JP6008914B2 - Search system and search method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a search system and a search method, and more particularly to a search system and a search method using portable terminals that communicate with each other via a public line.

  In recent years, the need for caregivers with dementia has become a major social problem, and in order to ensure the safety of caregivers, it is desired to quickly identify the locations of caregivers in the sputum. In addition, the same is true for children in order to ensure safety. Searching for missing pet animals and specifying the location information of stolen bicycles are also the same. It is desired.

  In recent years, mobile terminal technology has advanced, and mobile terminals equipped with a GPS function have been widely used. Therefore, take a normal portable terminal equipped with a GPS function to a care recipient, periodically detect the position using the GPS function, and send the detected position to the server of the watching center via the public line It is considered to be.

  However, mobile terminals are equipped with various functions such as communication functions, input / output functions (display screen, operation pad, etc.), and a power supply (battery) for enabling these functions. Therefore, it is required to have a certain size and to charge the battery frequently. A circuit that realizes the GPS function consumes a large amount of power and is difficult to drive for a long period of time. When a care recipient carries a large mobile terminal, he / she takes actions such as removing the mobile terminal, so it is difficult for the care recipient to carry a normal mobile terminal.

  Therefore, it is conceivable to delete a function of a normal mobile terminal and use a dedicated terminal equipped only with a communication function and a GPS function. However, since the communication function and the GPS function consume a large amount of power, such a dedicated terminal is difficult to use for a long time without battery replacement or charging, and a large battery is installed to enable long-term use. Need to be done, and the device becomes larger. Thus, it is difficult to make a portable terminal equipped with a communication function and a GPS function sufficiently small.

  Devices such as the above that require caregivers with dementia to be hesitant, children, missing pet animals and stolen items are carried for more than a few months, preferably more than a few years There is no need to replace or charge the battery, and it is required to have a weight and size with little burden even when carried.

  Conventionally, when a climber carries a beacon transmitter and suffers a disaster, the position of the climber has been specified. A small airplane (such as a helicopter) or a rescue team heading for rescue receives a beacon signal from a beacon transmitter carried by a distressed climber using a beacon receiver carried, and specifies the position of the distressed climber. This beacon transmitter can be carried by a dementia care recipient, a child, a pet animal, an easily stolen article, or the like, and used for searching in the case of missing. However, it is difficult to use the above beacon transmitter for the following reasons.

  First, in the case of using it for specifying the position of a climber, even if the intensity of the transmitted radio wave of the beacon transmitter is small, the search can be performed by increasing the sensitivity of the beacon receiver. The beacon receiver is carried by the rescuer, and even if it becomes a little larger, there is no problem, and it can be made highly sensitive. There is no problem because the source does not exist in the vicinity and the influence of disturbance or the like is small. In addition, the rescuer can predict the extent of the distress location to some extent. Therefore, the transmitted radio wave intensity of the beacon transmitter can be made relatively small, so that power consumption can be reduced, and the weight and size of the beacon transmitter can be reduced.

  On the other hand, when searching for demented care recipients, children, missing pet animals and stolen items, there is no search by a large-scale search organization such as a rescue team at the time of distress. It is also impossible to use a highly sensitive beacon receiver. In addition, there are many other transmission sources in the search range, and it is difficult to use a highly sensitive beacon receiver in relation to disturbance.

  In addition, the range of movement of caregivers with dementia who are hesitant, children, missing pet animals, etc. is often relatively limited, but it may move to unexpected locations. However, if the transmitted radio wave intensity of the beacon transmitter is small, searching is difficult. The search is required when the user has moved to such an unexpected location. If the search cannot be performed in this case, the search is not effective.

  In addition, when used to identify the climber's location, beacon transmitters can be used for several days to a few weeks at a relatively short time, so from this point of view, the battery can be made smaller and downsized. Is possible. In contrast, when searching for demented caregivers, children, missing pet animals and stolen items, there is no need to replace or charge the battery for months to years. It is desirable to make the battery small and the beacon transmitter small.

  In recent years, beacon signal reception functions (for example, iBecon (registered trademark)) are installed in smartphones, which are a type of mobile terminal, and ID information that specifies the contents of the exhibition is transmitted from a beacon transmitter provided in the facility. It has been proposed to do. The smartphone transmits the received ID information to the server via the public line, receives information such as an explanation of the exhibition contents corresponding to the ID information from the server, and displays the information on the display of the smartphone. In this case, the beacon transmitter is fixed, and there is no need to consider weight, size, battery replacement or charging interval, and the like.

JP 2003-198389 A JP 2004-317244 A JP 2005-229449 A

  As described above, there is a demand for a system for searching for caregivers with dementia to be hesitant, children, missing pet animals and stolen goods, but carry them to caregivers, pet animals and articles ( It was difficult to find a device to be worn that does not require battery replacement or charging for a long period of time, is lightweight, small and reliable.

  According to the present invention, a device carried by an object such as a care recipient, a child, a pet animal, and an article can be reduced in weight and size with little burden on carrying and need not be replaced or charged for a long time. Thus, a search system and a search method capable of reliably searching even when the positions of these objects are lost are realized.

  The search system and search method of the present invention use a group of subscriber terminals that can communicate with each other via a public line, for example, a group of mobile terminals such as smartphones. The subscriber terminal is not limited to a portable terminal, and may be a personal computer, a tablet, or the like as long as it can communicate with each other via a public line. Of course, such a subscriber terminal is personal property and cannot be used without permission. Therefore, the subscriber of the terminal is requested to participate in this system, and a search system is constructed by providing a beacon reception function in the terminal of the subscriber who is permitted to participate. When the terminal is a portable terminal, the portable terminal is provided with a position detection function for detecting the position information of the portable terminal so that the position at that time can be detected. Objects such as care recipients, children, pet animals and articles carry a beacon transmitter that is lightweight and compact and does not require battery replacement or charging for a long period of time.

  In other words, the search system of the present invention is a search system for searching for the position of a search object, and among subscriber terminals that can communicate with each other via a public line and a public line, the subscriber can access the system. A licensed terminal that is permitted to participate, a server that is communicably connected to a public line, and a beacon transmitter that is carried by a search target and transmits a beacon signal including ID information. When having a beacon signal receiving unit that receives a beacon signal and receiving a beacon signal, ID information and position information included in the received beacon signal are transmitted to the server.

  Since the search system of the present invention uses the terminal of a subscriber who has been permitted to participate, if the number of licensed terminals increases, the possibility that a licensed terminal exists in the vicinity of the search target increases. Even if the transmitted signal from the carried beacon transmitter is small, the probability of being received by the beacon signal receiving unit of the licensed terminal increases. Further, since the position of the beacon transmitter is substituted with the position of the licensed terminal, it is not necessary to provide a position detection function with high power consumption such as GPS in the beacon transmitter. A beacon transmitter that does not have a position detection function and has a small output intensity of a beacon signal can be small and lightweight, and can operate even if a small battery is not exchanged or charged for a long time. Therefore, it is possible to reliably search even when the position of the object is lost by simply carrying a beacon transmitter that can be used for a long period of time with a small burden on the object.

  The same ID information and position information of each terminal are transmitted from the plurality of licensed terminals to the server. Therefore, it is desirable that the server has a position estimation processing unit that estimates the position of the beacon transmitter from a plurality of pieces of position information. An example of a method for estimating the position of a beacon transmitter from a plurality of position information is to obtain a circle with a minimum radius that includes a plurality of positions indicated by the plurality of position information in map coordinates, and the center of the circle is determined by the beacon transmitter. This is a method for estimating the position. In addition to this, the average position of the plurality of positions indicated by the plurality of position information and the positions of the most north, east, south, and west of the plurality of positions indicated by the plurality of position information are obtained. A method may be used in which a circle having a minimum radius including points is obtained and the center of the circle is estimated as the position of the beacon transmitter.

  It is desirable that the server has a storage unit that stores ID information and the estimated position in association with each other for a predetermined period and stores the history information. By storing the history information, it is possible to promptly notify the position of the object when a search request is received because the object has been lost (lost) from the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter. The history information may be collected for a predetermined period immediately after the beacon transmitter is registered in the search system or periodically for a predetermined period. This history information can be used for selecting a licensed terminal when ID information of a beacon transmitter that has received a search request, which will be described later, is transmitted to the licensed terminal.

  When searching for a care recipient, a child, or a pet animal, it is assumed that the search target is often present outdoors, so there is a high possibility that such a search target is close to a beacon transmitter carried by the search target. Since this is a portable terminal that moves outdoors, the licensed terminal is preferably a portable terminal. When the license terminal is a portable terminal, the license terminal has a position detection unit that detects position information. The position detection unit detects a position using, for example, a GPS device, but is not limited to this.

  When receiving the beacon signal, the license terminal extracts ID information included in the beacon signal, and performs a beacon signal reception process of transmitting the ID information and the position information to the server. In this case, when the number of beacon transmitters and licensed terminals increases, the frequency of beacon signal reception processing at the licensed terminal increases, the load on the licensed terminal increases, and the communication volume of ID information and location information increases. Produce.

  Therefore, when a contractor (a person concerned) of the beacon transmitter loses the object carrying the beacon transmitter (disappears), the server issues a search request by instructing the ID information to the server. Transmits the ID information being searched to the licensed terminal. The license terminal preferably transmits the received ID information and position information to the server when the ID information included in the received beacon signal corresponds to the search target ID information instructed by the server, and does not transmit when the ID information does not correspond. . Thereby, the detection process of the positional information when the permission terminal is a portable terminal, and the transmission amount of the ID information and the positional information to the server are reduced.

  However, when a large number of licensed terminals are registered, the transmission amount for transmitting search target ID information from the server to the licensed terminal also increases. And when the intensity | strength of a beacon signal is small, most permission terminals are located in the place which does not receive the beacon signal containing search object ID information. Therefore, it is desirable to select a license terminal and transmit search target ID information to the selected license terminal. Specifically, the location of the beacon transmitter and the location of the license terminal are stored in advance, and each district is classified. The size of the district is determined according to the strength of the beacon signal. When there is a request for searching for a beacon transmitter, a licensed terminal located in the same district as the district where the beacon transmitter is located is selected, and search target ID information is transmitted to the selected licensed terminal. If there is no licensed terminal in the same district, the licensed terminal in the adjacent district is selected. If the server does not receive ID information and location information after the elapse of the beacon signal cycle after transmitting search target ID information to the selected licensed terminal, the server sequentially expands the district and selects licensed terminals to search The district is changed until information is transmitted and ID information and location information are received. Of course, the beacon transmitter is assumed to move, and if the licensed terminal is a mobile terminal, it moves, so it is not necessarily located in the registered district, but it is located in that district. It is considered that there is a high possibility that a beacon signal is received.

  In addition, selection of the permission terminal which transmits search object ID information is not limited to the classification | category according to the location of the beacon transmitter location and the location of the permission terminal as described above, and other methods may be used. For example, although the amount of computation increases, a licensed terminal having a location within a radius that takes into account the strength of the beacon signal is selected from the location of the beacon transmitter that requested the search. At this time, the radius may be determined by providing a lower limit, an upper limit, or both for the number of licensed terminals to be selected. Similarly to the above, when the server does not receive the ID information and the position information after the elapse of the beacon signal after transmitting the search target ID information to the selected licensed terminal, the server gradually increases the radius. And the radius is changed until ID information and position information are received.

  As described above, the server estimates the position of the beacon transmitter corresponding to the ID information based on the ID information and the position information received from the license terminal, and determines the position estimated by the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter. Notice. In response to this, the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter searches for an object carrying the beacon transmitter. It is desirable that all beacon signal reception processing in the license terminal is performed in the background.

  However, if the estimated position of the beacon transmitter is far from the position of the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter at that time, the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter carries the beacon transmitter. It is not easy to secure the target object. In particular, there are many cases where the need for care recipients and children are contested.

  Therefore, a person who cooperates in the search for the object is recruited from the owner of the licensed terminal, and a search information notification unit is installed (installed) in the licensed terminal of the person according to the recruitment. When the server receives the ID information and the location information from the licensed terminal on which the search information notification unit is mounted, the server sends specific information regarding the search object carrying the beacon transmitter that transmits the beacon signal including the ID information to the licensed terminal. The permission terminal outputs the transmitted specific information via the search information notification unit. The owner (search collaborator) of the licensed terminal on which the search information notification unit is mounted obtains the specific information related to the search object by the output of the search information notification unit and performs a search. The specific information is, for example, a photographic image of an object, attributes (name, gender, age, physical characteristics, etc. in the case of care recipients and children, name, type, physical characteristics, etc. in the case of animal pets) In the case of an article, the information is effective for searching for the type, format, color, and the like.

  When receiving ID information and position information from a plurality of licensed terminals equipped with a search information notification unit, it is possible to request a search from at least one terminal relatively close to the estimated position of the beacon transmitter from the position information. desirable. Note that even the owner of the licensed terminal on which the search information notification unit is mounted may not be able to search at that time, so the server transmits a search request to the licensed terminal and participates in the search. The specific information is transmitted to the licensed terminal that responds. If you cannot get an answer to participate in the search from all the terminals requested to search, expand the range and select the terminal to request the search, and expand the range until you get a search participation answer Is desirable.

  In addition, when the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter is near the estimated position of the search object, it may not be necessary to make a search request to the licensed terminal on which the search information notification unit is mounted. . Therefore, the search request is made only when the server notifies the contractor (participant) of the beacon transmitter of the estimated position of the search object and the contractor (participant) of the beacon transmitter agrees to perform the search request. You may make it perform.

  When the owner (search collaborator) of the licensed terminal on which the search information notification unit is mounted finds or secures the target object, it transmits it to the server and waits for an additional instruction. The server notifies the beacon transmitter contractor (participant) that the object has been found or secured, and receives the matter requested by the licensed terminal owner (search cooperator). Search partner). At this time, the contractor of the beacon transmitter (related party) is notified of the contact information of the owner of the licensed terminal (search partner), and the contractor of the beacon transmitter (related party) It may be possible to directly contact a search partner). An incentive is given to the owner of the licensed terminal (search collaborator) who has cooperated effectively in finding or securing the object.

  It is desirable that the beacon transmitter periodically transmits a beacon signal. As the beacon signal transmission cycle is shorter, the position of the beacon transmitter can be estimated in a shorter time. The amount increases. On the other hand, as the beacon signal transmission cycle becomes longer, the battery consumption decreases and the beacon signal reception processing amount and communication amount decrease, but the time until the position of the beacon transmitter is estimated becomes longer. For example, when the transmission period of the beacon signal is 1 hour, in the worst case, the beacon signal is not received for a period of less than 1 hour, and the position of the beacon transmitter cannot be estimated. Therefore, it is desirable that the beacon signal transmission cycle is appropriately determined according to the search target.

  As the strength of the beacon signal increases, the number of licensed terminals that receive the beacon signal increases, and the possibility of detecting the position of the beacon transmitter and the accuracy of the estimated position are improved, but the battery of the beacon transmitter is consumed, The beacon signal reception processing amount at the licensed terminal and the communication amount to the server increase. On the other hand, when the strength of the beacon signal decreases, the number of licensed terminals that receive the beacon signal decreases, and in the worst case, the number of licensed terminals that receive the beacon signal may be zero. This does not work the system. Therefore, it is desirable that the intensity of the beacon signal is appropriately determined in consideration of the distribution status of licensed terminals.

  Further, the beacon transmitter may periodically change the intensity of the beacon signal transmitted periodically. For this purpose, a beacon transmitter having a variable transmission intensity is used. For example, the transmission period of the beacon signal is 10 minutes, the intensity is 1 (relative value) at 10 minutes, 20 minutes, and 30 minutes, the intensity is 2, 50 minutes, 60 minutes, and 70 minutes at 40 minutes. The strength is 1, 90 minutes at 1, 90 minutes, strength is 1, 90 minutes at 110 minutes, strength is 1, 120 minutes at 2, 130 minutes, 140 minutes, strength is 1, 160 minutes at 150 minutes The intensity is 3 or less and returns to the beginning to repeat the same change. Thereby, it has the characteristic which compromised the pros and cons when the intensity | strength of a beacon signal is small and large.

  According to the search system and the search method of the present invention, a state where a large number of beacon receivers are distributed can be easily constructed. Thereby, the intensity | strength of the beacon signal from the beacon transmitter which a search subject carries can be made small, and a beacon transmitter can be made into the thing which is lightweight and small and does not need the replacement | exchange or charge of a battery for a long period of time.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an entire configuration of a search system according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the flow of a search operation in the search system of the embodiment of FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration and an operation time chart of a beacon transmitter, where (A) shows a block configuration and (B) shows a time chart. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the licensed portable terminal. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the server. 6A and 6B are diagrams showing the contents of a list stored in the server, where FIG. 6A shows a licensed portable terminal list and FIG. 6B shows a beacon transmitter list. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a process for recruiting the subscriber mobile terminal owners to participate in the search system of the embodiment and constructing the search system of the embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process of accepting an application for a beacon transmitter in the search system of the embodiment and creating a beacon transmitter list. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating processing when a contractor (a person concerned) of a beacon transmitter loses (disappears) a search object carrying the beacon transmitter and requests a search in the search system of the embodiment. It is. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining another example of the position estimation process. FIG. 11 shows a beacon position estimation processing unit that obtains a circle with a minimum radius that includes the positions of licensed portable terminals located in the north, east, south, and west, and estimates the center of the circle as the position of the beacon transmitter. It is a flowchart which shows an estimation processing method. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration and an operation time chart of a modified example of a beacon transmitter, where (A) shows a block configuration and (B) shows a time chart. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing processing of a transmission destination terminal selection unit in a modification in which a licensed terminal that transmits search target ID information is selected according to the district of the beacon transmitter. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining a method for expanding or changing the district to which the licensed portable terminal to be selected belongs. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing a process when a contractor (a person concerned) of a beacon transmitter loses (disappears) a search object carrying the beacon transmitter and requests a search in the modified search system. is there.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an entire configuration of a search system according to an embodiment.
The search system 1 of the embodiment includes a public line 100, a plurality of base stations 101 of the public line 100, a plurality of base station antennas 101A attached to the base station, and a server 102 connected to the public line 100 so as to be communicable with each other. And a plurality of subscriber portable terminals 103A-C and a personal computer (PC) 103D that can communicate with each other via the public line 100, and a beacon transmitter 104. The public line 100 is not limited to the mobile terminal line of one communication company, but may include mobile terminal lines of a plurality of companies. In this case, the server 102 is connected to the mobile terminal lines of a plurality of companies so as to be communicable. The There are a large number of portable terminals 103 and PCs 103D.

  The beacon transmitter 104 is provided to a contractor of the beacon transmitter, and is carried (attached) to an article such as a dementia requiring care recipient, a child, a pet animal, and a bicycle that may be hesitant. The beacon transmitter 104 is a device that transmits a beacon signal including ID information (data) (ID number), is light and small, has a battery, and operates even if the battery is not replaced or charged for a long time. There are as many beacon transmitters 104 as there are contracts.

  Among the mobile terminals, the mobile terminal 103A indicates a licensed mobile terminal that the owner has permitted to participate in the search system, the mobile terminal 103B indicates a terminal that does not permit the participation in the search system, and the mobile terminal 103C is described later. The terminal used by the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter 104 is shown. The PC 103D also indicates a terminal used by a contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter 104, similarly to the mobile terminal 103C. In the following example, the case where the mobile terminal 103C is used is shown. The mobile terminal 103A may be a personal computer, a tablet, or the like as long as it can communicate with each other via a public line. However, when searching for a care recipient, a child, or a pet animal, the search target exists outdoors. Since it is assumed that the search object is likely to be close to the beacon transmitter that is carried by the mobile terminal that travels outdoors, it is desirable that the mobile terminal be a mobile terminal. In the embodiment, a case where a mobile terminal is used as a terminal that relays a beacon signal will be described.

  The portable terminal 103C is not limited to a portable terminal, and may be a fixed telephone, a personal computer, or the like as long as it can communicate with the server 102.

  The licensed mobile terminal 103A is a mobile terminal of a subscriber who has been permitted to participate in the search system of the embodiment among the subscribers of the mobile terminal group, and there are a large number of licensed mobile terminals. The licensed mobile terminal has a beacon signal reception function and a position detection function for detecting position information (installed). When a beacon signal is received from the beacon transmitter 104, the ID data included in the beacon signal is received. The position information is extracted and the position information is detected, and the ID data and the position information are transmitted to the server 102 via the public line 100.

  The server 102 is realized by a computer and stores information related to the communication destination ID of the licensed portable terminal and the beacon transmitter. When there is a search request from the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter 104, the server 102 transmits the beacon that is the search target based on the ID data and the position information of the search target transmitted from the licensed portable terminal. The position of the machine 104 is estimated, and the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter 104 is notified.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the flow of a search operation in the search system of the embodiment of FIG.
FIG. 2 shows an example in which the beacon transmitter 104 is attached to the care recipient 110 or the bicycle 111.

  The server 102 stores a list of licensed mobile terminal information such as owner names, owner (user) locations, email addresses, telephone numbers, and the like of a large number of licensed mobile terminals 103A that are permitted to participate in the system. Yes. A large number of licensed portable terminals 103A are freely moving within the communication area.

  The contractor of the beacon transmitter 104 makes a contract by submitting information regarding the target object (here, the care recipient 110, the bicycle 111) that carries (wears) the beacon transmitter 104, and the ID data (ID number) is An installed beacon transmitter 104 is provided and carried with the object. The server 102 stores a list of beacon transmitter information such as the contractor name, the ID number of the beacon transmitter 104, and whereabouts (use place).

  When a contractor (a person concerned) of the beacon transmitter 104 loses an object carrying the beacon transmitter 104, specifically, when the care recipient 110 is lost or the bicycle 111 is stolen, (1) The ID data (ID number) of the beacon transmitter 104 is registered with the portable terminal 103C or the like, and (2) the search request is transmitted to the server 102.

  The server 102 (3) transmits the search request ID data (ID number) to the licensed portable terminal 103A, and the licensed portable terminal 103A stores the transmitted ID data (ID number).

  (4) When the beacon transmitter 104 approaches the licensed mobile terminal 103A, the licensed mobile terminal 103A can receive a beacon signal from the beacon transmitter 104. The licensed portable terminal 103A extracts the ID data (ID number) from the received beacon signal, and determines whether it matches the ID data (ID number) for which the search request is issued.

  (5) When the received ID data (ID number) matches the ID data (ID number) for which the search request is issued, the licensed mobile terminal 103A further obtains the location information of the licensed mobile terminal 103A at that time. The detected ID data (ID number) and position information are transmitted to the server 102. The server 102 transmits the ID data (ID number) and position information received from the licensed portable terminal 103A to the portable terminal 103C of the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter 104. When the server 102 receives ID data (ID number) and position information from a plurality of licensed portable terminals 103A, the server 102 processes them and estimates the position of the beacon transmitter 104 to carry the contractor's (related party) 's mobile phone. Transmit to terminal 103C.

  The contractor (related party) searches for the vicinity of the position obtained from the above information, finds the target object, and if secured, notifies the server 102 to that effect via the portable terminal 103C. The server 102 transmits completion of the search request to the licensed portable terminal 103A.

  The overview of the search system according to the embodiment has been described above. Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of each element and the operation of the system will be described in detail.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration and an operation time chart of a beacon transmitter, where (A) shows a block configuration and (B) shows a time chart.

  As illustrated in FIG. 3A, the beacon transmitter 104 includes a power supply unit (battery) 201, an ID data memory 202, a control unit 203, and a transmission unit 204. The power supply unit 201 is a small battery (battery) and supplies DC power to each unit. The control unit 203 includes a timer 205 that counts a predetermined time, and can detect that the remaining battery level is equal to or less than a threshold value.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, the timer 205 generates a pulse when a predetermined time is counted, is reset by the pulse, and repeats counting of the predetermined time. When the timer 205 generates a pulse, the control unit 203 activates the transmission unit 204 and transmits the ID data (ID number) stored in the ID data memory 202 from the transmission unit 204. The transmission unit 204 pauses for a predetermined time when one transmission is completed.

  The beacon transmitter 104 is, for example, a beacon that uses Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy (BLE), and periodically transmits ID data that identifies the beacon. Although depending on the length of one cycle, the power consumption is small and a small battery is used, but it can operate for a long time without replacement or charging. Furthermore, the beacon transmitter 104 is small and lightweight. Therefore, the beacon transmitter 104 can be worn on the clothes of the care recipient 110 or can be worn on the body with a band or the like, and can be carried by the care recipient 110 without feeling the burden of carrying. The same applies to children. Furthermore, the same applies to the case where the beacon transmitter 104 is attached to a pet animal. For example, the beacon transmitter 104 can be attached to a collar. Further, the beacon transmitter 104 can be easily fixed to the frame of the bicycle 111.

  Since the beacon transmitter 104 can be realized by an existing beacon realized by iBecon (registered trademark) or the like, further description is omitted. In addition, the beacon transmitter 104 may be realized as an embedded type or a module type in which other devices carried by the search target are incorporated, or as a dedicated stand-alone type.

  As described above, the beacon transmitter 104 periodically transmits a beacon signal. As the beacon signal transmission cycle is shorter, the position of the beacon transmitter 104 can be estimated in a shorter time. However, the battery 201 of the beacon transmitter is depleted, and the amount of beacon signal received by the licensed mobile terminal 103A and The amount of communication to the server 102 increases. On the other hand, when the beacon signal transmission cycle becomes longer, the consumption amount of the battery 201 decreases and the beacon signal reception processing amount and the communication amount decrease, but the time until the position of the beacon transmitter 104 is estimated becomes longer. Become. For example, when the transmission cycle of the beacon signal is 1 hour, the worst case is that the beacon signal is not received for a period of less than 1 hour and the position of the beacon transmitter 104 cannot be estimated. Therefore, it is desirable that the beacon signal transmission cycle is appropriately determined according to the search target.

  As the strength of the beacon signal increases, the number of licensed portable terminals 103A that receive the beacon signal increases, and the possibility of detecting the position of the beacon transmitter and the accuracy of the estimated position are improved. Is consumed, and the beacon signal reception processing amount in the licensed portable terminal 103A and the communication amount to the server 102 increase. On the other hand, when the strength of the beacon signal decreases, the number of licensed portable terminals 103A that receive the beacon signal decreases, and in the worst case, the number of licensed portable terminals 103A that receive the beacon signal becomes zero. Will occur and the system will not function. Therefore, the strength of the beacon signal is appropriately determined in consideration of the distribution status of the licensed mobile terminals.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the licensed portable terminal 103A.
As shown in FIG. 4, the licensed portable terminal 103A includes an existing unit 301 that realizes a function as a normal portable terminal, a beacon receiving unit 310 that is added to function with the licensed portable terminal of the embodiment, and will be described later. A search information unit (search information notification function) 320 provided when participating in the search. The search information unit 32 is not used in the embodiment, but is used in a modified example described later.

  The beacon reception unit 310 includes a beacon reception function 311, a target ID data storage unit 312, an ID data determination unit 313, and a GPS (Global Positioning System) 314. The beacon receiving function 311 is, for example, a function for receiving a signal from iBecon (registered trademark) installed in iPhone (registered trademark), and the hardware is installed in a general smartphone, and the application is installed. It is realized by doing. The target ID data storage unit 312 is a memory that stores target ID data of a search request transmitted from the server 102, and is realized as a part of an existing memory. The ID data determination unit 313 determines whether the ID data extracted from the received beacon signal matches the target ID data stored in the target ID data storage unit 312. The GPS 314 detects the current position of the licensed mobile terminal 103A. Many current portable terminals are equipped with a GPS function, and when the GPS function is installed, it is used.

FIG. 5 is a block configuration diagram of the server 102.
The server 102 is realized by a computer that is communicably connected to the public line 100. The server 102 includes a processing control unit 401, a communication unit 402, a licensed portable terminal list storage unit 403, a transmission destination terminal selection unit 404, a beacon transmitter list storage unit 405, a search target beacon storage unit 406, and a beacon. A position estimation processing unit 407, a received beacon data storage unit 408, a history storage unit 409, and a battery remaining amount estimation unit 410 are provided.

  The processing control unit 401 controls each unit. The communication unit 402 communicates with the contracted portable terminal 103 </ b> A and the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter 104 via the public line 100.

  The licensed mobile terminal list storage unit 403 stores a list of information on the licensed mobile terminals 103A that are permitted to participate in the system. The contents of the list will be described later.

  The destination terminal selection unit 404 selects a terminal that transmits the ID data of the search target beacon from the plurality of permitted portable terminals 103A stored in the permitted portable terminal list storage unit 403.

  The beacon transmitter list storage unit 405 stores the information of the supplied beacon transmitter 104 as a list. The contents of the list will be described later.

  The search target beacon storage unit 406 stores ID data of a beacon transmitter 104 that has received a search request and has not been searched.

  The beacon position estimation processing unit 407 estimates the position of the beacon transmitter from the position information of each beacon transmitter stored in the received beacon data storage unit 408. The estimation process will be described later.

  The received beacon data storage unit 408 stores the position information for each beacon transmitter 104 that has received the search request in association with the ID data.

  The history storage unit 409 stores position information for each beacon transmitter 104 as history information in association with the passage of time. The history information will be described later.

  When each control unit 203 detects that the remaining battery level is equal to or lower than the threshold level, each beacon transmitter 104 transmits that information in a beacon signal. When the licensed portable terminal 103A receives a beacon signal including information on a decrease in the remaining battery level, the licensed portable terminal 103A transmits it to the server 102. When the server 102 receives information that the remaining battery level is low, the server 102 notifies the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter 104 that the battery needs to be replaced.

  Even when the beacon transmitter 104 does not detect that the remaining battery level is equal to or lower than the threshold level, a modified example in which the remaining battery level is estimated is possible. This modification will be described. The beacon transmitter 104 transmits a beacon signal having a predetermined strength when the remaining battery level is sufficient, but when the remaining battery level falls below a threshold value, the strength of the beacon signal gradually decreases. Therefore, the remaining battery level can be estimated from the strength of the beacon signal transmitted by the beacon transmitter 104. The remaining battery level estimation unit 410 of the server 102 estimates the remaining battery level of the beacon transmitter 104 from the distribution of the licensed portable terminal 103A that receives the beacon signal. The processing of the battery remaining amount estimation unit 410 will be described later.

  6A and 6B are diagrams showing the contents of the list stored in the server 102, where FIG. 6A shows the permitted portable terminal list and FIG. 6B shows the beacon transmitter list.

  The permitted portable terminal list stores information related to the portable terminal of the owner who participates in the search system of the embodiment and agrees to relay the beacon signal. Note that it is desirable to give some incentive when agreeing to participate in the search system, and to give an incentive according to the number of times the beacon signal is relayed.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the licensed portable terminal list includes the licensed portable terminal owner name, e-mail address, telephone number, information about whether or not to search for cooperation, address, etc., the district to which the residence belongs, etc. In addition to these pieces of information, information on licensed portable terminals required by the system is stored in a list as appropriate.

  The beacon transmitter list stores information related to the search target of the beacon transmitter 104 contracted with the search system of the embodiment and the beacon transmitter 104, its related parties, and the beacon transmitter 104.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the beacon transmitter list includes a contractor name (and a name of a person to be actually contacted), an object carrying the beacon transmitter 104 (for example, a care recipient, a pet animal, Article) information, assigned ID data (ID number), whereabouts of the object, the district to which the whereabouts belong, whether or not a search by the owner of the nearby licensed mobile terminal is desired in the case of search (search required), and Stores information related to search target information (photographs, names, features, etc.) in the case of search requirements. In addition to this information, information on the recipients of beacon transmitters required by the system is listed as appropriate. And remember.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a process for recruiting the subscriber mobile terminal owners to participate in the search system of the embodiment and constructing the search system of the embodiment.

  In step S11, an application for a licensed portable terminal is received, and information necessary for creating a licensed portable terminal list (excluding the presence or absence of search cooperation) is obtained.

  In step S12, the owner of the received mobile terminal confirms whether to cooperate with the search when there is a search target in the vicinity in addition to relaying the beacon signal. The process proceeds to step S15 when cooperating with the search.

  In step S13, the application of the beacon receiving unit 310 that realizes the beacon receiving function and the position detecting function (GPS) is installed in the portable terminal of the owner who applied.

  In step S14, the information obtained in step S11 is stored in the permitted portable terminal list storage unit 403.

  In step S15, the application of the beacon receiving unit 310 and the search information unit 320 for realizing the beacon receiving function and the position detecting function (GPS) is installed in the portable terminal of the owner who applied.

  In step S16, the information obtained in steps S11 and S12 is stored in the permitted portable terminal list storage unit 403.

  The process of FIG. 7 is performed every time there is an application to the search system of the embodiment, and if the owner of the licensed mobile terminal that has participated so far wishes to cancel the participation, the licensed mobile phone described above is used. The number of licensed portable terminals that are excluded from the terminal list and participate in the search system increases. In addition, based on the distribution of residences of licensed mobile devices that have already participated in the search system, if an owner who belongs to a district where the density of licensed mobile devices is already considered to be sufficient, It may be refused.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a process of accepting an application for a beacon transmitter in the search system of the embodiment and creating a beacon transmitter list.

  In step S21, an application for a beacon transmitter is accepted, a contract is made with the beacon transmitter, and information necessary for creating a beacon transmitter list is obtained.

  In step S22, ID data (ID number) of the beacon transmitter 104 to be provided according to the application is determined and installed in the beacon transmitter 104.

  In step S23, beacon transmitter 104 is provided to the contractor.

  In step S24, the information and beacon ID data obtained in step S21 are stored (registered) in the beacon transmitter list 405.

  The process of FIG. 8 is performed every time there is an application for a beacon transmitter of the search system of the embodiment, and when there is an application for canceling the use of the beacon transmitter, it is removed from the beacon transmitter list 405 described above. The number of active beacon transmitters increases.

  FIG. 9 shows a search system according to an embodiment constructed and operated as described above, in which a contractor (a person concerned) of a beacon transmitter loses (disappears) a search object carrying the beacon transmitter. It is a flowchart which shows the process at the time of requesting. In this flow, the licensed portable terminal 103A is notified of the ID data (ID number) of the beacon transmitter 104 carried by the search target from the server 102, and the ID data of the received beacon signal matches the search target ID data. In some cases, ID data and position information are transmitted to the server 102 at times. Further, the server 102 is an example in the case of transmitting search target ID data to all licensed portable terminals 103A.

  The contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter 104 notices that the search object carrying the beacon transmitter has been lost, and notifies the server 102 of the ID data (ID number) of the beacon transmitter 104 to search ( Request a search). Here, the person who makes the search request is not limited to the contractor of the beacon transmitter 104, but may be a person who manages the search object carrying the beacon transmitter 104, for example, a staff of a care facility. Such a person is referred to as a related person here.

  The server 102 stores the search target ID data in the search target beacon storage unit 406 and transmits a request acceptance confirmation to the contractor of the beacon transmitter 104. Further, the server 102 transmits the search target ID data to the licensed portable terminal 103A.

  The licensed portable terminal 103A stores the received search target ID data in the target ID data storage unit 312. Here, since two or more search target ID data (ID numbers) may be search targets, in that case, the target ID data storage unit 312 has two or more search target IDs. Data (ID number) is stored.

  Here, the beacon signal received by the licensed mobile terminal 103A when the search target carrying the beacon transmitter 104 that transmits the beacon signal including the search target ID data (ID number) is near or close to the licensed mobile terminal 103A. The beacon receiving unit 310 of the licensed portable terminal 103A receives a beacon signal. The beacon receiving unit 310 extracts ID data (ID number) from the beacon signal, determines whether the extracted ID data (ID number) matches the search target ID data (ID number), and does nothing if it does not match. If they match, the current position information is detected from the GPS 314, and the extracted ID data (ID number) and position information are transmitted to the server 102 as received information.

  The server 102 stores the received information in the received beacon data storage unit 408 and confirms that the search target ID data (ID number) is stored in the search target beacon storage unit 406. The beacon position estimation processing unit 407 estimates the position of the beacon transmitter 104 from the position information included in the received information. The position estimation process will be described later.

  The estimated position is transmitted as position information to the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter 104 of the corresponding ID data (ID number). In response to this, the contractor (related party) searches the vicinity of the communicated position and secures the search object. Here, the beacon transmitter 104 periodically transmits a beacon signal, and if it takes time to secure, the server 102 receives the reception information of the next beacon signal and sends the latest position information to the contractor ( To the relevant person).

  The contractor (related party) transmits to the server 102 that the search object has been secured. In response to this, the server 102 transmits a search end to the permitted portable terminal 103A that has transmitted the search target ID data. In response to this, the licensed portable terminal 103A deletes the ID data (ID number) stored in the target ID data storage unit 312. The server 102 further stores the estimated (detected) position of the beacon transmitter 104 in the current search process in association with the ID data (ID number) in the history storage unit 409, and then terminates the contractor (related party). To be notified.

  Here, the position estimation process will be described. When there are a plurality of licensed portable terminals 103A within a range in which beacon signals around the beacon transmitter 104 can be received, the server 102 receives reception information including the same ID data (ID number) from the plurality of licensed portable terminals 103A. Receive.

  Assuming that the beacon transmitter 104 outputs an isotropic beacon signal with a constant strength, the strength (RSSI) of the beacon signal received by the licensed mobile terminal 103A is between the beacon transmitter 104 and the licensed mobile terminal 103A. Decreases with increasing distance. Furthermore, if each licensed mobile terminal 103 </ b> A has the same reception sensitivity, it is considered that the licensed mobile terminal 103 </ b> A having the highest strength of the beacon reception signal is closest to the beacon transmitter 104. Therefore, each licensed mobile terminal 103A includes the received information including the strength of the beacon received signal and transmits the received information to the server 102. The beacon position estimation processing unit 407 of the server 102 has the highest permitted beacon received signal strength. The position information of 103A is estimated as the position of the beacon transmitter 104.

  The above position estimation processing method is simple in the server 102, but the beacon transmitter 104 outputs an isotropic beacon signal with a constant intensity, and each licensed mobile terminal 103A does not always have the same reception sensitivity. If this assumption is not satisfied, the error becomes large. In particular, it is difficult to obtain sufficient accuracy considering the multipath of the beacon signal.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining another example of the position estimation process. In FIG. 10, a point indicates the position of the licensed portable terminal 103A that transmitted the beacon information in the east, west, north, and south coordinate system on the map (that is, that received the beacon signal). A to D indicate licensed portable terminals 103A located most north, east, south, and west, respectively.

  The beacon position estimation processing unit 407 obtains a circle R having the minimum radius including the positions of all the licensed mobile terminals 103A that have received the beacon signal on the coordinates, and uses the center O of the circle R as the position of the beacon transmitter 104. presume. Thereby, the position of the beacon transmitter 104 can be estimated with high accuracy even when the intensity of the beacon signal varies and there is anisotropy (including the effect of multipath).

  Further, even if the average position of all licensed mobile terminals 103A that have received the beacon signal in FIG. 10 is estimated as the position of the beacon transmitter 104, the position of the beacon transmitter 104 can be estimated with high accuracy.

  However, when the number of licensed portable terminals 103A that have received a beacon signal increases, the amount of calculation processing for obtaining the circle R and the average position increases. Therefore, although the estimation accuracy is reduced, a circle with the smallest radius that includes the positions A to D of the licensed portable terminal 103A located in the north, east, south, and west is obtained, and the center of the circle is determined by the beacon transmitter 104. It may be estimated as a position.

  FIG. 11 shows a beacon position estimation processing unit 407 that obtains a circle with a minimum radius that includes the positions of licensed portable terminals located in the north, east, south, and west, and estimates the center of the circle as the position of the beacon transmitter. It is a flowchart which shows this estimation processing method.

  In step S31, among the permitted portable terminals 103A that have received the beacon signal in the coordinate system on the map, the positions A to D of the permitted portable terminals that are located most north, east, south, and west are determined.

In step S32, a circle with the minimum radius including the positions A to D is obtained.
In step S33, the center of the circle is estimated as the position of the beacon transmitter 104.

  If the average position of positions A to D is estimated as the position of beacon transmitter 104, the amount of calculation can be further reduced.

  As described above, when the remaining amount of the battery (battery) 201 decreases below the threshold, the beacon transmitter 104 decreases the strength of the beacon signal to be output. On the other hand, the licensed portable terminal 103A is normally charged frequently and the reception sensitivity is considered not to change much. Therefore, it is considered that the remaining amount of the battery 201 is reduced when the radius of the circle R having the minimum radius including the area where licensed terminals receiving beacon signals as shown in FIG. 10 are distributed is reduced. Therefore, when the radius of the circle R is less than or equal to the predetermined value, the remaining battery amount estimation unit 410 has insufficient remaining amount of the battery 201 and needs to be replaced or charged (in the case of a storage battery). Judge that there is. The server 102 notifies the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter when the remaining battery amount estimation unit 410 estimates that the remaining amount of the battery 201 is low.

  The search system according to the embodiment has been described above, but it goes without saying that various modifications are possible. Hereinafter, some modified examples will be described.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a configuration and an operation time chart of a modified example of a beacon transmitter, where (A) shows a block configuration and (B) shows a time chart.

  The beacon transmitter of the modification of FIG. 12 has a configuration similar to the beacon transmitter of FIG. 3, but the transmission intensity of the transmission unit 204P is variable by the control unit 203, and the control unit 203 has a counter 206. That is different.

Since a beacon transmission unit having a variable transmission intensity is known, a description thereof will be omitted.
The counter 206 counts the number of times that the timer 205 measures a predetermined time and generates a pulse, and resets the count value when the predetermined count number is counted. For example, the timer 205 measures 10 minutes, generates a pulse at an interval of 10 minutes, and transmits a beacon signal at an interval of 10 minutes accordingly. Here, the value of the counter 206 is counted up to 15 after being reset to zero, and is reset to zero at the next pulse. Here, when a pulse is generated when the count value is 0-2, 4-6, 8-10, or 12-14, the control unit 203 causes the transmission unit 204P to transmit at a relative intensity of 1. When the pulse is generated when the count value is 3, 7, or 11, the control unit 203 transmits the transmission unit 204P with a relative intensity of 2, and when the pulse is generated when the count value is 15, the control unit 203 sets the transmission unit 204P with a relative intensity of 3. Make a call. As a result, a beacon signal is transmitted every 10 minutes, and its intensity is 1 (relative value) for 10 minutes, 20 minutes, and 30 minutes, 2 for 40 minutes, 50, 60, and 70 minutes. Is 1, 80 for 80 minutes, 1 for 90 minutes, 100 minutes, 110 minutes, 2 for 120 minutes, 1 for 130 minutes, 140 minutes, 150 minutes, 3 for 160 minutes Repeat the transmission intensity change.

  As the strength of the beacon signal increases, the number of licensed terminals that receive the beacon signal increases, and the possibility of detecting the position of the beacon transmitter and the accuracy of the estimated position are improved, but the battery of the beacon transmitter is consumed, The beacon signal reception processing amount at the licensed terminal and the communication amount to the server increase. On the other hand, when the strength of the beacon signal decreases, the number of licensed terminals that receive the beacon signal decreases, and in the worst case, the number of licensed terminals that receive the beacon signal may be zero. This does not work the system. In the case of the beacon transmitter according to the modified example, the advantages and disadvantages of the case where the intensity of the beacon signal is small and the case where it is large can be obtained.

  In the flowchart showing the processing when a search is requested in the search system of the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, when a search request is received, search target ID data is transmitted to all registered licensed mobile terminals and a relay request is made. Went. However, when a large number of licensed portable terminals are registered, the transmission amount for transmitting the search target ID data from the server to the licensed portable terminal increases. In addition, when the strength of the beacon signal is small, most of the licensed portable terminals are located at locations where the beacon signal including the search target ID information is not received, and the transmitted search target ID data is almost useless.

  In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the areas are classified according to the location of the licensed portable terminal and the beacon transmitter. In the modification described below, this classification is used to select a licensed terminal that transmits search target ID information according to the district of the beacon transmitter.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating processing of the transmission destination terminal selection unit 404 in a modification example in which a licensed terminal that transmits search target ID information is selected according to the district of the beacon transmitter.

  In step S41, the server 102 receives a search request for the beacon transmitter 104 from the contractor (related party).

  In step S <b> 41, the transmission destination terminal selection unit 404 reads from the beacon transmitter list storage unit 405 the data of the search target beacon requested, the location, the district, and the like.

  In step S43, the transmission destination terminal selection unit 404 selects a licensed portable terminal belonging to the same district as the search target beacon from the licensed portable terminal list storage unit 403, and reads out its mail address and the like. If there is no licensed mobile terminal belonging to the same district, the licensed portable terminal in the adjacent district is selected.

  In step S44, a relay request for transmitting search target ID data (ID number) is made to the selected permitted portable terminal.

  In step S45, it is determined whether reception information has been received from the selected permitted portable terminal. If received, the process proceeds to step S47, and if not received within one transmission cycle of the beacon signal, the process proceeds to step S46.

  In step S46, the district is enlarged and a licensed portable terminal belonging to the district is selected or the district is changed and a licensed portable terminal is selected, and the process returns to step S44. Therefore, until receiving information is received, the area is sequentially expanded or changed, and the licensed portable terminal is selected and the search target ID information is transmitted.

  Thereafter, when the reception information is received, as described above, the position estimation process of the beacon transmitter is performed in step S47, the position information is transmitted to the contractor (related party) in step S48, and the contract is confirmed in step S49. If there is a report of securing from the person (related person), the process proceeds to step S50, and if not, the process returns to step S45. In step S50, the end processing described above is performed. The server 103 receives new received information when time elapses while the search target securing operation is carried out by the contractor (participant) carrying the search target beacon transmitter. Will do. Here, there is a possibility that the search object and the selected licensed mobile terminal are separated from each other and none of the selected licensed mobile terminals receives new reception information. In that case, since reception information is not received in step S45, the process proceeds to step S46, and the district is expanded or changed to select a new permitted portable terminal.

  Since the beacon transmitter 104 and the licensed mobile terminal 103A move, the beacon transmitter 104A and the licensed mobile terminal 103A are not necessarily located in the registered district, but the possibility of being located in the district is relatively high. This selection method is effective.

FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining a method for expanding or changing the district to which the licensed portable terminal to be selected belongs in step S46.
As shown in FIG. 14, the area on the map is divided into a plurality of districts 00-88. The division method of the district may be determined according to the distribution state of the licensed mobile terminals, either geometrically (same square in FIG. 14) as shown in FIG. 14, indefinite shape according to the terrain, or the like. The size of the district is, for example, a square having a side length of ½ of the distance at which the licensed portable terminal can receive a beacon signal from a beacon transmitter in a normal state.

  For example, if the registered location of the beacon transmitter carried by the search target is the district 44, the licensed portable terminal having the registered location in the district 44 is selected as the first stage. In this case, if at least one licensed portable terminal is selected in the area 44, a beacon transmitter is present in the area 44 and the surrounding areas 33-35, 43, 45, 53-55. Then, at least one licensed mobile terminal can receive the beacon signal. If there is no licensed portable terminal capable of receiving the beacon signal in the first stage, the licensed portable terminal belonging to the districts 33-35, 43-45, 53-55 is selected. Thereafter, the same method is used to expand the district to which the selected licensed portable terminal belongs.

  In the above method for expanding the area to which the licensed portable terminal belongs, when the beacon transmitter moves greatly, a large number of licensed portable terminals belonging to a wide area are selected. When the search target is a care recipient, such a selection method is effective to ensure as soon as possible, but when the search target is a stolen bicycle, the search target moves greatly from the residence. It is assumed that the expanded area will become very large. On the other hand, the urgency is assumed to be lower than that of the care recipient. Therefore, after slightly expanding the selected area, for example, after expanding from one area to nine 3 × 3 areas, the 3 × 3 area may be changed to a spiral shape.

  Furthermore, after a licensed mobile terminal that expands a district and receives a beacon signal appears, the licensed mobile terminal that transmits a search end information to a licensed mobile terminal other than the one receiving the beacon signal and requests relaying You may make it exclude from a terminal.

  The selection of the licensed terminal for transmitting the search target ID information is not limited to the classification of the beacon transmitter location and the location of the licensed terminal as described above, and other methods may be used. A licensed terminal having a location within a predetermined radius may be selected from the location of the beacon transmitter that has been requested, and the radius may be sequentially increased when reception information is not received. However, this selection method increases the amount of calculation compared to the case of classifying into districts.

  In the search system of the embodiment, the server 102 estimates the position of the beacon transmitter corresponding to the ID data based on the ID data (ID number) and the position information received from the licensed mobile terminal 103A, and contracts the beacon transmitter 104. The estimated position is notified to the person (related party). In response to this, the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter searches for an object carrying the beacon transmitter. It is desirable that all beacon signal reception processing in the licensed portable terminal 103A in this series of flows is performed in the background. Thereby, the user (owner) of the licensed portable terminal 103A can use the licensed portable terminal 103A without being aware of the processing related to the search system.

  If the estimated position of the beacon transmitter 104 is away from the position of the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter at that time, the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter carries the beacon transmitter. It is not easy to secure a search object. In particular, there are many cases where the need for care recipients is contested. In such a case, there is a user of the licensed portable terminal 103A that has received the beacon signal near the search target, and if the user of the licensed portable terminal 103A cooperates, the search target can be confirmed and secured. Easy to do.

  Therefore, in the modified example described below, the owner (user) of the licensed portable terminal 103A is recruited to cooperate with the search for the object, and is stored in the licensed portable terminal list storage unit 403 of the server 102. . In step S12 of the flowchart when accepting the application of the licensed portable terminal 103A in FIG. 7, the owner (user) of the licensed portable terminal 103A who applied has confirmed whether or not to cooperate in searching for the target object, and the result is This is stored in the “search cooperation” section of FIG. As described above, the search information section (search information notification function) 320 is installed in the licensed portable terminal 103A of the owner (user) who cooperates with the search.

  After the search system is constructed as described above, when the licensed portable terminal 103A according to the recruitment receives the beacon signal to be searched, information necessary for searching for the target object is transferred from the server 102 to the licensed portable terminal 103A. Send and request to search for objects.

  FIG. 15 shows a modification of the search system constructed as described above. A contractor (a person concerned) of a beacon transmitter loses (disappears) a search object carrying the beacon transmitter and requests a search. It is a flowchart which shows the process in a case. In FIG. 15, only the server 102 and the licensed portable terminal 103A are shown, and the beacon transmitter 104 and the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter 104 are omitted.

  The contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter 104 loses the search target, requests the server 102 to search, and accordingly the server 102 transmits search target ID data (ID number) to the licensed portable terminal 103A. The process until the licensed portable terminal 103A receives the beacon signal is the same as the flow in FIG.

  In step S61, the licensed portable terminal 103A extracts the ID data (ID number) from the beacon signal, determines whether the extracted ID data (ID number) matches the search target ID data (ID number), and must match. If there is no match, the current position information is detected from the GPS 314, and the extracted ID data (ID number) and position information are transmitted to the server 102 as received information.

In step S71, the server 102 receives the reception information.
In step S72, the server 102 processes the received information, and estimates the position of the beacon transmitter 104 from the position information included in the received information.

In step S73, the server 102 selects a search participation permitted portable terminal stored as “search cooperation” in the permitted portable terminal list storage unit 403 from the permitted portable terminals 103A that transmitted the received information, and further includes The nearest search participation permission portable terminal 103A is selected. The nearest search participation permission portable terminal 103A to be selected is one or more.
In step S74, the server 102 transmits a search request to the selected nearest search participation permission portable terminal 103A.

  In addition, when the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter 104 is near the estimated position of the search target object, it may not be necessary to make a search request to the search participation permission terminal 103A. Therefore, in the search request, the server notifies the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter 104 of the estimated position of the search object, and the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter 104 agrees to make a search request. It may be done only occasionally.

In step S62, the licensed mobile terminal 103A receives the search request.
In step S <b> 63, the user of the licensed portable terminal 103 </ b> A that has received the search request determines whether the search can be cooperated at that time, and transmits whether the search is possible to the server 102.

In step S75, the server 102 receives an answer as to whether or not the search can be performed from the permitted portable terminal 103A that requested the search.
In step S76, the server 102 determines whether or not the answer can be searched. If yes, the server 102 proceeds to step S78. If not, the server 102 proceeds to step S77.

  In step S77, the server 102 selects another nearest search participation permission portable terminal, and proceeds to step S74. Then, a search request is made in the same manner as described above. When there is no search participation permission portable terminal that has accepted the search request within the predetermined range from the estimated position, the server notifies the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter to that effect.

In step S78, the “target information” in FIG. 6B is transmitted to the licensed portable terminal 103A that has accepted the search.
In step S64, the licensed portable terminal 103A that accepted the search request receives “target information”, and the “target information” is notified to the user of the licensed portable terminal 103A by the search information unit 320, and the user receives the information. The search object is searched based on the above.

In step S65, the licensed portable terminal 103A that has accepted the search determines whether the user has input that the search target has been found. If there is no input, the process proceeds to step S66.
In step S66, the permitted portable terminal 103A that has accepted the search determines whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed since the reception of the “target information”. If not, the process returns to step S65. If it has elapsed, the process proceeds to step S67. move on.

In step S <b> 67, the licensed portable terminal 103 </ b> A that has accepted the search transmits to the server 102 a message that cannot be found (cannot be found).
In step S80, the server 102 receives “discovery impossible”, and proceeds to step S81.

  In step S81, the server 102 performs a discovery impossible process. In the undiscoverable process, the server notifies the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter 104 to that effect, and the use of the licensed portable terminal 103A that the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter 104 searches and accepts as necessary. Information (email address, telephone number) on the licensed portable terminal 103A is transmitted to the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter so that the person can be contacted directly.

  Instead of the processing of steps S65 to S67, the server 102 side determines that the discovery is impossible when the discovery or reservation cannot be received within a predetermined time from the licensed portable terminal 103A that has accepted the search, and performs the discovery impossible processing. May be.

In step S68, when the user of the licensed portable terminal 103A who accepts the search finds or secures the search object, the user transmits it to the server 102 and then waits for an additional instruction.
In step S82, the server 102 receives information that the search target has been found.

In step S83, the server 102 reports to the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter 104 that the search object has been found or secured.
Hereinafter, appropriate processing is performed according to the situation. For example, a matter requested from the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter 104 to the discoverer is transferred to the owner (search partner) of the licensed terminal 103A. Use of the licensed portable terminal 103A that transmits information (email address, telephone number) on the licensed portable terminal 103A to the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter, and the searcher accepts the beacon transmitter contractor (related party). To be able to contact the person directly. In addition, depending on the situation, the police will be contacted. Further, when the search object is found or secured, the same end process as in FIG. 9 is performed.

In step S84, the server 102 accepts the search and gives some incentive to the owner (user) of the licensed portable terminal 103A who has found or secured the search target. Specifically, points are given to the licensed portable terminal 103A.
In step S69, licensed portable terminal 103A receives an incentive such as points.

  In the embodiment and the modification described above, when the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter 104 loses the object carrying the beacon transmitter 104, a search request is transmitted to the server 102, and accordingly, The server 102 transmits the ID data of the search object to the licensed portable terminal 103A. The licensed portable terminal 103A transmits the received information to the server 102 when the ID data included in the received beacon signal corresponds to the search target ID data, and does not transmit when the ID data does not correspond. Thereby, the processing amount in the licensed portable terminal 103A can be reduced and the communication amount can be reduced. However, after receiving the search request, the licensed portable terminal 103A receives the beacon signal from the search target and transmits the received information to the server 102. May take longer. For example, when the transmission cycle of the beacon signal is 1 hour, the worst case is that the beacon signal is not received for a period of less than 1 hour and the position of the beacon transmitter 104 cannot be estimated. As described above, there is a case where a delay close to the transmission cycle of the beacon signal occurs after the search request is transmitted until the server receives the reception information.

  If the transmission cycle of the beacon signal is shortened, the power consumption of the battery 201 of the beacon transmitter 104 increases and cannot be used for a long time without battery replacement or charging. On the other hand, the portable terminal is frequently charged and used in order to execute the original function. The power consumption required to execute beacon signal reception processing and communication of received information is sufficiently smaller than the power consumption for executing the original function, and even if the number of times increases, the frequency must not be too high. Will not be a problem. Therefore, in the modification described below, when the licensed mobile terminal 103A receives the beacon signal, the licensed mobile terminal 103A extracts the ID data (ID number) from the beacon signal, detects the position information at that time by GPS, and the ID data and the position Information is transmitted to the server 102. The server 102 stores the position information in the history storage unit 409 for each ID data (ID number). Thereby, the position of the beacon transmitter 104 is updated and grasped for each beacon signal transmission cycle.

  When the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter 104 loses the search object and requests the server 102 to search, the server 102 uses the latest position information stored in the history storage unit 409 as the beacon transmitter 104. To the contractor (related party). Of course, the position information is updated to the latest information every time a beacon signal is transmitted until the contractor (related party) of the beacon transmitter 104 secures the search object after receiving the search request. .

Further, the position of the beacon transmitter may be detected for a predetermined period immediately after the beacon transmitter is registered in the search system, and periodically thereafter for a predetermined period, and stored in the history storage unit 409 as history information. The stored history information is used for selection of the licensed portable terminal 103A when the ID data (ID number) of the beacon transmitter 104 that has received the search request is transmitted to the licensed portable terminal 103A. For example, the movement path of the search object carried by the beacon transmitter 104 is estimated from the history information, and the search object ID data (ID number) is transmitted to the licensed portable terminal 103A having a residence near the path.
Although the embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described above, the described embodiments are for explaining the invention, and it is easy for those skilled in the art that there can be various modifications within the scope of the claims. It is understandable.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Public line 101 Base station 102 Server 103A Licensed portable terminal 103B Unlicensed portable terminal 104 Beacon transmitter 201 Power supply (battery)
202 ID data memory 203 Control unit 204 Transmission unit 205 Timer 206 Counter 310 Beacon reception unit 314 GPS
320 Search information section 403 Licensed portable terminal list storage section 404 Destination terminal selection section 404 Beacon transmitter list storage section 407 Beacon position estimation processing section 409 History storage section

Claims (13)

A search system for searching a position of a search object,
Public line,
Of the group of subscriber terminals that can communicate with each other via the public line, a licensed terminal that the subscriber has licensed to participate in the system, and
A server communicably connected to the public line;
A beacon transmitter that is carried by the search object and transmits a beacon signal including ID information,
The licensed terminal is
A beacon signal receiving unit for receiving the beacon signal;
Upon receiving the beacon signal, the ID information included in the received beacon signal and the location information of the licensed terminal are transmitted to the server,
When the server selects a terminal of a subscriber who is permitted to participate in the system as the licensed terminal, the server includes a location of the subscriber of the licensed mobile terminal and a district to which the subscriber of the licensed mobile terminal belongs. A licensed portable terminal list storage unit for storing;
The search system according to claim 1, wherein the server refuses participation when an owner who belongs to a district where the density of the licensed portable terminal is considered to be sufficient applies.   The said server has a position estimation process part which estimates the position of the said beacon transmitter which transmits the beacon signal containing the said ID information from the said ID information and the said position information transmitted from the said permission terminal. Search system.   The search system according to claim 2, wherein the server includes a storage unit that stores the ID information and the estimated position in association with each other for a predetermined period. The licensed terminal is a mobile terminal,
The search system of any one of Claim 1 to 3 which has a position detection part which detects the positional information on the said permission terminal.   The search system according to claim 4, wherein the position detection unit includes a GPS device. The licensed terminal is
The received ID information and the position information are transmitted to the server when the ID information included in the received beacon signal corresponds to the search target ID information instructed from the server, and not transmitted when the ID information does not correspond. Item 6. The search system according to any one of Items 1 to 5. The licensed terminal is
It has a search information notification unit that is installed when a subscriber grants a search request,
The server relates to the search object carrying a beacon transmitter that transmits a beacon signal including the ID information when the ID information and the position information are received from the licensed terminal on which the search information notification unit is mounted. Sending specific information to the licensed terminal;
The search system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the license terminal outputs the transmitted specific information via the search information notification unit. A licensed terminal that can communicate with each other via a public line searches for the position of the search object using position information indicating a position where a beacon signal transmitted from a beacon transmitter carried by the search object is received. A search system construction method for
From among the subscribers of the terminal group that can communicate with each other via the public line, the terminal of the subscriber who permits participation in the system is selected as the licensed terminal,
The licensed terminal is equipped with a beacon signal receiving function,
Registering a licensed portable terminal list that stores a location of the subscriber of the licensed terminal and a location to which the subscriber of the licensed portable terminal belongs in a server connected to the public line so as to be communicable;
The beacon transmitter that transmits a beacon signal including ID information is carried with the search object,
When selecting a terminal of a subscriber who is permitted to participate in the system as the licensed terminal, the server has newly applied for an owner belonging to a district where the density of the licensed mobile terminal is considered sufficient. If so, a method for constructing a search system, characterized in that participation is refused.   The method for constructing a search system according to claim 8, wherein an incentive is given to a subscriber who permits participation in the system. A licensed terminal that can communicate with each other via a public line uses position information indicating a position at which a beacon signal transmitted from a beacon transmitter that is carried by a search target and transmits a beacon signal including ID information is received. A search method for searching for the position of the search object,
Of the group of subscriber terminals that can communicate with each other via a public line, a licensed terminal that the subscriber has permitted to participate in the system receives the beacon signal,
The licensed terminal extracts the ID information from the received beacon signal;
The licensed terminal transmits the extracted ID information and location information of the licensed terminal to the server via the public line,
When selecting a terminal of a subscriber who is permitted to participate in the system as the licensed terminal, the server has newly applied for an owner belonging to a district where the density of the licensed mobile terminal is considered sufficient. A search method characterized by refusing participation in case. The server transmits search target ID information to the licensed terminal,
The licensed terminal transmits the received ID information and the position information to the server when the ID information included in the received beacon signal corresponds to the search target ID information, and does not transmit when the ID information does not correspond. Item 11. The search method according to Item 10. The server stores in advance information related to subscribers of the licensed terminal and whereabouts of search objects,
When transmitting search target ID information to the licensed terminal, the search target ID information is transmitted to the licensed terminal having a residence within a range close to the location of the search target object of the search target ID information, and the search target ID information is transmitted within a predetermined time. The search method according to claim 11, wherein when the ID information and the position information are not transmitted, the range is sequentially changed. A search system for searching a position of a search object,
Public line,
Of the group of subscriber terminals that can communicate with each other via the public line, a licensed terminal that the subscriber has licensed to participate in the system, and
A server that is communicably connected to the public line and transmits search target ID information to the licensed terminal;
A beacon transmitter that is carried by the search object and transmits a beacon signal including ID information,
The licensed terminal is
A beacon signal receiving unit for receiving the beacon signal;
When the ID information included in the received beacon signal corresponds to the search target ID information, the received ID information and the position information are transmitted to the server, and when not corresponding, the ID information is not transmitted.
The server
When transmitting search target ID information to the licensed terminal, the search target ID information is transmitted to the licensed terminal having a residence in a range close to the location of the search target object of the search target ID information,
When the ID information and the position information are not transmitted within a predetermined time, the search target ID information is transmitted to the licensed terminal having a place in an expanded range obtained by expanding the range,
Furthermore, when the ID information and the position information are not transmitted within a predetermined time, the range of the location of the licensed terminal that transmits the search target ID information is sequentially changed in a spiral shape with the same size as the enlarged range. Search system characterized by

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