JP6594607B2 - Search system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a search system for transmitting position information of a communication module attached to or held by a search target person to a searcher via a data relay type spatial network constructed by other communication modules distributed around the communication module. About.

  Distress activities in the event of a disaster in the sea, mountains, etc. are important activities related to human life, and it is required to rescue the victim as soon as possible. In addition, not only in the sea and mountains, but also in cases such as searching in a large-scale disaster, drought of demented elderly people, missing children, etc., early detection and rescue are required. On the other hand, in recent years, due to improvements in specific low-power wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi, ZigBee, and Bluetooth, communication modules that do not require a communication fee, have a data relay function, and are inexpensive and lightweight are developed. In addition, mobile terminals can also transfer data at high speed and large capacity, and cost reduction is progressing.

  For example, techniques disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 below are disclosed as techniques related to relief in the event of a distress. The technique shown in Patent Document 1 is a portable terminal 5 that transmits accident occurrence information, position information, and time information when there is a distress accident, a host computer 13 that manages the terminal, the terminal, and the host computer 13. The accident occurrence information is transmitted to the host computer 13 as the first wave simultaneously with the activation of the terminal, and the position information is received as the second wave after receiving the positioning information from the positioning satellite 9. The time information is included in the first wave and the second wave as the accumulated time after the terminal is activated, and the second wave is repeatedly transmitted at regular intervals.

  The technique shown in Patent Document 2 is to quickly search for a victim who wears a life jacket at the time of a ship or air disaster through an artificial satellite, and display an electronic map showing the position of the victim and a video of the victim in real time through a screen. In addition, the present invention relates to an emergency rescue system by tracking the maritime position of a life jacket for quickly rescued a victim, and more particularly, the life jacket transmits and receives radio signals to and from GPS satellites and relay satellites. When a marine position tracking terminal capable of tracking a person's position is attached and worn, buoyancy occurs more greatly at the head and chest relative to the water surface.

  Moreover, for example, a technique disclosed in Patent Document 3 is disclosed as a technique related to a life jacket used in the case of a distress. In the technique shown in Patent Document 3, the life jacket 1 is fixed by attaching the inorganic EL fiber 2 or the light emitting diode 6 to the life jacket 1, and the solar module 3 is attached to the upper part of the life jacket. The electronic circuit device and the distress signal transmitter are fixed to the bottom side of the back of the life jacket. The ON-OFF switch is linked to the electronic circuit device and the distress signal transmitter. A booster circuit, a charge / discharge circuit, and an inverter circuit are mounted in an electronic circuit device.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-263292 Special table 2008-535722 gazette JP 2011-136675 A

  However, since the techniques shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2 need to use satellite communication based on an artificial satellite, this is a very complicated and large-scale system, and is a very expensive system. It has a difficult problem in terms of sex.

  Moreover, although the technique shown in patent document 3 charges the electric power generated with sunlight and uses it for light emission of LED, a rescue signal needs to be discovered visually by a rescuer, and rescue operation efficiently. It is not enough technology to do.

  The present invention obtains the position information of a communication module attached to a search target person via a data relay type spatial network composed of other communication modules distributed in the vicinity thereof, and is simple and inexpensive. A search system that realizes a simple system configuration and enables highly efficient rescue operations is provided.

  A search system according to the present invention is mounted or possessed by a search target person, and at least a search target module for transmitting position information acquired from GPS to the surroundings, and a peripheral region of the search target module in a two-dimensional manner at a predetermined interval A plurality of relay modules that are distributed and receive signals transmitted from the search target modules and construct a network in a relay manner with other distributed modules; and transmitted from the plurality of relay modules One of the signals is received, the construction state of the network based on the positional relationship between the search target module and the relay module is calculated from the received signal, and the position information of the search target module is obtained via the network. And an arithmetic device to be acquired.

  As described above, in the search system according to the present invention, the position information of the search target module attached or possessed by the search target person is distributed via the network of relay modules that is distributed two-dimensionally in the peripheral area of the search target module. Therefore, instead of pinpointing the search target person, it is possible to search all at once within the range of the two-dimensional relay module, which can greatly improve the efficiency of rescue operations. There is an effect.

  In the search system according to the present invention, a plurality of the relay modules are dispersed and distributed from the air.

  Thus, in the search system according to the present invention, since a plurality of relay modules are dispersed and distributed from the air, for example, in the case of a marine accident or a mountain climbing accident, the flight of an airplane, helicopter, etc. By spraying the relay modules from the body, it is possible to search the range all at once, and it is possible to improve the efficiency of rescue operations.

  Further, in the case of a marine accident, since a plurality of dispersed relay modules move with a tidal current, there is an effect that the direction in which the search target person is swept can be estimated.

  In the search system according to the present invention, the arithmetic device that receives a signal transmitted from the relay module is an area where the flying object flying over the area where the relay module is distributed or the area where the relay module is distributed It is installed in a ship that sails.

  As described above, in the search system according to the present invention, the arithmetic device that receives the signal transmitted from the relay module has a flying object flying over the area where the relay module is distributed or the relay module is distributed. Installed in a ship that navigates a certain area, so that signals from distributed relay modules can be received only by flying over that area or by navigating that area. There is an effect that the efficiency can be improved.

  In the search system according to the present invention, the search target module and a power source for operating the search target module are mounted on the life jacket in advance, and the timing at which the life jacket is activated or by the wearer of the life jacket At the operation timing, power supply from the power source to the search target module is started.

  As described above, in the search system according to the present invention, the search target module and the power source for operating the search target module are mounted in advance on the life jacket, and when the life jacket starts or on the life jacket Since power supply is started from the power source to the search target module at the timing of operation by the wearer, the search target person who has suffered distress only wears a life jacket or simply performs a simple operation to obtain necessary information from the search target module Can be transmitted, and it is possible to increase the efficiency of the rescue operation while reducing the burden on the search target person.

  The search system according to the present invention is a solar power generation module and a secondary battery in which the power source generates power from sunlight.

  Thus, in the search system according to the present invention, since the power source is a solar power generation module and a secondary battery that generate power by sunlight, the search can be performed for a long time by using each power source efficiently. Even if it exists, there exists an effect that it becomes possible to perform it continuously without interrupting the transmission from the search object module.

  In the search system according to the present invention, the search target module transmits identification information that can identify the search target person.

  Thus, in the search system according to the present invention, since the search target module transmits identification information that can identify the search target person, it is possible to identify the search target person together with the position information of the search target module, and to rescue The effect is that it can be used to confirm the safety of activities.

It is a system outline figure of a search system concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a 1st figure which shows an example of the life jacket in the search system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the 2nd figure showing an example of a life jacket in the search system concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a system configuration figure of a search system concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the search object module and relay module in the search system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram which shows the structure of the arithmetic unit in the search system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the display of the display in the arithmetic unit in the search system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a hardware block diagram of the search object module in the search system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a hardware block diagram of the relay module in the search system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a hardware block diagram of the arithmetic unit in the search system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the search object module and relay module in the search system which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the arithmetic unit in the search system which concerns on 1st Embodiment.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. Also, the same reference numerals are given to the same elements throughout the present embodiment.

(First embodiment of the present invention)
A search system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the search system according to the present embodiment, the position information of the communication device (hereinafter referred to as the search target module) worn by the search target person is distributed to other peripheral communication devices (hereinafter referred to as relay modules). By acquiring it through the network constructed by, the rescue operation is quickly performed to identify the position of the search target person. In the following embodiment, a rescue operation in the case of a marine accident will be described as a specific example.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a search system according to this embodiment. FIG. 1 shows a state where a ship accident has occurred, for example, at sea and a passenger is evacuating to the sea wearing a life jacket. A search object module is mounted on the life jacket in advance. Here, the life jacket will be described with a specific example. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a life jacket in the search system according to the present embodiment.

  In FIG. 2, the life jacket 20 is equipped with a search target module 21 having a communication function on one shoulder. The search target module 21 is, for example, a specific low power wireless communication module capable of communicating in a several hundred MHz band, and can perform communication with very low power consumption. One specific low-power wireless communication module performs short-distance communication with a radius of about 1000 to 2000 meters. When a plurality of relay modules 12 detect the search target module 21, the relay modules 12 relay each other by a relay method, so that the remote location A signal can be delivered to

  A battery 22 is disposed in the vicinity of the search target module 21 as a power source for operating the search target module 21. Moreover, PV23 which is a sheet | seat type solar cell is arrange | positioned at the other shoulder part. Even in the case where the search activity takes a long time, the signal can be transmitted without interruption by using the electric power of the battery 22 and the PV 23. Further, the GPS receiver 25 is provided in or near the search target module 21, and the position information of the search target module 21 is acquired from the GPS system 16.

  In order to efficiently use the limited power, the search target module 21 is operated with the power supplied from the PV 23 during the daytime sun, and the search target is supplied with the power supplied from the battery 22 during the night. The module 21 may be operated. Further, the power supplied from the PV 23 may be stored in a small secondary battery for use.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the antenna 24 may be built in around the chest of the life jacket 20 so that long-distance transmission can be performed. Furthermore, the life jacket 20 itself may have a function of generating power by utilizing the fact that it vibrates by the force of waves.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, any part of the life jacket 20 as the search target module 26 in which any one or a combination of the search target module 21, the battery 22, the PV 23, the antenna 24, and the GPS receiver 25 is integrated. It may be attached to (in FIG. 3, it is attached to the shoulder as an example).

  Returning to FIG. 1, the search target person 11 wearing the life jacket 20 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is waiting for rescue at sea. Ship accidents are immediately reported to the Japan Coast Guard, etc., and rescuers head for rescue operations at the approximate location where the accident occurred. At this time, since it is difficult for the rescuer to visually find the search target person 11, a plurality of relay modules 12 (12 a to 12 i) having the same function as the search target module 21 are placed in the area where the accident has occurred. It sprays in arbitrary ranges from flying bodies 13 (13a-13b), such as a helicopter. The relay module 12 is mounted in association with each of the marks 14 (14a to 14i) made up of floating rings and flags, and is distributed two-dimensionally along the sea surface according to the distribution of the marks 14. And the relay module 12 constructs | assembles the network according to distribution by performing communication of a relay system between each module.

  One of the relay modules 12 distributed in an arbitrary range (in FIG. 1, for example, the relay module 14f closest to the search target module 21) is transmitted from the search target module 21, and the search target module 21 When the transmission information including the position information can be received, all the relay modules 12 connected to the network can share the position information of the search target module 21 by the network constructed by the relay module 12.

  The rescuer includes the flying objects 13a to 13b or the calculation device 15c including the calculation devices 15a to 15b that receive the information sent from the relay module 12 and calculate the network state constructed by the relay module 12. The ship 13c is moved over the distribution area of the mark 14 or the sea area. The computing device 15 is one of the relay modules 12 (in FIG. 1, for example, the nearest relay module 12e in the case of the flying object 13a, the nearest relay module 12a in the case of the flying object 13b, and the nearest relay in the case of the ship 13c. If the information transmitted from the module 12c) is acquired and the position information of the search target module 21 is included in the information, it moves toward that position and actually performs the rescue operation.

  If no relay module 12 has received a signal transmitted from the search target module 21, the position information of the search target module 21 cannot be acquired. A response may be made.

  In addition, when the search target range is wide or the arithmetic unit is at a long distance, the arbitrary relay module 12 is changed from a specific low power wireless communication module to a portable communication terminal (several hundred MHz to several GHz band). However, long-distance transmission of several tens of kilometers may be performed.

  Further, in FIG. 1, the rescuer performs a search on a moving body equipped with a computing device 15 such as the flying bodies 13a, 13b and the ship 13c. It is also possible to perform a search by means such as walking while holding the arithmetic device 15.

  FIG. 4 is a system configuration diagram of the search system according to the present embodiment. A search system 1 according to the present embodiment is mounted or possessed by a search target person, and is distributed in a two-dimensional manner in a search target module 21 that transmits position information acquired from GPS to the surroundings and a peripheral area of the search target module 21. A plurality of relay modules 12 that construct a network with other modules by a relay method, and signals transmitted from the relay module 12 or the search target module 21 are received, the constructed network state is calculated, and the network And a calculation device 15 that acquires the position information of the search target module 21 via. As described above, the search target module 21 and the relay module 12 are specific low-power wireless communication modules that can communicate in the 920 MHz band, for example.

  FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing configurations of the search target module 21 and the relay module 12 in the search system 1 according to the present embodiment. The search target module 21 and the relay module 12 include a GPS receiving unit 41 that receives position information from GPS, a storage unit 42 that stores at least identification information of each module, and a transmission / reception unit 43 that transmits and receives each communication signal. . The search target module 21 transmits identification information and position information to the surroundings until cooperation with the relay module 12 is established. Further, the relay module 12 establishes a network by communicating identification information and position information between the modules using a relay method when the network is constructed, and shares the information. When any of the plurality of relay modules 12 receives a signal transmitted from the search target module 21, a network including the search target module 21 is constructed, and each relay module 12 has the identification information and position information of the search target module 21. Share

  In addition, since the relay module 12 includes the GPS receiver 41 that receives position information from the GPS, it is possible to know individual positions even when randomly distributed in the case of a maritime accident or the like. It is possible to recover.

  FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the arithmetic device 15 in the search system 1 according to this embodiment. The computing device 15 includes a signal receiving unit 51 that receives one of a plurality of signals transmitted from the search target module 21 and the relay module 12, and a plurality of relay modules 12 that are constructed based on the received signal. The calculation unit 52 that calculates the status of the network to be searched, and acquires the position information of the search target module 21 via the network, the position information of the search target module 21 acquired by the calculation unit 52, and the position of the other relay module 12 And a display control unit 53 that displays the distribution of the network constructed by the relay module 12 and the search target module 21 on the display 54 based on information, identification information, and the like.

  The signal receiving unit 51 receives a signal transmitted from the relay module 12 by flying over an area where the relay module 12 is distributed by an aircraft such as an airplane or a helicopter including the arithmetic device 15. This flight is performed within the range where the signal from the relay module 12 reaches. Since the plurality of relay modules 12 are distributed and each relay module 12 transmits a signal, the signal receiving unit 51 receives any one of them. When the signal is received, the calculation unit 52 calculates the network state using the position information of each relay module 12 and the position information of the search target module 21. As shown in FIG. 7, the display control unit 53 maps and displays the position of each relay module 12 and the position of the search target module 21 on the display 54 according to the calculated network state. The rescuer confirms the display 54 and heads for the search target person.

  Here, the mapping as shown in FIG. 7 is shown as a display example, but only the position of the target search target person (that is, the position of the search target module) may be displayed, not the map, Only the latitude and longitude may be displayed as characters or notified by voice.

  Next, the hardware configuration of each module and the arithmetic device 15 will be described. FIG. 8 is a hardware configuration diagram of a search target module in the search system according to the present embodiment. The search target module 21 includes a built-in antenna 81 that transmits and receives signals to and from the relay module 12 and the computing device 15, a specific low-power communication module 82 that generates and converts transmission / reception information as communicable information, and a GPS A GPS module 83 that acquires signals as position information, a solar power generation module 84 that performs solar power generation, a secondary battery 85 that stores the generated solar energy, and a control CPU 86 that controls the processing of each of the processing units described above. And an ON / OFF switch 87 for starting / stopping the search target module 21. When an accident or the like occurs, the ON / OFF switch 87 is turned on according to the wearing of the life jacket or the operation of the search subject, and the control CPU 86 is activated. The control CPU 86 controls each processing unit to manage information transmission / reception, charging, and the like.

  FIG. 9 is a hardware configuration diagram of the relay module in the search system according to the present embodiment. The basic configuration is similar to the search target module 21 shown in FIG. 8, but is partially different because the purpose of use is different. Since the relay module 12 needs to float on the sea surface in a communicable state in the case of a marine accident, the relay module 12 has a balance weight at the bottom and an external antenna is exposed from the sea surface. Further, the solar power generation module 84 may or may not be provided. Since it is not necessary to attach to the life jacket 20, it is possible to use a battery having a large capacity even if the size is somewhat increased. When a marine accident or the like occurs, the ON / OFF switch 87 of the relay module 12 is turned on, and a plurality of them are randomly distributed in the accident peripheral area. Under the control of the activated control CPU 86, a network is constructed between the relay modules 12 with which the dispersed relay modules 12 can communicate, and information about the search target module 21 is collected.

  FIG. 10 is a hardware configuration diagram of an arithmetic device in the search system according to the present embodiment. The computing device 15 is configured to perform computation using a personal computer, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, or the like using the information acquired by the relay module 12 shown in FIG. Since the relay module 12 used here does not need to float on the sea surface, no balance weight is required. Further, the battery may be enlarged. The information acquired by the relay module 12 is transmitted to a device capable of advanced calculation such as a personal computer or a tablet terminal, where the network state constructed by the relay module 12 or the search target module 21 is calculated, as shown in FIG. It appears on the display. The rescuer performs the actual rescue operation toward the search target person from the network state and the positional relationship displayed on the display.

  Next, the operation of the search system according to this embodiment will be described. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing operations of the search target module and the relay module in the search system according to the present embodiment. First, the search target module 21 attached to the life jacket 20 worn by the search target person when the accident or the like occurs is activated. The search target module 21 may be activated simultaneously with the activation of the life jacket 20 or may be performed in accordance with an operation of the search target person (for example, pressing a button or pulling a string). When the search target module 21 is activated, the GPS receiving unit 41 acquires position information from the GPS (S1), and the acquired position information and the identification information of the search target module 21 stored in the storage unit 42 are (S2).

  The rescuer who has received the notification of the accident rushes to the accident site with a plurality of marks 14 to which the relay module 12 is attached, activates the relay module 12, and distributes the marks 14 at predetermined intervals to be distributed ( S3). Each relay module 12 autonomously constructs a network while acquiring position information from the GPS by the GPS receiver 41 and sharing information by communication using a relay method (S4). Each relay module 12 transmits the positional information of each relay module 12 and the identification information stored in the storage unit 42 while constructing a network (S5).

  In the determination process of S6, when any of the plurality of relay modules 12 does not receive information transmitted from the search target module 21, network construction between the relay modules 12 in S4 and information transmission in S5 are continuously performed. . When any of the plurality of relay modules 12 receives information transmitted from the search target module 21, a new network including the search target module 21 is constructed (S7). By constructing a new network, all modules constituting the network can share information. Each relay module 12 and the search target module 21 transmit identification information and position information until the rescue operation is completed or the activation is stopped (S8).

  FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the operation of the arithmetic device in the search system according to this embodiment. First, when the arithmetic device 15 is activated, the signal receiving unit 51 enters a signal reception standby state. By flying over the area where the relay modules 12 in the accident site area are distributed on the flying object, any one of a plurality of signals transmitted from the relay module 12 or the search target module 21 is received (S11).

  In the determination process of S12, if the received signal does not include the identification information and position information of the search target module 21, the flight is continued and the signal of S11 is continuously received. When the identification information and position information of the search target module 21 are included, the calculation unit 52 calculates the state of the constructed network based on the received information, and via the constructed network. The identification information and position information of the search target module 21 are acquired (S13). The display control unit 53 maps and displays the positional relationship between the relay module 12 and the search target module 21 on the display 54 based on the result calculated by the calculation unit 52 (S14). The arithmetic device 15 continues the arithmetic processing and the display control processing until the rescue operation is completed or the activation is stopped.

  The rescuer identifies the position of the search target module 21 while looking at the display 54 of the computing device 15 and goes to the rescue operation.

  In the embodiments described so far, the case of a marine accident has been described as an example. However, the technique of the present invention can also be applied to a case of a distress accident such as mountain climbing or a drought of an elderly person. That is, in the case of mountain climbing, wearing the one to which the search target module 21 is attached at the time of mountain climbing, and in the event of an accident, the relay module 12 is scattered around the approximate accident site, so that the same as above Rescue activities are possible. In addition, when a mountain trail is determined in advance, the relay module 12 is installed in advance in the peripheral area along the mountain trail, so that the relay module 12 does not need to be arbitrarily scattered and is evenly distributed. Rescue activities can be performed in the state.

  The same applies to the case of an elderly person's heel. For example, an elderly person who has a possibility of being obsessed always wears the search target module 21 (for example, is fixed to the body) and around the house. By installing the relay module 12 in advance in a power pole, a security street light, a security camera, or the like, the search activity can be performed in a state where the relay modules 12 are evenly distributed.

  In any case, the computing device 15 communicates with any one of the relay modules 12 to determine whether or not the search target module 21 exists in the distribution of the relay modules 12, and if so, the exact The search target person can be searched by specifying the position.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Search system 11 Search subject 12 (12a-12i) Relay module 13 (13a-13b) Aircraft 13c Ship 14 (14a-14i) Mark 15 Computation device 16 GPS system 20 Life jacket 21 Search target module 22 Battery 23 PV
24 antenna 25 GPS receiver 41 GPS receiving unit 42 storage unit 43 transmission / reception unit 51 signal receiving unit 52 calculation unit 53 display control unit 54 display 81 built-in antenna 82 specific low power communication module 83 GPS module 84 solar power generation module 85 secondary battery 86 Control CPU
87 ON / OFF switch

Claims (6)

A search target module that is a specific low-power wireless communication module that can be communicated in the several hundred MHz band that is attached or possessed by a search target person at sea and that transmits position information acquired from at least GPS to the surroundings,
A specific low-power wireless communication module capable of communicating in the several hundred MHz band that transmits position information acquired from at least GPS to the surroundings, and is two-dimensionally associated with landmarks at predetermined intervals in the peripheral area of the search target module A plurality of relay modules that receive a signal transmitted from the search target module and construct a network in a relay manner with other distributed modules;
Receiving one of the signals transmitted from the plurality of relay modules, calculating the construction state of the network based on the positional relationship between the search target module and the relay module from the received signal, via the network And a calculation device for acquiring position information of the search target module,
The search system according to claim 1, wherein the relay module includes an external antenna and a balance weight disposed on the side opposite to the external antenna. The search system according to claim 1,
A search system, wherein a plurality of the relay modules are scattered and distributed from the air. In the search system according to claim 1 or 2,
The arithmetic unit that receives a signal transmitted from the relay module is installed in a flying object flying over an area where the relay module is distributed or a ship navigating the area where the relay module is distributed. A search system characterized by The search system according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The search target module, and a power source for operating the search target module are attached to the life jacket in advance,
The search system, wherein power supply from the power source to the search target module is started at a timing when the life jacket is activated or an operation by a wearer of the life jacket.   The search system according to claim 4, wherein the power source is a solar power generation module and a secondary battery that generate power by sunlight. The search system according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The search system, wherein the search target module transmits identification information capable of identifying the search target person.

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