JP6959842B2 - Location information transmission / reception device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention mainly relates to the location confirmation of survivors using a mobile terminal in the event of a large-scale disaster.

Mobile terminals currently used by general users are equipped with a GPS function and a wireless network function. It is not difficult to know the position of the owner from the outside by transmitting the position information calculated by the GPS function by the wireless network function, and it is common for parents to confirm the position of minors and wanderers. It has been.

However, in the event of a large-scale disaster, it is expected that access points for public wireless LANs and mobile base stations will be damaged and network infrastructure will be disrupted. Even if there is no interruption, the number of people trying to get in touch may increase rapidly, and the line may become extremely congested, making network functions virtually unusable. If this happens, it will be temporarily impossible to transmit the information acquired by GPS through the wireless network function, and it is highly possible that it will not help the search for survivors.

On the other hand, as a system for searching for survivors, an avalanche beacon possessed by a climber entering winter mountains is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-198389

However, avalanche beacons can be activated while the power is on and the transmission continues in situations where it is determined that the risk of entering the winter mountains will increase. If this is brought into a daily environment, the signal will always be transmitted, and the signal will be confused by the transmission by a huge number of users. On the other hand, if signals are sent from both the survivors and the dead in the event of a disaster, it will not be possible to prioritize the search for survivors who may be saved.

In addition, it is not possible to obtain the user's consent to constantly consume power in case of a large-scale disaster that does not know when it will come. Therefore, although it is optional to turn on the feature in an emergency, it should normally be turned off.

Furthermore, avalanche beacons are currently transmitted without directivity. The receiving side uses the fact that the signal strength becomes stronger as it comes closer and the signal strength becomes weaker as it moves away, so that the rough position is specified while moving. However, this position identification requires a certain degree of familiarity, and even if it is used by untrained ordinary people, it is difficult to operate it properly, and it is expected that it will take time to identify the direction and position. .. For prompt rescue, it is desirable to be able to grasp the direction and position as accurately as possible.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to suppress the power consumption of the terminal itself owned by the user, and to enable the survivor to be detected preferentially and promptly with directivity in the event of a disaster.

This invention
A radio wave transmitter that transmits non-directional rescue signal radio waves in response to instructions,
A directional radio wave receiving unit that receives the rescue signal radio wave,
A notification unit for discriminatingly notifying the reception strength of the rescue signal radio wave received by the radio wave receiving unit, and a notification unit.
An operation unit capable of designating the instruction to start transmission of the rescue signal radio wave, and
The above problem was solved by a mobile terminal having a battery unit as a power source.

As the configuration of the radio wave receiving unit, a columnar antenna hole perpendicular to any surface of the mobile terminal is formed, and a radio wave shield material surrounds the inner circumference of the antenna hole. It is attached to. An antenna that actually receives radio waves is attached to the back of the antenna hole. As a result, when the antenna hole faces the source of the rescue signal radio wave, the rescue signal radio wave can be strongly received, and when the direction of the antenna hole deviates from the direction of the source of the rescue signal radio wave, the said The reception strength of the rescue signal radio wave will drop sharply. With such a configuration, it is possible to confirm with the notification unit whether or not the antenna hole of the mobile terminal is facing the direction of the rescue signal radio wave transmitted, and the rescue signal radio wave can be transmitted. You can grasp the direction of the survivor who is sending.

In the mobile terminal according to the present invention, the radio wave transmitting unit and the radio wave receiving unit are provided on a mobile phone terminal having a monitor, a button or a touch panel, and a battery that can be used as the notification unit, the operation unit, and the battery unit, respectively. , Especially preferable in actual operation. With a terminal dedicated to rescue signals, even if a general user tries to carry it around, it will be a hassle and it will be a situation that he does not have it in an emergency, but a mobile phone terminal that a general user usually possesses is a rescue signal that informs survival in an emergency. By taking charge of sending and receiving, you will almost always be able to possess and handle it.

By possessing a mobile terminal according to the present invention, even if the mobile phone network is disrupted mainly in the event of a large-scale disaster such as an earthquake, survivors will be inside the mobile terminal due to the collapse of buildings and underground streets. When the survivor is trapped, the survivor can notify the surroundings that he or she is alive here as a distress signal radio wave, and can summon a rescuer. On the other hand, an external survivor who can act without being involved in the collapse can determine that there is a survivor who is trapped in the direction in which the reception strength of the rescue signal radio wave is the strongest. Furthermore, the reception intensity becomes stronger as it approaches that direction, and the reception intensity becomes weaker when the survivor passes through the buried place, so it is estimated that the survivor is buried in the place where the reception intensity peaks. be able to. This makes it possible to rescue survivors promptly.

The rescue signal radio waves are not normally transmitted, but by conditioned so that they can be transmitted according to the instructions from the above operation unit, only survivors who are conscious of being able to operate the mobile terminal in the event of a large-scale disaster can receive the rescue signal. You will be able to emit radio waves. That is, since the distress signal radio wave is not emitted from the victim who has already died or the unconscious person who has a low possibility of surviving, it is possible to search and rescue the person who has a high possibility of surviving with priority.

Even when the limit of the rescueable time is approaching immediately after a disaster, the survivors who were safe can continue to act as searchers, and the number of people who can be rescued survivably can be increased. On the other hand, since the victims who have already died cannot emit the rescue signal radio waves, the rescue of the survivors can be given priority.

Functional block diagram showing an example of an embodiment of a mobile terminal according to the present invention (A) A perspective view showing an example of an embodiment of a mobile terminal according to the present invention, and (b) and (a) a cross-sectional view of a radio wave receiving portion. A conceptual diagram showing a situation of receiving and transmitting a rescue signal radio wave in an embodiment of a mobile terminal according to the present invention. (A) A diagram showing an example of a situation at the time of a disaster using the mobile terminal according to the present invention, (b) (a) a plan view of radio waves, and (c) (a) a graph showing changes in signal strength.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail.
FIG. 1 shows a functional block diagram which is an example of an embodiment of the mobile terminal 10 according to the present invention.

The mobile terminal 10 has a radio wave transmission unit 11 that transmits a non-directional rescue signal radio wave in response to an instruction. As the frequency range of the rescue signal radio wave to be transmitted, it is preferable to use the same frequency band as the avalanche beacon mainly in order to comply with the Radio Law. However, this does not apply when the present invention becomes widespread in later years and the Radio Law is amended to expand or change the usable frequency band. The output of the rescue signal radio wave preferably has a radio wave reachable distance of at least 500 meters or more, and preferably about 1 kilometer. However, it may be optimized according to the situation.

The rescue signal radio wave from the radio wave transmitting unit 11 is not transmitted only when the power of the mobile terminal 10 is turned on, but is started by receiving an instruction from the operation unit 14 described later when necessary. This works well in managing rescue priorities, as only signals from conscious survivors in need of rescue are emitted at the disaster site.

Further, the 2.4 GHz band wireless LAN frequency band may be used as the rescue signal radio wave. According to the Radio Law, it is a band that can be used even at the time of filing the present application, and when the mobile terminal 10 is a smartphone, the rescue signal radio wave can be transmitted without separately mounting dedicated hardware for transmission. However, it is advisable to set a standard so that the radio wave is treated differently from the radio wave for a normal wireless LAN, and use the signal transmitted / received according to the standard as the rescue signal radio wave.

The mobile terminal 10 has a directional radio wave receiving unit 12 that receives the rescue signal radio wave. “Directivity” means that the reception strength changes depending on the angle with respect to the source, and the direction of the source can be specified as the direction with the strongest signal strength. The structure of the directional radio wave receiving unit 12 is not particularly limited. An example of the embodiment is shown in FIG. 2 (a). The side surface 10a on the upper side of the mobile terminal 10 which is a general touch panel type smartphone is provided with a columnar hole which is vertically inserted into the side surface, and this serves as a radio wave receiving unit 12.

A cross-sectional view of the radio wave receiving unit 12 is shown in FIG. 2 (b). The inner circumference of the hole is covered with the radio wave shield material 12a. The thickness and inner diameter of the radio wave shield material 12a may be appropriately adjusted according to the wavelength of the received rescue signal radio wave. The antenna portion 12b is provided at the bottom of the hole surrounded by the radio wave shield material 12a.

FIG. 3 shows a conceptual diagram of the mobile terminal 10 provided with the radio wave transmitting unit 11 and the radio wave receiving unit 12 in this way. A non-directional rescue signal radio wave is emitted from the built-in radio wave transmission unit 11 in all directions. This is issued when the owner of the mobile terminal 10 asks for help. On the other hand, when the owner of the mobile terminal 10 searches for a person requiring rescue, the direction of the mobile terminal 10 is changed to search for the direction in which the radio wave is transmitted. When the direction of the hole in the radio wave receiving unit 12 matches the direction in which the radio wave is transmitted, the signal strength becomes maximum.

When the application is installed on an existing mobile phone (smartphone) and used as the mobile terminal 10 according to the present invention, the radio wave shield material 12a is not provided as hardware. Even if the hardware for improving the directivity is not provided in this way, there is a slight difference in the strength of the received radio wave depending not only on the distance to the source but also on the direction of the antenna built in the mobile terminal 10. It has a slight directivity. Therefore, in an application installed on a mobile phone not provided with dedicated hardware and used as the mobile terminal 10 according to the present invention, it is desirable to amplify and correct this difference in strength so that it can be displayed in an easy-to-understand manner. .. Further, the directivity at the time of reception may be ensured by giving directivity to the peripheral structure for improving the sensitivity around the antenna and improving the transfer speed. Further, the directivity may be ensured by the presence or absence of the metal portion and the plastic portion of the housing itself of the mobile terminal 10.

The mobile terminal 10 has a notification unit 13 for discriminatingly notifying the reception strength of the rescue signal radio wave received by the radio wave receiving unit 12. The notification method is not limited, and may be a speaker unit 13a by voice, a monitor unit 13b by an optical element, or both. In the event of a disaster, the searcher may be injured in either the ear or the eye and may not function properly, and it is particularly preferable to be able to work on both the visual and auditory senses. It is desirable to have it. In the case of the speaker unit 13a by voice, specifically, it is preferable that the speaker is provided and a buzzer sound or the like is sounded so that the strength of the sound changes according to the reception intensity. On the other hand, in the case of the monitor unit 13b that displays by an optical element, the display method is not particularly limited, such as an LED lamp, a liquid crystal display, or an organic EL. However, if only LED lamps are used, it is necessary to distinguish only by the intensity and color of the light, which is difficult for the owner to understand. Therefore, a monitor that can display rich information such as numerical information and graph information such as liquid crystal display and organic EL. Is preferable. As the graph information, it is preferable that the difference in reception intensity can be displayed as a waveform in an easy-to-understand manner.

The mobile terminal 10 has an operation unit 14 capable of designating the instruction to start the transmission of the rescue signal radio wave. Further, it is preferable that it is possible to give an instruction to stop the transmission of the rescue signal radio wave after the rescue. This is so that it does not interfere with the next rescue. Specific examples thereof include buttons capable of performing operations such as selection and determination, and a touch panel that also serves as a monitor unit 13b. Since the hand may not be able to move freely, such as when it is buried in a rubble, and the display of the monitor unit 13b may not be visible, it is preferable that the instruction can be given by pressing and holding a specific button or a dedicated button. On the other hand, if it is not a dedicated button, the instruction can be made possible by operating according to the display of the displayable monitor unit 13b, or by a special operation such as pressing a specific button for a long time or pressing it many times. Allows instructions.

When the operation unit 14 is assigned to a physical button, whether it is a dedicated button or a button used in combination with other functions, if the surface of the button is provided with a tactilely identifiable unevenness. preferable. For example, convex parts such as Braille dots and embossing may be mentioned. It is preferable that these features do not have the same features in other parts of the mobile terminal 10. As a result, even if the owner is confined in a closed space without light or the range of movement is limited and the operation unit 14 cannot be visually confirmed, the owner can find the button to be the operation unit 14 by groping. Can be pressed. In this case, it is preferable that the instruction can be specified by pressing and holding the button. This is because complicated operations are often difficult. However, in order to prevent malfunction, it is desirable to set the long press time for determining that the instruction is specified to a certain length, not 1 to 2 seconds, and preferably about 5 to 10 seconds.

The mobile terminal 10 has a control unit 16 that controls these components. The control unit 16 can use a general arithmetic unit. Further, although not shown, it has a storage medium that can be used by the control unit 16. The main controls are as follows. At the time of transmission, a dialog indicating whether or not to transmit the rescue signal radio wave in the form of an application is displayed on the monitor unit 13b, and when the operation for confirmation from the operation unit 14 is received, the rescue signal radio wave is transmitted from the radio wave transmission unit 11. Send. If necessary, the speaker unit 13a notifies the confirmation that the transmission has started as described above. On the other hand, at the time of reception, it is displayed on the monitor unit 13b that the reception and display of the rescue signal radio wave is started in the form of an application, the signal strength of the rescue signal radio wave received by the radio wave receiving unit 12 is taken in, and the numerical value and the graph for the time series are taken. The signal strength is displayed as. In addition, it may be equipped with additional convenient functions, or may be linked with other applications such as a map application and GPS information.

Further, the mobile terminal 10 has a battery unit 15 as a power source. Whether waiting for rescue or rescue, the mobile terminal 10 must be able to operate independently because it is far from the power source.

After the transmission from the radio wave transmission unit 11 is started, it is preferable to notify the fact that the transmission has been started in an easy-to-understand manner, such as "a rescue signal has been transmitted" by voice from the speaker unit 13a. In particular, even when transmission is started in a closed space without light or without looking at the screen without moving, it is possible to confirm that transmission has started, and the operator can be relieved.

After the transmission from the radio wave transmitting unit 11 is started, it is preferable that the other functions of the mobile terminal 10 that consume the battery of the battery unit 15 are automatically stopped. This is because the radio waves must be continuously transmitted until the searcher finds them, and the remaining battery power must be saved as much as possible.

An example of an actual usage situation of the mobile terminal 10 according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4A shows a situation in which the mobile terminal 10 is used in the event of a large-scale disaster. The person on the right side of FIG. 4A (rescuer required) is buried in the rubble and cannot move, but he is conscious and can barely operate the mobile terminal 10 he has in his hand. The operation unit 14 of the mobile terminal 10 is operated to instruct to emit a rescue signal radio wave. FIG. 4B shows a conceptual diagram as a plan view. The mobile terminal 10 emits a rescue signal radio wave in all directions.

On the other hand, the person (searcher) on the left side of FIG. 4 (a) is in a state of being able to move at the initial stage of a large-scale disaster. Using the possessed mobile terminal 10, the radio wave receiving unit 12 starts receiving the rescue signal radio wave, and the monitor unit 13b displays the signal strength. In that state, the mobile terminal 10 is picked up and the direction in which the hole of the radio wave receiving unit 12 is facing is moved in all directions. It can be seen that there is a person requiring rescue in the direction in which the radio wave strength is strongest, and the mobile terminal 10 emits a rescue signal radio wave.

A searcher who knows the direction approaches that direction. On the way, even if you cannot go straight depending on the block or the situation of the disaster, you can change the direction once and then check the direction again. As it gets closer, the intensity of the detected rescue signal radio wave increases. FIG. 4 (c) shows a conceptual graph in which the radio field intensity is on the vertical axis and the relative position with the rescuer is on the horizontal axis. If the rescuer is buried in the rubble, the searcher may not notice it when it reaches up close. In addition, the rescue-requiring person who was conscious at the time of first operating the mobile terminal 10 may lose consciousness with the passage of time. Even in such a case, if the rescuer passes the point where the rescuer is (or its reapproach point), the signal strength will be reduced. It can be confirmed that it is the position to do.

The mobile terminal 10 according to the present invention can be used even when there are a plurality of people requiring rescue in a small area such as a collapse site of a large building or the like. When rescue signal radio waves are transmitted from a plurality of people requiring rescue at the same time, the detection tends to be stronger at the portion where the radio waves overlap. In this case, even if the direction is changed, the radio wave becomes stronger in various directions. If it behaves like this, it is judged that even if the rescue team tries to carry out rescue activities voluntarily before it arrives, it is beyond the scope of search with insufficient equipment for rescue work. NS. In this case, it is advisable to search for another rescuer who can be rescued at present, by keeping some marks in the vicinity. When the rescue team arrives or the number of people is complete, it is a priority rescue area with multiple survivors, so keep in touch and increase the number of people to try to rescue.

The mobile terminal 10 according to the present invention may be a dedicated terminal, but if it is a dedicated terminal, it is difficult to spread it as a thing to be carried around. Since the occurrence of a large-scale disaster cannot be predicted, it is desirable that all people have it at all times. Therefore, it is desirable that a mobile phone terminal connected to a mobile communication network used by many people having the above functions can be used as the mobile terminal 10 according to the present invention. In that case, the notification unit 13 can use the monitor of the mobile phone terminal such as the liquid crystal display or the organic EL as it is. Further, the operation unit 14 can use the buttons and the touch panel of the mobile phone terminal as they are. As the battery unit 15, the battery of the mobile phone terminal can be used as it is. However, the radio wave transmitting unit 11 and the radio wave receiving unit 12 must be provided. For this reason, it is preferable that the mobile phone terminal is generally equipped with an antenna and a chip that can be used as the radio wave transmitting unit 11 and the radio wave receiving unit 12 and is provided with a cylindrical hole used as the radio wave receiving unit 12. .. For such dissemination, it is preferable that the dissemination goes beyond the manufacturers under the initiative of the telecommunications carrier.

On the other hand, as an auxiliary device that can be used together with the mobile terminal 10 according to the present invention, a transmission-only terminal having an operation unit 14 and a radio wave transmission unit 11 may be used. This transmission-only terminal does not have to have a radio wave receiver. By holding it by children and the elderly who do not have a mobile phone, it is possible to transmit a rescue signal radio wave in an emergency. As the shape, a key chain type or the like that can be kept on hand without being aware of it can be preferably used.

Operationally, when trying to detect a transmission signal from the underground of the current urban area from the ground, it may be difficult to search due to attenuation. However, even in that case, since it is a place where it can be predicted that there are a large number of victims from the beginning, the search in the vicinity is definitely performed, and the search on the ground should be performed by the mobile terminal 10 according to the present invention.

In addition, as a large-scale equipment possessed by rescue teams and local governments, it is advisable to also operate dedicated equipment with high sensitivity of rescue signal radio waves. There is a possibility that it will be possible to search even if the radio waves reach only weakly due to being blocked by concrete or the like.

10 Mobile terminal 10a Side surface 11 Radio wave transmission unit 12 Radio wave reception unit 12a Radio wave shield material 12b Antenna unit 13 Notification unit 13a Speaker unit 13b Monitor unit 14 Operation unit 15 Battery unit 16 Control unit

Claims (5)

A radio wave transmitter that transmits non-directional rescue signal radio waves in response to instructions,
A directional radio wave receiving unit that receives the rescue signal radio wave,
A notification unit for discriminatingly notifying the reception strength of the rescue signal radio wave received by the radio wave receiving unit, and a notification unit.
An operation unit capable of designating the instruction to start transmission of the rescue signal radio wave, and
A mobile terminal that has a battery unit that serves as a power source .
As the radio wave receiving unit, a columnar hole that enters vertically with respect to the side surface of the mobile terminal is formed, the inner circumference of the hole is covered with a radio wave shield material, and an antenna unit is provided at the bottom of the hole. Provided mobile terminal. A mobile phone terminal that can be connected to a mobile communication network
The notification unit is a monitor of the mobile phone terminal.
The mobile terminal according to claim 1, which displays the difference in reception strength. A mobile phone terminal that can be connected to a mobile communication network
The notification unit is a monitor of the mobile phone terminal.
The operation unit is a button, a touch panel, or both of the mobile phone terminal.
The mobile terminal according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the battery unit is a battery of the mobile phone terminal. Claims 1 to 3 wherein the operation unit is a physical button having an uneven surface that can be identified by tactile sensation, and by pressing and holding the physical button, the instruction is specified and the transmission of the rescue signal radio wave is started. The mobile terminal described in any of. The searcher possesses the mobile terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , and the rescuer possesses the mobile terminal or a transmission-only terminal having the radio wave transmission unit and the operation unit.
In the event of a disaster
The rescue-requiring person operates the operation unit to generate a rescue signal radio wave from the radio wave transmission unit.
A method for searching for a rescuer in the event of a disaster, in which the searcher searches for the whereabouts of the rescuer from a direction and a point where the strength of the rescue signal radio wave displayed on the notification unit increases.

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