KR100554006B1 - Mobile communication terminal capable of communicating with a rf-tag and location information providing system utilizing both of them - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a technology for providing location information using a tag and a mobile communication terminal. The mobile communication terminal according to an aspect of the present invention is characterized by transmitting the necessary data so that the location information of the searched tag can be grasped by a remote host computer by scanning a nearby tag. According to this aspect of the present invention, by using a mobile communication terminal, which is carried by an individual as a base station for communication with a tag, the tag module itself is possible with a simple structure and relatively precise positioning.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, the mobile communication terminal can collect the measured data from the biosensor connected to the tag and transmit it to a remote host computer.

Tag, biometric information, location information, LBS, GPS, mobile communication, mobile phone

Description

Mobile communication terminal capable of communicating with a RF tag and location information providing system utilizing both of them}

1 illustrates an overall configuration of a system for providing location information according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 shows a module device 10 according to one embodiment of the invention.

3 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a mobile communication terminal 20 having a tag reader function according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a system for providing location information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10: module device 20: mobile communication terminal

30: terminal 40: matching device

50: host computer

110: wireless communication unit 111: antenna

120: memory 130: identification information providing unit

150: biometric information providing unit 170: biometric sensor

210: control unit 211: location information notification unit

213: biological information notification unit 215: tag registration unit

230: positioning unit 250: tag communication unit

270: remote communication unit 290: operation unit

510: communication unit 520: control unit

530: location information service unit 550: biometric information service unit

571: location information database 573: biological information database

590: tag register

The present invention relates to a technology for providing location information using a tag and a mobile communication terminal.

In the conventional location information providing technology, using the active base station information of each terminal managed for communication in the mobile communication, to provide a rough position of the terminal from the position information of the active base station (current base station) that the terminal is currently connected to There is a technique to do.

This method can provide a relatively high quality location service without additional cost by using a widely spread mobile communication terminal, but there is a problem that the location of the person or object that does not have a mobile communication terminal. In addition, there is a problem that the accuracy of the position data is very poor depending on the base station.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a means for locating an object that does not have a terminal for detecting a location, for example, an infant, an infant, or an object.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a means which can be located by a relatively inexpensive and compact device.

The mobile communication terminal according to an aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is characterized by transmitting the necessary data so that the location information of the retrieved tag can be grasped by the remote host computer by scanning the tag around.

According to this aspect of the present invention, by using a mobile communication terminal, which is carried by an individual as a base station for communication with a tag, the tag module itself is possible with a simple structure and relatively precise positioning.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the mobile terminal is characterized in that to collect the data measured from the biosensor connected to the tag and transmit to the remote host computer.

According to this aspect of the present invention, the biometric data of an individual is collected more effectively, and there is an advantage that a module for collecting biometric data can be manufactured relatively compact and inexpensively.

The foregoing and further aspects of the present invention will become more apparent hereinafter through preferred embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to such embodiments so that those skilled in the art can easily understand and reproduce the present invention.

1 illustrates an overall configuration of a system for providing location information according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the system for providing location information according to the present invention is a mobile communication terminal that receives and collects data after establishing a connection with a module device 10 having a tag and a plurality of module devices by establishing a connection with a searched module device. And a matching device 40 for matching data communication between the wireless communication network and the wired communication network, and a plurality of mobile communication terminals 20 through the communication network, and tags collected from these mobile communication terminals 20. And a terminal 30 such as, for example, a personal computer, for querying the location information or inputting a requirement to the host computer 50 via a communication network.

The module device 10 may be embedded in a watch and carried, for example, as shown. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be a module embedded in various wears such as a hat or a belt or installed surgically implanted in a specific part of the body. In addition, it can be attached to animals as well as humans and can be used for location tracking or diagnosis.

The tag embedded in the module device 10 has an RFID tag, a Zigbee tag, a Bluetooth tag, and an infrared communication tag according to a communication method with the mobile communication terminal 20, that is, an RF communication, a Zigbee communication, a Bluetooth communication, and an infrared communication method. Can be used.

In other words, by applying a wireless near field communication (NFC) module such as ZigBee / Bluetooth / IrDA / UWB / SDR to a mobile communication terminal (master) and a tag (slave), other communication technologies other than RF can be tagged like the role of an RF tag. It can be done.

In addition, the wireless near field communication slave tag, which serves as an RFID tag composed of a master and a slave type, can search for an empty frequency band and transmit / receive information with a mobile communication terminal (master) using Cognitive Radio (CR) technology. It may be configured to FIG.

In wireless recognition technology, when the power of a mobile communication terminal is completely turned off (not even in a hibernation or power saving mode), the position or state of an object / animal / person transmitted from a near field communication tag such as an RF tag is immediately transmitted to the server. As it is not possible, it is a communication technology that enables the desired communication while protecting the licensed stations around the area by automatically searching for unused frequencies according to region and time, and is currently being actively developed in Korea.

In the case of utilizing the wireless recognition technology in the wireless near field communication slave type tag, the mobile communication terminal 20 has a built-in or mounted with a conventional Cognitive Radaio (CR) chip, and also the wireless device in the module device 10 do.

The matching device 40 is a known configuration for data communication of a mobile communication system, and establishes and manages a connection for relaying data packets between wired and wireless networks. The host computer 50 may be a general internet server. However, the host computer 50 may separately prepare a wireless internet page with a special resolution for a user connecting via the wireless internet. Although the terminal 30 inquiring the location or the biometric data is illustrated as a personal computer, the terminal 30 may be a variety of wired or wireless terminals such as a mobile phone and a PDA. The mobile communication terminal 20 may be in various forms, for example, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a media player having a wireless communication function.

2 shows a module device 10 according to one embodiment. As shown, in one embodiment, the module apparatus 10 provides a wireless communication unit 110 for communicating with a tag reader and the unique information stored in the memory 120 through the wireless communication unit at the request of a tag reader. It comprises a unique information providing unit 130. According to a further aspect of the present invention, the module device 10 provides a biometric sensor 170 for detecting a biosignal and a data value of the biosignal detected through the biosensor 170 at the request of a tag reader. The biometric information providing unit 150 may be further included.

In addition, the GPS module 10 receives GPS navigation data of the satellite, processes the data to calculate its own tag location information, and transmits the tag location information to the mobile communication terminal 20 through the wireless communication unit 110. It may include a chip module (not shown). If the module device 10 further includes a GPS chip module, it is possible to more accurately determine the position of the tag.

The wireless communication unit 110 communicates with a terminal having a tag reader function by using a radio frequency of various bands such as 13.56 MHz, 908.2 MHz, and 914 MHz. For example, the biometric sensor 170 may include a pressure sensor for sensing a pulse or a blood pressure, a spirometry sensor, a temperature sensor for measuring body temperature, a sensor composed of electrodes and software for measuring a diabetes level, and an amount of exercise for a human body. It is interpreted to encompass one of the various sensors for detecting the state of health of the human body, such as an acceleration sensor, or one of the possible combinations thereof.

The unique information providing unit 130 provides unique identification information of the tag recorded in the memory 120 to the requesting terminal through the wireless communication unit 110. The biometric information providing unit 150 stores the data measured by the biometric sensor 170 in the memory 120 and provides biometric information to the requested terminal through the wireless communication unit 110 when a request from the terminal is requested. In another exemplary embodiment, the biometric information providing unit 150 may actively transmit data even when there is no request from an external terminal when the connection with a nearby terminal is established.

The power supply 190 is important for the realistic implementation of the RFID tag, among other tags. RF tag, when configured in the passive type extracts the power component of the signal transmitted wirelessly from the terminal thereby supplying power. Even in the active type, since the module device 10 according to the present invention has a very simple configuration, it is possible to secure sufficient power by generation of solar cells or body heat, vibration of the terminal itself, and the like. Except for the housing and the like other than the configuration shown in Figure 2, almost no additional configuration is required. In terms of hardware, it can consist of only one very small integrated circuit, an antenna, and a simple circuit and a sensor for supplying power.

3 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a mobile communication terminal 20 having a tag reader function according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the mobile communication terminal according to an embodiment scans the tag around to establish a connection with the retrieved tag, and receives the information from the tag communication unit 250, and a remote to perform data communication with the host computer A communication unit 270, and a location information notification unit 211 for transmitting the terminal information and the unique information of the tag identified by the tag communication unit to the host computer via the remote communication unit.

The tag communication unit 250 performs two-way wireless communication with the tag in one embodiment. Of course, a communication method corresponding to the type of tag used in the module device 10 is adopted. That is, the module device 10 adopts the RF communication method when the RFID tag is used, the Zigbee communication method when the Zigbee tag is used, the Bluetooth communication method when the Bluetooth tag is used, and the infrared communication method when the IR communication tag is used.

In addition, the tag communication unit 250 may include a wireless cognitive chip module (not shown), thereby implementing the function of the wireless cognitive chip.

When the tag communication unit 250 includes a chip module that is wireless, the mobile communication terminal 20 senses the surrounding environment and determines wireless transmission parameters such as frequency, modulation method, and output, and according to the region and time, the empty frequency. It can automatically find and protect the authorized stations around them, enabling the desired communication.

The tag communication unit 250 is a tag according to the present invention by using the authentication information of the tag included in the signal received from the tag in order to establish a connection with the tag in a single frequency band, and is not modulated. Authenticate that this is a true tag. Afterwards, the unique information is used to assign communication identification information necessary to establish a connection with the tag. The tag may perform one-to-one communication with the terminal by transmitting and receiving data using the received communication identification information. Afterwards, the mobile communication terminal can establish communication with a plurality of tags existing in the periphery individually. Since such communication technology is known a variety of protocols, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The remote communication unit 270 is in one embodiment a mobile communication protocol such as CDMA, GSM. However, the present invention is not limited to this and is interpreted to cover various portable wireless communication technologies that can be connected to a host computer such as a wireless LAN and Bluetooth.

The location information notifying unit 211 transmits the tag unique information of each module device collected by the tag communication unit 250 and information related to its own location information so that the host computer can determine the location of each module device. Since the distance between the terminal and the tag is so close, it is possible to determine the approximate location information of the module device if only the location information of the terminal is known.

In one embodiment, the information of the terminal notified by the location information notification unit 211 may be a unique number such as, for example, a phone number of the mobile communication terminal. The host computer may query the Home Location Registry of the mobile communication system that manages the location for each phone number from the received phone number to obtain location information of the corresponding terminal.

When the module device 10 includes a GPS chip module, the module device 10 transmits the correct tag position information to the tag communication unit 250, and the position information notifying unit 211 is not the position information of the terminal. The tag position information received from the module apparatus 10 is transmitted to the host computer via the remote communication unit 270 along with the tag unique information.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, a mobile communication terminal according to a preferred embodiment further includes a location detecting unit 230 for determining a location of a terminal, wherein the information of the terminal notified by the location information notifying unit 211 is the location. It may be location information of the terminal identified by the grasping unit 230. For example, the positioning unit 230 may be a module that receives navigation data of a satellite calculating a position and processes data, such as a GPS module. Here, the position information is interpreted to include not only coordinate data but also basic data capable of calculating position coordinates, for example, navigation data.

In one embodiment, the location information notification unit 211 periodically detects the surrounding tags through the tag communication unit 250. That is, the location information notifying unit 211 periodically wakes up to a power active state and scans nearby tags to collect information.

As another example, the location information notification unit 211 detects a tag when requested from the host computer 50 through the remote communication unit 270 and transmits the unique information and the location information to the host computer 50. For example, if a user connects to the host computer 50 through his personal computer 30 and legally inquires about the location of a specific tag, the host computer 50 causes all the mobile communication terminals 20 to be sent. You can command to find a tag with that unique information. For example, such a command may be broadcast in a batch through a control channel of a mobile communication terminal. At this time, all mobile communication terminals 20 are switched to the power active state to search for tags with the corresponding unique information. The invention is intended in the claims to cover such embodiments.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a mobile communication terminal transmits biometric information received through the tag communication unit 250 to a host computer through the remote communication unit 270 together with the unique information of the tag. The information notification unit 213 is further included. As mentioned above, various health related data of a human or animal can be collected. These are combined with the unique information of the tag and transmitted to the host computer, whereby the host computer can collect health-related data of the person or animal at each transmission time.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a mobile communication terminal includes an operation unit 290 for receiving an operation signal of a user, unique information of a tag received through the tag communication unit 250, and the operation unit 290. It may further include a tag registration unit 215 for registering the user of the tag by transmitting the personal information entered through the remote communication unit 270 through. The operation unit 290 may be, for example, a keypad or a touch screen.

For example, a tag provider distributes a tag including only unique information, and a user who purchases or obtains the tag can easily register using his mobile terminal without visiting a factory or a specialized shop. The tag user first visits a specific wireless Internet page, authenticates himself / herself according to a menu provided on this page, and inputs personal information through the operation unit 290. Accordingly, the tag with the corresponding unique information can be matched with the user and made into a database.

In the present embodiment, the position information notifying unit 211, the biometric information notifying unit 213, and the tag registering unit 215 constitute one component of the control unit 210 implemented by a microprocessor and a series of program codes executed by the same. Elements.

Hereinafter, the host computer 50 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. 4 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a system for providing location information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The location information providing system may be implemented as a computer program in the host computer 50. In an embodiment, the location information providing system includes a communication unit 510 for connecting and communicating with terminals 10 and 30 including a mobile communication terminal through a network, and collected by the mobile communication terminal from the mobile communication terminal. A location information collecting unit 531 for receiving the unique information of the tag and terminal information, and identifying and storing the location of the corresponding terminal and tag information around the terminal where the terminal is located, and a terminal connected to the communication unit 510. And a location information reading unit 553 that receives a request for providing location information of a specific tag user, searches for data stored by the location information collecting unit 531, and provides the searched information to the requesting terminal.

The communication unit 510 is, for example, a typical wired network interface card that handles TCP / IP communication. The location information collecting unit 531 periodically collects data from all mobile communication terminals. In another example, a certain amount of data may be stored in the internal memory of the mobile communication terminal over time and uploaded to the host computer at longer intervals. In another embodiment, the host computer may call all mobile communication terminals in response to a user's request to determine the location information of the tag with specific unique information. The data thus identified are stored in the location information database 571. The location information database manages the user's personal information and the time zone location information according to the unique number of the tag.

The location information viewing unit 531 inquires the location information database 571 at the request of the personal computer 30 connected through the communication unit 510, and extracts the location information of a tag having corresponding information or related to the personal information. Provide for reading.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the system for providing location information according to an embodiment sets an area related to a location for a specific tag user at the request of a guardian, and monitors the location information stored by the location information collecting unit. When leaving the set area may further include an area departure notification unit 535 for notifying the terminal of the guardian.

For example, the guardian can access the host computer 50 with his personal computer 30 and apply for the service for the safety of the child. Your child has belongings with tags. At this time, a map for setting a region is provided to the personal computer 30 by the host computer 50, and the guardian inputs a normal behavior area of the child on the map using, for example, a mouse. The area data input in this way is stored in the location information database 571 for each person to be protected. The position of the tag with the unique information registered by the periodically collected position data is monitored by the host computer 50. If you leave the set area, the fact that the guardian is registered in advance, such as a text message, automatic answering voice service to the mobile communication terminal is notified of the fact.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the location information providing system according to an embodiment receives the biometric information and the terminal information of the tag collected by the mobile communication terminal from the mobile communication terminal connected through the communication unit 510, From this, the biometric information collecting unit 551 for identifying and storing biometric information of the corresponding terminal user and receiving the biometric information of a specific tag user from a terminal connected to the communication unit 510 is requested. The biometric information reading unit 553 may further include a biometric information reading unit 553 that searches the data stored by the terminal 551 and provides the retrieved information to the requesting terminal.

Such biometric information is managed for one or more specific purposes. For example, an exercise amount is calculated from acceleration data collected for diet management, and body fat is calculated from feature data such as weight and height and bioimpedance data, and is managed for each tag module user. Alternatively, the management of heart patients can be achieved through respiratory rate, pulse rate and blood pressure. Collected biometric information may be provided to the person or the attending physician.

According to an additional aspect, the location information providing system according to an embodiment analyzes the data stored by the biometric information collection unit 551, when an abnormality is detected in the living body alarm to notify the fact to the designated terminal through the communication unit The notification unit 555 may further include. The location information providing system has an expert system for analyzing collected biometric data. For example, if a patient's blood pressure and pulse data are monitored and an abnormality is detected, he or she may be notified immediately by text message, answering voice message, etc.

According to an additional aspect, a system for providing location information according to an embodiment receives new tag information from a mobile communication terminal connected through the communication unit 510 and personal information related to a user of a tag having the unique information. The tag registration unit 590 may be further included as a user. Personal information matching the tag unique information may be obtained from the mobile communication company if the user permits in addition to the information input from the mobile communication terminal. According to this aspect, new users can be added through the network. In one embodiment, the tag registration unit 590 may authenticate the identity of the user by connecting to the authentication server through the network.

In a preferred embodiment, the location information collection unit 531, the location information viewing unit 533, the area deviation notification unit 535 forms the components of the location information service unit 530. The location information service unit 530 collects location information of each RFID tag from the mobile communication terminal, provides the location information, and provides an additional service related to the location. In addition, the biometric information collecting unit 551, the biometric information viewing unit 553, and the alarm notification unit 555 constitute a biometric information service unit 550. The biometric information service unit 550 collects, processes, outputs, and processes biometric data of each tag user from the mobile communication terminal to provide an additional service.

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, it is possible to collect tag information by using a widely distributed mobile communication terminal, and thus, it is possible to effectively collect location information by a simpler tag module device.

In addition, since the location information is not provided by the tag itself, but is provided from the location information of the mobile communication terminal that collects this information, the configuration of the tag itself is simplified and the tag communicates in a short distance, thereby providing relatively accurate location information. Do.

The present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings, but is not limited thereto, and should be interpreted by the claims intended to cover various modifications apparently derived therefrom.

Claims (25)

In the mobile communication terminal, A tag communication unit configured to scan a nearby tag to establish a connection with the retrieved tag and receive information therefrom; A remote communication unit for performing data communication with a host computer; A location information notification unit for transmitting the terminal information and the unique information of the tag identified by the tag communication unit to the host computer through the remote communication unit; A location determining unit for determining the location of the terminal by the mobile communication terminal; An operation unit receiving an operation signal of a user; And And a tag registration unit configured to register the user of the corresponding tag by transmitting the unique information of the tag received through the tag communication unit and the personal information input through the operation unit through the remote communication unit. The information of the terminal notified by the location information notifying unit is terminal location information grasped by the location detecting unit, The location information notifying unit periodically wakes up to a power active state, and periodically identifies tags around the tag communication unit. The method of claim 1, wherein the tag, And at least one of an RFID tag, a Zigbee tag, a Bluetooth tag, and an infrared communication tag, wherein the tag communication unit establishes a connection with the tag using a communication method corresponding to each tag. The mobile communication terminal of claim 2, wherein the tag is provided with a wireless chip, and the tag communication unit includes a wireless chip module. delete The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the information of the terminal notified by the location information notification unit is a unique number of the mobile communication terminal. delete In the mobile communication terminal, A tag communication unit configured to scan a nearby tag to establish a connection with the retrieved tag and receive information therefrom; A remote communication unit for performing data communication with a host computer; A location information notification unit for transmitting the terminal information and the unique information of the tag identified by the tag communication unit to the host computer through the remote communication unit; An operation unit receiving an operation signal of a user; And And a tag registration unit configured to register the user of the corresponding tag by transmitting the unique information of the tag received through the tag communication unit and the personal information input through the operation unit through the remote communication unit. The location information notification unit, When requested by the host computer through the remote communication unit, the mobile communication terminal is characterized in that the tag is transferred to the host computer while identifying the surrounding tag and transfers the unique information. The method of claim 7, wherein And when the tag communication unit receives tag location information from a tag equipped with a GPS chip module, the location information notification unit transmits the unique information and the tag location information to a host computer. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication terminal comprises: And a biometric information notification unit for transmitting the biometric information received through the tag communication unit together with the unique information of the tag to the host computer through the remote communication unit. delete A communication unit for communicating with a terminal including a mobile communication terminal through a network; A location information collection unit for receiving the unique information of the tag collected by the mobile communication terminal and terminal information from the mobile communication terminal, and grasping and storing the location of the corresponding terminal and tag information around the terminal where the terminal is located; A location information reading unit for receiving location information of a specific tag user from a terminal connected to the communication unit, searching for data stored by the location information collecting unit, and providing the retrieved information to the requesting terminal; An area deviation notifying unit configured to set an area related to a location for a specific tag user at the request of a guardian, and monitor the location information stored by the location information collecting unit and notify the terminal of the guardian when the user leaves the set area; And A tag registration unit receiving tag unique information and personal information related to a user of a tag having the unique information from a mobile communication terminal connected through the communication unit and adding the tag unique information as a new tag user to a database; Location information providing system comprising a. delete The system of claim 11, wherein the location information providing system comprises: A biometric information collection unit which receives biometric information of a tag collected by the mobile communication terminal and terminal information from a mobile communication terminal connected through the communication unit, and stores and stores biometric information of the corresponding terminal user therefrom; A biometric information reading unit which receives a request for providing biometric information of a specific tag user from a terminal connected to the communication unit, searches for data stored by the biometric information collecting unit, and provides the retrieved information to the requesting terminal; Location information providing system further comprises. The system of claim 13, wherein the location information providing system comprises: And an alarm notification unit for analyzing the data stored by the biometric information collecting unit and notifying the fact to the designated terminal through the communication unit when an abnormality is detected in the living body. delete delete delete delete delete A method for providing location information executable by a host computer that is capable of communicating with a terminal including a mobile communication terminal via a network, the method comprising: A location information collection step of receiving the unique information of the tag collected by the mobile communication terminal and the terminal information from the mobile communication terminal, and grasping and storing the location of the corresponding terminal and tag information around the terminal where the terminal is located; Receiving location information of a specific tag user, retrieving the stored data, and providing the retrieved information to the requesting terminal; An area departure notification step of setting an area related to a location for a specific tag user at the request of a guardian, and monitoring the stored location information in the location information collecting step and notifying the terminal of the guardian if it is out of the set area; And A tag registration step of receiving tag unique information and personal information related to a user of a tag having the unique information from a connected mobile communication terminal and adding it as a new tag user to a database; Location information providing method comprising a. delete The method of claim 20, wherein the location information providing method comprises: A biometric information collection step of receiving biometric information of a tag collected by the corresponding mobile communication terminal and terminal information from a connected mobile communication terminal, and identifying and storing biometric information of the corresponding terminal user therefrom; Receiving biometric information of a specific tag user from a terminal connected to the communication unit, searching for data stored by the biometric information collection unit, and providing the retrieved information to the requesting terminal; Location information providing method further comprises. The method of claim 22, wherein the location information providing method is: And an alarm notification step of notifying the fact to the designated terminal when an abnormality is detected in the living body by analyzing the stored data in the biometric information viewing step. delete A computer readable storage medium having recorded thereon a method according to any one of claims 20, 22 and 23.

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