Installation area management system, management server, installation area management method and program

Abstract

To automatically collect position information relating to a floating object and provide a user with installation area information generated based on the collected position information.SOLUTION: A management server for managing an installation area on a map representing an area in which a floating object is installed stores group information corresponding to a plurality of pieces of identification information each identifying a communication terminal device, receives, from communication terminal devices disposed in a plurality of locations of the floating object, terminal position information including the identification information and position information indicating present positions of the communication terminal devices, determines an area shape indicating a shape of the installation area based on a plurality of pieces of terminal position information including the identification information which is associated by the group information, the map consisting of a plurality of tiles divided in a mesh shape, generates and stores installation area information identifying one or more tiles including the area shape, and transmits the stored installation area information in response to a request.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for identifying an area (hereinafter referred to as "installation area") where a floating object such as a raft for aquaculture, a fixed net, a stationary net, a fence, etc. (hereinafter referred to as "floating object") is moored with an anchor and installed on the water, and providing installation area information indicating the identified installation area to a ship or the like.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a ship motion and static sharing navigation support system that provides a function useful for preventing collisions of ships. In paragraph number

[0050] of Patent Document 1, it is disclosed that an administrator can set, for example, an installation area of a stationary net as a monitoring area by designating a plurality of points on a map of a water area.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, many floating objects are installed in the waters near the coast by those involved in water operations such as fisheries. And depending on the time, the floating objects are withdrawn when they become unnecessary. When using the system disclosed in the above Patent Document 1, the administrator needs to repeatedly perform complicated operations such as designating and setting the installation areas of a large number of floating objects on the map and解除 that setting when the floating objects are withdrawn.

[0005] This specification discloses an installation area management system, a management server, an installation area management method, and a program that automatically collect position information related to floating objects and provide installation area information generated based on the collected position information to demanders.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] (1) The installation area management system according to the first embodiment disclosed herein includes communication terminal devices placed at multiple locations on a floating object floating on water, and a management server that manages installation areas on a map representing the area where the floating object is installed. The communication terminal device comprises an acquisition unit and a terminal communication unit. The acquisition unit acquires location information indicating the current location of the communication terminal device. The terminal communication unit transmits terminal location information, which includes identification information identifying the communication terminal device and location information, to the management server. The management server comprises a storage unit, a communication unit, a determination unit, and a generation unit. The storage unit stores group information that associates multiple pieces of identification information. The communication unit receives terminal location information from the communication terminal device. The determination unit determines the area shape indicating the shape of the installation area based on the multiple pieces of terminal location information, which include identification information associated by the group information. The map is composed of multiple tiles divided into a mesh. The generation unit generates installation area information that identifies one or more tiles, including the area shape. The memory unit stores installation area information, and the communication unit transmits the installation area information stored in the memory unit upon request.

[0007] (2) In the installation area management system disclosed in (1) above, the group information may further include area shape information that specifies the arrangement relationship of communication terminal devices in the area shape.

[0008] (3) The installation area management system according to the second embodiment disclosed herein includes communication terminal devices placed at multiple locations on a floating object floating on water, and a management server that manages installation areas on a map representing the area where the floating object is installed. The communication terminal device comprises an acquisition unit and a terminal communication unit. The acquisition unit acquires location information indicating the current location of the communication terminal device. The terminal communication unit transmits terminal location information, which includes identification information that identifies the communication terminal device, location information, and group identification information that identifies the group to which it belongs, to the management server. The management server comprises a communication unit, a determination unit, and a generation unit. The communication unit communicates terminal location information from the communication terminal device. The determination unit determines the area shape indicating the shape of the installation area based on multiple terminal location information including the same group identification information. The generation unit generates installation area information that identifies one or more tiles including the area shape, where the map is composed of multiple tiles divided into a mesh.

[0009] (4) In the installation area management system disclosed in (3) above, the terminal location information may further include area shape information that specifies the arrangement relationship of communication terminal devices in the area shape.

[0010] (5) The management server according to the third aspect disclosed herein is a management server that manages installation areas on a map representing areas where floating objects are installed. The management server comprises a storage unit, a communication unit, a determination unit, and a generation unit. The storage unit stores group information which associates multiple pieces of identification information that identify communication terminal devices. The communication unit receives terminal location information which includes identification information and location information indicating the current location of the communication terminal devices from communication terminal devices located at multiple locations on the floating object. The determination unit determines the area shape which indicates the shape of the installation area based on the multiple pieces of terminal location information which include identification information associated by the group information. The map is composed of multiple tiles which are divided into a mesh. The generation unit generates installation area information which identifies one or more tiles which include the area shape. The storage unit stores the installation area information, and the communication unit transmits the installation area information stored in the storage unit as requested.

[0011] (6) The management server disclosed in (5) above may further include a non-received unit and a fault notification unit. The non-received unit determines that at least one of a plurality of terminal location information, which includes identification information associated with group information, has not been received. The fault notification unit considers the communication terminal device identified by the identification information included in the non-received terminal location information to be faulty and notifies a predetermined destination of the fault.

[0012] (7) In the management server disclosed in (6) above, the installation area information may further include reliability information indicating the reliability of the data, and the generation unit may, if the non-reception determination unit detects that it has not received at least one terminal location information, change the reliability information to a value that is less reliable than usual and generate the installation area information.

[0013] (8) The management server disclosed in (5) above may further include an abnormality detection unit and an abnormality notification unit. The abnormality detection unit determines that an abnormality exists if the location indicated by the location information included in the terminal location information is more than a predetermined threshold away from the location indicated by terminal location information of the same identification information received in the past. If an abnormality is determined, the abnormality notification unit notifies a predetermined destination of the abnormality.

[0014] (9) The installation area management method according to the fourth aspect disclosed herein is an installation area management method for managing an installation area on a map representing an area where a floating object is installed, which stores group information associated with multiple identification information for identifying a communication terminal device, receives terminal location information including identification information and location information indicating the current location of a communication terminal device from communication terminal devices placed at multiple locations of the floating object, determines an area shape indicating the shape of the installation area based on the multiple terminal location information including the identification information associated by the group information, the map is composed of multiple tiles divided into a mesh, generates installation area information that identifies one or more tiles including the area shape, stores the installation area information, and transmits the stored installation area information upon request.

[0015] (10) A fifth aspect of the Specified Program is a program that causes a computer to perform installation area management processing for managing installation areas on a map representing areas where floating objects are installed. The computer includes a storage unit that stores group information associated with multiple pieces of identification information that identify communication terminal devices. The installation area management processing includes the steps of: periodically receiving terminal location information, which includes identification information and location information indicating the current location of the communication terminal devices, from communication terminal devices placed at multiple locations of the floating object; determining an area shape indicating the shape of the installation area based on multiple pieces of terminal location information, which include identification information associated with the group information; generating installation area information that identifies one or more tiles, including the area shape, where the map is composed of multiple tiles divided into a mesh; storing the installation area information in the storage unit; and transmitting the stored installation area information upon request. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] Using an installation area management system, which is one aspect of this disclosure, it is possible to reduce the cumbersome manual input operations performed by administrators, automatically collect location information of floating objects, and provide users with installation area information identified based on that location information. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This diagram shows an example of the configuration of the installation area management system 10. [Figure 2] This is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of communication terminal device 1. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of the configuration of management server 3. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of group information 33. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of terminal location information 34. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the configuration of the map display device 6. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of the operation flow for the installation area management process. [Figure 8] This is a diagram showing an example of the installation state of an oyster raft. [Figure 9] This is a diagram thatsim-ulates and shows the installation state of the floating object 2. [Figure 10] This is a diagram showing an example of plotting the position indicated by the terminal position information 34 on the map 50. [Figure 11] This is a diagram showing an example of the area shape determined based on the group information 33. [Figure 12] This is a diagram showing an example of identifying a tile including the area shape. [Figure 13] This is a diagram showing an example of the screen 60 displayed on the map display device 6. [Figure 14] This is a diagram showing a modification example of the method for determining the area shape. [Figure 15] This is a diagram showing an example of identifying a tile including the area shape determined in the modification example. [Figure 16] This is a diagram showing the installation position of the communication terminal device 1 and a modification example of the tile size. [Figure 17] This is a diagram showing an example of determining the area shape based on the group information 33. [Figure 18] This is a diagram showing an example of identifying a tile including the area shape. [Figure 19] This is a diagram showing a modification example of the tile size specified from the area shape. [Figure 20] This is a diagram showing an example of determining the area shape of the oyster raft which is the floating object 2. [Figure 21] This is a diagram showing a modification example of the method for determining the area shape. [Embodiment for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the same reference numerals are assigned to the same constituent parts (functional parts) shown in the drawings, and repeated explanations are omitted.

[0019] [Configuration of the Installation Area Management System 10] The configuration of the installation area management system 10 will be explained using Figures 1 to 3. The installation area management system 10 shown in Figure 1 consists of multiple communication terminal devices 1 and a management server 3, which are placed on the floating object 2. The communication terminal devices 1 and the management server 3 communicate via a base station 4 and a network 100. Each communication terminal device 1 and the base station 4 communicate using a wireless communication method called LPWA (Low Power Wide Area). The network 100 consists of the internet, intranet, wireless LAN, mobile communication network, etc.

[0020] The map display device 6 is a computer equipped with an acquisition function for acquiring its own location information, a display function for displaying the installation area 30 (described later) and the location of its own location on the map 50, and a communication function for sending and receiving data. The map display device 6 is, for example, a smartphone or an Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) installed on a ship 5.

[0021] A brief overview of the operation of the installation area management system 10 is provided below. First, at least two communication terminal devices 1 are placed at multiple locations on the floating object 2 installed on the water. The multiple communication terminal devices 1 that are placed acquire location information indicating their own position and transmit terminal location information 34, which includes their own identification information and the acquired location information, to the management server 3.

[0022] The management server 3 receives terminal location information 34 from each communication terminal device 1. The management server 3 stores group information 33 that associates the identification information of each communication terminal device 1. Based on the group information 33 and the terminal location information 34, the management server 3 determines the area shape 21 that indicates the shape of the installation area 30 of the floating object 2. The map 50 managed by the management server 3 is composed of multiple tiles divided into a mesh. The management server 3 generates installation area information 35 that identifies the tile containing the area shape 21.

[0023] The management server 3 receives a request from the map display device 6 for installation area information 36 around its own location. In response to the request, the management server 3 transmits the corresponding installation area information 36 to the map display device 6. Based on the received installation area information 36, the map display device 6 can display the installation area 30 of the floating object 2 on the map 50.

[0024] For example, when navigating the vessel 5 at night or in foggy conditions, it becomes difficult to visually confirm the floating object 2. In such cases, by confirming the position of the device itself and the positional relationship of the installation area 30 displayed on the map display device 6, the user can maneuver the vessel 5 to avoid colliding with the floating object 2.

[0025] The floating object 2 includes buoyant float members, and is installed so that a portion of the floating object 2 floats on the water surface and remains in a predetermined area on the water surface by anchoring. The floating object 2 is, for example, an oyster raft. The oyster raft has a framework made of rod-shaped members such as bamboo or wood arranged in a grid pattern. Since float members are attached to the framework of the oyster raft in several places, the framework part floats on the water surface.

[0026] The skeleton of an oyster raft is suspended by hanging strings, each consisting of about 40 collectors (seashells) with oyster larvae attached, mounted on wires. A single oyster raft can have 600 to 700 of these hanging strings suspended from it.

[0027] Oyster rafts are rectangular in shape relative to the water surface on which they are installed. A single oyster raft is generally about 20m long and 10m wide. Oyster rafts are typically installed on the water in groups, with multiple rafts connected in a line. The oyster raft groups are connected to each other with wires, and the leading and trailing rafts are moored with anchors, allowing them to be installed in a designated area on the water.

[0028] Floating object 2 is, for example, a fixed net. Fixed nets come in many types and sizes. A fixed net consists of buoys (floating markers), anchors, a fence net and a main net, and ropes connecting them. In the case of a large fixed net, the main net section is about 300m long and 70m wide, and the fence net section is about 2km to 4km long. The net is installed in water depths of 27m to 70m. In the case of a small fixed net, the size is smaller than that of a large one, but the net is installed in water depths of 6m to 20m.

[0029] Vessel 5 is prohibited from entering the fixed net installation area 30. If Vessel 5 enters the installation area 30, there is a risk that the submerged net or the ropes connecting the net to the buoy may get caught on Vessel 5, or that the water currents created by its passage may damage the fixed net.

[0030] Floating object 2 may be, for example, a fish farm net or a fence. A fish farm net is an enclosure used for farming fish, and comes in various shapes such as round or hexagonal. Like oyster rafts, fish farm nets are often operated by connecting multiple nets with wires and arranging them in a sequence. A fence is an enclosure intended to contain a designated area to prevent the spread of pollutants in the event of marine pollution, such as an oil spill.

[0031] Multiple communication terminal devices 1 are placed on the floating object 2 to identify the installation area 30 of the floating object 2. It is desirable that, for example, at least two communication terminal devices 1 are placed. The communication terminals 1 are preferably placed at the edges of the installation area, for example, on buoys connected to anchors or at the corners of floating structures. Specific examples of placement will be described later.

[0032] [Configuration of Communication Terminal Device 1] As shown in Figure 2, the communication terminal device 1 comprises, as functional units, a solar panel unit 11, a battery unit 12, a light sensor unit 13, a light-emitting unit 14, a terminal communication unit 15, an acquisition unit 16, a terminal control unit 17, and a terminal storage unit 18.

[0033] Although not shown in the diagram, the communication terminal device 1 may be a computer equipped with a CPU and memory. The communication terminal device 1 may also be equipped with various sensors that detect temperature, humidity, water temperature, wind speed, vibration, sunlight, etc., and may be configured to transmit the detected sensor information to the management server 3.

[0034] The communication terminal device 1 may be equipped with a mounting part for attaching it to a floating object 2. The communication terminal device 1 may be equipped with a housing that is waterproof, pressure resistant, and heat resistant. The housing of the communication terminal device 1 may have a certain degree of buoyancy so that it does not become submerged in water even if it falls off the floating object 2 to which it was attached.

[0035] The solar panel unit 11 is a unit formed by arranging multiple solar cells that convert light energy into electrical energy (electricity) using the photovoltaic effect, creating a panel-like structure. The solar panel unit 11 is connected to the battery unit 12 and charges the battery unit 12 with the electricity it generates.

[0036] The battery unit 12 is a rechargeable battery that can be used repeatedly by recharging. For example, the battery unit 12 may be a nickel-metal hydride rechargeable battery, a lithium-ion rechargeable battery, a nickel-cadmium storage battery, or any other type of rechargeable battery, or it may be composed of a combination of multiple types. The battery unit 12 is charged by receiving power generated by the solar panel unit 11 and discharges to supply power to operate other functional units.

[0037] The light sensor unit 13 is a sensor that detects the amount of light. The light sensor unit 13 may be, for example, a CdS (cadmium sulfide) cell or a photodiode. The information on the amount of light detected by the light sensor unit 13 is input to the terminal control unit 17.

[0038] The light-emitting unit 14 has the function of emitting light when power is supplied from the battery unit 12. The light-emitting unit 14 is, for example, an LED (light-emitting diode). The light-emitting unit 14 starts flashing and stops emitting light based on the light-on / off determination of the terminal control unit 17.

[0039] The terminal communication unit 15 has the function of performing communication using a predetermined communication method. The terminal communication unit 15 performs communication using the LPWA communication method. LPWA communication can communicate over a wide area with low power consumption, but there are limitations on the amount of data that can be transmitted at one time, the number of transmissions, etc.

[0040] The communication method adopted by the terminal communication unit 15 may be, for example, Sigfox®, Eltres®, LoRaWAN®, or LTE-M. The information transmitted by the terminal communication unit 15 is received by the base station 4 and then received by the management server 3 via the network 100.

[0041] The acquisition unit 16, under the control of the terminal control unit 17, sequentially receives GPS signals from multiple GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites and has the function of calculating and acquiring location information indicating the current location from the received GPS signals. The acquisition unit 16 inputs the acquired location information to the terminal control unit 17.

[0042] The terminal control unit 17 has the function of controlling each functional part of the communication terminal device 1. Based on the amount of light detected by the light sensor unit 13, the terminal control unit 17 makes a charging determination to determine whether the amount of light is sufficient for charging, and also makes a determination to turn on or off the light-emitting unit 14.

[0043] When it is time to transmit location information, the terminal control unit 17 generates terminal location information 34, which includes identification information for the communication terminal device 1 stored in the terminal storage unit 18 and location information acquired by the acquisition unit 16, and transmits it to the terminal communication unit 15.

[0044] The timing for generating and transmitting terminal location information 34 may be, for example, once a day at 12:00, or twice a day at 12:00 and 0:00, or the timing may be set arbitrarily. For example, if the acquired location information is found to have moved a distance exceeding a predetermined threshold when compared with the previously acquired location information, the transmission timing may be switched from once a day in normal mode to every hour in abnormal mode.

[0045] The terminal control unit 17 may further generate transmission information including other sensor information and identification information, and have it transmit it to the terminal communication unit 15. Other sensor information may include, for example, sensor information regarding ambient temperature, water temperature, humidity, and light intensity.

[0046] The terminal storage unit 18 stores programs for controlling each functional unit of the communication terminal device 1, identification information, and acquired location information. The storage medium, which is the hardware of the terminal storage unit 18, may be, for example, an SSD (Solid State Drive), flash memory, DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), ROM (Read On Memory), or a combination thereof.

[0047] [Configuration of Management Server 3] As shown in Figure 3, the management server 3 comprises a communication unit 31, a storage unit 32, and a server control unit 37. The management server 3 is a computer, and its various functions are realized by the CPU executing programs. The management server 3 is realized by installing a program on the computer that causes the CPU to execute the installation area management process, which will be described later.

[0048] The communication unit 31 has the function of receiving terminal location information 34 from each communication terminal device 1 via the base station 4 and the network 100. The communication unit 31 receives a request for installation area information 36 from the map display device 6 and transmits the installation area information 36 extracted by the extraction unit 373 to the map display device 6 in response to the request. The request includes first location information 67 acquired by the map display device 6. The request is information requesting installation area information 36 that exists in a predetermined area around the location indicated by the first location information 67.

[0049] The memory unit 32 stores group information 33, terminal location information 34, map information 35, installation area information 36, and, although not shown, programs for controlling each functional unit of the management server 3. The storage medium, which is the hardware of the memory unit 32, may be, for example, a hard disk, SSD, flash memory, DRAM, SRAM, ROM, or a combination thereof.

[0050] Group information 33 is information for identifying the installation area 30. Group information 33 associates the identification information of multiple communication terminal devices 1. As shown in Figure 4, group information 33 includes group identification information to identify the group, identification information of the communication terminal devices 1, and area shape information to specify the area shape.

[0051] For example, there are two pieces of identification information associated with group information 33 containing the group identification information of F_01, and the area shape is a rectangle. The position indicated by each terminal location information 34 containing the two pieces of identification information represents the diagonal of the rectangular area shape. The area shape may also be a circle, for example. In this case, the position indicated by each terminal location information 34 containing the two pieces of identification information represents the diameter of the circular area shape.

[0052] For example, there are six pieces of identification information associated with group information 33, which includes the group identification information of F_11, and the area shape is not specified. In this case, the area shape is determined by connecting the positions indicated by the terminal location information 34, which includes the identification information, with lines in the order in which the identification information is listed in group information 33. In other words, group information 33 is information that shows the arrangement relationship of each communication terminal device 1 in the area shape. Specific examples of area shapes will be described later.

[0053] Terminal location information 34 is information received from the communication terminal device 1, including identification information and location information. As shown in Figure 5, the terminal location information 34 received from each communication terminal device 1 is stored in the storage unit 32 in association with the time of receipt.

[0054] Map information 35 is, for example, a digital map created by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan. Map information 35 includes information about the map itself, which is a scaled representation of a certain area on Earth, as well as one or more point information items, which are information about a single point or area on Earth. Point information is expressed in positional coordinates such as latitude and longitude.

[0055] The map 50 displayed on the display unit 66 of the map display device 6, based on the map information 35, is composed of multiple tiles divided into a mesh. Tiles are specified, for example, by the zoom level and tile coordinates. The zoom level is an index that numerically indicates the display magnification of the map 50. When the zoom level increases by 1, the display magnification of the map 50 becomes 4 times, and the length and width of the actual area corresponding to the tile become halved.

[0056] For example, zoom level 0 may represent the entire Earth map projected using a predetermined map projection as a single square tile. The predetermined map projection is a method that uses the Mercator projection formula to transform the area excluding some polar regions so that the latitude and longitude of the World Geodetic System are converted into squares.

[0057] The tile coordinates are expressed in the format "X,Y", with the east direction being the positive X direction and the south direction being the positive Y direction. The information representing the tile can be arbitrarily determined within a range that does not contradict the objective of the invention. The information representing the tile can be converted into latitude and longitude information corresponding to that tile through a predetermined calculation.

[0058] The installation area information 36 is information that identifies one or more tiles, including the area shape that shows the shape of the installation area 30, and includes the zoom level and tile coordinates.

[0059] The server control unit 37 comprises a determination unit 371, a generation unit 372, an extraction unit 373, a non-received unit 374, an anomaly determination unit 375, and a notification unit 376. Each of the functional units of the server control unit 37 is realized by the CPU executing a program.

[0060] The determination unit 371 has the function of determining the area shape that indicates the shape of the installation area 30 based on a plurality of terminal location information 34, which includes identification information associated with the group information 33.

[0061] The generation unit 372 has the function of generating installation area information 36 that identifies tiles including the determined area shape. The generated installation area information 36 is stored in the storage unit 32.

[0062] The extraction unit 373 has the function of extracting installation area information 36 that exists within a predetermined range around the location indicated by the first location information 67, based on the first location information 67 included in the received request. The extracted installation area information 36 is transmitted to the map display device 6 by the communication unit 31.

[0063] The unreceived determination unit 374 has the function of determining whether or not there is any unreceived terminal location information 34 among a plurality of terminal location information 34 which include identification information associated with the group information 33.

[0064] The abnormality determination unit 375 has the function of determining that an abnormality exists if the location indicated by the location information included in the terminal location information 34 is more than a predetermined threshold away from the location indicated by the location information included in the terminal location information 34 for which the identification information received in the past is the same.

[0065] The notification unit 376 has a fault notification function that, when the unreceived determination unit 374 determines that a specific terminal location information 34 has not been received, determines that the communication terminal device 1 identified by the identification information contained in that terminal location information 34 is faulty and notifies a predetermined destination of the fault determination, and an abnormality notification function that, when the abnormality determination unit 375 determines that there is an abnormality, notifies a predetermined destination of the abnormality determination.

[0066] The terminal location information 34 is transmitted at regular intervals. For example, if terminal location information 34 containing specific identification information is not received for a predetermined period, the non-reception determination unit 374 may determine that the corresponding communication terminal device 1 is malfunctioning.

[0067] The installation area information 36 may further include reliability information indicating the reliability of the data. The generation unit 372 may generate the installation area information 36 by changing the reliability information to a value with lower reliability than usual if the non-reception determination unit 374 determines that at least one terminal location information 34 has not been received.

[0068] [Configuration of Map Display Device 6] As shown in Figure 6, the map display device 6 comprises a first communication unit 61, a first storage unit 62, a location information acquisition unit 64, an input reception unit 65, and a display unit 66. The map display device 6 is a computer, and its various functions are realized by the CPU executing an application 63, which is a program.

[0069] The first communication unit 61 has the function of communicating with the management server 3 via the network 100. The first communication unit 61 sends a request for installation area information 36 to the management server 3 and receives the installation area information 36 from the management server 3. The first communication unit 61 may also receive the application 63 and map information 35 from the management server 3 or another application server, or it may receive update information for the application 63 and map information 35.

[0070] The first storage unit 62 stores the application 63, map information 35, first location information 67, and installation area information 36. The storage medium, which is the hardware of the first storage unit 62, may be, for example, a hard disk, SSD, flash memory, DRAM, SRAM, ROM, or a combination thereof.

[0071] The location information acquisition unit 64 has the function of sequentially receiving multiple GPS signals and calculating and acquiring first location information 67 indicating the current location from the received multiple GPS signals. The location information acquisition unit 64 acquires the first location information 67 at predetermined intervals, for example, every second, and the acquired first location information 67 is stored in the first storage unit 62. The first storage unit 62 stores the stored first location information 67 as history for a predetermined time period going back from the current time, and may sequentially delete the stored information from before the predetermined time period.

[0072] Furthermore, the first location information 67 is not limited to the current location; it may also be information indicating a location obtained by the user by specifying a predetermined location on the map 50. For example, the user may want to know not only the area around their current location but also the installation area 30 around their destination.

[0073] The input receiving unit 65 has the function of receiving input operations from users using the map display device 6. The input receiving unit 65 may be, for example, a touch panel display or physical operation buttons. The input operations received from the user may be, for example, an input operation to launch application 63. The input operation to launch application 63 may be, for example, an input operation to launch the map display device 6, or an input operation to click the icon of application 63 displayed on the home screen or menu screen of the display unit 66.

[0074] App 63 is a program that starts when the input reception unit 65 receives an operation from the user to start it, and displays a screen 60 on the display unit 66 that superimposes the location of the device (an icon 70) and the installation area 30 on the map 50, based on the map information 35, the first location information 67, and the received installation area information 36.

[0075] The display unit 66 has the function of displaying a home screen, a menu screen, or a screen 60 in which the device icon 70 and the installation area 30 are superimposed on the map 50, based on input operations from the user. The device icon 70 is displayed on the map 50 based on the latest first location information 67 acquired by the location information acquisition unit 64. Therefore, when the map display device 6 is moving, the position of the device icon 70 displayed on the map 50 is updated sequentially.

[0076] Furthermore, the display of an icon representing an object on the map 50 based on the object's location information, and the sequential updating and display of the position of the icon 70 on the map 50, are achieved using publicly known technology. Therefore, a detailed explanation of the map display operation will be omitted.

[0077] [Operation of Management Server 3] Here, we will explain the installation area management process performed by the management server 3 according to the flow shown in Figure 7. The symbol "S" in the figure represents a step. First, if the management server 3 receives terminal location information 34 from each communication terminal device 1 (S1: Yes), it proceeds to S2. If the management server 3 does not receive terminal location information 34 (S1: No), it returns to S1.

[0078] In processing S2, the unreceived determination unit 374 determines whether there are any unreceived terminal location information 34 among the multiple terminal location information 34 that include identification information associated with the group information 33. If the unreceived determination unit 374 determines that there are no unreceived terminal location information 34 (S2: No), the process proceeds to S3. If the unreceived determination unit 374 determines that there are unreceived terminal location information 34 (S2: Yes), the process proceeds to S9.

[0079] In the processing of S3, if the abnormality determination unit 375 determines that the location indicated by the location information included in the terminal location information 34 is not more than a predetermined threshold away from the location indicated by terminal location information 34 with the same identification information received in the past (S3: No), the process proceeds to S4. If the abnormality determination unit 375 determines that there is one that is more than a predetermined threshold away (S3: Yes), the process proceeds to S11.

[0080] In the processing of S4, the determination unit 371 determines the area shape indicating the shape of the installation area 30 based on a plurality of terminal location information 34 which includes identification information associated with the group information 33, and proceeds to S5.

[0081] In the process of S5, the generation unit 372 generates installation area information 36 that identifies tiles including the determined area shape, and proceeds to S6. In the process of S6, the generated installation area information 36 is stored in the storage unit 32, and the process proceeds to S7.

[0082] In the process of S7, if the communication unit 31 receives a request for installation area information 36 from the map display device 6 (S7: Yes), the process proceeds to S8. If the communication unit 31 has not received a request for installation area information 36 (S7: No), the process returns to S1.

[0083] In the processing of S8, the extraction unit 373 extracts the installation area information 36 that exists within a predetermined range around the location indicated by the first location information 67, based on the first location information 67 included in the request for installation area information 36. The communication unit 31 transmits the extracted installation area information 36 to the map display device 6. After processing S8, the management server 3 returns to S1.

[0084] In processing S9, the notification unit 376 determines that the unreceived communication terminal device 1 is faulty and notifies a predetermined destination of the fault determination. After processing S9, the process proceeds to S10.

[0085] In the processing of S10, if the terminal location information 34 has not been received, the generation unit 372 changes the reliability information included in the installation area information 36 to a value with lower reliability than usual. After the processing of S10, the process proceeds to S7.

[0086] In the process of S11, the notification unit 376 notifies a predetermined destination of the communication terminal device 1 that it has determined to be abnormal. After the process of S11, the process proceeds to S7.

[0087] [Specific examples of installation area information 36] Using Figures 8 to 21, specific examples of the installation area information 36 generated by the management server 3 will be explained. As shown in Figure 8, an example of a floating object 2, an oyster raft, is installed in waters close to the coast by connecting multiple oyster rafts. Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the installation state of some of the floating objects 2 shown in Figure 8, viewed from directly above.

[0088] Figure 10 is a diagram showing the locations indicated by the terminal location information 34 received from each communication terminal device 1 plotted on map 50. Two communication terminal devices 1 are positioned at diagonal corners of the floating object 2. Therefore, the plots 20, which are the locations indicated by the terminal location information 34 transmitted by each communication terminal device 1, are displayed at diagonal corners of each floating object 2.

[0089] Next, as shown in Figure 11, the determination unit 371 determines the area shape 21, which represents the shape of the installation area 30, based on a plurality of terminal location information 34, including identification information associated with the group information 33. In the example shown in Figure 11, since the group information 33 specifies that the area shape 21 is a "rectangle," the area shape 21 is determined as a rectangle with the positions of each communication terminal device 1 associated with the group information 33 as its diagonals.

[0090] Next, the generation unit 372 identifies the installation area 30 (the black-painted tiled area) including the area shape 21, as shown in Figure 12, and generates installation area information 36. The installation area 30 is identified by the zoom level and tile coordinates, and this information is included in the installation area information 36.

[0091] Figure 13 is an example of a screen 60 displayed on the display unit 66 of the map display device 6, based on the installation area information 36, map information 35, and first location information 67. As shown in the figure, the display unit 66 displays the installation area 30 and its own icon 70 superimposed on the map 50.

[0092] Furthermore, when checking the installation area 30 at a location other than the current location of the map display device 6, such as a destination, a request for installation area information 36 with the location specified by the user as the first location information 67 may be sent to the management server 3, and the user's own icon 70 may not be displayed, and only the installation area 30 may be superimposed on the map 50.

[0093] [Variations of Area Shape 21] The area shape 21 is not limited to a rectangle; for example, it may be a circle. In the example shown in Figure 14, the group information 33 specifies that the area shape 21 is "circular," so a circle with a diameter equal to the position of each communication terminal device 1 associated with the group information 33 is determined as the area shape 21. Figure 15 shows an example of how the installation area 30 is identified based on the circular area shape 21 determined in the example shown in Figure 14.

[0094] [Modified example 1 of the arrangement of communication terminal device 1 and area shape specification] Figure 16 shows an example of placement when setting up an installation area 30 by grouping multiple floating objects 2, such as oyster rafts, rather than placing a communication terminal device 1 on each individual floating object 2. In this figure, an example is shown in which communication terminal devices 1 are placed at four locations on the anchor buoys connected to the front and rear of the oyster raft, and at two locations on the corners of the oyster rafts located in the middle of the group of connected oyster rafts.

[0095] As shown in Figure 17, the determination unit 371 may determine the area shape 21 to be a region enclosed by lines connecting the positions indicated by the terminal position information 34 of the communication terminal device 1, which is placed in the oyster raft group. Figure 18 is a diagram showing an example in which the installation area 30 is identified based on the area shape 21 determined in the example of Figure 17.

[0096] While larger tile sizes for the map 50 have the advantage of reducing the amount of information in the installation area information 36, they also make the outline of the installation area 30 harder to discern. Therefore, it is necessary to appropriately set the zoom level that determines the tile size. For example, to match the size of the floating object 2, the installation area information 36 may be generated with a tile size that is one zoom level higher, as shown in Figure 19.

[0097] [Modified example 2 of the arrangement of communication terminal device 1 and area shape specification] In the example shown in Figure 20, multiple floating objects 2 are arranged in a square. In this example, communication terminal devices 1 are each placed on four anchor buoys. In this case, two diagonals are formed connecting the positions of the communication terminal devices 1 placed at diagonal positions, but the determination unit 371 may determine the area shape 21 as a circle with the longer diagonal as its diameter. By using the longer diagonal as the diameter, the installation area 30 for the floating objects 2 is set to be wider, thereby increasing the effectiveness of collision prevention. Figure 21 is a diagram showing an example of specifying the installation area 30 based on the area shape 21 determined in the example of Figure 20.

[0098] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but should be understood to encompass various modifications and alternative forms of the embodiments described above. For example, this includes embodiments that embody the spirit and scope of the present invention by modifying the components, embodiments that appropriately combine multiple components disclosed in the above embodiments, and embodiments that delete some components from all the components shown in the embodiments, or add some components to the components shown in the embodiments.

[0099] In the above embodiment, the group information 33 was stored in the storage unit 32 of the management server 3. However, the management server 3 may also associate the terminal location information 34 with a group by storing group identification information indicating that each communication terminal device 1 belongs to the same group in its terminal storage unit 18 and transmitting the terminal location information 34 along with the group identification information. Depending on the operation method, storing the group identification information in the communication terminal device 1 in advance can reduce the amount of work required for the management server 3 to set the group information 33.

[0100] The area shape 21 may be automatically specified by setting the floating object 2. For example, when used for oyster rafts, the number of communication terminal devices 1 required, their installation locations, and the area shape 21 may be automatically specified by setting whether to group individual oyster rafts or a group of connected oyster rafts.

[0101] The present invention may be a method for managing installation areas performed by a management server 3, or it may be a program that causes a computer to execute installation area management processing, or a storage medium that stores such a program.

[0102] Programs can be stored and supplied to a computer using various types of non-transitory computer-readable media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic recording media (e.g., flexible disks, magnetic tapes, hard disk drives), magneto-optical recording media (e.g., magneto-optical disks), CD-ROMs (Read Only Memory), CD-Rs, CD-R / Ws, and semiconductor memory (e.g., mask ROMs, PROMs (Programmable ROMs), EPROMs (Erasable PROMs), flash ROMs, and RAMs (Random Access Memory)).

[0103] Programs may be supplied to a computer by various types of transient computer-readable medium. Examples of transient computer-readable medium include electrical signals, optical signals, and electromagnetic waves. Transitory computer-readable mediums can be supplied to a computer via wired communication channels such as electric wires and optical fibers, or via wireless communication channels. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0104] 1. Communication terminal device 2. Floating objects 3. Management Server 4 base station 5 Ships 6. Map display device 11 Solar panel section 12 Battery section 13. Light sensor section 14 Light-emitting part 15 Terminal Communication Unit 16 Acquisition Department 17 Terminal Control Unit 18 Terminal Storage Unit 20 plots 21 Area Shape 30 Installation Area 31 Communications Department 32 Storage section 33 Group Information 34. Device location information 35 Map Information 36. Installation Area Information 37 Server Control Unit 50 Maps 60 screens 61. First Communications Department 62 1st memory section 63 apps 64 Location information acquisition unit 65 Input Reception Section 66 Display section 70 Self Icon

Claims

1. An installation area management system including a communication terminal device arranged at a plurality of locations on a floating object floating on water, and a management server that manages an installation area on a map representing an area in which the floating object is installed, The communication terminal device an acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating a current location of the communication terminal device; a terminal communication unit configured to transmit, to the management server, terminal location information including identification information for identifying the communication terminal device and the location information; The management server includes: a storage unit that stores group information in which a plurality of pieces of identification information are associated with each other; A communication unit that receives the terminal location information from the communication terminal device; A determination unit that determines an area shape indicating a shape of the installation area based on a plurality of pieces of terminal position information including the identification information associated with each other by the group information; The map is composed of a plurality of tiles divided into a mesh shape, and a generating unit is provided that generates installation area information that identifies one or more of the tiles including the area shape, The storage unit stores the installation area information, The communication unit transmits the installation area information stored in the storage unit in response to a request. Installation area management system.

2. The installation area management system according to claim 1 , wherein the group information further includes area shape information that specifies a layout relationship of the communication terminal devices in the area shape.

3. An installation area management system including a communication terminal device arranged at a plurality of locations on a floating object floating on water, and a management server that manages an installation area on a map representing an area in which the floating object is installed, The communication terminal device an acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating a current location of the communication terminal device; a terminal communication unit configured to transmit, to the management server, terminal location information including identification information for identifying the communication terminal device, the location information, and group identification information for identifying a group to which the communication terminal device belongs; Equipped with The management server includes: A communication unit that receives the terminal location information from the communication terminal device; A determination unit that determines an area shape indicating a shape of the installation area based on a plurality of pieces of terminal position information including the same group identification information; The map is composed of a plurality of tiles divided into a mesh shape, and a generating unit is provided that generates installation area information that identifies one or more of the tiles including the area shape. Installation area management system.

4. The installation area management system according to claim 3 , wherein the terminal location information further includes area shape information that specifies a layout relationship of the communication terminal devices in the area shape.

5. A management server that manages an installation area on a map showing an area in which a floating object is installed, a storage unit that stores group information in which a plurality of pieces of identification information for identifying communication terminal devices are associated with each other; a communication unit that receives terminal location information including the identification information and location information indicating a current location of the communication terminal device from the communication terminal device arranged at a plurality of locations on the floating object; A determination unit that determines an area shape indicating a shape of the installation area based on a plurality of pieces of terminal position information including the identification information associated with each other by the group information; The map is composed of a plurality of tiles divided into a mesh shape, and a generating unit is provided that generates installation area information that identifies one or more of the tiles including the area shape, The storage unit stores the installation area information, The communication unit transmits the installation area information stored in the storage unit in response to a request. Management server.

6. The management server further a non-reception determination unit that determines that at least one of the plurality of pieces of terminal location information including the identification information associated with the group information has not been received; a failure notification unit that assumes that the communication terminal device identified by the identification information included in the unreceived terminal location information is out of order and notifies a predetermined destination of the failure; The management server according to claim 5 .

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