JP5820157B2 - Disaster relief support system, information processing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a disaster relief support system used for disaster relief activities and an information processing method in the disaster relief support system.

  In fact, human searches are being carried out to rescue victims who were lost due to collapse of houses, landslides, and avalanches due to earthquakes, typhoons, and tsunamis. That is, in order to search for a place where the victim is located, for example, the searcher calls out loudly, and looks for the victim by relying on the voice returned in response to the call. And if there is no response after making a call, the searcher must search for the location centering on the location where the victim may be.

  Thus, it is difficult to clearly identify the positions of many victims who are missing in the rescue operations that have relied on human resources. Generally, it is said that the survival rate of victims is considerably high within 72 hours from the disaster. Therefore, in order to find and rescue as many missing persons as possible within the time limit as described above, it is necessary to be able to accurately grasp the position where the missing person is located.

  Therefore, as a conventional technique, a system is proposed in which a searcher first receives an active tag signal to grasp a rough position and then searches for the position of the passive tag using a portable passive reader / writer. (For example, refer nonpatent literature 1). As another conventional technique, information is periodically read out by an information reading means from a non-contact type data receiving / transmitting body having an RFID function, and the location of the non-contact type data receiving / transmitting body is periodically determined based on the read information. The technique of storing as position information is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2006-127111 A

Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Shin-Etsu Communications Bureau, 2010 Report on the Study Committee on Utilization of RFID for Safety and Security in Local Communities, p.34-38

  However, in the technique described in Non-Patent Document 1, it is necessary for a searcher to search for a place where the searcher can communicate with the passive tag while moving with a portable reader / writer. In other words, it is still highly dependent on human resources and is not efficient for early detection of victims.

  In the case of the technique described in Patent Document 1, information reading means for storing position information based on information read from a non-contact type data receiving / transmitting body is installed in advance, for example, in a building or in an outdoor facility. Need to be. For this reason, there is a problem that it is not possible to cope with a disaster in a place or area where no information reading means is installed.

  In view of the above-described problems, the present invention provides a disaster relief support system that can be used without restriction on the area and location and can quickly and efficiently identify the location of the disaster victim. It is an object.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and includes a communication tag, a plurality of portable base stations installed in a disaster area, a positioning device, and a mobile terminal device , A tag communication unit that performs communication by a first wireless communication method in which data is transmitted and received by an impulse waveform, and a tag control unit that causes the tag communication unit to transmit a tag identifier to the base station of a communication partner, The base station includes a first communication unit that performs communication using the first wireless communication method, a third communication unit that performs communication with another base station using a third wireless communication method, and the communication performed by the first communication unit. In response to the communication with the tag, the position parameter information generated by itself by associating the predetermined parameter used for position estimation of the communication tag with the tag identifier transmitted from the communication tag , and the third communication unit other The location parameter information received from the base station, with is transmitted by the third communication unit designated as the destination of the positioning device, a control to transmit to the other base station by the third communication unit There row holds the estimated position information of each communication tag received from the positioning device by the third communication unit, and a base station controller for transmitting to the other base station by the third communication unit, the positioning The apparatus causes the positioning communication unit corresponding to the third wireless communication method and the positional communication information transmitted from the base station to be received by the positioning communication unit, and the position of the transmission source base station of the received positional parameter information based on estimates the position of each communication tag, stores the estimated position information of each communication tag memory unit, measuring the estimated position information for each communication tag stored in the storage unit And a positioning control unit for transmitting the communication unit to the base station, the portable terminal device includes a terminal communication unit that communicates with the base station and the positioning device is held to the base station by the terminal communication unit A disaster relief support system comprising: a terminal control unit that receives estimated position information for each communication tag and displays a position of the communication tag indicated by the received estimated position information .

Further, the present invention is an information processing method in an information processing system comprising a communication tag, a plurality of portable base stations installed in a disaster area, a positioning device, and a mobile terminal device , wherein the communication tag includes: A tag control step of transmitting a tag identifier to the base station of a communication counterpart by a tag communication unit that performs communication by a first wireless communication method in which data is transmitted and received by an impulse waveform; and In accordance with communication with the communication tag by the first communication unit that performs communication using the wireless communication method, a predetermined parameter used for position estimation of the communication tag is associated with a tag identifier transmitted from the communication tag. It said position by itself and generated position parameter information, received from the other base station by the third communication unit for performing communication with the other base station the third wireless communication method The parameter information, causes transmitted by the third communication unit designated as the destination of the positioning device, have rows a control for transmitting to the other base station by the third communication unit, said third communication A base station control step for holding estimated position information for each communication tag received from the positioning device by the unit and transmitting to another base station by the third communication unit, and transmitted from the base station in the positioning device. The received position parameter information is received by the positioning communication unit corresponding to the third wireless communication method, and the position of each communication tag is estimated based on the position of the transmission source base station of the received position parameter information. stores the estimated position information in the storage unit of each positioning to transmit the estimated position information for each communication tag stored in the storage unit to the base station by the positioning communication unit And in the portable terminal device, the terminal communication unit communicating with the base station receives estimated position information for each of the communication tags held in the base station, and the received estimated position information indicates And a terminal control step of displaying the position of the communication tag .

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can utilize as a disaster victim rescue support system without the restriction | limiting of an area or a place, and the effect that a disaster victim's position can be pinpointed quickly and efficiently is acquired.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the victim rescue assistance system as the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows typically an example of the position calculation principle of the RFID tag as 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the RFID tag as 1st Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the portable base station as 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the positional parameter information which the portable base station as 1st Embodiment transmits. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the positioning server as 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the base station position database and RFID tag position database which the positioning server as 1st Embodiment memorize | stores. It is a figure which shows typically the communication protocol (1st example) of the portable base station and RFID tag as 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a process sequence which an RFID tag performs corresponding to the communication protocol of a 1st example. It is a figure which shows typically the communication protocol (2nd example) of the portable base station and RFID tag as 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a process sequence which an RFID tag performs corresponding to the communication protocol of a 2nd example. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure executed by a portable base station in response to reception of a signal from an RFID tag in the first embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a process sequence which the positioning server as 1st Embodiment performs. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the portable base station as 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows typically the example of a technique of the self-positioning of the portable base station as 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a process sequence which a portable base station performs corresponding to the self-positioning method of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the victim rescue assistance system as 3rd Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the portable terminal device in 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the victim rescue assistance system as 4th Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the portable base station in 4th Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a process sequence for the positional parameter information sharing which the portable base station in 4th Embodiment performs. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the victim rescue assistance system in 5th Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structural example of the positioning base station in 5th Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the example of a process sequence for the communication part switching which the portable base station in 5th Embodiment performs.

<First Embodiment>
[Configuration of disaster relief support system]
Hereinafter, a disaster relief support system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a disaster victim rescue support system as the first embodiment. The disaster victim rescue support system of this embodiment includes an RFID tag 100, a portable base station 200, and a positioning server 300. In addition, an access point 400 for connecting the portable base station 200 to the network 600 via wireless communication is provided.

  An RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) tag 100 communicates with the portable base station 200 by a first wireless communication method and transmits a tag ID. The tag ID is an identifier for uniquely identifying the RFID tag 100.

  The first wireless communication method is required to measure the position of the RFID tag 100. Therefore, in this embodiment, UWB-IR (Ultra-Wideband Impulse radio) is adopted as the first wireless communication method in correspondence with such a positioning function. The UWB-IR performs communication by using an extremely short impulse signal of, for example, several nanoseconds. Using this characteristic, UWB-IR can perform positioning with an accuracy of several tens of centimeters, for example. In addition, UWB-IR is spread over a very wide band of about 1 GHz and communicates, so it does not interfere with other wireless devices using the same frequency band and consumes less power. In the present embodiment, as described later, the position of the RFID tag 100, that is, the disaster victim is specified by using a highly accurate position measurement function based on the UWB-IR.

  The RFID tag 100 is applied to an object that is carried by an individual from a normal time so that the victim can carry it even in a disaster. Specifically, the outer shape is formed as a key holder, a mobile phone strap, a student card, an employee card, or the like. It is also conceivable to prepare it inside a mobile phone or the like. Further, the RFID tag 100 is required to have robustness so as not to be easily damaged in a disaster. For this purpose, the RFID tag 100 has a structure enclosed in a card or a housing with, for example, resin, glass fiber, reinforced plastic, or the like.

  Further, the RFID tag 100 is configured as an active type driven by a battery rather than passive in order to secure a communication distance of a certain level or more under the first wireless communication method, for example. For example, a primary battery such as a coin battery may be used as the battery, but a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery or a lithium polymer battery may be used.

  A plurality of portable base stations 200 are arranged in the disaster area 700 and communicate with the RFID tag 100 existing in the communicable range by the first wireless communication method. Then, the position parameter information generated based on the communication is transmitted to the positioning server 300 via the network 600. That is, the portable base station 200 receives and acquires the tag ID transmitted from the RFID tag 100 that has performed communication, and estimates the position of the RFID tag 100 based on the state during communication with the RFID tag 100. Generate the parameters to be used. And a parameter is matched with tag ID and it transmits as positional parameter information. A specific example of the position parameter information will be described later.

  Further, the portable base station 200 communicates with the access point 400 by the second wireless communication method when communicating with the positioning server 300. The access point 400 is a relay device for connecting a communication device connected by the second wireless communication method to the network 600. The portable base station 200 can communicate with the positioning server 300 via the network 600 by wireless communication with the access point 400. As this second wireless communication system, for example, a wireless LAN such as IEEE802.11a / b / g / n can be cited. In addition, cellular networks such as GSM (registered trademark), W-CDMA (registered trademark), CDMA2000 (registered trademark) and LTE, mobile WiMAX (registered trademark), and MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) such as IEEE 802.20 are adopted. It is also possible to do.

  These portable base stations 200 are installed at various locations in the disaster area 700 at a certain distance from each other by a searcher or search team using the disaster rescue support system. At this time, the interval between the portable base stations 200 need not be strictly constant. Specifically, when the communication distance with the RFID tag is assumed to be about several tens to 100 m, it is suitable for a place where it is easy to install with an interval of about several tens to 100 m. May be arranged.

  Further, in the first embodiment, information on each position of the portable base station 200 installed in this way is acquired, and the acquired position information for each portable base station 200 is stored in the positioning server 300 described below. Let Specifically, for example, each time the searcher installs the portable base station 200, the searcher positions the position using GPS or the like. These recorded positions are collected, input to the positioning server 300 using a predetermined input device, etc., and stored in association with the ID of the portable base station 200.

  The positioning server 300 estimates the position of the RFID tag 100 based on the position parameter information transmitted from the portable base station 200, as will be described later. An example of the position estimation method will be described later. Then, information on the estimated position for each RFID tag 100 is stored as an RFID tag position database.

[Position estimation method]
Next, position estimation using the first wireless communication method will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 shows one RFID tag 100 and three portable base stations 200-1 to 200-3. Here, it is assumed that the positions of the portable base stations 200-1 to 200-3 are known.

  First, when the RFID tag 100 and the portable base station 200-1 communicate with each other, the distance d1 between the RFID tag 100 and the portable base station 200-1 is calculated based on the communication time, received signal strength, and the like. At this stage, the position of the RFID tag 100 is estimated to be on a circumference C1 having a radius d1 with the portable base station 200-1 as the center.

  Next, when the RFID tag 100 and the portable base station 200-2 communicate with each other, the distance d2 between the RFID tag 100 and the portable base station 200-2 is also calculated. As described above, when the distances d1 and d2 of the two portable base stations 200-1 and 200-2 with respect to one RFID tag 100 are obtained, the position of the RFID tag 100 corresponds to the portable base station 200-1. To be obtained as an intersection of a circumference C1 having a radius d2 with the portable base station 200-2 as the center. Since there are two intersections between the circumferences C1 and C2, at this stage, the position of the RFID tag 100 is further narrowed down and is estimated to be one of the two intersections.

Then, when the RFID tag 100 and the portable base station 200-3 communicate with each other, the distance d3 between the RFID tag 100 and the portable base station 200-3 is also calculated. As a result, the position of the RFID tag 100 is estimated as the intersection of the circumference C1, the circumference C2, and the circumference C3 of the radius d3 centered on the portable base station 200-3. That is, when the distance between the RFID tag 100 and the three portable base stations 200-3 is obtained, the position of one RFID tag 100 is estimated.
Communication between the RFID tag 100 and the portable base stations 200-1 to 200-3 may be performed simultaneously. That is, the position may be estimated by the portable base stations 200-1 to 200-3 receiving signals transmitted from the RFID tag 100 at the same time.

  As described above, the position of the RFID tag 100 can be identified by knowing the distance to at least three portable base stations 200. The position of the RFID tag 100 estimated in this way is obtained by applying the communication by UWB-IR as described above, and therefore has a very high accuracy of about several tens of centimeters.

  In the first embodiment, the portable base station 200 in the disaster area 700 communicates with all of the RFID tags 100 that can communicate at the location, and includes communication time for each RFID tag 100, received signal strength, and the like. Information used for position calculation is transmitted to the positioning server 300 as position parameter information. Specifically, in correspondence with FIG. 2, each of the portable base stations 200-1, 200-2 and 200-3 obtains position parameter information obtained by communicating with the RFID tag 100 to the positioning server 300. Send.

  The positioning server 300 selects position parameter information of the same RFID tag 100 from the position parameter information transmitted as described above, and uses the selected position parameter information to identify the RFID tag 100 and the portable base station. The distance between the 200 positions is calculated. Based on the calculated distance, the position of the RFID tag 100 is estimated as described with reference to FIG. In this case, if there are three or more pieces of position parameter information corresponding to one RFID tag 100, the position of one RFID tag 100 can be estimated. If there are two pieces of position parameter information, the position of the RFID tag 100 can be estimated as one of two points. Further, if there is one piece of position parameter information, it is estimated that the position parameter information is on the circumference of a predetermined radius centered on portable base station 200 that has transmitted the position parameter information.

  The positioning server 300 stores the position of each RFID tag 100 estimated as described above as a database. For example, the searcher can know the position of each RFID tag 100 in the disaster area 700, that is, the position of the disaster victim, by using the contents of this database. In this way, in order to know the position of the victim, the searcher goes to the disaster area 700 and installs the portable base station 200 and measures the position of the portable base station 200 and stores it in the positioning server 300. Just do it. That is, it is possible to efficiently grasp the position of the victim in the disaster-stricken area 700 in a short time without searching for the victim while the searcher himself / herself makes a voice or the like as before. Further, in this embodiment, the portable base station 200 is installed by the searcher in the disaster area 700 after the disaster, so that it can be used in any region where a disaster occurs.

[Configuration of RFID tag]
FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of the RFID tag 100. The RFID tag 100 includes a communication unit 110, a control unit 120, a storage unit 130, a battery 140, and a power supply circuit 150.

  The communication unit 110 is a part that communicates with the portable base station 200 by the first wireless communication method (UWB-IR). The communication unit 110 includes a baseband unit 111 and a transmission / reception unit 112. The baseband unit 111 is a part that executes transmission / reception signal processing corresponding to the baseband format. The transmission / reception unit 112 is a part that performs a transmission / reception operation in the RF signal stage. The baseband unit 111 performs processing such as modulation and spreading of transmission data at the time of transmission, and the transmission / reception unit 112 converts the transmission signal input from the baseband unit 111 into an RF band signal and transmits it as a radio wave from the antenna 113 Let Further, at the time of reception, the transmission / reception unit 112 performs filtering processing and amplification of the signal received by the antenna 113, and the baseband unit 111 performs despreading and demodulation processing of the signal input from the transmission / reception unit 112. Get received data.

  The control unit 120 is a part that realizes the operation as the RFID tag 100 by executing control and various processes on the communication unit 110 and the storage unit 130. As one of such controls, for example, the control unit 120 controls the communication unit 110 to perform a communication operation according to a communication protocol described later. When the communication unit 110 communicates with the portable base station 200 by the communication unit 110, the control unit 120 transmits a tag ID 131 stored in the storage unit 130 described below to the portable base station 200. To control. The control unit 120 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), and the like, and the operation is realized by executing a program stored in the storage unit 130.

  The storage unit 130 is a part that stores programs executed by the control unit 120 and various data, for example. In particular, the tag ID 131 is stored in the storage unit 130 in correspondence with the position estimation of the present embodiment. The tag ID is an identifier for uniquely identifying the RFID tag 100. Note that, as hardware corresponding to the storage unit 130, for example, a semiconductor storage element such as a flash memory can be employed.

  The battery 140 is a part that supplies electric power for driving the internal circuit of the RFID tag 100, and a primary battery or a secondary battery is adopted as described above. The power supply circuit 150 inputs power supplied from, for example, the battery 140 and supplies a power supply voltage Vdd having a predetermined value to a circuit in the RFID tag 100.

[Configuration of portable base station]
FIG. 4 shows a configuration example of the portable base station 200. The portable base station 200 shown in this figure includes a first communication unit 210, a second communication unit 220, a control unit 230, a storage unit 240, a battery 250, and a power supply circuit 260.
The first communication unit 210 is a part that performs communication by the first wireless communication method, and thus, communication with the RFID tag 100 is possible. The first communication unit 210 includes a baseband unit 211 and a transmission / reception unit 212. The functions and operations of the baseband unit 211 and the transmission / reception unit 212 are the same as those of the baseband unit 111 and the transmission / reception unit 112 shown in FIG.

  The second communication unit 220 is a part that performs communication using the second wireless communication method. For example, the second communication unit 220 modulates the transmission signal transferred from the control unit 230 and transmits the modulated signal from the antenna 221 as a radio wave. Further, the second communication unit 220 demodulates the reception signal received by the antenna 221 and transfers the data obtained thereby to the control unit 230. The second communication unit 220 is connected to the access point 400 and can communicate with the positioning server 300 via the network 600.

  The control unit 230 is a part that realizes the operation as the portable base station 200 by controlling each unit in the portable base station 200 and executing various processes. For example, the control unit 230 controls the first communication unit 210 to execute communication with the RFID tag 100 according to a predetermined communication protocol. Then, the control unit 230 receives and acquires the tag ID transmitted from the RFID tag 100 through communication with the RFID tag 100, and generates a position parameter based on the state at the time of communication. Then, position parameter information having a structure in which the position ID is associated with a base station ID 241 stored in the storage unit 240 (to be described later) is generated and transmitted to the positioning server 300 by the second communication unit 220. Let A specific example of the position parameter information will be described later. The control unit 230 includes, for example, a CPU, a RAM, and the like, and the operation is realized by executing a program stored in the storage unit 240.

  The storage unit 240 is a part that stores various data in addition to a program executed by the CPU in the control unit 230. The storage unit 240 stores a base station ID 241 as illustrated in FIG. The base station ID 241 is an identifier that uniquely identifies the corresponding portable base station 200. In addition, as hardware corresponding to the storage unit 240, for example, an HDD (Hard Disc Drive), a flash memory, or the like can be employed.

  The battery 250 is a part that supplies electric power for driving the internal circuit of the RFID tag 100, and for example, a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery can be adopted. The power supply circuit 260 inputs power supplied from the battery 250 and supplies a power supply voltage Vdd having a predetermined value to a circuit in the portable base station 200.

  FIG. 5 shows a structural example of the position parameter information transmitted from the second communication unit 220 to the positioning server 300. As shown in this figure, the location parameter information includes a base station ID, a tag ID, and a location parameter. The base station ID indicates the portable base station 200 that is the transmission source of the position parameter information, and the base station ID 241 stored in the storage unit 240 is stored. The tag ID indicates the RFID tag 100 that was communicating when the position parameter was acquired, and the tag ID 131 acquired when communicating with the RFID tag 100 is stored.

  The position parameter is data used by the positioning server 300 to estimate the position of the RFID tag 100 with the stored tag ID. Here, TOA (Time Of Arrival) and TDOA (Time Difference Of Arrival) are used. Time difference), RSS (Received Signal Strength), and AOA (Angle Of Arrival). This is merely an example, and may be changed as appropriate according to the position estimation algorithm employed by the positioning server 300.

[Configuration of positioning server]
FIG. 6 shows a configuration example of the positioning server 300. The positioning server 300 in this figure includes a communication unit 310, a position estimation unit 320, and a storage unit 330. The communication unit 310 is a part for communicating with the network 600. The communication unit 310 can communicate with a plurality of portable base stations 200 from the network 600 via the access point 400 and receive position parameter information transmitted from the portable base station 200.

  The position estimation unit 320 is a part that estimates the position of the RFID tag. For this purpose, the position estimation unit 320 holds the position parameter information received by the communication unit 310, and performs position estimation for each RFID tag using the held position parameter information. The position estimation result for each RFID tag is stored as an RFID tag position database 332 in the storage unit 330. This position estimation process will be described later.

  The storage unit 330 is a part that stores data related to the position estimation unit 320. Here, the base station position database 331 and the RFID tag position database 332 are stored. The base station position database 331 is a database used by the position estimation unit 320 for position estimation, and stores position information for each portable base station 200 installed in the disaster area 700. The RFID tag position database 332 is a database that records the position estimation result of the position estimation unit 320, and stores estimated position information for each RFID tag 100 that has communicated with the portable base station 200.

  FIG. 7A shows an example of the structure of the base station location database 331. As shown in this figure, the base station location database 331 has a structure in which location information is associated with each base station ID. Each base station ID corresponds to the portable base station 200 installed in the stricken area 700, and the position information indicates the position where the portable base station 200 with the corresponding base station ID is installed. In the first embodiment, as described above, the base station position database 331 inputs position information obtained by the searcher with respect to the portable base station 200 installed in the disaster area 700 in association with the base station ID. As a result, the data is stored in the storage unit 330.

  FIG. 7B shows a structure example of the RFID tag position database 332. As shown in this figure, the RFID tag position database 332 has a structure in which estimated position information is associated with each tag ID. The RFID tag position database 332 stores combinations of tag IDs corresponding to all the RFID tags 100 whose positions are estimated based on all position parameter information received from the portable base station 200. The estimated position information indicates a position estimated for the RFID tag 100 indicated by the corresponding tag ID.

[Communication protocol between RFID tag and portable base station (first example)]
Next, an example of a communication protocol between the RFID tag 100 and the portable base station 200 will be described with reference to FIG. This communication protocol defines transmission / reception timing between the RFID tag 100 and the portable base station 200 in communication using the first wireless communication method.

  In this communication protocol, the portable base station 200 continuously sets the reception mode as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the RFID tag 100 repeats the pause mode based on the time Ts and the subsequent transmission mode based on the time Tt as time passes. In the hibernation mode, the RFID tag 100 is in a state where the control unit 120 is receiving the minimum necessary power supply, for example, in a state where power supply to the communication unit 110 or the storage unit 130 is stopped (power supply stop state). . On the other hand, in the communication mode, power is supplied to the communication unit 110 and the storage unit 130 and the tag ID 131 is transmitted from the communication unit 110.

  The transmission mode time Tt is set to be considerably shorter than the pause mode time Ts. As a specific example, the sleep mode time Ts is set to about 1 hour, and the transmission mode time Tt is set to about 100 msec. The UWB-IR employed as the first wireless communication system in the present embodiment has low power consumption, and thus the capacity of the battery 140 is obtained by combining the short-time transmission mode and the long-time sleep mode in this way. Can last for more than a few years.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure executed by the RFID tag 100 corresponding to the communication protocol shown in FIG. The processing shown in this figure can be viewed as being executed by the control unit 120 (CPU), for example.

  First, the control unit 120 resets and starts the internal timer (step S101), and starts the sleep mode (step S102). For example, the control unit 120 stops the supply of the power supply voltage Vdd to the communication unit 110 and the storage unit 130 and sets itself to the standby mode to set the sleep mode. Then, the system waits for the time Ts to elapse (step S103-NO). When the time Ts elapses (step S103-YES), the timer is reset again and started (step S104).

  Next, the control unit 120 switches from the current sleep mode to the transmission mode (step S105). At this time, the control unit 120 supplies power to the communication unit 110 and the storage unit 130 and returns itself from the standby mode. In the transmission mode, the control unit 120 reads the tag ID 131 from the storage unit 130 and executes control for causing the communication unit 110 to transmit the tag ID 131. After switching to the transmission mode, the control unit 120 waits for the time Tt to elapse (step S106—NO), and when determining that the time Tt has elapsed (step S106—YES), returns to step S101. .

[Communication protocol between RFID tag and portable base station (second example)]
Further, instead of the communication protocol of the first example, the communication protocol of the second example can be considered. A communication protocol as a second example will be described with reference to FIG.

  First, a communication operation of the RFID tag 100 when the RFID tag 100 is in a state where communication with the portable base station 200 is not possible will be described with reference to FIG. This state corresponds to a normal time when the portable base station 200 does not exist around the person who owns the RFID tag 100.

  The RFID tag 100 sets the reception mode based on the time Tr after the sleep mode based on the time Ts. In the reception mode, a state is set in which the communication unit 110 can receive a paging signal transmitted from the portable base station 200.

  Since there is no portable base station 200 that can communicate with the RFID tag 100, the paging signal from the portable base station 200 is not received in this reception mode. As described above, when the paging signal from the portable base station 200 cannot be received in the reception mode, after the elapse of the time Tr, the mode again returns to the sleep mode based on the time Ts, and thereafter, the reception mode based on the time Tr is set. . As described above, when communication with the portable base station 200 is not performed, the RFID tag 100 repeats the sleep mode and the subsequent reception mode. As an example, it is conceivable that about 1 hour is set for the time Ts in the sleep mode and about 100 msec is set for the time Tr in the reception mode.

  Next, a communication operation of the RFID tag 100 when the RFID tag 100 is in a state where communication with the portable base station 200 is possible will be described with reference to FIG. This state corresponds to, for example, a state in which a portable base station 200 is arranged around a person who has the RFID tag 100 due to a disaster.

  The portable base station 200 continuously repeats the calling mode based on the time Tc and the subsequent receiving mode (tag signal receiving mode) based on the time Trv. At the call mode time Tc, the control unit 230 of the portable base station 200 transmits a call signal from the first communication unit 210. In the reception mode time Trv, the control unit 230 sets the first communication unit 210 in a state in which a signal transmitted from the RFID tag 100 can be received in response to the calling signal.

  In this figure, as an example, time Tc and time Trv are each set to 100 msec. As for the time Tc and the time Trv, the same time length may be set as described above, or different time lengths may be set. For example, it may be possible to set a time longer than the time Tc, such as about 1 second for the reception mode Trv, for example, while setting the time Tc for the call mode to about 100 msec.

  On the other hand, as described with reference to FIG. 10A, the RFID tag 100 sets a reception mode (call signal reception mode) based on the time Tr and waits for reception of a call signal following the pause mode based on the time Ts. . The reception mode time Tr is set to be longer than the call mode time Tc, for example. For example, if the time Tc is about 100 msec, the reception mode time Tr may be set to about 150 msec to 200 msec. As a result, as shown in the figure, there are overlapping periods between the reception mode and the calling mode, and the calling signal transmitted by the portable base station 200 can be received by the RFID tag 100 side.

  When the calling signal can be received in the reception mode as described above, the RFID tag 100 sets the transmission mode according to the time Tt (for example, about 100 msec) when the time Tr elapses. In this transmission mode, the RFID tag 100 transmits the tag ID 131 to the portable base station 200 that is the transmission source of the calling signal. The tag ID 131 transmitted in this way is received in the reception mode set after the elapse of the call mode time Tc in the portable base station 200. The RFID tag 100 is again set to the reception mode based on the time Tr after the time Tt of the transmission mode has elapsed. By setting the reception mode in this way, it becomes possible to transmit the tag ID again in response to the calling signal even if a transmission error has occurred in the previous transmission mode, for example. In addition, even when a call signal is newly transmitted from another portable base station 200, the tag ID can be transmitted in response thereto.

  In the case of such a communication protocol, in a normal situation where the portable base station 200 is not disposed around the RFID tag 100, the reception mode of the RFID tag 100 is set for a period of about 100 msec at a frequency of about once per hour, for example. However, the battery 140 can be kept in a long life since it is in a rest state during other periods. In the communication protocol of the second example, the transmission mode is not set unless the call signal from the portable base station 200 is received. Therefore, the tag ID may be transmitted in the transmission mode in normal times. Absent. As a result, the tag ID is not intercepted in normal times, and security can be ensured.

  FIG. 11 shows an example of a processing procedure executed by the RFID tag 100 corresponding to the communication protocol of the second example shown in FIG. The processing shown in this figure can also be regarded as being executed by the control unit 120 (CPU).

  The control unit 120 resets the internal timer and starts (step S201), sets the sleep mode (step S202), and waits for the time Ts to elapse (step S203—NO). When the time Ts elapses (step S203—YES), the timer is reset again and started (step S204), and the reception mode is set (step S205). That is, the control unit 120 returns from the standby mode, resumes power supply to the communication unit 110 and the storage unit 130, and sets the communication unit 110 in a state where it can receive a calling signal from the portable base station 200. .

  Under the above-described state, the control unit 120 waits for the time Tr to elapse (step S206-NO), and when the time Tr elapses (step S206-YES), the period of the reception mode set this time It is determined whether or not a call signal has been received (step S207).

  When it determines with the said call signal not having been received (step S207 -NO), the control part 120 returns to step S201. On the other hand, if it is determined that the call signal has been received (step S207—YES), the control unit 120 resets and starts the timer (step S208), and sets the transmission mode (step S209). In the transmission mode, the control unit 120 reads the tag ID 131 from the storage unit 130, and transmits the tag ID 131 to the portable base station 200 that is the transmission source of the paging signal by the communication unit 110. And the control part 120 is waiting for the time Tt to pass under the state which started the transmission mode (step S210-NO), and when the time Tt passes (step S210-YES), step S204 Return to, and resume the reception mode.

[Example of processing procedure of portable base station]
Next, an example of a processing procedure for receiving tag IDs and transmitting positional parameter information executed by the portable base station 200 in the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Note that the processing shown in this figure can be viewed as being executed by the control unit 230.

  The control unit 230 waits for reception of a transmission signal from the RFID tag 100 in the reception mode described with reference to FIG. 8 or FIG. 10 (step S301—NO). When it is determined that the transmission signal from the RFID tag 100 has been received (step S301—YES), for example, the first communication unit 210 performs demodulation processing of the reception signal and is included in the reception signal. The tag ID is acquired (step S302).

  In addition, the control unit 230 acquires each value of TOA, TDOA, RSS, and AOA detected by the first communication unit 210 during communication with the RFID tag 100 this time as a position parameter (step S303).

  Next, the control unit 230 generates position parameter information (see FIG. 5) based on the tag ID acquired in step S302, the base station ID read from the storage unit 240, and the position parameter acquired in step S303 (step 5). S304). And the control part 230 transmits this positional parameter information with respect to the positioning server 300 from the 2nd communication part 220 (step S305). In this way, the portable base station 200 communicates with one or more communicable RFID tags, and for each RFID tag 100 that has performed the communication, information (position parameter information) used for position estimation is determined by the positioning server 300. To send to.

[Example of processing procedure of positioning server]
Next, an example of a processing procedure for position estimation executed by the position estimation unit 320 of the positioning server 300 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In the stage where the processing shown in this figure is executed, for example, it is assumed that the position parameter information transmitted from all portable base stations 200 installed in the disaster area 700 is held.

  The position estimation unit 320 determines, for example, one tag ID from among the tag IDs stored in the position parameter information held by the position estimation unit 320 as a position estimation processing target (step S401). Then, from the position parameter information held by itself, all position parameter information storing the tag ID determined as the processing target is selected (step S402). The number of pieces of position parameter information selected in this way corresponds to the number of portable base stations 200 that can receive the tag ID 131 by communicating with the RFID tag 100 corresponding to the tag ID to be processed.

  Next, the position estimation unit 320 acquires position information for each portable base station 200 that is the transmission source of the position parameter information selected in step S402 (step S403). For this purpose, the position estimation unit 320 searches the base station position database 331 of the storage unit 330 for position information corresponding to each base station ID stored in each of the position parameter information selected in step S402. get. Thereby, the position of the portable base station 200 necessary for estimating the position of the RFID tag 100 is known.

  Next, the position estimation part 320 performs a position estimation process (step S404). At this time, the position estimation unit 320 uses the position parameters (TOA, RSS, and AOA) in the position parameter information to determine the distance from the position of the portable base station 200 that is the position parameter information transmission source to the RFID tag 100 that is the processing target. calculate. Then, using the distance information thus obtained, the position of the RFID tag 100 is estimated based on the method described with reference to FIG. 2, for example. In addition, in such position estimation, a method using TDOA (Time Difference Of Arrival) in addition to the TOA, RSS, and AOA is also known. This TDOA is performed in step S402. When a plurality of pieces of position parameter information are selected, it is also possible to obtain using the TOA stored in these pieces of position parameter information.

  Then, the position estimation unit 320 stores the position information (estimated position information) estimated in step S404 so as to be newly registered in the RFID tag position database 332 in association with the tag ID selected in step S401. (Step S405).

  Next, the position estimation unit 320 determines whether or not position estimation has been completed for all RFID tags 100 corresponding to tag IDs stored in all position parameter information held by itself (step S406). Here, when the RFID tag 100 whose position has not been estimated still remains (step S406—NO), the position estimation unit 320 returns to step S401, determines the tag ID of the next processing target, and thereafter A process for position estimation is executed. When it is determined that the position estimation of all the RFID tags 100 has been completed (step S406—YES), the position estimation unit 320 ends the process so far. At the stage where the processing shown in this figure is completed, the position information about all RFID tags 100 that have communicated with the portable base station 200 installed in the disaster area 700 is obtained as the contents of the RFID tag position database 332. It will be.

<Second Embodiment>
[Configuration example of portable base station]
Next, the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 14 shows a configuration example of the portable base station 200 in the second embodiment. In this figure, the same parts as those in FIG. The overall configuration of the disaster victim rescue support system corresponding to the second embodiment may be the same as that shown in FIG.

  The portable base station 200 in FIG. 14 has a configuration in which a self-positioning unit 270 is added to the configuration shown in FIG. The self-positioning unit 270 is a part that measures its own position. The self position information measured by the self positioning unit 270 is associated with the base station ID 241 stored in the storage unit 240 under the control of the control unit 230 and then transmitted from the second communication unit 220 to the positioning server 300. Sent to.

  The positioning server 300 associates the received base station ID 241 of the portable base station 200 with the position information, and stores them so as to be newly registered in the base station position database 331 of the storage unit 330.

  As described above, in the second embodiment, each portable base station 200 measures its own position and transmits it to the positioning server 300, and the positioning server 300 is configured to store information on the transmitted position. Has been. That is, in the second embodiment, the positioning server 300 can collect the position information from the portable base station 200 and construct the base station position database 331. This eliminates the need for the searcher to measure the position of each installed portable base station 200 and to input the measured information to the positioning server 300, thus enabling more efficient disaster relief work. become.

[Specific examples of the self-positioning unit]
As a specific example of the self-positioning unit 270, it is conceivable to employ a positioning device corresponding to GPS.

  Also, one of the configurations is such that each portable base station 200 measures its own position as described below after giving the self-positioning unit 270 a communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication method. It is possible to do. In FIG. 2, it has been described that the position of the RFID tag 100 can be obtained at one point when the distance between the three or more base stations (that is, known coordinates) and the RFID tag 100 is known. A technique for estimating a position based on two known coordinates (base station) is also known. Therefore, in the following, in order to simplify the description, it is assumed that the position is estimated based on one known coordinate (base station).

  FIG. 15 schematically shows eight portable base stations 200 (200-1 to 200-8) arranged in the disaster area. Among these portable base stations 200-1 to 200-8, the portable base station 200-1 has its coordinates (x 1, y 1) measured, and data indicating the position is stored in the storage unit 240. It is assumed that it is stored in

  In addition, about portable base station 200-1, the position is acquirable by providing the positioning device corresponding to GPS. Further, for example, the searcher may perform positioning when the portable base station 200-1 is installed, and input and store the coordinates of the absolute position. The coordinates stored in this way are set as a reference position in the disaster area 700.

  Here, it is assumed that portable base station 200-2 and portable base station 200-6 can communicate with portable base station 200-1. Then, each of the portable base station 200-2 and the portable base station 200-6 can obtain its own position (coordinates) by using the position received from the portable base station 200-1 as the reference coordinates.

  Next, portable base station 200-3 can communicate with portable base station 200-2. As a result, the portable base station 200-3 can determine its own position using the position information of the portable base station 200-2 received from the portable base station 200-2 as the reference coordinates. Thereafter, similarly, each of the portable base stations 200-4 and 200-5 determines its own position using the position information received from the portable base station 200-3 as reference coordinates. Portable base stations 200-7 and 200-8 also determine their own positions using the position information received from portable base station 200-6 as reference coordinates.

  As described above, for example, by sharing information on the distance required by communication between the portable base stations 200 based on the portable base station 200-1, the position of each portable base station 200 can be obtained in a chain. Is possible.

  And in said method, a position is calculated | required using a 1st wireless communication system. As described above, the position estimation by the first wireless communication method has higher accuracy than, for example, GPS. Therefore, with this method, the position information of the portable base station 200 with very high accuracy is automatically obtained. Can be obtained.

  The flowchart of FIG. 16 shows an example of a processing procedure for self-positioning corresponding to the method described with reference to FIG. It is assumed that the process shown in this figure is executed by the self-positioning unit 270 in FIG. Further, the self-positioning unit 270 in this case can be viewed as a function realized by the CPU executing a program, for example, similarly to the control unit 230.

  Self-positioning unit 270 waits for communication with one other portable base station 200 to be established (step S501-NO), and when communication is established (step S501-YES), it already has its own It is determined whether or not the position information has been acquired (step S502). Here, when it is determined that the own position information has been acquired (step S502—YES), the self-positioning unit 270 transmits the own position information to another portable base station 200 with which communication has been established. (Step S506).

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the own position information has not been acquired (step S502-NO), the self-positioning unit 270 determines whether position information has been received from another portable base station 200 with which communication has been established. Determination is made (step S503). If the other portable base station 200 has acquired its own position information, the other portable base station 200 transmits the position information, but if not already acquired, it does not transmit.

  If it is determined that position information from another portable base station 200 has not been received (step S503-NO), the self-positioning unit 270 returns to step S501, and communication with another portable base station 200 different from the previous one is performed. Wait for it to be established. On the other hand, when it is determined that position information has been received (step S503-YES), the self-positioning unit 270 measures its own position with reference to the received position information (step S504). Then, the measured position information is transmitted to the positioning server 300 (step S505).

  In the method for self-positioning described with reference to FIGS. 15 and 16 above, the communication function corresponding to the first wireless communication method in the self-positioning unit 270 is shared by the first communication unit 210. It is possible to realize. As a result, a communication unit used for communication with the RFID tag 100 and communication with another portable base station 200 is shared, and for example, hardware resources and software resources can be reduced.

<Third Embodiment>
FIG. 17 shows a configuration example of a disaster victim rescue support system as the third embodiment. In this figure, the same parts as those in FIG. In the disaster victim rescue support system of the third embodiment, a mobile terminal device 500 is added to the configuration of the first embodiment.

  The portable terminal device 500 is possessed by a searcher at the site of the disaster area 700. Then, based on the data in the RFID tag position database 332 received from the positioning server 300, the mobile terminal device 500 presents the position of the RFID tag 100 in the area of the disaster area 700 by, for example, image display. For this purpose, the mobile terminal device 500 includes a communication function corresponding to the second wireless communication method for communicating with the positioning server 300 via the access point 400, and a display function. The mobile terminal device 500 is set in size and shape so that a searcher can carry it. The mobile terminal device 500 has a built-in battery such as a secondary battery and can be operated using the battery as a power source. ing.

  A searcher at the site of the stricken area 700 displays the position of the RFID tag 100 on the mobile terminal device 500, so that the position of the RFID tag 100 existing around him can be grasped. Then, by immediately hitting the position of the RFID tag 100, it is possible to quickly find a victim.

  FIG. 18 shows a configuration example of the mobile terminal device 500. The mobile terminal device 500 shown in this figure includes a communication unit 510, a control unit 520, a storage unit 530, an operation unit 540, a display unit 550, a battery 560, and a power supply circuit 570.

  The communication unit 510 is a part that performs communication corresponding to the second wireless communication method, and has the same configuration as the second communication unit 220 of the portable base station 200, for example. Thereby, the mobile terminal device 500 can connect to the access point 400 and communicate with the positioning server 300 via the network 600.

  The control unit 520 is configured to include, for example, a CPU and a RAM, and is a part that realizes an operation as the mobile terminal device 500 by executing various controls and processes.

  The storage unit 530 stores various necessary data in addition to the program executed by the CPU in the control unit 520. In this figure, map data 531 and an RFID tag position database 532 are shown as data used corresponding to the position display of the RFID tag 100 among the data stored in the storage unit 530.

  The map data 531 is map data including at least the area of the disaster area 700. The RFID tag position database 532 is data indicating the position of each RFID tag 100 existing in the disaster area 700. This RFID tag position database 532 is obtained by storing the RFID tag position database 332 received by the mobile terminal device 500 from the positioning server 300 in the storage unit 530.

  The operation unit 540 collectively shows various operators provided for the mobile terminal device 500. For example, when the display unit 550 is configured as a touch panel, the sensor of the touch panel is also included in the operation unit 540. The operation element in the operation unit 540 outputs an operation signal to the control unit 520 in response to the operation. The control unit 520 executes a predetermined process according to the input operation signal. Thereby, operation | movement of the portable terminal device 500 according to operation is implement | achieved.

  The display unit 550 is, for example, a liquid crystal display device, and is a part that displays an image according to the control of the control unit 520.

  The battery 560 serves as a power source for the mobile terminal device 500 and is, for example, a secondary battery. The power supply circuit 570 receives the power supplied from the battery 560 and outputs it to the internal circuit as a power supply voltage Vdd having a predetermined value.

  An operation example for displaying the position of the RFID tag 100 by the mobile terminal device 500 having the above configuration will be described. For example, the searcher performs an operation for instructing to download the RFID tag position database 332 on the operation unit 540. In response to this operation, the communication unit 510 transmits a download request for the RFID tag position database 332 to the positioning server 300 to the control unit 520. When the RFID tag position database 332 transmitted in response to this request is received by the communication unit 510, the control unit 520 transfers the received RFID tag position database 332 to the storage unit 530, and the RFID tag position database 532. Remember as. Thus, the mobile terminal device 500 acquires information indicating the position of the RFID tag 100 existing in the disaster area 700 from the positioning server 300 by communication.

  Thus, the searcher performs an operation for instructing the display of the position of the RFID tag 100 with respect to the operation unit 540 of the mobile terminal device 500 that stores the RFID tag position database 532. In response to this operation, control unit 520 reads map data 531 stored in storage unit 530 and causes display unit 550 to display it as a map image. At the same time, the RFID tag position database 532 is read out, and the position of the RFID tag 100 indicated by the RFID tag position database is superimposed and displayed in correspondence with the position of the displayed map data. As a result, an image is displayed on the display unit 550 so that the position where the RFID tag 100 exists is shown on the map. By looking at this image, the searcher can know the position of the RFID tag 100 in the vicinity of the searcher. Thus, the searcher can acquire the position information of the RFID tag 100 immediately from the positioning server 300 and know the position by possessing the portable terminal device 500. As a result, the search operation can be performed more quickly and efficiently.

  Although not shown, the mobile terminal device 500 can be positioned with respect to the map displayed on the display unit 550 by providing a positioning function corresponding to GPS, for example. The self position may be displayed together with the position of the RFID tag 100. Thereby, the searcher can easily grasp the positional relationship between the user's own position and the surrounding RFID tag 100, and can more efficiently perform the search operation.

<Fourth Embodiment>
FIG. 19 shows a configuration example of a disaster victim rescue support system according to the fourth embodiment. In this figure, the same parts as those in FIG. The apparatus included in the disaster victim rescue support system according to the fourth embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment. In addition, in the fourth embodiment, the portable base stations 200 are configured to perform communication using a predetermined wireless communication method.

  In the fourth embodiment, the position information parameter (FIG. 5) generated by one portable base station 200 communicating with the RFID tag 100 through communication between the portable base stations 200 is transferred to another portable base station 200. It transmits also to the base station 200. Each portable base station 200 transmits not only the position parameter information generated by itself but also the position parameter information received from other portable base stations 200 to the positioning server 300.

  In the state where the portable base station 200 performs the above operation all at once, a large number of the same position parameter information is transmitted and received between the portable base stations 200 in a loop, which causes congestion and the like. . In addition, a large number of the same position information parameter information is transmitted to the positioning server 300 at the same time, and there is a possibility that the congestion and the traffic will be significantly increased. Thus, for example, it is preferable that the location parameter information received once in the past in the portable base station 200 is not transmitted so that congestion can be avoided.

  At the site of the disaster area 700, not all portable base stations 200 can communicate with the access point 400, and some portable base stations 200 may not be able to communicate with the access point 400. is assumed. One cause of this is a state in which radio waves do not reach due to the distance between the access point 400 and the portable base station 200 or the influence of obstacles. In addition, a state in which radio interference such as interference and fading occurs due to some factor can be given.

  Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, as described above, communication is performed so as to exchange position parameter information between the portable base stations 200, and the received position parameter information is transmitted to the positioning server 300. As a result, the positional parameter information generated by the portable base station 200 in a state where it cannot communicate directly with the access point 400 is also transmitted to the positioning server 300 by the other portable base station 200. As a result, the positioning server 300 can collect the position parameter information generated by all the portable base stations 200 installed in the disaster area 700. As described above, the fourth embodiment can construct a disaster relief support system that is robust with respect to communication between the portable base station 200 and the access point 400.

  FIG. 20 shows a configuration example of the portable base station 200 in the fourth embodiment. In this figure, the same parts as those in FIG. The portable base station 200 shown in this figure is configured to further include a third communication unit 280 with respect to the configuration of FIG.

  The third communication unit 280 is a part that performs communication with another portable base station 200 by a predetermined third wireless communication method. Under the control of the control unit 230, the third communication unit 280 performs modulation processing or amplification corresponding to the wireless communication method on the transmission data and transmits the transmission data as a radio wave from the antenna 271. The third communication unit 280 receives a signal from another portable base station 200 received by the antenna 271 and performs amplification or demodulation processing to obtain received data.

  FIG. 21 shows an example of a processing procedure related to transmission / reception of positional parameter information executed by the portable base station 200 corresponding to the third embodiment. The processing shown in this figure can be viewed as being executed by the control unit 230.

  The control unit 230 waits for position parameter information from another portable base station 200 to be received by the third communication unit 280 (step S601—NO). When the position parameter information is received (step S601—YES), it is determined whether or not the received position parameter information is registered in the transmission history (step S602).

  The transmission history is information indicating the position information parameter information that the portable base station 200 has already received once and transmitted to the positioning server 300 and other portable base stations 200, and is stored in the internal RAM of the control unit 230. Retained. Although illustration is omitted, several structures of the transmission history can be considered. For example, it is conceivable to adopt a structure in which data of position parameter information transmitted so far is stored. Further, since the identity of the location parameter information can be uniquely specified by the combination of the stored base station ID and the tag ID, a structure storing the combination of the base station ID and the tag ID of the location parameter information transmitted so far, It is possible to do.

  If the received position parameter information has already been registered in the transmission history (YES in step S602), the control unit 230 discards the received position parameter information without transmitting and returns to step S601. On the other hand, if not registered in the transmission history (NO in step S602), the control unit 230 causes the second communication unit 220 to transmit the received position parameter information to the positioning server 300 (step S603). In addition, the third communication unit 280 transmits the data to another portable base station 200 by broadcast, for example (step S604). The control unit 230 then updates the transmission history so as to newly register the position parameter information transmitted in steps S603 and S604 (step S605).

  In the fourth embodiment, a wireless LAN such as IEEE802.11a / b / g / n can be cited as a third wireless communication method employed in the third communication unit 280. In addition, cellular networks such as GSM (registered trademark), W-CDMA (registered trademark), CDMA2000 (registered trademark) and LTE, mobile WiMAX (registered trademark), and MAN (Metropolitan Area Network) such as IEEE 802.20 are adopted. It is also possible to do. It is also conceivable to adopt the first communication method.

  In addition, the third wireless communication method supported by the third communication unit 280 and the second wireless communication method supported by the second communication unit 220 may be the same. As described above, when the third wireless communication method and the second wireless communication method are the same, the third communication unit 280 is omitted, and the second communication unit 220 is communicated with the access point 400 and other portable base stations. It can be configured so as to be shared for communication with 200. By sharing the second communication unit 220 in this way, it is possible to reduce hardware and resources when executing communication with the access point 400 and communication with another portable base station 200.

  Further, the third wireless communication method supported by the third communication unit 280 may be the same as the first wireless communication method supported by the first communication unit 220. Thus, even when the third wireless communication system and the first wireless communication system are the same, the third communication unit 280 is omitted, and the first communication unit 210 is communicated with the RFID tag 100 and other portable devices. It can be configured to be shared for communication with the base station 200. Also in this case, hardware and resources can be reduced.

<Fifth Embodiment>
FIG. 22 shows a configuration example of a disaster victim rescue support system as the fifth embodiment. In this figure, the same parts as those in FIG. In the disaster victim rescue support system as the fifth embodiment, the positioning server 300 is omitted. Accordingly, the access point 400 for connecting the positioning server 300 and the portable base station 200 via the network 600 is also omitted from the system configuration. That is, the disaster victim rescue support system according to the fifth embodiment includes the portable base station 200 installed in the disaster area 700 and the RFID tag 100 existing in the disaster area 700.

  In addition, at least one of the portable base stations 200 in the stricken area 700 is provided with a positioning base station 200A provided with a positioning function corresponding to the positioning server 300. The positioning base station 200A is configured by adding an RFID positioning function to the configuration of the portable base station 200.

  FIG. 23 illustrates a configuration example of the positioning base station 200A. In this figure, the same parts as those of the portable base station 200 of FIG. In the positioning base station 200A shown in this figure, for example, the second communication unit 220 provided in the portable base station 200 of FIG. 20 is omitted. In addition, the 3rd communication part 280 in FIG. 23 is corresponded to the positioning communication part as described in a claim. Moreover, the control part 230 is provided with the position estimation part 231 as an own processing function, for example. The position estimation unit 231 is a part that estimates the position of the RFID tag 100 based on the position parameter information received by the third communication unit 280, and its operation is the same as that of the position estimation unit 320 of the positioning server 300 in FIG. It becomes. Corresponding to the provision of the position estimation unit 320, the storage unit 240 stores a base station position database 242 and an RFID tag position database 243. These base station location database 242 and RFID tag location database 243 have the same structure as base station location database 331 and RFID tag location database 332 shown in FIG.

  In addition, the portable base station 200 according to the fifth embodiment may be configured such that the second communication unit 220 is omitted from the configuration illustrated in FIG. In the fifth embodiment, the portable base station 200 communicates with another portable base station 200 or positioning base station 200A by the third communication unit 280. Thereby, a communication network is formed between the portable base station 200 and the positioning base station 200A. Then, the portable base station 200 transmits the position parameter information generated by itself or the position parameter information received from another portable base station 200 via the communication network with the positioning base station 200A as a transmission destination.

  In the above configuration, the portable base station 200 that can communicate with the RFID tag 100 generates position parameter information corresponding to the RFID tag 100 of the communication partner and transmits it to the positioning base station 200A.

  At this time, if direct communication is impossible because the distance between the portable base station 200 that is the transmission source of the position parameter information and the positioning base station 200A is out of the communicable range, one or more other portable base stations 200 are What is necessary is just to be made to relay to the positioning base station 200A sequentially. For this purpose, the third communication unit 280 may be provided with a routing function.

  Through the above communication, the position parameter information is received by the third communication unit 280 in the positioning base station 200A. The position estimation unit 320 collects the position parameter information received in this way, estimates the position of each RFID tag 100, and stores the estimation result as the RFID tag position database 243.

  The base station position database 242 stored in the storage unit 240 of the positioning base station 200A is stored by inputting the position measured by the searcher for each portable base station 200, as in the first embodiment. Can do.

  Alternatively, as in the second embodiment, the portable base station 200 includes the self-positioning unit 270, and each of the portable base stations 200 measures the self-position by the self-positioning unit 270. After that, the measured position information is transmitted to the positioning base station 200A together with the base station ID via a communication network formed between the portable base stations 200. Then, the positioning base station 200 </ b> A may construct the base station position database 242 based on the received position information and base station ID and store the base station position database 242 in the storage unit 240. With such a disaster victim rescue support system configuration, the positioning server 300 is not necessary, and the system configuration is simpler and easier to handle.

  In the fifth embodiment, the portable terminal device 500 can be additionally provided in the disaster victim rescue support system in accordance with the third embodiment. In this case, the communication unit 510 of the mobile terminal device 500 adopts a configuration corresponding to the third wireless communication method so that communication with the portable base station 200 is possible.

  In addition, the RFID tag position database 243 stored in the positioning base station 200A is transmitted to and stored in each portable base station 200 using the communication network between the portable base stations 200. That is, the RFID tag position database 243 is shared between the portable base stations 200.

  For this purpose, the RFID tag position database 243 is transmitted by broadcast from the third communication unit 280 of the positioning base station 200A. The portable base station 200 that has received the RFID tag position database 243 stores the received RFID tag position database 243 in the storage unit 240 and broadcasts it to the other portable base stations 200 from the third communication unit 280. Send. Thereby, each of the portable base stations 200 in the disaster area 700 can share the RFID tag position database 243 having the same content.

  Then, the mobile terminal device 500 receives the RFID tag position database 243 from the communicable portable base station 200 and stores it in the storage unit 530 as the RFID tag position database 532. Thereafter, the mobile terminal device 500 can display the position of the RFID tag 100 on the display unit 550 based on the RFID tag position database 532.

  As described in the fourth embodiment, the first wireless communication method can be adopted as the wireless communication method between the portable base stations 200 by the third communication unit 280. In this case, the third communication unit 280 and the first communication unit 210 can be configured in common.

  The first wireless communication system has low power consumption, and if the first wireless communication system is employed, the absolute position for each portable base station 200 is also applied to the fifth embodiment in accordance with FIGS. 15 and 16. There is an advantage that coordinates can be calculated. However, in the first wireless communication method, for example, congestion control and collision control are not performed. Therefore, when communication with the RFID tag 100 is performed at the same time, communication between the portable base stations 200 is performed. Communication may be an obstacle. In such a situation where communication with the RFID tag 100 is not good, communication between the portable base stations 200 should be performed by a method other than the first wireless communication method including the wireless LAN. It will be.

  From this point of view, according to the current operation mode, communication status, and the like, when communicating between portable base stations 200, the wireless communication method is the first wireless communication method and other predetermined wireless communication methods. It can be considered to be configured to dynamically switch between them. Hereinafter, the configuration for this will be described. When the wireless communication method is switched in this way, the third communication unit 280 of the portable base station 200 is configured to be switchable between the first wireless communication method and other predetermined wireless communication methods. The first communication unit 210 can be used for the first wireless communication method. Therefore, in the following description, when the portable base station 200 performs communication using the first wireless communication method, the first communication unit 210 is used. In addition, a wireless LAN is adopted as a communication method of the third communication unit 280. The portable base station 200 includes the self-positioning unit 270 of FIG. This self-positioning unit 270 calculates its absolute value coordinates by using the method shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 using communication with the other portable base station 200 by the first communication unit 210.

  The flowchart in FIG. 24 illustrates an example of a processing procedure for switching communication methods in communication between portable base stations 200 executed by the portable base station 200. The processing shown in this figure can be regarded as being executed by the control unit 230.

  The control unit 230 determines whether or not it is currently in a positioning mode for obtaining its absolute value coordinates (step S701). If it is in the positioning mode (YES in step S701), the control unit 230 causes the first communication unit 210 (first wireless communication method) to perform communication with another portable base station 200 (step S704). .

  On the other hand, when the positioning mode is not being performed (step S701-NO), the control unit 230 determines whether or not the received signal strength of the RFID tag 100 currently received by the first communication unit 210 is equal to or higher than a certain level. (Step S702). If the received signal strength is greater than or equal to a certain value (step S702—YES), the control unit 230 proceeds to step S704. On the other hand, when the received signal strength is less than a certain value (step S702-NO), control unit 230 further determines whether the remaining amount of battery 250 is equal to or less than a certain value (step S703).

  If it is determined that the remaining amount of the battery 250 is below a certain level (step S703—YES), the control unit 230 proceeds to step S704. That is, the remaining amount of the battery 250 is maintained for a longer time by switching to the first wireless communication method with low power consumption. On the other hand, when it is determined that the remaining amount of the battery 250 is greater than a certain level (step S703—NO), the control unit 230 performs communication with another portable base station 200 by the third communication unit 280 (wireless LAN). This is executed (step S705).

  By switching the wireless communication method in this way, communication between the portable base stations 200 is performed by the first wireless communication method in the positioning mode or when the remaining amount of the battery 250 is low. Further, when the reception state of the RFID tag 100 is not good, communication between the portable base stations 200 can be performed by the third wireless communication method as long as the remaining battery capacity is sufficient.

In addition, each apparatus in the disaster victim rescue support system of this embodiment can have a computer system inside. The process of operation is stored in a computer-readable recording medium in the form of a program, and the above-described processing is performed by the computer system reading and executing this program. The “computer system” herein includes a CPU, various memories, an OS, and hardware such as peripheral devices.
Further, the “computer system” includes a homepage providing environment (or display environment) if a WWW system is used.

  In addition, a program for realizing each step is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and a program for realizing this function is recorded on a computer-readable recording medium and recorded on the recording medium. The computer program may be read into the computer system and executed to calculate the estimated value of the position information of the detection target. The “computer-readable recording medium” means a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, a ROM, a writable nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory, a portable medium such as a CD-ROM, a hard disk built in a computer system, etc. This is a storage device.

  Further, the “computer-readable recording medium” means a volatile memory (for example, DRAM (Dynamic DRAM) in a computer system that becomes a server or a client when a program is transmitted through a network such as the Internet or a communication line such as a telephone line. Random Access Memory)), etc., which hold programs for a certain period of time.

  The program may be transmitted from a computer system storing the program in a storage device or the like to another computer system via a transmission medium or by a transmission wave in the transmission medium. Here, the “transmission medium” for transmitting the program refers to a medium having a function of transmitting information, such as a network (communication network) such as the Internet or a communication line (communication line) such as a telephone line. The program may be for realizing a part of the functions described above. Furthermore, what can implement | achieve the function mentioned above in combination with the program already recorded on the computer system, and what is called a difference file (difference program) may be sufficient.

100 RFID tag 113 Antenna 120, 230, 520 Control unit 130, 240, 330, 530 Storage unit 200 Portable base station 200A Positioning base station 210 First communication unit 220 Second communication unit 231 Location estimation unit 242, 331 Base station location database 243, 332, 532 Tag position database 270 Self-positioning unit 280 Third communication unit 300 Positioning server 310 Communication unit 320 Location estimation unit 400 Access point 500 Mobile terminal device 510 Communication unit 531 Map data 540 Operation unit 550 Display unit 600 Network 700 Disaster Earth

Claims (6)

Composed of a communication tag, a plurality of portable base stations installed in the stricken area, a positioning device, and a mobile terminal device ,
The communication tag is
A tag communication unit that performs communication by a first wireless communication method in which data is transmitted and received by an impulse waveform;
A tag control unit that causes the tag communication unit to transmit a tag identifier to the base station of the communication partner,
The base station
A first communication unit that performs communication by the first wireless communication method;
A third communication unit that communicates with other base stations by a third wireless communication method;
Position parameter information generated by itself in association with a predetermined parameter used for position estimation of the communication tag and a tag identifier transmitted from the communication tag in response to communication with the communication tag by the first communication unit The position parameter information received from another base station by the third communication unit is transmitted by the third communication unit with the positioning device specified as a transmission destination, and another base station by the third communication unit. There line a control for transmission to the station holds the estimated position information of each communication tag received from the positioning device by the third communication unit to transmit to the other base station by the third communication unit A base station control unit,
The positioning device is
A positioning communication unit corresponding to the third wireless communication method;
The position communication information transmitted from the base station is received by the positioning communication unit , the position for each communication tag is estimated based on the position of the transmission source base station of the received position parameter information, and the estimation for each communication tag is performed. A positioning control unit that stores position information in a storage unit, and that causes the positioning communication unit to transmit estimated position information for each communication tag stored in the storage unit to the base station ;
The portable terminal device
A terminal communication unit communicating with the base station and the positioning device;
A terminal control unit that receives estimated position information for each of the communication tags held in the base station by the terminal communication unit and displays the position of the communication tag indicated by the received estimated position information. Characteristic disaster relief support system. The base station further includes a self-positioning unit that measures its own position ,
The disaster relief support system according to claim 1, wherein the base station control unit causes the third communication unit to transmit the own position measured by the self-positioning unit to the positioning device. The base station control unit switches between communication with another base station to be executed by the third communication unit and communication with another base station to be executed by the first communication unit instead of the third communication unit. The disaster victim rescue support system according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein: The base station controller
For communication by the first communication unit, a call mode for transmitting a call signal to the communication tag at a predetermined time, and a tag signal reception mode for receiving a transmission signal from the communication tag at a predetermined time following the call mode Is repeatedly executed,
The tag control unit, for communication by the tag communication unit, when a call signal is not received in a call signal reception mode for receiving the call signal for a predetermined time, a predetermined set following the call signal reception mode The call signal reception mode is set again after the sleep mode in which the communication operation is suspended according to time, and when the call signal is received in the call signal reception mode, the call signal reception mode is followed by the predetermined time after the call signal reception mode. The disaster relief support system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the call signal reception mode is set after a transmission mode for transmitting a tag identifier. The base station controller
For communication by the first communication unit, continuously set a reception mode for receiving a transmission signal from the communication tag,
The tag control unit
The communication by the tag communication unit is repeatedly executed in a pause mode in which a communication operation is paused for a predetermined time and a transmission mode in which the tag identifier is transmitted in a predetermined time following the pause mode. The disaster relief support system according to claim 4 . An information processing method in an information processing system including a communication tag, a plurality of portable base stations installed in a stricken area, a positioning device, and a mobile terminal device ,
In the communication tag, a tag control step of transmitting a tag identifier to the base station of a communication partner by a tag communication unit that performs communication by a first wireless communication method in which data is transmitted and received by an impulse waveform;
In the base station, in response to communication with the communication tag by the first communication unit that performs communication by the first wireless communication method, a predetermined parameter used for position estimation of the communication tag and the communication tag are transmitted. The positional parameter information generated by itself in association with the tag identifier, and the positional parameter information received from the other base station by the third communication unit that communicates with the other base station by the third wireless communication method, causes transmitted by the third communication unit designated as the destination of the positioning device, have rows a control for transmitting to the other base station by the third communication unit, the positioning by the third communication unit A base station control step for holding estimated position information for each communication tag received from the apparatus and causing the third communication unit to transmit to another base station ;
In the positioning device, the positioning parameter information transmitted from the base station is received by a positioning communication unit corresponding to the third wireless communication method, and based on the position of the transmission source base station of the received positional parameter information, Positioning for estimating a position for each communication tag , storing estimated position information for each communication tag in a storage unit, and transmitting estimated position information for each communication tag stored in the storage unit to the base station by the positioning communication unit Control steps;
In the portable terminal device, the position of the communication tag indicated by the received estimated position information is received by the terminal communication unit that communicates with the base station by receiving estimated position information for each of the communication tags held in the base station. And a terminal control step for displaying the information.

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