JPWO2019021534A1 - Portable information terminal protection case and information communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an information communication system having a protective case for restricting operation of a portable information terminal based on a signal from a transmitter. The mobile information terminal includes one or more mobile information terminals that accept user operations, one or more protective cases that are attached to the one or more mobile information terminals, and a transmitter. Each of the one or more protective cases has a control unit. The transmitter transmits a radio signal to the control unit when a predetermined condition is satisfied. Upon receiving the wireless signal, the control unit inputs to the mobile information terminal a restriction signal for restricting the operation of the mobile information terminal. [Selection diagram] Fig. 9

Description

  The present invention relates to a protective case attached to a mobile information terminal and an information communication system.

  In recent years, mobile information terminals such as smartphones and tablet PCs have rapidly become widespread. The portable information terminal has a user interface such as a touch panel display that inputs and outputs information with a user. The user can obtain a large amount of information from these mobile information terminals and perform various operations on the data stored in the mobile information terminals without selecting the location. A conventional portable information terminal is described in Patent Document 1, for example.

JP, 2011-142492, A

  The mobile information terminal can always be used regardless of the place. Therefore, there is an increasing problem that a driver uses a portable information terminal while driving a car and develops into an accident. Therefore, there is a need to limit the use of the mobile information terminal while driving. If there are portable information terminals in the vehicle, it may be possible to restrict the use of those portable information terminals, but passengers other than the driver do not want to restrict the use of the portable information terminals. Therefore, it is desirable to limit the use of only the portable information terminal of the driver and not limit the use of the portable information terminals of other passengers. In addition to the system that restricts the use of the mobile information terminal by the driver, there is an increasing need to restrict the use of a specific mobile information terminal in various situations.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an operation restriction system that restricts use of a specific mobile information terminal.

  In order to solve the above problems, a first invention of the present application is to provide one or a plurality of mobile information terminals that accept a user's operation, one or a plurality of protective cases attached to the one or a plurality of mobile information terminals, and a transmitter. And the one or more protective cases each have a control unit, and the transmitter transmits a radio signal to the control unit when a predetermined condition is satisfied. Upon receiving the wireless signal, the control unit inputs, to the mobile information terminal, a restriction signal for restricting the operation of the mobile information terminal.

  A second invention of the present application is the information communication system of the first invention, wherein the transmitter is arranged at a driver's seat of a vehicle, and has an acceleration detecting section for detecting an acceleration of the vehicle, and the acceleration detecting section detects the acceleration. When the acceleration of the vehicle is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the terminal specifying signal which is the wireless signal is transmitted to the control unit.

  3rd invention of this application is an information communication system of 2nd invention, Comprising: The said protection case further has a terminal specific part which specifies the portable information terminal nearest to the said transmitter, The said terminal specific part is the said. Based on the signal strength of the terminal identification signal received by the control unit, the mobile information terminal is specified, the control unit, the restriction signal for restricting the operation of the specified mobile information terminal, the specified Input to the mobile information terminal.

  4th invention of this application is an information communication system of 2nd invention or 3rd invention, Comprising: The said control part WHEREIN: The said control part received the said terminal specific signal, or the said control part has the said terminal. A signal related to information on the time when the specific signal is received is transmitted to an external device of the vehicle.

  A fifth invention of the present application is the information communication system according to any one of the first invention to the fourth invention, wherein the portable information terminal has a display for displaying a home screen, and accepts an operation on the home screen, When the home screen is switched to the application screen and the OS of the mobile information terminal receives the restriction signal, the OS forcibly causes the display to display the home screen.

  A sixth invention of the present application is the information communication system according to any one of the second invention to the fourth invention, wherein the rear surface is provided on the rear surface of the vehicle and detects an approach of the object different from the vehicle and the vehicle. Further comprising a detection unit, the back surface detection unit, when detecting the approach of the other object and the vehicle, transmits a back surface detection signal which is a wireless signal to the control unit, the protective case, When the control unit receives the back surface detection signal, a warning operation is further performed.

  A seventh invention of the present application is a protective case attached to a mobile information terminal, which includes a control unit electrically connected to the mobile information terminal, the control unit transmitting a predetermined wireless signal from an external transmitter. When receiving, a restriction signal for restricting the operation of the mobile information terminal is input to the mobile information terminal.

  According to the first invention to the seventh invention of the present application, when a predetermined condition is satisfied, a radio signal is transmitted from the transmitter to the control unit of the protective case attached to the mobile information terminal, and the control unit, A restriction signal for restricting the operation is input to the portable information terminal. As a result, it is possible to limit the use of the mobile information terminal by the user in a predetermined case such as when driving the vehicle. As a result, it is possible to prevent an accident due to use of the portable information terminal while driving.

  In particular, according to the second aspect of the invention, even if the portable information terminal can be used while the vehicle is stopped, it is possible to restrict the driver's use of the portable information terminal when the vehicle starts.

  According to the third invention of the present application, since the transmitter is installed in the driver's seat, the portable information terminal close to the transmitter can be determined as the portable information terminal owned by the driver. By limiting the operation on the portable information terminal, the operation of the portable information terminal by the driver can be limited. As a result, the driver can be prevented from using the mobile information terminal while driving, and an accident due to the use of the mobile information terminal while driving can be prevented.

  Particularly, according to the fourth aspect of the invention, the driving condition can be grasped from outside the vehicle.

  Particularly, according to the sixth aspect, the driver can know that an object other than the vehicle is approaching the vehicle by the warning operation of the protective case. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a contact accident between the other object and the vehicle.

It is a figure for explaining the information communication system applied to the inside of a car, and the circumference of a car. It is a perspective view of a terminal holder and a smart phone with which the terminal holder is equipped. It is a front view of a smart phone and a protection case attached to a smart phone. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of a terminal holder. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of a protection case. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of a smart phone. It is a figure for demonstrating the method of restricting or invalidating a user's operation. It is a block diagram which shows the electric constitution of a back surface detection part. It is a flowchart of the process performed by the operation restriction system. It is a flowchart of a part of the processing executed by the operation management system. It is a flowchart of a part of the processing executed by the operation management system. It is a figure which shows the terminal holder provided with two specific signal transmission parts. It is a figure which shows another example of a transmitter.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Below, a smart phone is explained as an example of the "mobile information terminal" of the present invention. However, the portable information terminal is not particularly limited as long as it is a tablet PC and other portable electronic devices having a communication function. In addition, as an example of the “transmitter” of the present invention, a terminal holder that has a transmission function and an acceleration detection function and can hold a smartphone will be described.

<1. Overall configuration of information communication system>
FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an information communication system 1 applied in and around a vehicle. FIG. 1 is a view of the vehicle 100 as viewed from above, showing a state in which a part of a roof of the vehicle 100 is cut away and the inside of the vehicle (driver's seat 101A, passenger seat 101B and rear seat 101C) is visible. There is.

  The information communication system 1 is used inside the vehicle 100 and around the vehicle 100. The information communication system 1 includes a plurality of smartphones 10, a terminal holder 20 on which one smartphone 10 can be placed, a plurality of protection cases 30 attached to the plurality of smartphones 10, a back surface detection unit 40, and Equipped with. Then, in the information communication system 1, two units, that is, the operation restriction system 2 and the operation management system 3, are formed by these respective units. Details will be described later.

  In this example, it is assumed that there are four smartphones 10 in the vehicle 100. The users of the four smartphones 10 are the driver of the vehicle 100 and other passengers. Then, each smartphone 10 is located near the user. Specifically, each smartphone 10 is arranged in each of the driver seat 101A, the passenger seat 101B, and the rear seat 101C. The smartphones 10 can communicate data with each other.

  The terminal holder 20 is a vehicle-mounted cradle to which the smartphone 10 is attached and which is electrically connected to the smartphone 10. The smartphone 10 owned by the driver is attached to the terminal holder 20 in a state where the smartphone 10 is removed from a protective case 30 described later. Therefore, the terminal holder 20 is arranged in the driver seat 101A of the vehicle 100. Here, the driver's seat 101A includes a range in the vicinity of the driver's seat 101A that can be reached by the driver. The terminal holder 20 will be described as being mounted on the dashboard 101D in front of the driver's seat 101A. However, the terminal holder 20 may be fixed to the windshield or the door on the driver's seat 101A side. The terminal holder 20 has a connector (not shown), the connector is connected to a cigar socket, and electric power is supplied from the vehicle 100. The terminal holder 20 further has a calling function. Details will be described later.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the terminal holder 20 and the smartphone 10 attached to the terminal holder 20.

  The smartphone 10 has a touch panel type display 14 that receives user operations. The user operates the smartphone 10 by touching the image displayed on the display 14.

  The terminal holder 20 includes a housing 20A. The housing 20A has a pedestal portion 20B and a backrest portion 20C. The pedestal portion 20B is a member fixed to the dashboard 101D. The smartphone 10 is placed on the pedestal portion 20B in a state where the smartphone 10 is removed from the protective case 30 described later. The backrest portion 20C is a member that is provided to be inclined with respect to the pedestal portion 20B and supports the smartphone 10 placed on the pedestal portion 20B. That is, the smartphone 10 is placed on the pedestal portion 20B while leaning against the backrest portion 20C.

  A connection plug 22 is provided on the pedestal portion 20B. The connection plug 22 is connected to a circuit board (not shown) arranged in the housing 20A. The connection plug 22 is connected to a jack (not shown) included in the smartphone 10. As a result, the terminal holder 20 is electrically connected to the smartphone 10. The terminal holder 20 supplies power to the smartphone 10 via the connection plug 22 to charge the battery of the smartphone 10.

  FIG. 3 is a front view of the smartphone 10 and the protective case 30 attached to the smartphone 10. The smartphone 10 is held by the user with the protective case 30 attached. The protection cases 30 can communicate with each other. Details will be described later.

  The back surface detection unit 40 is provided on the back surface of the vehicle 100. Then, the rear surface detection unit 40 approaches the vehicle 100 with an “object different from the vehicle 100” including a vehicle different from the vehicle 100 (for example, a succeeding vehicle), a passerby, a guardrail, a garage wall, or the like. To detect. Further, when the back surface detection unit 40 detects the approach of an object other than the vehicle 100 and the vehicle 100, the back surface detection signal, which is a long-distance wireless signal, is sent to a protection case control unit 31 of the protection case 30 described later. To send. Details will be described later.

  In this configuration, the operation restriction system 2 of the information communication system 1 first identifies the smartphone 10 closest to the terminal holder 20 from the four smartphones 10. The terminal holder 20 is installed in the driver seat 101A. Therefore, the specified smartphone 10 is determined to be a smartphone owned by the driver. Then, the operation restriction system 2 restricts the use of the smartphone 10. This can limit the use of the smartphone 10 by the driver while driving.

  In addition, the driving management system 3 of the information communication system 1 transmits information about the driver who owns the smartphone 10 to the external device 200 of the vehicle 100 via the protection case 30. As a result, the driver's situation can be grasped from outside the vehicle 100. Further, in the operation management system 3, when the protective case control unit 31 of the protective case 30 which will be described later receives the above-described back surface detection signal, an object different from the vehicle 100 is approaching the vehicle 100. (For example, ringing a warning sound, displaying a warning, or inputting an operation signal for causing the smartphone 10 to execute a warning operation). This can prevent an accident in which the vehicle 100 and the other object come into contact with each other.

<2. Detailed structure of each part>
<2.1. Detailed structure of terminal holder>
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the terminal holder 20.

  The terminal holder 20 has a terminal holder controller 21, a connection plug 22, a connector 23, a power conversion circuit 231, a specific signal transmitter 24, and an acceleration detector 25. The connection plug 22, the connector 23, the power conversion circuit 231, the specific signal transmission unit 24, and the acceleration detection unit 25 are each connected to the terminal holder control unit 21. However, the specific signal transmission unit 24 may be included in the terminal holder control unit 21.

  As described above, the connector 23 is a connector that is connected to the cigar socket of the vehicle 100 to obtain electric power from the vehicle 100. When the smartphone 10 is placed on the terminal holder 20 and the jack of the smartphone 10 is connected to the connection plug 22 of the terminal holder 20, the power conversion circuit 231 converts (steps up or steps down) the power taken from the connector 23. , Power is supplied to the smartphone 10 via the connection plug 22. However, the terminal holder 20 may not have the function of supplying electric power to the smartphone 10.

  The acceleration detection unit 25 detects the acceleration applied to the terminal holder 20, that is, the acceleration of the vehicle 100. The acceleration detection unit 25 includes, for example, a capacitance type acceleration sensor or a semiconductor piezoresistive type acceleration sensor.

  The terminal holder control unit 21 includes a microcomputer, executes a program written in advance in a memory or the like, and drives and controls each connected unit. The terminal holder control unit 21 determines whether or not the acceleration of the vehicle 100 detected by the acceleration detection unit 25 is a predetermined value or more.

  The specific signal transmission unit 24 transmits a terminal specific signal to a protection case control unit 31 of the protection case 30, which will be described later, when the terminal holder control unit 21 determines that the acceleration of the vehicle 100 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. Is. The terminal identification signal is a short-range wireless signal for comparing the relative distance between the terminal holder 20 and each of the four smartphones 10. The terminal identification signal may be infrared rays or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

<2.2. Detailed structure of the protective case>
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the protective case 30.

  The four protective cases 30 include a protective case control unit 31, a limit signal input unit 32, a short-distance wireless reception unit 33, a long-distance wireless transmission unit 34, a long-distance wireless reception unit 35, an inter-case communication unit 36, and a warning, respectively. It has a section 37. The restriction signal input unit 32, the short-distance wireless reception unit 33, the long-distance wireless transmission unit 34, the long-distance wireless reception unit 35, the inter-case communication unit 36, and the warning unit 37 are each connected to the protective case control unit 31. However, the restriction signal input unit 32, the short-distance wireless reception unit 33, the long-distance wireless transmission unit 34, the long-distance wireless reception unit 35, and the inter-case communication unit 36 may be included in the protection case control unit 31.

  The restriction signal input unit 32 inputs a restriction signal to be described later to the smartphone 10 to which the protective case 30 is attached. The restriction signal is input to the smartphone 10 from the restriction signal input unit 32, for example, via the USB port of the smartphone 10. Further, the short-range wireless reception unit 33 receives the above-described terminal specifying signal which is a short-range wireless signal from the terminal holder 20.

  The long-distance wireless transmission unit 34 transmits a long-distance wireless signal to the external device 200 described above. The long-distance wireless reception unit 35 also receives a long-distance wireless signal from the back surface detection unit 40 described above. For long-distance wireless communication using long-distance wireless signals, for example, the Wi-SUN (Wireless Smart Utility Network) standard is used. Detailed operations of the long-distance wireless transmission unit 34 and the long-distance wireless reception unit 35 will be described later.

  The inter-case communication unit 36 performs short-distance wireless communication with another protection case 30. The short-distance wireless signal used for the short-distance wireless communication with the other protective case 30 may be infrared light or Bluetooth (registered trademark).

  The warning part 37 has an LED lamp (see FIG. 3) fixed to the surface of the protective case 30. However, the warning unit 37 may have an electronic sound alarm with a built-in horn that emits a warning sound. Further, the warning unit 37 may have a monitor capable of displaying characters.

  The protection case control unit 31 is electrically connected to the smartphone 10, includes a microcomputer, executes a program written in advance in a memory or the like, and drives and controls each connected unit. The protection case control unit 31 functions as a “terminal identification unit” that identifies the smartphone 10 closest to the terminal holder 20 in the operation restriction system 2. In addition, in the operation restriction system 2, the protection case control unit 31 functions as an “operation restriction unit” that restricts the operation of the specified smartphone 10 together with the OS 11 of the smartphone 10. Further, the protection case control unit 31 functions as a “driving management unit” in the driving management system 3 that communicates with various units around the vehicle 100.

  First, the function as the “terminal specifying unit” will be described. The protection case control unit 31 detects the signal strength of the terminal identification signal received by the short-range wireless reception unit 33. Also in the other protection case 30, the terminal identification signal is received and the signal strength of the received terminal identification signal is detected. Each protection case control unit 31 exchanges information regarding the signal strength detected by the other protection case 30 with the other protection case 30 via the inter-case communication unit 36. The protection case control unit 31 determines the protection case 30 that has detected the strongest signal strength based on the result of comparing the signal strength detected by itself and the signal strength detected by the other protection case 30. Then, the protection case control unit 31 specifies the smartphone 10 to which the indexed protection case 30 is attached as the smartphone 10 closest to the terminal holder 20. That is, the smartphone 10 to which the determined protective case 30 is attached is determined to be the smartphone owned by the driver.

  Then, the protection case control unit 31 inputs a restriction signal to the specified smartphone 10 via the restriction signal input unit 32, which restricts or invalidates the operation of the user accepted by the smartphone 10. This can limit the use of the smartphone 10 by the driver.

  The process of comparing the signal strengths of the terminal identification signals in the protection case control unit 31 may be performed in one predetermined protection case 30 among the four protection cases 30, or in the four protection cases 30. It may be done by each. When the signal strengths are compared in one protection case 30, each of the four protection cases 30 transmits information related to the signal strength to the determined one protection case 30. Then, in the one protection case 30, the signal strengths are compared, the protection case 30 that detects the strongest signal strength is determined, and the smartphone 10 of the driver is specified.

  When comparing the signal strengths of the four protection cases 30, each of the four protection cases 30 transmits information about the detected signal strength to each of the other protection cases 30. In this case, when the smartphone 10 specified by the protective case control unit 31 is the smartphone 10 to which its own protective case 30 is attached, the protective case control unit 31 indicates that the smartphone 10 to which its own protective case 30 is attached. It suffices to limit or invalidate the operation of the user to be accepted, and it is not necessary to input a limit signal to the smartphone 10 to which the other protective case 30 is attached.

  A detailed description of the function as the “operation restriction unit” and the function as the “operation management unit” will be given later.

<2.3. Detailed configuration of smartphone>
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the smartphone 10.

  The smartphone 10 has an OS 11, a data communication unit 12, an OS restriction signal receiving unit 13, a display 14, and a jack 15. The data communication unit 12, OS 11, display 14, and jack 15 are each connected to the OS 11. However, the data communication unit 12 and the OS restriction signal receiving unit 13 may be included in the OS 11.

  The data communication unit 12 is a communication unit for executing functions such as exchanging emails with another smartphone 10 or a personal computer and connecting to a website.

  The OS restriction signal receiving unit 13 is a receiving unit that receives a restriction signal input from the protective case 30 via the restriction signal input unit 32.

  The display 14 is a general screen provided on the surface of the smartphone 10 for displaying a home screen and the like.

  The jack 15 is a part connected to the connection plug 22 of the terminal holder 20. As a result, the smartphone 10 is electrically connected to the terminal holder 20. The smartphone 10 is supplied with power from the terminal holder 20 via the connection plug 22 and the jack 15.

  The OS 11 includes a microcomputer, executes programs written in advance in a memory or the like, and executes various functions of the smartphone 10. In addition, as described above, the OS 11 functions as the “operation restriction unit” that restricts the operation of the specified smartphone 10 together with the protection case 30. The function as the “operation restriction unit” is realized by application software installed in the memory of the OS 11.

  Next, the function as the “operation restriction unit” will be described. When the OS restriction signal receiving unit 13 receives the above-mentioned restriction signal, the smartphone 10 performs control for restricting or invalidating the user operation accepted by the smartphone 10 of itself. The restriction or invalidation of the user's operation is realized by, for example, forcibly switching the display of the display 14 of the smartphone 10 to the home screen.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a method of limiting or invalidating a user operation. In FIG. 7, transitions of screens displayed on the display 14 of the smartphone 10 are shown.

  A home screen is displayed on the display 14 of the smartphone 10 in the operation acceptance waiting state (FIG. 7A). On the home screen, a plurality of icon images associated with the application are displayed. When the user's operation on the home screen is accepted, the home screen is switched to the application screen. For example, when the user touches the icon image of “Mail” on the home screen, the smartphone 10 is switched to the application screen for mail (FIG. 7(B)). However, the smartphone 10 forcibly switches the display of the display 14 from the application screen to the home screen when the control for restricting or invalidating the operation is executed (FIG. 7C). That is, even if the user operates the home screen and the application screen is displayed, the user immediately returns to the home screen, and thus the user cannot operate the smartphone 10.

<2.4. Detailed configuration of the back surface detection section>
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the back surface detection unit 40.

  The back surface detection unit 40 includes a back surface detection control unit 41, a back surface detection sensor 42, and a back surface detection transmission unit 43. The back surface detection sensor 42 and the back surface detection transmission unit 43 are each connected to the back surface detection control unit 41. However, the back surface detection transmission unit 43 may be included in the back surface detection control unit 41.

  As the back surface detection sensor 42, for example, a distance measurement sensor using ultrasonic waves is used. The back surface detection sensor 42 is fixed to the back surface of the vehicle 100. Then, the back surface detection sensor 42 measures, for example, an inter-vehicle distance between the back surface of the vehicle 100 and a following vehicle, or an approach distance between the vehicle 100 and a garage wall when the vehicle 100 moves backward. That is, the back surface detection sensor 42 separates the vehicle 100 from the “object different from the vehicle 100” including a vehicle different from the vehicle 100 (for example, a succeeding vehicle), a passerby, a guardrail, or a garage wall. To measure. Then, the back surface detection control unit 41 detects the approach of the “object different from the vehicle 100” and the vehicle 100 based on the measurement result of the back surface detection sensor 42.

  When detecting the approach of the “object different from the vehicle 100” and the vehicle 100, the back surface detection unit 40, via the back surface detection transmission unit 43, to the protection case control unit 31 of the protection case 30, which will be described later, A back surface detection signal, which is a long-range wireless signal, is transmitted. The back surface detection signal transmitted from the back surface detection unit 40 is received via the long distance wireless reception unit 35 of the protective case 30 by long distance wireless communication. Overlapping, for example, the Wi-SUN (Wireless Smart Utility Network) standard is used for long-distance wireless communication. Thereby, even when the back surface detection unit 40 and the protective case 30 are separated from each other by several meters or more, noise during communication is reduced and more accurate transmission is achieved. Further, when the back case detection signal is received, the protective case 30 further causes the warning unit 37 to perform a warning operation.

<3. Processing process of each system>
<3.1. Processing by operation restriction system>
FIG. 9 is a flowchart of processing executed by the operation restriction system 2. In FIG. 9, the processes executed by the terminal holder 20, the protective case 30, and the smartphone 10 are also shown.

  The terminal holder control unit 21 of the terminal holder 20 is activated, for example, when the terminal holder 20 is supplied with power from the vehicle 100. The terminal holder control unit 21 acquires the acceleration detected by the acceleration detection unit 25 (step S1). The terminal holder control unit 21 determines whether the acquired acceleration is equal to or more than a predetermined value (step S2). The terminal holder control unit 21 determines whether or not the stopped vehicle 100 has started based on whether or not the acceleration is equal to or higher than a predetermined value.

  When it is not equal to or more than the predetermined value (step S2: NO), the terminal holder control unit 21 determines that the vehicle 100 is stopped and returns to the process of step S1. That is, the use of the smartphone 10 is not restricted while the vehicle 100 is stopped.

  When it is equal to or more than the predetermined value (step S2: YES), the terminal holder control unit 21 determines that the vehicle 100 has started, and outputs the terminal identification signal via the identification signal transmission unit 24 (step S3). As described above, this terminal identification signal is a short-range wireless signal for comparing the relative distance between the terminal holder 20 and each of the four smartphones 10. In this case, even if the smartphone 10 can be used while the vehicle is stopped, the driver's use of the smartphone 10 can be restricted when the vehicle 100 starts moving. Note that the terminal holder control unit 21 may continue to output the terminal identification signal after step S3, or may stop the output of the terminal identification signal after a lapse of a certain time.

  The protection case control unit 31 of each protection case 30 determines whether or not the terminal identification signal emitted from the terminal holder 20 has been received (step S4). If not received (step S4: NO), the protection case control unit 31 repeats the process of step S4. When the terminal identification signal is received (step S4: YES), the protection case control unit 31 detects the signal strength of the received terminal identification signal (step S5).

  The protection case control unit 31 compares the detected signal strength with the signal strength detected by another protection case 30 via the inter-case communication unit 36 (step S6). At this time, as described above, the protection case control unit 31 outputs information regarding the detected signal strength to the other protection case 30 via the inter-case communication unit 36, and the other smartphones 10 display the signal strength information. The comparison process may be performed.

  As a result of comparing the signal strengths, the protection case control unit 31 identifies the smartphone 10 attached to the protection case 30 that has detected the strongest signal strength as the smartphone owned by the driver (step S7). Then, the protection case control unit 31 inputs, via the restriction signal input unit 32, a restriction signal for restricting or invalidating the user's operation accepted by the smartphone 10 to the smartphone 10 (step S8).

  The OS 11 of the smartphone 10 determines whether or not the restriction signal emitted from the protection case 30 is received via the OS restriction signal receiving unit 13 (step S9). If not received (step S9: NO), the process of step S9 is repeated. When the restriction signal is received (step S9: YES), the OS 11 controls to restrict or invalidate the user's operation accepted by the smartphone 10 of itself (step S10).

  It should be noted that there is no particular limitation on the timing at which the smartphone 10 for which the user operation has been restricted or invalidated cancels the restriction or invalidation. For example, when the terminal holder 20 detects the stop of the vehicle 100 from the detected acceleration, it transmits a cancellation signal, and when the protection case 30 receives the cancellation signal from the terminal holder 20, the restriction is applied to the smartphone 10. Alternatively, it may be configured to input a cancellation signal for canceling invalidation.

  As described above, by identifying the smartphone 10 closest to the terminal holder 20 installed in the driver's seat 101A as a smartphone owned by the driver and limiting the use of the smartphone 10, the driver uses the smartphone 10. Can be restricted. As a result, it is possible to prevent an accident caused by using the smartphone 10 while driving. In addition, since the use of the smartphone 10 of another passenger of the vehicle 100 is not limited, other passengers can comfortably use the smartphone 10.

  Further, when it is determined that the vehicle 100 is stopped based on the acceleration, the wireless signal is not emitted from the terminal holder 20, so that the driver can also use the smartphone 10 while the vehicle is stopped.

<3.2. Processing in operation management system>
10A and 10B are flowcharts of a part of the processing executed by the operation management system 3, respectively. In FIG. 10A, the processes performed by the back surface detection unit 40 and the protective case 30 are also shown. In FIG. 10B, the processes executed by the terminal holder 20 and the protective case 30 are also shown. As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the function as the above-mentioned “operation management unit” in the protective case 30 is realized.

  First, the process of FIG. 10A will be described. The back surface detection unit 40 is activated, for example, at the timing when power is supplied from the vehicle battery. The back surface detection sensor 42 measures the distance between an object other than the vehicle 100 and the vehicle 100 (step S11). The back surface detection control unit 41 detects the approach of an object other than the vehicle 100 and the vehicle 100 based on the measurement result of the back surface detection sensor 42 (step S12). When the distance between the object different from the vehicle 100 and the vehicle 100 is larger than the predetermined value (step S12: NO), the back surface detection control unit 41 determines that the object different from the vehicle 100 is not approaching the vehicle 100. The determination is made, and the process returns to step S11.

  When the distance between the object different from the vehicle 100 and the vehicle 100 is less than or equal to the predetermined value (step S12: YES), the rear surface detection control unit 41 determines that an object different from the vehicle 100 is approaching the vehicle 100. A determination is made and a back surface detection signal, which is a long-distance wireless signal, is output to the protective case 30 via the back surface detection transmission unit 43 (step S13). It should be noted that the back surface detection control unit 41 continues the back surface until it determines that the distance between the object different from the vehicle 100 and the vehicle 100 becomes larger than a predetermined value based on the subsequent measurement result by the back surface detection sensor 42. Output a detection signal.

  The protection case control unit 31 of the protection case 30 determines whether the back surface detection signal is received via the long-distance wireless reception unit 35 (step S14). When not receiving (step S14: NO), the protection case control unit 31 repeats the process of step S14. When the back surface detection signal is received (step S14: YES), the protective case control unit 31 performs a warning operation via the warning unit 37 (step S15). This allows the driver to notice that an object other than the vehicle 100 is approaching the vehicle 100 and take measures such as stopping the vehicle 100. As a result, it is possible to prevent accidents where they come into contact with each other.

  Next, the processing of FIG. 10B will be described. Since steps S21 to S24 in FIG. 10B have the same steps as steps S1 to S4 in FIG. 9, redundant description will be omitted. When it is determined in step S24 that the terminal identification signal has been received (step S24: YES), the protection case control unit 31 determines “the fact that the protection case control unit 31 has received the terminal identification signal” and “the protection case control unit 31”. Transmits a signal for "the time when the terminal-specific signal is received" to the external device 200 of the vehicle 100 via the long-distance wireless transmission unit 34 (step S25). Thereby, the driving state of the vehicle 100 can be grasped from the outside of the vehicle 100. As a result, the operating status of the vehicle 100 and the working status of the driver can be grasped. It should be noted that although overlapping, for example, the Wi-SUN (Wireless Smart Utility Network) standard is used for long-distance wireless communication. As a result, even when the protective case 30 and the external device 200 are separated from each other by several meters or more, noise during communication is reduced and more accurate transmission is achieved.

<4. Modification>
Although the main embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

  In the above-described embodiment, the terminal holder 20 is arranged near the driver seat 101A, but it may be arranged between the driver seat 101A and the passenger seat 101B. In this case, the terminal holder 20 preferably has two specific signal transmitters. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the terminal holder 20 provided with the two specific signal transmitting units 24A and 24B. The specific signal transmitter 24A is provided at the end of the terminal holder 20 on the driver seat 101A side, and the specific signal transmitter 24B is provided at the end of the terminal holder 20 on the passenger seat 101B side. In this case, the protection case 30 determines which one of the specific signal transmission units 24A and 24B has a high signal strength. When the signal strength of the wireless signal received from the specific signal transmission unit 24A is strong, the smartphone 10 to which the protection case 30 is attached is determined to be the smartphone owned by the driver. On the other hand, when the signal strength of the wireless signal received from the specific signal transmission unit 24B is strong, the smartphone 10 to which the protective case 30 is attached is determined to be the smartphone owned by the passenger.

  Further, when the smartphone 10 is attached, the terminal holder 20 does not issue a terminal identification signal and controls the attached smartphone 10 to restrict or invalidate the operation of the user. Good.

  In the above-described embodiment, the four smartphones 10 and the four protective cases 30 attached to the four smartphones 10 are used. However, these numbers are not limited to four. The number of smartphones 10 and protection cases 30 may be one, or may be any value of two or more.

  Moreover, in the above-described embodiment, the “terminal holder 20” that has a transmission function and an acceleration detection function and can hold a smartphone is described as an example of the “oscillator” that outputs a wireless signal. However, it is not limited to this. The “transmitter” may be any device installed in the driver seat 101A and capable of specifying the position of the driver seat 101A. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another example of the transmitter. For example, the “transmitter” may be the key chain 50 as shown in FIG. In this case, the housing 51 of the key holder 50 is provided with the control unit, the acceleration detection unit, and the specific signal transmission unit described in FIG. Then, by attaching the vehicle key to the chain lock 52 of the key chain 50, the "transmitter" is always placed in the driver seat 101A during driving. The "transmitter" may be built in the vehicle key.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the terminal holder 20 emits a wireless signal and the protection case 30 to which the smartphone 10 is attached detects the signal strength of the wireless signal, but the present invention is not limited to this. A wireless signal may be output from the protective case 30 to which each smartphone 10 is attached, and the terminal holder 20 may detect the signal strength of the wireless signal. In this case, the terminal holder 20 specifies the smartphone 10 of the driver and instructs the protection case 30 of the specified smartphone 10 to output the restriction signal.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the terminal holder 20 determines the start of the vehicle 100 based on the acceleration, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the terminal holder 20 may have a vibration sensor and output a wireless signal when vibration is detected for a certain period of time.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the terminal holder 20 transmits the wireless signal to the protection case control unit 31 when it determines that the acceleration of the vehicle 100 is equal to or higher than the predetermined value, but the present invention is not limited to this. The terminal holder 20 may be configured to transmit a wireless signal to the protective case control unit 31 when a predetermined condition is satisfied regardless of the acceleration.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the home screen is compulsorily switched as a method for restricting or invalidating the user's operation on the portable information terminal, but other methods may be used. For example, the power of the smartphone 10 may be forcibly turned off.

  In addition to the information on the acceleration of the vehicle 100 and the approach to the vehicle 100 by another object, the protective case 30 may also play a role as means for collecting various information and transmitting it to the external device 200. For example, the protective case 30 may count the number of smartphones approaching the smartphone 10 of the driver and transmit the counted number to the external device 200. By applying this mechanism to, for example, a bus, the number of passengers passing by the driver can be grasped from outside.

  Furthermore, the information communication system 1 described above may be applied to other than vehicles. The protective case attached to the mobile information terminal has a control unit electrically connected to the mobile information terminal, and the control unit receives the predetermined wireless signal from the external transmitter and receives the mobile information terminal. May be configured to be input to the portable information terminal with a restriction signal that restricts or invalidates the operation of.

  In addition, the respective elements appearing in the above-described embodiments and modifications may be appropriately combined within a range where no contradiction occurs.

1: Operation restriction system 2: Operation restriction system 3: Operation management system 10: Smartphone 11: Smartphone OS
12: data communication unit 13: OS restriction signal receiving unit 14: display 15: jack 20: terminal holder 20A: housing 20B: pedestal unit 20C: backrest unit 21: terminal holder control unit 22: connection plug 23: connectors 24, 24A , 24B: Specific signal transmission unit 25: Acceleration detection unit 30: Protective case 31: Protective case control unit 32: Restriction signal input unit 33: Short-distance wireless reception unit 34: Long-distance wireless transmission unit 35: Long-distance wireless reception unit 36 : Inter-case communication unit 37: Warning unit 40: Back face detection unit 41: Back face detection control unit 42: Back face detection sensor 43: Back face detection transmission unit 50: Key holder 51: Case 52: Chain lock 100: Vehicle 101A: Driver's seat 101B : Passenger seat 101C: rear seat 101D: dashboard 200: external device 231: power conversion circuit

Claims (7)

One or more portable information terminals that accept user operations;
One or more protective cases attached to the one or more portable information terminals;
A transmitter,
An information communication system comprising:
Each of the one or more protective cases has a control unit,
The transmitter transmits a wireless signal to the control unit when a predetermined condition is satisfied,
The information communication system, wherein the control unit, upon receiving the wireless signal, inputs a restriction signal for restricting an operation of the portable information terminal to the portable information terminal. The information communication system according to claim 1, wherein
The transmitter is arranged in a driver's seat of a vehicle, has an acceleration detection unit that detects the acceleration of the vehicle, and when the acceleration of the vehicle detected by the acceleration detection unit is equal to or more than a predetermined value, the control unit outputs the An information communication system that transmits a terminal identification signal that is a wireless signal. The information communication system according to claim 2,
The protective case is
Further comprising a terminal specifying unit for specifying a portable information terminal closest to the transmitter,
The terminal identification unit identifies the mobile information terminal based on the signal strength of the terminal identification signal received by the control unit,
The information communication system, wherein the control unit inputs the restriction signal for restricting the operation of the specified mobile information terminal to the specified mobile information terminal. The information communication system according to claim 2 or 3,
The control unit further transmits to the external device of the vehicle that the control unit has received the terminal identification signal, or a signal related to information on the time when the control unit has received the terminal identification signal, Information and communication system. The information communication system according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The mobile information terminal has a display for displaying a home screen, and when an operation on the home screen is accepted, the home screen is switched to an application screen,
The information communication system, wherein the OS of the mobile information terminal forcibly causes the display to display the home screen when receiving the restriction signal. The information communication system according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
The vehicle further includes a back surface detection unit that is provided on the back surface of the vehicle and detects an approach between the vehicle and an object different from the vehicle,
The back surface detection unit transmits a back surface detection signal, which is a wireless signal, to the control unit when detecting the approach of the another object and the vehicle,
The information communication system, wherein the protective case further performs a warning operation when the control unit receives the back surface detection signal. A protective case attached to a mobile information terminal,
A control unit electrically connected to the portable information terminal,
The protection case, wherein the control unit inputs a restriction signal for restricting operation of the portable information terminal to the portable information terminal when receiving a predetermined wireless signal from an external transmitter.

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