JPS6338194A - Presence/absence discrimination system for liser of communication terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To discriminate whether a terminal user is present or not automatically by recognizing that the user is nearby a terminal automatically when the intensity of a signal wave transmitted by a small-sized transmitter receiver held on the body of the user is larger than a constant value. CONSTITUTION:Transmitting circuits 1e-Ne transmit signal wave pulses obtained by modulating a carrier in different time phase by small-sized radio transmitter receivers 2a and Na within a constant time period. Receiving circuits 1d-Nd receive calibrated wave pulses transmitted to the receives 2a and Na from a user identification communication terminal so as to hole the time phases of the transmitter receives 2a and Na independent. The circuits 1d-Nd detect signal wave pulses from the transmitter receivers 2a and Na and impose modulation. A specific circuit 1g controls the time phase difference corresponding to the transmitter receivers 2a and Na to specify persons who hold the transmitter receivers 2a and Na. The circuits 1e-Ne transmit modulated calibrated pulses to the transmitter receivers 2a and Na. An intensity decision circuit 1m decides whether the intensity values of the signal waves from the transmitter receivers 2a and Na exceed a certain reference level or not.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Technical Field to which the Invention Pertains) The present invention provides a means for the terminal itself to automatically determine whether or not one or more users of a communication terminal are in the vicinity of the terminal. The present invention relates to a method for identifying the presence or absence of a communication terminal user, which makes it possible to flexibly control communications related to the terminal.

(Prior art) In places where communication terminals are frequently used, such as homes and offices, the number of users is generally greater than the number of communication terminals, and as a result, one terminal is used by multiple users. Usually, it is in the form of shared use. From the perspective of each individual using communication, one of the problems with this form is that it is difficult to carry out private communication.

Conventionally, methods to solve this problem include methods in which a key or card is inserted into the terminal each time the terminal is used, and the terminal user is identified by the code contained in the key, or a PIN code is assigned to each person. At times, methods were used that were based on the same idea as general safes and electronic door locks, such as a method in which the user is permitted to use the device by entering the PIN number when using the device.

However, these conventional methods have the following problems.

First, it becomes complicated to manage keys and cards and organize and remember passwords.

The above-mentioned keys, cards, etc. should generally be useful only for the device, and each person using the device should
Along with other keys and cards that you would normally have, you will have to carry a key or card specifically for your device. In addition, although this complication regarding PIN numbers has disappeared, recently there has been an increase in the number of systems such as bank cash cards that cannot be used unless the PIN number has been memorized, and there is a need for ways to memorize various PIN codes without fail. In many cases, ease of use is sacrificed, such as when the

Second, the method of allowing multiple members to use one terminal at the same time is complicated, and there is little flexibility when increasing or decreasing the number of members.

When multiple users use one terminal at the same time, which is the case in offices, etc., each user must either insert and remove their key/cart, insert their own PIN individually, or A possible method is to provide a separate master key/card or common password and use it. However, if there are many simultaneous users, it becomes difficult to make the terminal recognize all users, and once the master key/card and common password are set, they can be changed one after another when the number of users increases or decreases. This means that there is no flexibility in using the terminal.

Thirdly, it can be pointed out that the conventional system cannot cope with complicated movement of the user.

Users of terminals usually have various reasons such as business commitments, and are not always able to be near the terminal.

Especially for users who leave the vicinity of the terminal for a very short time or frequently, it is burdensome and complicated to notify the terminal of their presence or absence using the method described above each time. If so, there is a risk that this presence/absence identification method itself will be disliked by users and will no longer be used.

(Objective of the Invention) The object of the present invention is to enable the terminal to automatically determine whether or not the user of the communication terminal is nearby without requiring any operation from the user, and to flexibly control communications related to the terminal. The goal is to make it possible to control the

(Structure of the Invention) ■Characteristics of the Invention and Differences from the Prior Art As described above, when the terminal needs to recognize the presence of a communication terminal user, the present invention provides a communication terminal whenever the user uses the terminal. This solves the shortcomings of conventional technology, such as having to insert a key or card into the terminal or enter a personal identification number assigned to each person, without requiring any operations from the terminal user. This system is characterized by the ability to automatically recognize the presence of a user using a small transmitter/receiver that is closely attached to each person's body and an identification function on the terminal side.

That is, the present invention includes one or more small wireless transceivers that use radio waves, ultrasonic waves, visible light, or invisible light as carrier waves.

In a communication terminal system having one or more user identification communication terminals that can communicate with all of the above-mentioned small wireless transceivers using the carrier waves and also have the function of a general communication terminal. used.

The small wireless transceiver may be directly carried by the user of the user identification terminal, or may be incorporated into a tie clip, name tag, wristwatch, hat, cardiac pacemaker, or other device that is normally worn on the body or grounded inside the body. Have them carry it.

Each of the small radio receivers includes a transmitting circuit that transmits a pulse-like signal wave pulse obtained by modulating the carrier wave at a different time phase for each of the small radio transceivers within a certain time period. , in order to maintain the independence of the time phase for each small radio transceiver, it has a receiving circuit that receives a calibration wave pulse, which will be described later, transmitted from a user identification communication terminal toward the small radio transceiver. .

Each of the user identification communication terminals also includes a receiving circuit that detects and demodulates signal wave pulses from all of the small wireless transceivers; and a receiving circuit that determines a different temporal phase for each of the small wireless transceivers; an identification circuit for identifying the owner of the small wireless transceiver; and a calibration signal generated at each predetermined time period so that each of the small wireless transceivers can maintain the constancy of the predetermined time period. ,
a transmitting circuit that transmits a calibration wave pulse obtained by modulating the carrier wave into a pulse shape toward each small wireless transceiver; and monitoring the intensity of each signal wave transmitted from each of the small wireless transceivers; an intensity determination circuit that determines whether or not the intensity exceeds a certain reference level;
Alternatively, when the signal strength continues to exceed the reference level for a certain period of time, the owner of the small wireless transceiver determines that the user is in the vicinity of the user identification communication terminal, and When the signal strength transmitted from The terminal has means for determining that the user is not in the vicinity of the user identification communication terminal.

(1) Embodiment FIG. 1 shows the configuration of a communication terminal system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, la is a communication terminal with a user identification function; 2a"Na is a small transceiver that corresponds to N-1 terminal users; 1b-Nb is a communication terminal that has a user identification function; 1b-Nb is a communication terminal that has a user identification function; 1c = Nc is an antenna for sending and receiving signal wave pulses and calibration wave pulses between both sides; 1c = Nc is an antenna for sending and receiving signal wave pulses and calibration wave pulses between both sides. Antenna coupling circuit; 1
d-Nd is a receiving circuit in both devices for receiving signal wave pulses and calibration wave pulses; 1e=Na is a transmitting circuit in both devices for transmitting signal wave pulses and calibration wave pulses; 1f-Nf is a clock circuit in both devices for managing time information that is the basis of the transmission/reception timing of signal wave pulses; 1g is in the communication terminal 1a and controls the user of the terminal from the receiving circuit 1d. A terminal user identification circuit for identifying from demodulated information; 1h is in the communication terminal 1a,
11 is a terminal user information storage circuit for storing information such as presence regarding the user of the terminal for each terminal user;
A terminal function circuit in the communication terminal 1a that executes the functions of a normal communication terminal; lj is a terminal function circuit in the communication terminal 1a that performs the information input/output function of the terminal function circuit 1i, and
Ik-Nk is an input/output device for inputting and outputting control information related to the user of the terminal to k; 1m is an intensity determination circuit that compares the signal wave intensity received by the receiving circuit 1d with a reference level and determines whether it exceeds the reference level; 2Q is an intensity determination circuit in the small transceiver 2a-Na; .

It represents the power supply that supplies power to various parts of these transmitters and receivers.

Figure 2 explains the transmission and reception timing of the signal wave and calibration wave pulse, which is the main point of the present invention.
a corresponds to the number of each small transceiver and specifically shows the time relationship of pulses transmitted and received by them.

To explain these operations, first of all, it is assumed that there are N-1 users of terminal 1a, each terminal user is wearing a transmitter/receiver 2a-Na in turn, and all of them are using terminal 1a. Assume a situation where you are nearby.

As shown in FIG. 2, each transceiver 2a-Na has its own timing, ie, time phase, determined within a certain time period T. At each time phase,
Each transceiver 2a''Na can transmit its own signal wave pulse.

Each transmitter/receiver 2a''Na reads the above transmission timing from the clock circuits 2f-Nf and uses that timing.

A carrier wave of a certain radio frequency that is commonly used within the terminal system is modulated into pulses by the transmitting circuit 2e"Ne, and is transmitted from the antennas 2b to Nb to the user identification communication terminal 1a through the antenna coupling circuit 2c"Nc. do.

The reason why pulses are used for the signal waves is to save as much power as possible in each transmitter/receiver, which is limited in terms of power. Furthermore, the carrier wave needs to be of a type that allows slight frequency changes depending on the system. The reason is that if the user is near the user identification communication terminal,
This is because when there is another terminal with a similar function, it is possible to prevent confusion in user identification between the two terminals.

Now, when the user identification communication terminal 1a receives pulse-shaped signal waves from each transceiver from the antenna 1b, it is demodulated by the receiving circuit 1d via the antenna coupling circuit 1c, and the demodulated signal is sent to the terminal user identification circuit. Give it to 1g. The terminal user identification circuit 1g sequentially determines who is present near the terminal while referring to the time information from the clock circuit 1f.

As a result, it can be recognized that the above N-1 person exists, and this information is written and held in the terminal user information storage circuit 1h.

If, in this state, there is an incoming call to the user identification communication terminal 1a, the incoming call will be detected by the terminal function circuit 11, but at the same time, the terminal function circuit 11 will determine whether the incoming call is from Gaen based on the incoming call signal, etc. The control circuit 1k identifies the incoming call and sends a notification that there is an incoming call.
to notify. Then, the control circuit 1 performs control such as selectively calling the user by referring to this identification information and the terminal user presence/absence information in the terminal user information storage circuit 1h.

Further, the user identification communication terminal 1a is assigned once within the above-mentioned time period T, as shown in FIG.

At the calibration liquid transmission timing, each small transmitter/receiver 2a"
The transmitting circuit 1 constantly calibrates the clock information held by the clock circuits 2f-Nf so that each transmitter/receiver 2a-Na can transmit a signal wave with an accurate time phase.
At e, the above-mentioned accurate time period T is created from the time information of the clock circuit 1f, and it is modulated into a pulse shape with the above-mentioned radio frequency,
The signal is transmitted from the antenna 1b to each small transceiver 2a''Na through the antenna coupling circuit 1c.

Each small transceiver 2a"Na is a user identification communication terminal 1a
When a pulsed calibration wave is received from antennas 2b-Nb, it is demodulated by receiving circuits 2d-Nd through antenna coupling circuit 2c=Nc, and the demodulated calibration signal is notified to control circuits 2k-Nk. In the control circuit 2 -Nk,
If the time information held by itself deviates from the information of the calibration signal received by the receiver, the clock information of the clock circuits 2f-Nf is corrected based on the information of the first calibration signal.

In this way, the clock circuit If of the user identification terminal 1a is used as the master clock, and the clock circuits 2f to Nf of each small transmitter/receiver 2a-Na are
By using the clock circuit 2f-Nf as a child clock, the accuracy of the clock circuit 2f-Nf is lower than that of the clock circuit if, which simplifies and downsizes the transmitter/receiver.

It can be expected to be effective in reducing prices.

In addition, for the power source 2N-Nil of each small transmitter/receiver 2a=Na, it is likely that a primary or secondary battery will be used from the viewpoint of portability, but if the remaining power becomes low and the transmitting/receiving operation If there is a risk of interference, power supply 2&-
Nρ notifies the control circuit 2k-Nk of this fact. The control circuit 2k-Nk notifies the user identification communication terminal 1a of the power shortage through communication, in addition to directly warning the terminal user equipped with this small transceiver with sound or the like. However, it is effective from the viewpoint of downsizing the transmitter/receiver and saving power. That is, at the transmission timing assigned to each small transceiver, a carrier wave is modulated with a signal to which a code indicating power shortage is added and transmitted to the user identification communication terminal 1a, and the terminal 1a transmits the information. It detects this and notifies users near the terminal 1a accordingly.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, if it is necessary to change the frequency of the carrier wave used here, if the carrier wave frequency change information is notified to each transceiver along with the clock calibration information from the user identification communication terminal 1a, each transceiver will follow the instructions. Since the carrier frequency is set, the administrator of the terminal can also modify the frequency of the carrier wave used in the entire system by changing only the carrier frequency on the terminal side.

Next, from the above scenario, among the terminal users, the small transmitter/receiver 2
Assume that the person who owns a leaves the vicinity of the terminal.

At this time, it is received by the user identification communication terminal 1a.

The strength of the signal wave from the small transceiver 2a gradually weakens as the user leaves the room. Here, a certain reference value is set for the radio wave intensity received by the terminal, and when the intensity falls below this reference value, it can be determined that the terminal user who owns the transmitter/receiver has left the terminal. In particular, if this reference value is selected to be an appropriate value, it can be matched with the distance-based criterion for determining whether the terminal user can respond immediately or not. However, this reference value is expected to change considerably depending on the grounding environment of the terminal and the communication habits of the terminal user, so it is necessary to configure the terminal so that this value can be made variable, or furthermore, the terminal itself It is conceivable that the system could determine the current usage status and adapt to a value that is predicted to be optimal.

As is clear from the above explanation, unlike conventional technology, the device uses a small transmitter/receiver worn on the body of the terminal user and a function provided in the communication terminal to periodically monitor signal waves from these transmitters/receivers. This allows the communication terminal to independently and automatically recognize the presence of multiple terminal users.

Under normal usage conditions, the maximum number of users per terminal is expected to be several dozen at most, and it is also expected that the terminal user may leave or return to the terminal, or a third party attempting to receive a call may be unable to use the terminal. Taking ergonomic considerations into account, such as the amount of time one can wait for a person's response, an appropriate value for one cycle T is several to several seconds. Considering the power consumption rate of the transmitter/receiver, etc., it is considered appropriate for the time during pulse transmission to be 1 to 3 hours.

In addition, the key point in the present invention is the feasibility of the small transceiver used, but recent semiconductor technology, especially L
Considering trends in the development of highly integrated, reliable, and compact SI and high-frequency FETs, as well as small and thin batteries that can maintain low power consumption, it is possible to realize something that is commercially viable even with current technology. is considered certain.

By the way, office automation equipment has been introduced rapidly in offices and the like in recent years, and some of these equipment have radio wave strengths that far exceed the strength of radio waves handled by micro wireless stations that would be succumbed to by the compact transceiver of the present invention. It is true that there are things that emit noise radio waves.

In such an environment, it is necessary to consider the possibility that systems using weak radio waves may not be able to be identified or may malfunction. As a countermeasure to this problem, a system using ultrasonic waves as a carrier wave is considered to be effective in terms of ease of implementation technology and system cost.

(Effect of the invention) As explained above, when a communication terminal monitors the intensity of a signal wave transmitted from a small transmitter/receiver attached to the body of a communication terminal user, and the intensity exceeds a certain level, By adopting a method that automatically recognizes that the user is near the terminal, from the perspective of the terminal service provider, it is possible to automate the identification of the presence or absence of the terminal user, making it easier to use the terminal for intermediary services, etc. If implemented, it will be possible to realize a more detailed response that is more in line with the actual situation.

For users of communication terminals, there are many opportunities for each person to use the terminal without using complicated items or methods such as new keys, cards, or PIN numbers, and that each person usually wears one at the office etc. By using a small transmitter/receiver built into name tags, watches, hats, and other wearable items, you can reduce the chances of forgetting to wear it, and you can also tell the device whether you have come near the device or left the vicinity. Since there is no need for notification, the psychological burden on the terminal user can be significantly reduced.

In addition, for communication terminal managers, even if the terminal user changes, they can simply increase or decrease the number of compact transceivers that transmit codes unique to the terminal, and furthermore, they can By intentionally sharing the terminal code between terminals, terminal users can use multiple terminals in common.

This has the advantage of making it possible to implement terminal operations with ease of management and flexibility.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows an example of the configuration of a communication terminal system for implementing the present invention. FIG. 2 shows the transmission and reception timing of signal wave pulses and calibration wave pulses, which are the main points of the present invention. 1a...User identification communication terminal, 2a-Na...Small receiver, 1b-Nb...Antenna, 1c=Nc...
Antenna coupling circuit, 1d-Nd...reception circuit, 1e"
Ne...Transmission circuit, If-Nf...Clock circuit, 1g
...terminal user identification circuit, lh...terminal user information storage circuit, 11...terminal function circuit, 1j...input/output device, 1k-Nk...control circuit, 2g...power supply . Patent applicant Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation

Claims (1)

[Claims] One or more small wireless transceivers that use radio waves, ultrasonic waves, visible light, or invisible light as a carrier wave, and all of the above small wireless transceivers using the carrier wave. There is one or more user identification communication terminals that are capable of communication and also have the functions of general communication terminals, and the small wireless transceiver is directly connected to the user of the user identification terminal. In a communication terminal system that is carried or incorporated into a tie pin, name tag, wristwatch, hat, cardiac pacemaker, or other device that is normally worn on the body or grounded inside the body, each of the small wireless transceivers includes: a transmitting circuit that transmits a pulse-like signal wave pulse obtained by modulating the carrier wave at different temporal phases for each of the small wireless transceivers within a certain time period; and each of the small wireless transceivers in the time phase. In order to maintain the independence of each user identification communication terminal, each of the above user identification communication terminals has a receiving circuit that receives a calibration wave pulse, which will be described later, transmitted from the user identification communication terminal to the small wireless transceiver. but. a receiving circuit that detects and demodulates signal wave pulses from all of the small wireless transceivers, and an identification that determines different temporal phases for each of the small wireless transceivers and identifies the owner of the small wireless transceiver. a calibration wave pulse in which the carrier wave is modulated into a pulse shape by a calibration signal generated at each fixed time period so that the circuit and each of the small wireless transceivers can each maintain constancy in the certain time period; a transmitting circuit that transmits the information to each small wireless transmitter/receiver;
a strength determination circuit that monitors the strength of each signal wave transmitted from each of the small wireless transceivers and determines whether the signal wave strength exceeds a certain reference level; When the signal wave strength emitted from the device exceeds the reference level, or when the signal strength continues to exceed the reference level for a certain period of time, the owner of the small wireless transmitter/receiver becomes the user. When it is determined that the person is in the vicinity of an identified communication terminal, and the signal wave strength emitted from the certain small wireless transmitter/receiver becomes below the above reference level, or the signal strength continues to be below the above reference level for a certain period of time. A method for identifying the presence or absence of a communication terminal user, characterized by having a means for determining that the holder of the small wireless transceiver is not in the vicinity of the user identification communication terminal at the time when the user identifies the user.