, the location information of the mobile body that has already been acquired The latest position information is controlled to be transmitted to the management device.

  Further, in the control method for a mobile communication device according to the present invention, in the above invention, when the position information of the mobile body cannot be acquired from the positioning means for a predetermined time or more, the time interval for trying to acquire the position information of the mobile body is Control is performed to transmit the latest position information to the management device within a time span included only once.

  A mobile body monitoring system according to the present invention is mounted on a mobile body to be monitored, acquires position information of the mobile body transmitted from positioning means for positioning the position of an object, and transmits the acquired position information. A mobile monitoring system comprising: a mobile communication device; and a management device that receives location information transmitted from the mobile communication device and manages the status of the mobile using the received location information. When the mobile communication device cannot acquire the position information of the mobile object from the positioning means for a predetermined time or longer, the mobile communication device transmits the latest position information among the already acquired position information of the mobile object to the management device. Control means for performing control to transmit identification information capable of identifying the characteristic of the position information to be transmitted, and the management device receives the position information of the mobile body from the mobile communication device. And wherein in a manner corresponding to the identification information transmitted to it with a display he means for displaying the position information of the movable body.

  According to the present invention, when the position information of the moving body cannot be acquired from the positioning unit for a predetermined time or more, the latest position information among the already acquired position information of the moving body is transmitted to the management device, thereby performing the update. If the location information of the mobile unit is not transmitted in the past, the location information closer to the current location of the mobile unit can be transmitted to the management device, and the location of the mobile unit in the location where the location information cannot be acquired can be transmitted. The estimation accuracy can be improved.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as “embodiment”) will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a mobile object monitoring system according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. This mobile body monitoring system 100 is a management apparatus that is connected to a plurality of mobile bodies 1 to be monitored and is connected to the mobile body 1 and manages the status of the mobile body 1 using position information transmitted from the mobile body 1. 2. The moving body 1 can receive position information of the moving body 1 transmitted from a plurality of GPS satellites 3 constituting a GPS (Global Positioning System) which is a positioning means for positioning the position of an object on the ground, and can receive radio waves (ground Communication with the base station server 4 that performs wireless communication by means of waves. The management apparatus 2 is connected to the base station server 4 through a network NW.

  The mobile body 1 acquires the position information of the mobile body 1 received by the GPS sensor 10 (a part of the positioning means) and the GPS sensor 10 that receives the position information of the mobile body 1 transmitted from the GPS satellite 3, The mobile communication device 11 that transmits the position information satisfying the predetermined condition to the management device 2 and the location information of the mobile 1 that is connected to the base station server 4 and is output from the mobile communication device 11 And a transceiver 12 for transmission. The GPS sensor 10 detects position information of the moving body 1 based on information transmitted from a plurality of GPS satellites 3 via the antenna 10a. The transceiver 12 transmits and receives information to and from the base station server 4 via the antennas 12a and 4a.

  The moving body 1 is a construction machine, and includes a working machine 13 such as a bucket or an arm, and an engine 14 that is a drive source. The work machine 13 is driven and controlled by a work control unit 15, and the engine 14 is driven and controlled by an engine control unit 16. A drive control command is input to the work control unit 15 and the engine control unit 16 through the operation input unit 17. The engine 14 is connected to a generator (alternator) 18, and the generator 18 is driven to charge a battery 19 that is a power source of the moving body 1. The key switch 20 generates an engine start signal and turns on the electrical component.

  The mobile communication device 11 according to the first embodiment includes a control unit 21 and a storage unit 31. The control unit 21 is a position information acquisition unit 22 that acquires the position information of the moving body 1 from the GPS sensor 10, and the position information of the moving body 1 acquired by the position information acquisition unit 22 is position information that should be transmitted to the management device 2. It has the determination part 23 which determines whether there exists, the position information output part 24 which outputs position information according to the determination result of the determination part 23, and the timepiece 25 which has a timer function. The control unit 21 also has a function of acquiring the operation status of the work machine 13 from the work control unit 15 and acquiring the operation status of the engine 14, operation information of the generator 18, and voltage information of the battery 19 from the engine control unit 16. Various information acquired regarding the mobile body 1 is stored in the storage unit 31 as the mobile body information 32. Note that the mobile body information 32 includes the instruction content transmitted from the management device 2.

  The management device 2 stores the location information database (DB) 2a that stores the location information of the mobile 1 transmitted from the mobile communication device 11, the map information database 2b that stores the map information, the location information and the map information. And a display unit 2c for generating and displaying an image. The management device 2 is realized using one or a plurality of computers.

  The terrestrial communication includes, for example, wireless communication using a general terrestrial wireless device and wireless communication using a mobile phone. Further, the network NW may be configured by any one of the Internet, an intranet, a dedicated line, or the like or an appropriate combination and can transmit and receive information according to a predetermined protocol.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an outline of the control method of the mobile communication apparatus according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 2, the control unit 21 first sets the initial value of a 2-bit flag (hereinafter simply referred to as “flag”) included in the program loaded from the memory in the storage unit 31 to “01” (step S101). . This flag is identification information given to the position information acquired from the GPS sensor 10 in order to identify the type of position information.

  Thereafter, the position information acquisition unit 22 refers to the time of the clock 25 and tries to acquire the coordinates of the moving body 1 received by the GPS sensor 10, that is, the position information P every time Δt (step S102).

  When the position information acquisition unit 22 cannot acquire the position information P (No at Step S103), the determination unit 23 attempts acquisition at Step S102 from the time Tn when the latest position information Pn stored in the storage unit 31 is acquired. Elapsed time T-Tn until time T is obtained, and it is determined whether or not this elapsed time is included in a predetermined time width (Tmin, Tmax) (step S104). The time length Tmax−Tmin of the time width is determined to be approximately the same as the time interval Δt in which the position information acquisition unit 22 tries to acquire the position information, and the position information during the time width (Tmin, Tmax). Is set as an interval in which the acquisition of is attempted only once. The minimum value Tmin and the maximum value Tmax of the time width are measured by a timer provided in the clock 25, starting from the acquisition time Tn of the latest position information Pn. As a result of determination by the determination unit 23, when the elapsed time T-Tn is included in the time width (Tmin, Tmax), that is, when the elapsed time T-Tn satisfies Tmax> T-Tn> Tmin (step S104, Yes). ), The control unit 21 sets the flag to “10” (step S105).

  Subsequently, the position information output unit 24 outputs the latest position information Pn stored in the storage unit 31 and the acquisition time Tn of the position information Pn, and transmits it to the management apparatus 2 via the transceiver 12 (step S112). At this time, the position information output unit 24 also outputs flag information Fg corresponding to the flag “10” changed in step S <b> 105 and transmits the flag information Fg to the management apparatus 2 via the transceiver 12. Since the elapsed time T-T1 is included only once in the time width (Tmin, Tmax), the processing from step S104 to step S112 is performed only once after the position information P cannot be acquired. In other words, the mobile communication device 11 transmits the latest position information stored in the storage unit 31 only once after a predetermined time has passed since the position information could not be acquired.

  Note that, as a result of the determination by the determination unit 23, when the elapsed time T-Tn is not included in the time width (Tmin, Tmax) (No at Step S104), the process returns to Step S102.

  Next, the case where the position information acquisition unit 22 can acquire the position information P (step S103, Yes) will be described. In this case, the control unit 21 sets the acquired position information P as the latest position information Pn, sets the acquisition time T of the latest position information Pn as Tn, and stores the newly set Pn and Tn in the storage unit 31 ( Step S106). At this time, the control unit 21 resets the timer of the clock 25 and starts measuring time.

  Subsequently, the control unit 21 obtains a distance Pn-Pf between the latest position information Pn and the position information Pf last transmitted by the mobile body 1, and the determination unit 23 determines the magnitude relationship between the distance Pn-Pf and the predetermined value Lt. Determine. First, when Pn−Pf> Lt (step S107, Yes), the control unit 21 refers to the flag. If the referenced flag is “01” (step S108, Yes), the normal state is maintained, so that the latest position information Pn is the last transmitted position information Pf, and the acquisition time of this position information Pn Let Tn be the last transmission time Tf (step S111).

  Thereafter, the position information output unit 24 outputs the position information Pf, the acquisition time Tf, and flag information Fg corresponding to the flag “01”, and transmits the flag information Fg to the management apparatus 2 via the transceiver 12 (step S112).

  On the other hand, if Pn−Pf> Lt (step S107, Yes) and the flag referred to by the control unit 21 is not “01” (step S108, No), the flag is “10”. That is, the position information Pn acquired in this case is position information acquired after performing the processing from step S104 to step S112 described above. Therefore, the control unit 21 sets the flag to “11” to reflect this situation (step S110), and proceeds to step S111.

  Next, a case where Pn−Pf> Lt is not satisfied as a result of determination by the determination unit 23 (No in step S107) will be described. In this case, if the flag referred to by the control unit 21 is “01” (Yes in step S109), the process has returned to step S102 and the process is performed because the predetermined distance Lt has not been reached in the normal process. repeat.

  On the other hand, when Pn−Pf> Lt is not satisfied (step S107, No), and the flag is not “01” (step S109, No), the flag is “10”. Therefore, the acquired position information Pn is position information that can be acquired for the first time after a state in which the position information P of the moving body 1 cannot be acquired continues for a predetermined time or more. In this case, the moving body 1 has moved only a distance less than the predetermined distance Lt, but it is preferable to transmit the fact that the acquisition of the position information has been restored to the management device 2 as soon as possible. Therefore, after changing the flag to “11” (step S110), the control unit 21 sets the acquired position information Pn as Pf and the acquisition time Tn as Tf (step S111). Subsequently, the position information output unit 24 outputs the position information Pf, the acquisition time Tf, and flag information Fg corresponding to the flag “11”, and transmits the flag information Fg to the management apparatus 2 via the transceiver 12 (step S112).

  In this way, when the mobile communication device 11 is restored to a state in which the position information transmitted from the GPS satellite 3 can be acquired, the latest position information Pf is managed regardless of the moving distance of the mobile body 1. By transmitting to the device 2, it becomes possible to transmit the latest position after the recovery to the management device 2 as soon as possible. In this sense, in the first embodiment, the flag corresponding to the position information acquired after restoration is uniformly set to the flag “11” regardless of whether or not the moving body 1 has moved by the predetermined distance Lt. .

  Hereinafter, the process after step S112 will be described. After step S112, the control unit 21 refers to the flag, and when the referred flag is “11” (step S113, Yes), the process returns to step S101 to return the flag to the initial value “01”, and step S102. The subsequent processing is repeated. On the other hand, when the referred flag is not “11” (No in step S113), the flag is “01” or “10”. In this case, the control unit 21 returns to step S102 and repeats the process without changing the flag.

  By the way, the control part 21 is also performing control which transmits the positional information on the mobile body 1 with a fixed transmission interval (for example, every 24 hours) separately from the control shown in FIG. A flag “00” is assigned to the program that performs the scheduled transmission control. Therefore, the position information output unit 24 outputs the flag information Fg corresponding to the flag “00” together with the position information P and the acquisition time T when performing this scheduled transmission. This scheduled transmission process can be performed in addition to the process shown in FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing a specific example of the control method of the mobile communication device described above. First, assuming that the mobile object 1 is at the position A, the position information acquisition unit 22 can acquire the position information PA via the GPS sensor 10, and as a result of the determination by the determination unit 23, the position information output unit 24 acquires the position information PA. It is assumed that the flag information Fg (01) corresponding to the time TA and the flag “01” is output and transmitted from the transceiver 12 to the management apparatus 2 via the base station server 4 and the network NW.

  Thereafter, when the time Δt has elapsed, the moving body 1 moves to the position B, and the position information acquisition unit 22 can acquire the position information PB (TB = TA + Δt). As shown in FIG. 3, since the moving distance PB-PA is smaller than the predetermined distance Lt (PB-PA <Lt), the position information output unit 24 does not output the position information PB or the like at this time.

  Subsequently, when the time Δt has elapsed, the moving body 1 moves to the position C, and the position information acquisition unit 22 can acquire the position information PC (TC = TB + Δt). As shown in FIG. 3, the moving distance PC-PA is larger than the predetermined distance Lt (PC-PA> Lt). Therefore, the position information output unit 24 outputs the position information PC, the acquisition time TC, and the flag information Fg (01) corresponding to the flag “01”.

  Next, it is assumed that the moving body 1 moves to the position D when the time Δt has elapsed, and the position information acquisition unit 22 has acquired the position information PD (TD = TC + Δt). In FIG. 3, the moving distance PD-PC is smaller than the predetermined distance Lt (PD-PC <Lt). Therefore, the position information output unit 24 does not output the position information PD or the like at this time.

  Further, it is assumed that the time Δt has passed and the moving body 1 has moved to the position E (TE = TD + Δt). For example, it is assumed that the position E is in a place surrounded by high-rise buildings, and the position information acquisition unit 22 cannot acquire the position information. Further, it is assumed that the movable body 1 starts work around the position E, and even if the position information acquisition unit 22 tries to acquire the position information every time Δt, the state where the position information cannot be acquired continues. In this case, the determination unit 23 compares the elapsed time T-TC for each Δt from the time TC when the position information was last transmitted with the minimum value Tmin and the maximum value Tmax of a predetermined time width, and Tmax> T-TC. It is determined whether or not> Tmin. As a result of this determination, at time T when Tmax> T−TC> Tmin, the control unit 21 sets the flag to “10”. Thereafter, the position information output unit 24 reads the latest position information PD and the acquisition time TD stored in the storage unit 31 and outputs them together with the flag information Fg (10) corresponding to the flag “10”.

  Thereafter, it is assumed that the position information PF can be acquired again when the movable body 1 that has finished the work around the position E reaches the position F. In the case shown in FIG. 3, the difference PF-PD in the position information between the position D and the position F transmitted last is smaller than the predetermined distance Lt, but the position information PF is position information acquired for the first time after recovery. Therefore, the control unit 21 sets the flag to “11”, and the position information output unit 24 outputs the position information PF, the acquisition time TF, and the flag information Fg (11) corresponding to the flag “11”.

  If the conventional technique is applied when the moving body 1 exhibits the same behavior as in FIG. 3, new position information is transmitted at least until position information is acquired at position F after transmitting position information PC or the like at position C. It will never be done. On the other hand, according to the first embodiment, the position information PD of the position D whose distance to the position E is smaller than the position C is managed after elapse of a predetermined time after the position information cannot be acquired at the position E. Since it can transmit to the apparatus 2, the estimation accuracy of the position of the moving body 1 in the management apparatus 2 can be improved. Further, since the position information is transmitted regardless of the moving distance of the moving body 1 when the position information is recovered to the position F at the position F, the latest position information after the recovery can be quickly transmitted. .

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a display example of the position information of the moving body 1 on the display unit 2 c of the management apparatus 2. Four icons a1 to a4 are displayed on the display screen 200 shown in the figure, which corresponds to the situation schematically shown in FIG. 3 displayed on the map by the display unit 2c. That is, this display screen 200 shows a change in the position of the moving body 1 after time TA, the icon a1 indicates the position A, the icon a2 indicates the position C, the icon a3 indicates the position D, and the icon a4 indicates the position F.

  In the display screen 200, the icons a1 and a2 have the same display mode, but the icon a3 and the icon a4 have a display mode different from the icons a1 and a2. Specifically, the icon a3 is shaded with diagonal lines, while the icon a4 is shaded with dotted lines. Such a difference in the display mode of the icons is due to a difference in flag information given to each position information. That is, in the case shown in FIG. 4, the icons a1 and a2 correspond to the flag information Fg (01), the icon a3 corresponds to the flag information Fg (10), and the icon a4 corresponds to the flag information Fg (11). ing. In this way, by changing the display mode on the display unit 2c according to the flag information, the administrator who has viewed the display screen 200 can easily identify the type of the position information of the moving body 1. Can be managed efficiently.

  Although FIG. 4 shows the case where the display unit 2c sequentially displays the movement status of one moving body 1 in time series, the display unit 2c displays the position information of the moving body 1 based on other conditions. You can also. For example, the display unit 2c can display a plurality of moving bodies 1 separately for each model, or can display them separately for each flag information. Further, the scale of the map displayed on the display unit 2c can be changed. Such input or change of the display condition of the display unit 2c is realized by inputting a desired condition from an input unit (not shown) provided in the management device 2.

  Note that the display mode of the icons on the display screen 200 is not limited to the above, and may be realized by the color and size of the icons, or an appropriate combination thereof. Moreover, you may make it display by adding a character and a number to an icon.

  According to the first embodiment of the present invention described above, when the position information of the moving body cannot be acquired from the positioning means for a predetermined time or more, the latest position information among the already acquired position information of the moving body is transmitted to the management apparatus. By performing control, if the latest position information has not been transmitted in the past, position information closer to the current position of the moving object can be transmitted to the management apparatus, and position information cannot be acquired. It becomes possible to improve the estimation accuracy of the position of the moving body in the place.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, when the position information of the moving body cannot be acquired from the positioning means for a predetermined time or more, the latest position within the time width in which the time for attempting to acquire the position information of the moving body is included only once. By performing control to transmit information to the management apparatus, it is possible to prevent the same information from being transmitted twice or more in close time, and to reduce communication costs.

  Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, since the latest position information is transmitted only once from the time when the position information cannot be acquired to the time when the position information can be recovered, the communication cost can be reduced. Further, it is possible to realize a saving of the location information database capacity of the management device.

  Further, according to the first embodiment, after a predetermined time has elapsed since the location information can no longer be acquired, and after the latest location information is transmitted to the management device, By performing control to transmit the newly acquired position information regardless of the moving distance, the latest acquired position information can be quickly transmitted after the position information can be acquired.

  Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, when transmitting the position information of the moving body to the management device, the elapsed time since at least the position information of the moving body was last acquired with respect to the position information to be transmitted. By performing control to transmit identification information (flag information) for identifying characteristics determined using the management device, the management apparatus can display the position information of the moving body according to the received identification information. Therefore, the administrator can easily identify the position information of the moving object visually and take an appropriate action according to the display content.

(Embodiment 2)
Embodiment 2 of the present invention is characterized in that, when a state in which position information cannot be acquired continues for a predetermined time or longer, the position information is transmitted a plurality of times at predetermined time intervals. The configuration of the mobile monitoring system according to the second embodiment is substantially the same as the configuration of the mobile monitoring system 100 according to the first embodiment (see FIG. 1), but the control unit of the mobile communication device 11 21 and the management device 2 are different in control processing.

  FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an outline of a control method of the mobile communication apparatus according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 5, first, the control unit 21 gives the number of times the latest position information stored in the storage unit 31 is transmitted after a predetermined time has elapsed since the position information acquisition unit 22 can no longer acquire the position information of the moving body 1. The initial value of the counter N is set to “1” (step S201), and the initial value of the flag is set to “01” (step S202). Thereafter, the position information acquisition unit 22 attempts to acquire the position information P of the moving body 1 received by the GPS sensor 10 from the GPS satellite 3 for each time Δt while referring to the time of the clock 25 (step S203).

When the position information acquisition unit 22 cannot acquire the position information P (No in step S204), the determination unit 23 attempts to acquire the time Tn from the time Tn when the latest position information Pn stored in the storage unit 31 is acquired. Elapsed time T-Tn is determined, and it is determined whether or not this elapsed time is included in a predetermined time width (Tmin_N, Tmax_N). Here, the minimum value Tmin_N and the maximum value Tmax_N of the time width (Tmin_N, Tmax_N) when the counter is N are expressed by the following formulas using the counter N and the minimum value Tmin_1 and maximum value Tmax_1 when N = 1 ( Defined in 1) and (2).
Tmin_N = N × Tmin_1 (1)
Tmax_N
= Tmin_N + Tmax_1-Tmin_1 = (N-1) * Tmin_1 + Tmax_1 (2)
In this case, while the mobile communication device 11 cannot acquire the position information P, the latest position information Pf is periodically transmitted to the management device 2 every time Tmin_1 elapses. As apparent from the equations (1) and (2), the time length Tmax_N−Tmin_N of the time width (Tmin_N, Tmax_N) is equal to Tmax_1−Tmin_1 regardless of the value of the counter N. This time length Tmax_1-Tmin_1 is determined to be approximately the same as the time interval Δt in which the position information acquisition unit 22 tries to acquire position information, and the position information is acquired during the time width (Tmin_N, Tmax_N). Is set as the interval to be tried only once.

  As a result of the determination by the determination unit 23, the elapsed time T-Tn is included in the time width (Tmin_N, Tmax_N), satisfies Tmax_N> T-Tn> Tmin_N (step S205, Yes), and the counter N = 1. (Step S206, Yes), the control unit 21 sets the flag to “10” (Step S207), and increases the value of the counter N by 1 (Step S208). On the other hand, when the counter N is not 1 (No at Step S206), the flag is already “10”, so the value of the counter N is incremented by 1 without performing the process at Step S207 (Step S208).

  Subsequently, the position information output unit 24 outputs the latest position information Pn stored in the storage unit 31 and the acquisition time Tn of the position information Pn, and transmits it to the management device 2 via the transceiver 12 (step S215). At this time, the position information output unit 24 also outputs flag information Fg corresponding to the flag “10” changed in step S207, and transmits the flag information Fg from the transceiver 12 to the management apparatus 2 via the base station server 4. . Since the elapsed time T-T1 is included only once in the time width (Tmin_N, Tmax_N), the processing from step S205 to step S215 is performed once for each value of the counter N. In other words, the mobile communication device 11 transmits the latest position information stored in the storage unit 31 a plurality of times at a predetermined interval after a predetermined time has elapsed since the position information could not be acquired.

  Note that, as a result of the determination by the determination unit 23, when the elapsed time T-Tn is not included in the time width (Tmin_N, Tmax_N) (step S205, No), the process returns to step S203.

  Next, the case where the position information acquisition unit 22 can acquire the position information P (step S204, Yes) will be described. In this case, the processing of step S209 to step S215 following step S204 sequentially corresponds to the processing of step S106 to step S112 described in the first embodiment. That is, when transmitting the position information under normal circumstances, the control unit 21 transmits the flag with “01” as it is, while the position information cannot be acquired, and the latest position information Is transmitted to the management apparatus 2, the flag is set to “11” when new position information is acquired, and control is performed to transmit the newly acquired position information to the management apparatus 2 regardless of the moving distance of the moving body 1. Do.

  Hereinafter, the process after step S215 will be described. After step S215, the control unit 21 refers to the flag again. If the referenced flag is “11” (step S216, Yes), the process returns to step S201 to return the counter N to the initial value “1”. The process after step S202 is performed. On the other hand, when the referred flag is not “11” (step S216, No), the flag is “01” or “10”. In this case, the control unit 21 returns to step S203 and repeats the process without changing the flag.

  According to the second embodiment of the present invention described above, when the position information of the moving body cannot be acquired from the positioning means for a predetermined time or more, the latest position information among the already acquired position information of the moving body is transmitted to the management apparatus. By performing control, if the latest position information has not been transmitted in the past, position information closer to the current position of the moving object can be transmitted to the management apparatus, and position information cannot be acquired. It becomes possible to improve the estimation accuracy of the position of the moving body in the place.

  Further, according to the second embodiment, since the latest position information is transmitted a plurality of times at a predetermined interval from when it becomes impossible to acquire position information until it is restored to an acquirable state, When the information is not moved from a position where it cannot be acquired, the situation can be accurately grasped. In addition, since each transmission is performed within a predetermined time width, unnecessary transmission is not performed, and the communication cost can be reduced. In particular, in the second embodiment, when transmitting the latest position information, in order to perform control to transmit the latest position information within a time width that includes the time to try to acquire the position information of the mobile object only once, It is possible to prevent the same information from being transmitted twice or more in a close time, and to reduce the communication cost.

  Further, according to the second embodiment, when a predetermined time has elapsed since the location information can no longer be acquired, and the new location information is acquired after the latest location information is transmitted to the management apparatus, By performing control to transmit newly acquired position information regardless of the moving distance, the latest position information can be quickly transmitted after the position information can be acquired.

  Furthermore, according to the second embodiment, when transmitting the position information of the moving body to the management device, the time elapsed since the position information of the moving body was last acquired at least for the position information to be transmitted. By performing control to transmit identification information (flag information) for identifying characteristics determined using the management device, the management apparatus can display the position information of the moving body according to the received identification information. Therefore, the administrator can easily identify the position information of the moving object visually and take an appropriate action according to the display content.

The definition of the time width (Tmin_N, Tmax_N) described above is merely an example. For example, the minimum value Tmin_N of the time width can be defined by the following equation (3).
Tmin_N = N ² × Tmin_1 (3)
In this case, since Tmin_2 = 4 × Tmin_1, Tmin_3 = 9 × Tmin_1,..., The interval for transmitting the position information of the flag “10” gradually increases. In this way, if the time interval is gradually increased, the number of times of transmission decreases as time elapses, so that the communication cost can be further reduced and the database capacity of the management apparatus can be further saved.

  Up to this point, the first and second embodiments have been described in detail as the best mode for carrying out the present invention, but the present invention should not be limited only by these two embodiments. For example, the identification information transmitted together with the position information may be configured using other than a 2-bit flag.

  Moreover, you may perform control which gradually enlarges the distance interval (Lt shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 5) which transmits a positional information according to the moving distance of a moving body. As a result, the number of transmissions of the mobile communication device can be reduced, and communication costs can be reduced and the database capacity of the management device can be saved.

  Furthermore, for example, satellite communication can be used as a communication means other than terrestrial waves. In this case, a transmitter / receiver for satellite communication may be provided in the mobile communication device.

  In addition, the positioning means applied to the present invention is not limited to GPS, and the position of the moving body may be measured using other positioning means.

  Furthermore, the mobile communication device according to the present invention can also transmit a part or all of the mobile body information including information related to the operation status of the mobile body to the management apparatus in addition to the position information of the mobile body. .

  The present invention can also be applied to a moving body other than a construction machine, for example, a four-wheeled vehicle.

  Thus, the present invention can include various embodiments and the like not described herein, and various design changes and the like can be made without departing from the technical idea specified by the claims. It is possible to apply.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the mobile body monitoring system which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the outline | summary of the control method of the mobile communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the more specific example of the control method of the mobile communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display of the positional information on a moving body in the display part of a management apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the outline | summary of the control method of the mobile communication apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 2 of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Mobile body 2 Management apparatus 2a Position information database 2b Map information database 2c Display part 3 GPS satellite 4 Base station server 4a, 10a, 12a Antenna 10 GPS sensor 11 Mobile communication apparatus 12 Transmitter / receiver 21 Control part 22 Position information acquisition part 23 Determination unit 24 Position information output unit 25 Clock 31 Storage unit 32 Mobile body information 100 Mobile body monitoring system 200 Display screen a1, a2, a3, a4 Icon NW network

Claims (10)

A move that is mounted on a moving body, acquires position information of the moving body that is transmitted from positioning means that measures the position of the object, and transmits the acquired position information to a management device that manages the status of the moving body. A body communication device,
Each time the positioning unit acquires the position information of the moving body, the acquired position information of the moving body is updated as the latest position information, and the position indicated by the latest position information and the position of the mobile body that was transmitted last are updated. When the distance from the position indicated by the information is obtained and the distance is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the latest position information is not transmitted to the management device, while the positioning means cannot acquire the position information of the moving body. After the predetermined time elapses, the moving body moves and the current position information of the moving body can be acquired. Further, the position information acquired before timing the predetermined time is If the distance between the position indicated by the position information held in the storage unit and the position indicated by the current position information is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the current position information The tube as the latest position information Mobile communication apparatus characterized by comprising a control means for performing control of transmitting to the device. The control means includes
When the positioning unit cannot acquire the position information of the moving body for a predetermined time or longer, control is performed to transmit the latest position information within a time width that includes only one time to try to acquire the position information of the moving body. The mobile communication apparatus according to claim 1. The control means includes
3. The mobile communication device according to claim 1, wherein when the positioning unit cannot acquire the position information of the mobile body for a predetermined time or longer, control is performed to transmit the latest position information only once. The control means includes
3. The mobile body according to claim 1, wherein when the positioning unit cannot acquire the position information of the mobile body for a predetermined time or more, the mobile body performs control to transmit the latest position information a plurality of times at a predetermined time interval. Communication device.   5. The mobile communication device according to claim 4, wherein a time interval for transmitting the latest position information gradually increases. The control means includes
If the positioning means cannot acquire the position information of the moving body for a predetermined time or more and transmits the latest position information to the management device, then the positioning means newly acquires the position information, the movement of the moving body The mobile communication device according to claim 1, wherein control is performed to transmit position information newly acquired by the positioning unit to the management device regardless of a distance. The control means includes
The position information of the moving body is transmitted to the management device, and at least the characteristic determined by using the elapsed time since the position information of the moving body was last acquired is identified for the position information to be transmitted. The mobile communication device according to claim 1, wherein control for transmitting the identification information is performed. A move that is mounted on a moving body, acquires position information of the moving body that is transmitted from positioning means that measures the position of the object, and transmits the acquired position information to a management device that manages the status of the moving body. A method for controlling a body communication device, comprising:
Each time the positioning unit acquires the position information of the moving body, the acquired position information of the moving body is updated as the latest position information, and the position indicated by the latest position information and the position of the mobile body that was transmitted last are updated. When the distance from the position indicated by the information is obtained and the distance is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the latest position information is not transmitted to the management device, while the positioning means cannot acquire the position information of the moving body. After the predetermined time elapses, the moving body moves and the current position information of the moving body can be acquired. Further, the position information acquired before timing the predetermined time is If the distance between the position indicated by the position information held in the storage unit and the position indicated by the current position information is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the current position information The tube as the latest position information The method of the mobile communication device and performs a control to be transmitted to the device.   If the positioning means cannot acquire the position information of the moving body for a predetermined time or more, the latest position information is transmitted to the management device within a time span including only one time to acquire the position information of the moving body. 9. The method of controlling a mobile communication device according to claim 8, wherein the control is performed. A mobile communication device that is mounted on a monitoring target mobile body and acquires position information of the mobile body transmitted from positioning means for positioning the position of the object, and transmits the acquired position information, and the mobile communication A mobile monitoring system comprising: a management device that receives positional information transmitted from a device and manages the status of the mobile using the received positional information,
The mobile communication device is:
Each time the positioning unit acquires the position information of the moving body, the acquired position information of the moving body is updated as the latest position information, and the position indicated by the latest position information and the position of the mobile body that was transmitted last are updated. When the distance from the position indicated by the information is obtained and the distance is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the latest position information is not transmitted to the management device, while the positioning means cannot acquire the position information of the moving body. After the predetermined time elapses, the moving body moves and the current position information of the moving body can be acquired. Further, the position information acquired before timing the predetermined time is If the distance between the position indicated by the position information held in the storage unit and the position indicated by the current position information is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the current position information The tube as the latest position information And it transmits to the device, comprising a control means for performing control of transmitting the characteristics identifiable identification information of the location information the transmission,
The management device
A mobile body monitoring system comprising: display means for displaying the position information of the mobile body in a manner corresponding to the identification information transmitted together with the position information of the mobile body by the mobile body communication device.

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