Position information management system, management device, position information management method, and program

Abstract

To provide a technique advantageous in utilizing attribute information of a mobile object while considering privacy.SOLUTION: A position information management system comprises: a positioning device which detects position information of a mobile object; a storage unit which associates attribute information of the mobile object with the position information to be stored; a determination unit which determines disclosure propriety of each of one or more attributes included in the attribute information on the basis of the position information; and an output unit which associates the position information with the attributes determined as disclosable to be distributed to an external system. In the attribute information, whether or not each of the one or more attributes is a protection object attribute determined as a privacy protection object is preliminarily regulated. The determination unit determines attributes other than the protection object attributes among the one or more attributes as disclosable, determines the protection object attributes as undisclosable when a position of the mobile object belongs to a privacy setting area, and determines the protection object attribute as disclosable when the position of the mobile object does not belong to the privacy setting area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technology for a location information management system that manages location information of a mobile object. [Background technology]

[0002] There are known technologies that measure and utilize the location information of people or objects. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology that limits the disclosure of information to only mobile stations that exist in a specific range of areas. In this technology, the location information of a mobile station is periodically detected, and the information is disclosed to the mobile station only if the mobile station is within the disclosure range. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2004-328130 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is known a system that distributes location information of a moving object such as a person or a robot in a management area to an external system and utilizes it. In such a system, if the location information of the moving object is unconditionally associated with attribute information of the moving object and distributed, there may be a problem in terms of privacy. The technology of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 describes that the location information of the mobile station is periodically detected and transmitted to a server, but does not decide whether or not to disclose the attribute information of the mobile station in consideration of privacy.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a technology that is advantageous in utilizing attribute information of moving objects while respecting privacy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The location information management system disclosed herein includes a positioning device that detects location information including the location of a mobile body, a memory unit that associates and stores attribute information including one or more attributes of the mobile body with the location information, a determination unit that determines whether or not each of one or more attributes included in the attribute information can be made public based on the location information, and an output unit that associates the location information with an attribute determined by the determination unit to be public and delivers the location information to an external system.

[0007] In addition, the management device of the present disclosure includes an information acquisition unit that acquires location information including the location of a mobile body, a memory unit that associates and stores attribute information including one or more attributes of the mobile body with the location information, a determination unit that determines whether or not each of one or more attributes included in the attribute information can be made public based on the location information, and an output unit that associates the location information with an attribute determined by the determination unit to be public and delivers the location information to an external system.

[0008] In addition, the location information management method disclosed herein is a location information management method in which a computer manages location information of a moving body to be distributed to an external system, and includes the steps of detecting location information including the position of the moving body, associating attribute information including one or more attributes of the moving body with the location information, determining whether or not each of the one or more attributes included in the attribute information is public based on the location information, and associating the location information with the attributes determined to be public and distributing the location information to the external system.

[0009] Furthermore, the program disclosed herein is a program that causes a computer to execute the following steps to manage location information of a moving body to be distributed to an external system, and is configured to cause the computer to detect location information including the location of the moving body, associate attribute information including one or more attributes of the moving body with the location information, determine whether or not each of the one or more attributes included in the attribute information can be made public based on the location information, and associate the location information with the attributes determined to be public and distribute the information to the external system. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the technology of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a technology that is advantageous in utilizing attribute information of moving objects while respecting privacy. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an overview of a location information management system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a location information management system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] 4 is an example of various types of information of data stored in a memory. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a specific example of a management table for natural persons as mobile bodies. [Diagram 5] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a specific example of a management table for a mobile robot as a moving body. [Figure 6] 2 is a functional block diagram showing functions realized by a processor of the management device executing a program. FIG. [Figure 7] 4 is a flowchart of a routine executed in the position information management system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 illustrates a modification of the hardware resources of the management device. [Figure 9] 2 is a functional block diagram showing functions realized by a processor of the management device executing a program. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of a management table of natural persons managed in the position information management system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 11] 13 is a diagram showing a specific example of a management table for a mobile robot managed in the position information management system according to the embodiment 2. FIG. [Figure 12] 11 is a flowchart of a routine executed in a position information management system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart of a disclosure permission determination process executed in the position information management system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a location information management system according to embodiment 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, elements common to the various drawings are given the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0013] Embodiment 1 1-1. Overview of the overall configuration of the location information management system FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining an overview of a location information management system according to the first embodiment. The location information management system 100 according to the first embodiment is a system that distributes location information of a mobile object moving in a management area such as a facility, in association with attribute information including one or more attributes of the mobile object. The mobile object is, for example, a natural person or a mobile robot that uses the facility. The mobile robot is not limited to a robot that can move autonomously, but includes a robot that moves by being operated by an operator. FIG. 1 illustrates an example in which a user A as a mobile object moves within a facility.

[0014] When the moving entity is a natural person, examples of the attribute information include gender, identification information of the affiliated organization such as an employee ID, name, age, other physical characteristics, etc. When the moving entity is a mobile robot, examples of the attribute information include robot type, serial number, manufacturer, size, function, etc.

[0015] The position information management system 100 includes at least one positioning device 60 and a management device 10. The positioning device 60 functions as a position information detection unit that detects the position of a mobile object. The position detected by the positioning device 60 is, for example, coordinates of a three-dimensional absolute coordinate system. In FIG. 1, the positioning device 60 is configured as a part of the function of a mobile terminal with a GPS (Global Positioning System) function carried by a user A as a mobile object. Examples of the mobile terminal include a smartphone and a tablet. The positioning device 60 is configured to be able to communicate with the management device 10 via a communication network 70 such as the Internet. The position information of the user A detected by the positioning device 60 is transmitted to the management device 10 after being associated with a unique identification ID that identifies the user A.

[0016] The management device 10 is, for example, a cloud server on a cloud. Alternatively, the management device 10 is an on-premise server operated by the company. The management device 10 prestores a mobile object attribute table in which attribute information is associated with a unique identification ID of a mobile object. In addition, in the mobile object attribute table, a classification is stored as to whether each attribute item of the attribute information is a protected attribute that is a privacy protection target that should be restricted from being publicly disclosed to the external system 80 depending on the situation. Examples of the external system 80 here include a system that manages building facilities such as elevators, a system that manages personnel in an organization, and the like. The management device 10 receives the location information transmitted from the positioning device 60, and generates and stores a management table in which the location information is associated with attribute information using the mobile object attribute table.

[0017] Here, the public information distributed from the location information management system 100 to the external system 80 is used to grasp the location of each employee in a managed area of ​​a facility such as an office building. In such a case, it is required that protected attributes such as employee ID or name are also associated with location information and made public to the external system 80. On the other hand, in areas of the managed area where privacy should be considered, such as around restrooms, it is not preferable to associate protected attributes that can identify individuals with location information and make them public to the external system 80. For this reason, in areas where privacy should be considered, it can be said that it is sufficient if gender is included as attribute information for grasping the congestion situation, for example.

[0018] Therefore, in the location information management system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1, the management device 10 preliminarily sets privacy attributes for areas that require privacy consideration in the management area. In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, a toilet and its surrounding area are set as a privacy setting area that requires privacy consideration. When a user A is at a position P1 in a privacy non-setting area that is not a privacy setting area, the management device 10 generates public information in which the protected attributes of the privacy protection target in the management table are included in the public items. On the other hand, when a user A is at a position P2 in the privacy setting area, the management device 10 generates public information in which the protected attributes of the privacy protection target in the management table are excluded from the public items. The management device 10 is configured to be able to communicate with an external system 80 via a communication network 70 such as the Internet. The generated public information is distributed to the external system 80 via the communication network 70.

[0019] According to the above-described operation of the location information management system 100, it is possible to select attribute information of a user included in public information distributed to the external system 80 according to the privacy attribute of the management area in which the user is located. This makes it possible to utilize attribute information while taking into consideration the privacy of the user.

[0020] 1-2. Example of the configuration of the location information management system 100 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a location information management system according to embodiment 1. The location information management system 100 includes at least one positioning device 60 and a management device 10 described above.

[0021] The management device 10 has the function of a processing device as a computer. Typically, the management device 10 has at least one processor 20 and at least one memory 30. The memory 30 functions as a storage unit that stores various information. Examples of the memory 30 include a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory. The memory 30 stores at least one program 300 executable by the processor 20 and various data 302 related thereto. The processor 20 executes the program 300. The program 300 may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium.

[0022] The data 302 includes various types of information. Fig. 3 shows an example of various types of information stored in the memory. The data 302 includes location information, a mobile object attribute table, a management table, privacy attribute information, and public information.

[0023] The location information is information in which the identification ID of a moving object is associated with information indicating the location of the moving object obtained from information input from the positioning device 60. The moving object attribute table is information in which the identification ID of a moving object is associated with the attributes of the moving object. The moving object attribute table is stored in advance in the memory 30.

[0024] The management table is a table in which the location information of a moving body is associated with the attribute information of the moving body for each time. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a specific example of a management table for a natural person as a moving body. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a specific example of a management table for a mobile robot as a moving body. As shown in these figures, the management table stores the identification ID, location information, moving distance, and attribute information of the moving body for each time. The management table is generated by an information management process described later based on the location information and the moving body attribute table.

[0025] The privacy attribute information is map information in which privacy setting areas and privacy non-setting areas are classified on a map of a management area. The privacy attribute information is stored in the memory 30 in advance.

[0026] The public information is information that is extracted from the information stored in the management table and that is to be made public to the external system 80. The public information is generated by a disclosure permission determination process, which will be described later.

[0027] 2 again, the communication device 40 is a functional block having a function of transmitting and receiving data to and from the positioning device 60 or the external system 80 via the communication network 70, and storing the received data in the memory 30. Typically, the communication device 40 receives location information from the positioning device 60 and stores it in the memory 30. In addition, the communication device 40 transmits public information to the external system 80 via the communication network 70.

[0028] The display device 50 is a display that displays various information, for example, position information received from the positioning device 60 via the communication network 70.

[0029] The processor 20 executes the program 300 to realize various processes by the processor 20. Fig. 6 is a functional block diagram showing functions realized by the processor of the management device executing the program. As shown in Fig. 6, the processor 20 includes an information acquisition unit 21, a position / attribute information management unit 22, a disclosure permission determination unit 23, and an external system output unit 24. Below, the functions of the processor 20 will be described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5, taking as an example a case where the management device 10 generates disclosure information and distributes it to an external system 80.

[0030] The information acquisition unit 21 is a functional block for executing a process of acquiring location information from the positioning device 60. This process is hereinafter referred to as an “information acquisition process.” The location information acquired by the information acquisition process is stored in the memory 30.

[0031] The position and attribute information management unit 22 is a functional block for executing information management processing for managing a management table in which attribute information is associated with position information for each identification ID of a moving object. In the information management processing, the position and attribute information management unit 22 stores in the memory 30 a management table in which attribute information corresponding to the identification ID of the position information is associated.

[0032] The disclosure admissibility determination unit 23 is a functional block for executing a process of determining whether each item of the attribute information stored in the management table is public. This process is hereinafter referred to as a "publication admissibility determination process." In the publication admissibility determination process, the publication admissibility determination unit 23 determines whether each item of the attribute information is public based on the location information of the mobile body and the privacy attribute information. Typically, when the location of the mobile body determined from the location information belongs to a privacy setting area, the publication admissibility determination unit 23 determines that the protected attribute of the privacy protection target cannot be made public. On the other hand, when the location of the mobile body determined from the location information does not belong to a privacy setting area, the publication admissibility determination unit 23 determines that the protected attribute of the privacy protection target can be made public. Then, the publication admissibility determination unit 23 generates public information based on the determination result of the publication admissibility determination process.

[0033] The external system output unit 24 is a functional block for executing an output process of outputting the public information to the external system 80. In the output process, the external system output unit 24 distributes the public information to the external system 80 via the communication network 70.

[0034] 1-3. Specific processing executed in the location information management system according to the first embodiment Next, the processing executed in each functional block of the processor 20 will be described in detail with reference to a flowchart. Fig. 7 is a flowchart of a routine executed in the location information management system according to the first embodiment. The routine shown in Fig. 7 is repeatedly executed in the processor 20 at a predetermined control period. The processing of the routine shown in Fig. 7 also represents a part of a location information management method for managing the location information of a moving object.

[0035] In step S10, information acquisition processing is executed in the information acquisition unit 21 of the processor 20. Typically, in step S100, the information acquisition unit 21 determines whether or not it has received location information output from the positioning device 60. As a result, if the determination is not established, the processing of this routine is terminated, and if the determination is established, the processing proceeds to step S12.

[0036] In step S12, the position and attribute information management unit 22 of the processor 20 executes an information management process. Typically, in step S120, the position and attribute information management unit 22 generates a management table in which attribute information in a mobile object attribute table is associated with the position information acquired by the information acquisition process, and stores the management table in the data 302 of the memory 30. When the process of step S12 is completed, the process proceeds to step S14.

[0037] In step S14, the disclosure determination unit 23 of the processor 20 executes a disclosure determination process. Typically, in step S140, the disclosure determination unit 23 determines whether the location information of the moving object acquired by the information acquisition process belongs to a privacy setting area. As a result, if the determination is not found to be true, it is determined that consideration of privacy of the attribute information is not necessary and the protected attribute of the privacy protection target can be made public, and the process proceeds to step S142. In step S142, the disclosure determination unit 23 generates public information in which the protected attribute that is the privacy protection target in the management table is made public.

[0038] On the other hand, if the judgment in step S140 is found to be true, it is determined that consideration of privacy of the attribute information is necessary and the protected attributes of the privacy protection target cannot be made public, and the process proceeds to step S144. In step S144, the disclosure admissibility judgment unit 23 generates public information in which the protected attributes designated as privacy protection targets in the management table are made publicly accessible. The public information generated in the disclosure admissibility judgment process is stored in the data 302 in the memory 30. When the process in step S14 is completed, the process proceeds to step S16.

[0039] In step S16, an output process is executed in the external system output unit 24 of the processor 20. Typically, the external system output unit 24 distributes the public information generated in the public permission determination process to the external system 80 via the communication network 70.

[0040] According to the location information management system 100 described above, it is possible to determine whether or not to disclose attribute information that requires consideration of privacy, based on the location information of a moving object. This makes it possible to disclose and utilize the attribute information of a moving object while taking privacy into consideration.

[0041] In addition, when the moving body is a mobile robot, it is possible to determine whether or not to disclose attribute information that requires consideration of privacy, based on the location information of the mobile robot. This makes it possible to conceal attribute information according to the area in which the mobile robot moves, for example, when mobile robots from multiple manufacturers coexist.

[0042] 1-4.Modifications The position information management system 100 according to the embodiment may be modified as follows. The following modifications may also be applied to position information management systems according to other embodiments described later.

[0043] 1-4-1. Positioning device 60 The positioning device 60 may be configured as a device that detects the position of a mobile object within a certain range using short-distance wireless communication such as UWB (Ultra Wide Band). In this case, the positioning device 60 includes a UWB terminal that transmits a UWB signal, a reception-only tag that receives the UWB signal, and an information processing function that detects the position of the mobile object based on the UWB signal received by the reception-only tag. A plurality of UWB terminals of the positioning device 60 are installed at intervals in a management area. The information processing function is realized, for example, by the processor 20 of the management device 10 executing a program. As a result, when a mobile object having a reception-only tag moves through the management area, the position of the mobile object can be measured with high accuracy. In addition, the short-distance wireless communication may be performed using a beacon device using Bluetooth (registered trademark) or a device using RFID, in addition to UWB. In the case of the positioning device 60 of this modified example, when the information input from the positioning device 60 to the management device 10 in the information acquisition process is not the position of the mobile object itself but information such as radio wave intensity, distance measurement, and angle measurement values ​​for estimating the position of the mobile object, the management device 10 detects the position information of the mobile object from the input information by implementing an information processing function. Then, in step S120, the position and attribute information management unit 22 generates a management table in which the attribute information of the mobile object attribute table is associated with the position information detected by the information acquisition process, and stores the management table in the data 302 of the memory 30.

[0044] Alternatively, the positioning device 60 may be configured as a card reader. The card reader is a contactless card reader that detects the proximity of an ID card owned by a specific mobile object such as an employee or a robot, and wirelessly communicates with the detected ID card. By communicating with the ID card, the card reader can transmit and receive data to and from the ID card. For example, the card reader is a fixed card reader that is provided on the wall of an entrance for entering a partitioned area in a management area, and is used for authentication when entering the partitioned area. A mobile object entering the partitioned area brings its ID card close to the card reader before entering. The card reader reads the unique identification ID stored in the card memory of the ID card. When the identification ID is read by the card reader, it can be determined that the mobile object with the identification ID is at the installation position of the card reader.

[0045] Alternatively, the positioning device 60 may be a device that detects the position of a moving object by analyzing images from a camera installed in a facility.

[0046] When the positioning device 60 is configured as a mobile terminal, the positioning device 60 may include sensors such as an acceleration sensor and a gyro sensor in order to improve positioning accuracy. The positioning device 60 may also include a display for displaying the determined position information.

[0047] 1-4-2. Hardware resources of management device 10 Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a modified example of the hardware resources of the management device 10. In the example shown in Fig. 8, the management device 10 includes a processing circuit 34 including, for example, a processor 20, a memory 30, and dedicated hardware 32. Fig. 8 shows an example in which some of the functions of the management device 10 are realized by the dedicated hardware 32. All of the functions of the management device 10 may be realized by the dedicated hardware 32. As the dedicated hardware 32, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a combination of these can be adopted.

[0048] 1-4-3. Disclosure decision process From the viewpoint of privacy consideration, there may be a situation where it is not desirable to include accurate position coordinates in the location information of a moving object included in public information. Therefore, in the public / non-public determination process executed by the public / non-public determination unit 23, a range including the location coordinates and their surroundings may be used as the location information of the moving object. An example of such a range is a range that is predetermined with the location coordinates as the center. The selection of whether to use a location range using the location coordinates as the location information to be included in the public information may be configured to be selectable individually for each moving object in the moving object attribute table, or may be determined collectively for all moving objects. Such public / non-public determination process allows further consideration to the privacy of the moving object.

[0049] 2. Embodiment 2 The location information management system according to the second embodiment is characterized by a function of adjusting public information based on the state of the external system 80. Below, differences between the location information management system according to the second embodiment and the example disclosed in the first embodiment will be described in detail. For features not described in the second embodiment, any of the features in the example disclosed in the first embodiment may be adopted.

[0050] 2-1. Functions of the location information management system according to the second embodiment FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram showing functions realized by the processor of the management device executing a program. As shown in FIG. 9, the processor 20 further includes an external information acquisition unit 25 in addition to the functions shown in FIG. 6. The external information acquisition unit 25 is a functional block for executing a process of acquiring external system information from an external system 80. This process is hereinafter referred to as an "external system information acquisition process." The external system information here includes destination information of the external system 80 to which the information is delivered, status information, and the like. The status information indicates a state such as a normal state indicating that the external system 80 is in operation, an abnormal state due to a system down or the like, and an emergency state such as a disaster. The external system information acquired by the external system information acquisition process is stored in the memory 30.

[0051] In the information management process, the position and attribute information management unit 22 stores in the memory 30 a management table in which attribute information corresponding to the identification ID of the position information and external system information are associated. Fig. 10 is a diagram showing a specific example of a management table for a natural person managed in the position information management system according to the second embodiment. Fig. 11 is a diagram showing a specific example of a management table for a mobile robot managed in the position information management system according to the second embodiment. In these management tables, in addition to the identification ID, position information, moving distance, and attribute information of the moving object, the destination and status of the external system are further stored for each time.

[0052] In the disclosure determination process, the disclosure determination unit 23 determines whether each item of the attribute information is to be disclosed based on the location information of the moving object and the external system information. Typically, when the location of the moving object determined from the location information belongs to a privacy setting area and the state information of the external system information is an emergency state, the disclosure determination unit 23 determines that even if the attribute is a protected attribute that is a privacy protection target, it is to be disclosed. This makes it possible to identify personal information in the event of a disaster such as elevator entrapment, for example, when the external system 80 is a management system for an elevator or the like. This makes it easy to utilize the external system 80 in a rescue application such as a person location utilization application in an emergency state.

[0053] Alternatively, if the location of the moving body determined from the location information belongs to a privacy setting area and the status information of the external system information is in an abnormal state, the disclosure determination unit 23 generates invalid disclosure information to cancel the disclosure of the information to the external system 80.

[0054] 2-2. Specific processes executed in the location information management system according to the second embodiment Next, the processing executed in each functional block of the processor 20 will be described in detail with reference to a flowchart. Fig. 12 is a flowchart of a routine executed in a location information management system according to the second embodiment. The routine shown in Fig. 12 is repeatedly executed in the processor 20 at a predetermined control period. The processing of the routine shown in Fig. 12 also represents a part of a location information management method for managing the location information of a moving object.

[0055] In step S20, the information acquisition unit 21 of the processor 20 executes information acquisition processing. Typically, in step S200, the information acquisition unit 21 determines whether or not it has received location information output from the positioning device 60. As a result, if the determination is not established, the processing of this routine is terminated, and if the determination is established, the processing proceeds to step S22.

[0056] In step S22, an external system information acquisition process is executed in the external information acquisition unit 25 of the processor 20. Typically, in step S220, the external information acquisition unit 25 acquires external system information from the external system 80. When the process of step S22 is completed, the process proceeds to step S24.

[0057] In step S24, the position and attribute information management unit 22 of the processor 20 executes an information management process. Typically, the position and attribute information management unit 22 generates a management table in which the position information acquired by the information acquisition process of step S20 is associated with the attribute information in the mobile object attribute table and the external system information acquired by the external system information acquisition process of step S22, and stores the management table in the data 302 of the memory 30. When the process of step S24 is completed, the process proceeds to step S26.

[0058] In step S26, the disclosure determination unit 23 of the processor 20 executes a disclosure determination process. Fig. 13 is a flowchart of the disclosure determination process executed in the location information management system according to the second embodiment. In the disclosure determination process, the disclosure determination unit 23 determines in step S260 whether the status information of the external system 80 is in an abnormal state. As a result, if the determination is found to be true, it is determined that the disclosure of information to the external system 80 should be canceled, and the process proceeds to step S262. In step S262, the disclosure determination unit 23 generates invalid disclosure information.

[0059] On the other hand, if the determination is not made in step S260, the process proceeds to step S264. In step S264, the disclosure determination unit 23 determines whether the state information of the external system 80 is an emergency state. If the determination is made, the process proceeds to step S266. In step S266, the disclosure determination unit 23 generates disclosure information in which the protected attributes that are privacy protection targets in the management table are set to not be disclosed.

[0060] On the other hand, if the determination is not established in step S264, the process proceeds to step S268. In step S268, the disclosure determination unit 23 determines whether the location information of the moving object acquired by the information acquisition process belongs to the privacy setting area. As a result, if the determination is not established, it is determined that consideration of privacy of the attribute information is not necessary, and the process proceeds to step S270. In step S270, the disclosure determination unit 23 generates public information in which the items of the protected attributes that are subject to privacy protection in the management table are set to be publicly available.

[0061] On the other hand, if the determination in step S268 is found to be true, it is determined that consideration of privacy of attribute information is necessary, and the process proceeds to step S272. In step S272, the disclosure determination unit 23 generates disclosure information in which the protection target attribute that is set as a privacy protection target in the management table is made public.

[0062] 12, in step S28, the external system output unit 24 of the processor 20 executes output processing. Typically, the external system output unit 24 distributes the public information generated in the disclosure availability determination processing to the external system 80 via the communication network 70. At this time, if the public information is invalid public information generated in step S262, the public information is not distributed in the output processing.

[0063] According to the position information management system 100 according to the second embodiment described above, it is possible to determine whether or not to disclose attribute information that requires consideration of privacy, depending on the state of the external system 80. This makes it possible to manage information that can be disclosed in the attribute information of a moving object, while taking into consideration the state of the external system 80.

[0064] 3.Embodiment 3. In the location information management system 100 according to the first embodiment, the attribute information of a moving object is stored in advance in a moving object attribute table in the memory 30. Among the attribute information of a moving object, information that can be determined from the appearance, such as gender and age, can be estimated from a camera image captured by a camera, and does not necessarily need to be stored in advance in the moving object attribute table.

[0065] The location information management system according to the third embodiment is characterized in that at least a part of the attribute information of the moving object is acquired from an external device. The following will particularly describe in detail the differences between the location information management system according to the third embodiment and the example disclosed in the first embodiment. For features not described in the third embodiment, any of the features of the example disclosed in the first embodiment may be adopted.

[0066] 3-1. Features of the location information management system according to the third embodiment FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a location information management system according to the third embodiment. The location information management system 100 includes at least one positioning device 60, a management device 10, and at least one attribute information acquisition device 90. The attribute information acquisition device 90 identifies a moving object moving within a management area and acquires part of the attribute information of the moving object. Typically, the attribute information acquisition device 90 is a camera device installed within the management area, and identifies the moving object by performing known image analysis on a captured camera image, and acquires attribute information such as gender and age. Alternatively, the attribute information acquisition device 90 is configured as a part of the function of a mobile terminal carried by the moving object. In this case, the attribute information acquisition device 90 acquires at least a part of the attribute information of the moving object stored in the mobile terminal. Alternatively, if the moving object is a mobile robot, the attribute information acquisition device 90 is configured as a part of the function of the mobile robot. In this case, the attribute information acquisition device 90 acquires at least a part of the attribute information of the moving object stored in the mobile robot.

[0067] The attribute information acquisition device 90 transmits data in which the acquired attribute information is associated with the identification ID of the mobile object to the management device 10 via the communication network 70.

[0068] The management device 10 acquires the attribute information sent from the attribute information acquisition device 90 in the information acquisition process executed by the information acquisition unit 21. The acquired attribute information is reflected in the moving object attribute table by linking it with an identification ID.

[0069] According to the above-described processing of the location information management system, part of the attribute information of the moving object can be acquired from an external device. This makes it possible to reduce the labor required for maintenance and management of the management device 10 and to improve the scalability.

[0070] 4.Other Although the preferred embodiments have been described in detail above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and substitutions can be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the scope of the claims.

[0071] Various aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below as appendices.

[0072] (Appendix 1) A positioning device for detecting position information including a position of a moving object; a storage unit that stores the location information in association with attribute information including one or more attributes of the moving object; a determination unit that determines whether or not each of the one or more attributes included in the attribute information is public based on the location information; an output unit that associates the location information with the attribute determined by the determination unit to be publicly available and delivers the associated location information to an external system; A location information management system comprising: (Appendix 2) The storage unit stores in advance a classification of whether each of the one or more attributes in the attribute information is a protected attribute that is a privacy protection target, The determination unit is If the location of the moving object included in the location information belongs to a privacy setting area, it is determined that the protected attribute cannot be made public. 2. The location information management system of claim 1, configured as follows: (Appendix 3) The determination unit is determining that attributes other than the protected attributes among the one or more attributes are publicly available; If the location of the moving object included in the location information does not belong to the privacy setting area, it is determined that the protection target attribute can be made public. 3. The location information management system according to claim 2, configured as follows: (Appendix 4) The location information management system according to any one of Supplementary Note 1 to Supplementary Note 3, wherein the moving body includes a person or a mobile robot. (Appendix 5) an external information acquisition unit that acquires external system information including a state of the external system; The determination unit determines whether or not each of the one or more attributes is publicly available based on the external system information. 4. The location information management system according to claim 2 or 3, configured to: (Appendix 6) When the external system information includes information indicating an emergency state of the external system, the determination unit determines that the protection target attribute is open to the public. 6. The location information management system according to claim 5, configured as follows: (Appendix 7) When the external system information includes information indicating an abnormal state of the external system, the determination unit determines that all of the one or more attributes are not to be disclosed. 6. The location information management system according to claim 5, configured as follows: (Appendix 8) An attribute information acquisition device that acquires at least a part of the one or more attributes of the moving object, The storage unit stores the location information in association with the attribute information including the attributes acquired by the attribute information acquisition device. 8. The location information management system according to claim 1, configured as follows: (Appendix 9) The attribute information acquisition device includes a camera device that captures an image of the moving object, and acquires attributes of the moving object based on a camera image of the moving object captured by the camera device. 9. The location information management system according to claim 8, configured to: (Appendix 10) The moving object is a person carrying a mobile terminal or a mobile robot, The attribute information acquisition device acquires at least a part of the one or more attributes from the mobile terminal or the mobile robot. 9. The location information management system according to claim 8, configured to: (Appendix 11) The output unit associates the attribute information determined by the determination unit to be public with location information of the moving object and a range including the location of the moving object, and transmits the associated attribute information to the external system. 11. The location information management system according to claim 1, configured as follows: (Appendix 12) an information acquisition unit that acquires location information including a location of a moving object; a storage unit that stores the location information in association with attribute information including one or more attributes of the moving object; a determination unit that determines whether or not each of the one or more attributes included in the attribute information is public based on the location information; an output unit that associates the location information with the attribute determined by the determination unit to be publicly available and delivers the associated location information to an external system; A management device comprising: (Appendix 13) A location information management method in which a computer manages location information of a moving object to be distributed to an external system, comprising the steps of: detecting location information including a location of the moving object; Associating attribute information including one or more attributes of the moving object with the location information; determining whether or not each of the one or more attributes included in the attribute information is public based on the location information; a step of associating the location information with the attribute determined to be publicly available and delivering the information to an external system; A location information management method comprising: (Appendix 14) A program for causing a computer to manage location information of a moving object to be distributed to an external system, Detecting location information including a location of the moving object; Associating attribute information including one or more attributes of the moving object with the location information; determining whether or not each of the one or more attributes included in the attribute information is publicly available based on the location information; The location information is associated with the attribute determined to be publicly available and is delivered to an external system. A program configured to cause a computer to execute a process. (Appendix 15) A computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon for causing a computer to execute management of location information of a moving object to be distributed to an external system, The program is Detecting location information including a location of the moving object; Associating attribute information including one or more attributes of the moving object with the location information; determining whether or not each of the one or more attributes included in the attribute information is publicly available based on the location information; The location information is associated with the attribute determined to be publicly available and is delivered to an external system. A computer-readable recording medium configured to cause a computer to execute the following: [Explanation of symbols]

[0073] 10 Management device, 20 Processor, 21 Information acquisition unit, 22 Location and attribute information management unit, 23 Disclosure determination unit, 24 External system output unit, 25 External information acquisition unit, 30 Memory, 32 Dedicated hardware, 34 Processing circuit, 40 Communication device, 50 Display device, 60 Positioning device, 70 Communication network, 80 External system, 90 Attribute information acquisition device, 100 Location information management system, 300 Program, 302 Data

Claims

1. A positioning device for detecting position information including a position of a moving object; a storage unit that stores the location information in association with attribute information including one or more attributes of the moving object; a determination unit that determines whether or not each of the one or more attributes included in the attribute information is publicly available based on the location information; an output unit that associates the location information with the attribute determined by the determination unit to be publicly available and delivers the associated location information to an external system; A location information management system comprising:

2. The storage unit stores in advance a classification of whether each of the one or more attributes in the attribute information is a protected attribute that is a privacy protection target, The determination unit is If the location of the moving object included in the location information belongs to a privacy setting area, it is determined that the protected attribute cannot be made public. The location information management system according to claim 1 , which is configured to:

3. The determination unit is determining that attributes other than the protected attribute among the one or more attributes are publicly available; If the location of the moving object included in the location information does not belong to the privacy setting area, it is determined that the protection target attribute can be made public. The location information management system according to claim 2 , which is configured to:

4. 4. The position information management system according to claim 1, wherein the moving body includes a person or a mobile robot.

5. an external information acquisition unit that acquires external system information including a state of the external system; The determination unit determines whether or not each of the one or more attributes is publicly available based on the external system information.

4. The position information management system according to claim 2, which is configured to:

6. When the external system information includes information indicating an emergency state of the external system, the determination unit determines that the protection target attribute is open to the public. The location information management system according to claim 5 , which is configured to:

7. When the external system information includes information indicating an abnormal state of the external system, the determination unit determines that the one or all of the plurality of attributes are not to be disclosed. The location information management system according to claim 5 , which is configured to:

8. The vehicle further includes an attribute information acquisition device that acquires at least a part of the one or more attributes of the moving object, The storage unit stores the location information in association with the attribute information including the attributes acquired by the attribute information acquisition device.

4. The position information management system according to claim 1, wherein the position information management system is configured as follows:

9. The attribute information acquisition device includes a camera device that captures an image of the moving object, and acquires attributes of the moving object based on a camera image of the moving object captured by the camera device. The location information management system according to claim 8, which is configured to:

10. The moving object is a person carrying a mobile terminal or a mobile robot, The attribute information acquisition device acquires at least a part of the one or more attributes from the mobile terminal or the mobile robot. The location information management system according to claim 8, which is configured to:

11. The output unit associates the attribute information determined by the determination unit to be public with location information of the moving object and a range including the location of the moving object, and transmits the associated attribute information to the external system.

4. The position information management system according to claim 1, wherein the position information management system is configured as follows:

12. an information acquisition unit that acquires location information including a location of a moving object; a storage unit that stores the location information in association with attribute information including one or more attributes of the moving object; a determination unit that determines whether or not each of the one or more attributes included in the attribute information is publicly available based on the location information; an output unit that associates the location information with the attribute determined by the determination unit to be publicly available and delivers the associated location information to an external system; A management device comprising:

13. A location information management method in which a computer manages location information of a moving object to be distributed to an external system, comprising the steps of: detecting location information including a location of the moving object; associating attribute information including one or more attributes of the moving object with the location information; determining whether or not each of the one or more attributes included in the attribute information is public based on the location information; a step of associating the location information with the attribute determined to be publicly available and delivering the information to an external system; A location information management method comprising:

14. A program for causing a computer to manage location information of a moving object to be distributed to an external system, Detecting location information including a location of the moving object; Associating attribute information including one or more attributes of the moving object with the location information; determining whether or not each of the one or more attributes included in the attribute information is publicly available based on the location information; The location information is associated with the attribute determined to be publicly available and is delivered to an external system. A program configured to cause a computer to execute a process.

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