Base position search unit, terminal, and base position search method

Abstract

To provide a base position search unit that shortens the time required to search for the position of an embedded base and reduces the labor required to search for the position of the base when an aviation marker light is installed.SOLUTION: According to an embodiment, a base position search unit includes a communication module and a terminal, and the communication module includes a storage medium in which base position information indicating the position of the base embedded in a roadbed is stored. The terminal identifies the position of the terminal based on information acquired by communication with a radio wave transmitter in a first communication method using radio waves from the radio wave transmitter, and receives the base position information from the communication module by communication in a second communication method not using the radio waves from the radio wave transmitter. The terminal makes a determination using the position of the terminal, and the position of the base in the base position information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The embodiments of the present invention relate to a base location location unit, a terminal, and a base location location method. [Background technology]

[0002] Aircraft beacons are used in aircraft passageways such as airport taxiways and runways, and each beacon includes a base and a lamp. In the process of installing an aircraft beacon in an aircraft passageway, a hole is formed by excavating the roadbed, and a base is installed inside the hole. After a wiring route to the aircraft beacon to be installed is formed, the hole where the base was installed is backfilled and the base is buried in the roadbed. Then, with the hole where the base was installed backfilled, the road surface of the aircraft passageway is paved.

[0003] In the work of installing aviation beacons in aircraft passageways, after paving the road surface as described above, surveying or the like is carried out to search for the position of a base embedded in the roadbed and identify the position of the base. Then, the roadbed is excavated at the identified base position, and a mounting member including a light is attached to the embedded base from above vertically. In this way, the aviation beacons are installed in the aircraft passageway. In the work of installing aviation beacons as described above, it is desired to shorten the time required to search for the position of the base embedded in the roadbed and reduce the effort required to search for the position of the base. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-85264 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The problem that the present invention aims to solve is to provide a base position search unit, terminal, and base position search method that shortens the time required to search for the position of an embedded base when installing an aviation marker light, and reduces the effort required in searching for the base position. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] According to an embodiment, the base position search unit includes a communication module and a terminal, and the communication module is installed on the base of the aviation beacon light. The communication module includes a storage medium in which base position information indicating the position of the base embedded in the roadbed is stored. The terminal communicates with the radio wave transmitter by a first communication method using radio waves from the radio wave transmitter, and receives the base position information from the communication module by communication by a second communication method not using radio waves from the radio wave transmitter. The terminal includes a processing unit, and the processing unit specifies the position of the terminal based on information acquired by communication with the radio wave transmitter by the first communication method, and determines the position of the terminal using the specified position of the terminal and the position of the base indicated by the received base position information. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a base position search unit, terminal, and base position search method that shorten the time required to search for the position of an embedded base when installing an aviation marker light, and reduce the effort required in searching for the base position. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates an aircraft marker light according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates an example of a situation in which an aircraft marker light is installed in an aircraft passage in the first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view that illustrates an example of a state in which a next step has been performed from the state in FIG. 2 in the work of installing an air marker light in the first embodiment. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a situation in which the position of a base embedded in a roadbed is being searched for in the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system in which the base position searching unit is used in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process performed by the terminal according to the first embodiment in searching for the position where a certain base is embedded. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a process for setting base position information in a storage medium of a communication module in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the process of setting base position information in the storage medium of the communications module, which is different from that of FIG. 7, in the first embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] The base position search unit (30) of the embodiment includes a communication module (20) and a terminal (32), and the communication module (20) is installed on the base (10) of the aviation beacon light (1). The communication module (20) includes a storage medium (43) in which base position information (45) indicating the position of the base (10) embedded in the roadbed (2) is stored. The terminal (32) communicates with the radio wave transmitter by a first communication method using radio waves from the radio wave transmitter, and receives the base position information (45) from the communication module (20) by communication by a second communication method not using radio waves from the radio wave transmitter. The terminal (32) includes a processing unit (36), and the processing unit (36) specifies the position of the terminal (32) based on information acquired by communication with the radio wave transmitter by the first communication method, and determines the position of the terminal (32) using the specified position of the terminal (32) and the position of the base (10) indicated by the received base position information (45). This shortens the time required to search for the position of the embedded base (10) when installing the aviation beacon light (1), and reduces the effort required to search for the position of the base (10).

[0010] In the base position search unit (30) of the embodiment, the radio wave transmitter is a GPS satellite (33), and the processing unit (36) of the terminal (32) identifies the real-time position of the terminal (32) based on the GPS. In the base position information (45) stored in the storage medium (43) of the communication module (20), the position of the base (10) is indicated by the GPS. As a result, the real-time position of the terminal (32) is appropriately identified, and the position of the base (10) is appropriately indicated in the base position information (45).

[0011] In the embodiment of the base position search unit (30), the radio wave transmitter is placed at the airport, and the processing unit (36) of the terminal (32) identifies the real-time position of the terminal (32) as a relative position with the radio wave transmitter as a reference. In the base position information (45) stored in the storage medium (43) of the communication module (20), the position of the base (10) is indicated as a relative position with the radio wave transmitter as a reference. As a result, the real-time position of the terminal (32) is appropriately identified, and the position of the base (10) is appropriately indicated in the base position information (45).

[0012] In the base position search unit (30) of the embodiment, the communication module (20) communicates with the radio wave transmitter in a first communication method, and identifies the position of the base (10) based on information acquired by communication with the radio wave transmitter in the first communication method, and writes base position information (45) indicating the identified position of the base (10) to the storage medium (43). As a result, the base position information (45) is appropriately set and stored in the storage medium (43) of the communication module (20).

[0013] In the base position search unit (30) of the embodiment, the terminal (32) specifies the position of the base (10) based on information acquired by communication with the radio wave transmitter in the first communication method, and transmits base position information (45) indicating the specified position of the base (10) to the communication module (20) in the second communication method, thereby writing the base position information (45) to the storage medium (43) of the communication module (20). Even if the communication module (20) cannot communicate with the radio wave transmitter, the base position information (45) is appropriately set and stored in the storage medium (43) of the communication module (20).

[0014] The terminal (32) of the embodiment is used together with the communication module (20) and includes a communication unit (35), a position identification unit (37), and a determination unit (38). The communication unit (35) communicates with the radio wave transmitter by a first communication method using radio waves from the radio wave transmitter. The communication unit (35) communicates with the communication module (20) attached to the base (10) of the aviation beacon light (1) by a second communication method not using radio waves from the radio wave transmitter, and receives base position information (45) indicating the position of the base (10) embedded in the roadbed (2) from the communication module (20) by communication by the second communication method. The position identification unit (37) identifies the position of the terminal (32) based on information acquired by communication with the radio wave transmitter by the first communication method. The determination unit (38) compares the identified position of the terminal (32) with the position of the base (10) indicated by the received base position information (45), and determines the position for excavating the roadbed (2) based on the comparison result. This reduces the time required to search for the position of the buried base (10) when installing the aviation beacon light (1), and reduces the effort required to search for the position of the base (10).

[0015] In the base position search method of the embodiment, the radio wave transmitter and the terminal (32) communicate with each other using a first communication method that uses radio waves from the radio wave transmitter, and the position of the terminal (32) is identified based on information acquired by the terminal (32) through communication with the radio wave transmitter using the first communication method. Then, the terminal (32) communicates with a communication module (20) attached to the base (10) of the aviation beacon light (1) using a second communication method that does not use radio waves from the radio wave transmitter, and the terminal (32) receives base position information (45) indicating the position of the base (10) embedded in the roadbed (2) from the communication module (20). Then, the identified position of the terminal (32) is compared with the position of the base (10) indicated by the received base position information (45), and a position for excavating the roadbed (2) is determined based on the comparison result. This shortens the time required to search for the position of the embedded base (10) when installing the aviation beacon light (1), and reduces the effort required to search for the position of the base (10).

[0016] In the base position search method of the embodiment, a base (10) is installed inside a hole (5A) formed in a roadbed (2), and a communication module (20) having base position information (45) stored in a storage medium (43) is attached to the base (10). Then, with the communication module (20) attached to the base (10), the hole (5A) in which the base (10) is installed is backfilled, thereby embedding the base (10) in the roadbed (2). As a result, the communication module (20) having base position information (45) stored in the storage medium (43) is appropriately installed at the position where the base (10) is embedded.

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0018] First, a first embodiment will be described as an example of an embodiment. FIG. 1 shows an aviation beacon 1 according to the first embodiment. In FIG. 1, a cross section parallel or approximately parallel to the vertical direction is shown. The aviation beacon 1 is used in aircraft passages such as taxiways and runways at airports. Here, in aircraft passages such as taxiways, a roadbed (not shown) is formed over the entire aircraft passage. In the aircraft passage, a plurality of roadbeds 2 are arranged vertically above the roadbed, and a road surface (passage surface) 3 is formed by the plurality of roadbeds 2. The roadbed 2 is formed from asphalt concrete, crushed stone cement, or the like. Note that only one roadbed 2 is shown in FIG. 1.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, an aircraft beacon 1 includes a base 10 and a mounting member 11, and in the example of FIG. 1, the aircraft beacon 1 includes a lamp unit 12, an adjustment ring 13, and a spacer 15 as the mounting member 11. A hole 5 is formed in the roadbed 2 of the aircraft passageway, recessed vertically downward from the road surface 3. The base 10 is installed inside the hole 5 and does not protrude vertically upward from the road surface 3. For this reason, the base 10 is installed in the hole 5 so as to be embedded inside the roadbed 2 and not exposed at the road surface 3. The base 10 is installed at a position vertically downward away from the road surface 3 by a distance of, for example, 50 mm or more and 500 mm or less.

[0020] In the aircraft beacon light 1, the mounting member 11 is attached from the vertically upward side to the base 10 installed inside the hole 5. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the spacer 15 is attached to the base 10 from the vertically upward side, and the adjustment ring 13 is attached to the spacer 15 from the vertically upward side. The light unit 12 is then placed on the adjustment ring 13 from the vertically upward side, and is attached to the base 10 with the adjustment ring 13 and the spacer 15 between them. In one example, the spacer 15 is not provided, and the adjustment ring 13 is attached directly to the base 10 from the vertically upward side. In this case, the light unit 12 is attached to the base 10 with only the adjustment ring 13 between them.

[0021] In a state where the mounting member 11 is attached to the base 10 as described above, at least a part of the lighting device 12 protrudes vertically upward from the road surface 3, and a part of the lighting device 12 is exposed at the road surface 3. The lighting device 12 includes a light source unit (not shown), which includes a light-emitting element. The light-emitting element provided in the light source unit may be an LED (light emitting diode) or a light-emitting element other than an LED. When power is supplied to the light source unit, the light source unit performs a light-emitting operation using the light-emitting element and emits light such as visible light. The light from the light source unit is irradiated to the outside of the lighting device 12. In a state where the mounting member 11 including the lighting device 12 is attached to the base 10, light from the light source unit of the lighting device 12 is irradiated to the aircraft in an aircraft passage such as a taxiway. The light from the light source unit of the lighting device 12 may be irradiated to the ground (road surface, etc.).

[0022] A cavity 6 is formed inside the roadbed 2, and the cavity 6 is connected to the hole 5. Furthermore, inside the roadbed 2, a power line 16 is extended through the cavity 6. For this reason, in aircraft passageways such as taxiways, the power line 16 is embedded in the roadbed 2, and the cavity 6 is formed as a wiring route to the aircraft beacon light 1. The power line 16 can be connected to the lighting device 12. When the power line 16 is connected to the lighting device 12, power is supplied to the lighting device 12 through the power line 16. When power is supplied through the power line 16, the light source unit of the lighting device 12 performs a light emitting operation and irradiates light as described above.

[0023] Here, the work of installing the aviation marker light 1 in the aircraft passage in this embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 shows an example of a situation in the work of installing the aviation beacon 1 in an aircraft passage in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, a communication module 20 is used in the work of installing the aviation beacon 1. In the work of installing the aviation beacon 1 in an aircraft passage, a hole 5A is formed by excavating the roadbed 2. Then, a base 10 is installed inside the formed hole 5A. In addition, the aforementioned cavity 6 is formed as a wiring route to the aviation beacon 1 to be installed. The cavity 6 is formed in a state of communication with the hole 5A.

[0024] In this embodiment, the communication module 20 is attached to the base 10 that is installed in the hole 5A. In one example, after the base 10 is installed in the hole 5A as described above, the communication module 20 is attached to the base 10 in the hole 5A. In another example, the communication module 20 is attached to the base 10 outside the hole 5A, and the base 10 to which the communication module 20 is attached is installed inside the hole 5A. Therefore, the order in which the base 10 is installed in the hole 5A and the communication module 20 is attached to the base 10 is not particularly limited. In these examples, the communication module 20 may simply be placed on the base 10.

[0025] 2, in addition to the communication module 20, a battery 21 is attached to the base 10. When the base 10 and the communication module 20 are installed inside the hole 5A, the battery 21 is electrically connected to the communication module 20, and power from the battery 21 is supplied to the communication module 20. The communication module 20 performs an operation described below using the power from the battery 21. It is preferable that each of the communication module 20 and the battery 21 is housed in a waterproof and dustproof case (not shown) to ensure the waterproof and dustproof properties of the communication module 20 and the battery 21.

[0026] FIG. 3 shows an example of a situation in which the next step is performed from the situation in FIG. 2 in the work of installing the aviation beacon 1. As shown in FIG. 3 and other figures, in the work of installing the aviation beacon 1, the hole 5A in which the base 10 is installed is backfilled. At this time, a cover member 17 is attached from the vertically upper side to the base 10 installed in the hole 5A. It is desirable that the cover member 17 is configured to be able to pass radio waves emitted from the communication module 20. For example, the cover member 17 is made of a material that transmits radio waves emitted from the communication module 20, or has a hole portion through which the radio waves emitted from the communication module 20 can pass. Then, the material forming the roadbed 2, such as asphalt concrete or crushed stone cement, is returned to the hole 5A, and the hole 5A is backfilled. In this embodiment, the hole 5A in which the base 10 is installed is backfilled with the communication module 20 attached to the base 10. As a result, the base 10 and the communication module 20 are buried in the roadbed 2. 2 and 3, together with the base 10 and the communication module 20, a battery 21 that supplies power to the communication module 20 is embedded in the roadbed 2. At this time, the roadbed 2 may be provided with a hole that penetrates from the cover member 17 to the surface of the roadbed 2, so that radio waves from the communication module 20 can reach the ground surface side from the roadbed 2.

[0027] In the work of installing the aviation beacon light 1, the road surface 3 of the aircraft passage is paved with the hole 5A in which the base 10, the communication module 20, etc. are installed being backfilled. Then, after the road surface 3 is paved, the position of the base 10 embedded in the roadbed 2 is searched for and the position of the base 10 is identified. In this embodiment, the search for the position of the embedded base 10 is performed as described below.

[0028] Then, at the specified position of the base 10, the roadbed 2 is excavated and a hole 5 is formed. Therefore, the position of the embedded base 10 is specified as the position where the roadbed 2 is to be excavated. Then, in the formed hole 5, the mounting member 11 including the light unit 12 is attached to the embedded base 10 from above vertically. In this way, the aviation beacon light 1 is installed on the roadbed 2, for example, as shown in FIG. 1. Note that the communication module 20, the battery 21, etc., which are embedded in the roadbed 2 together with the base 10, are removed from the base 10 when the mounting member 11 is attached to the base 10. The removed communication module 20 and battery 21 can be reused at another site, etc.

[0029] Fig. 4 shows an example of a situation in this embodiment where the position of the base 10 embedded in the roadbed 2 is being searched for. As shown in Fig. 4 etc., when the position of the base 10 is being searched for, the base 10 and the communication module 20 are embedded inside the roadbed 2 as described above. In the example of Fig. 4, a plurality of bases 10 are embedded in the roadbed 2, and a communication module 20 is attached to each of the plurality of embedded bases 10.

[0030] Here, a distance L from the road surface 3 to the communication module 20 attached to each of the embedded bases 10 in a state where the road surface 3 is paved is specified. The distance L is 1 m (1000 mm) or less, for example, any value between 50 mm and 500 mm. In addition, in an example of FIG. 4, a plurality of bases 10 embedded in the roadbed 2 are arranged. The plurality of bases 10 may be arranged along the aircraft passage, or may be arranged along a direction intersecting (perpendicular or approximately perpendicular) the aircraft passage. Here, a distance D between adjacent bases 10 in the arrangement direction is specified. In the plurality of bases 10 arranged along the aircraft passage, the distance D between adjacent bases 10 is, for example, 8 m or more and 30 m or less. In the plurality of bases 10 arranged along a direction intersecting the aircraft passage, the distance D between adjacent bases 10 is, for example, 1 m or more and 2 m or less.

[0031] In this embodiment, a worker 31 uses a terminal 32 to search for the position of the base 10 embedded in the roadbed 2. The terminal 32 is, for example, a tablet or a smartphone. In this embodiment, the communication module 20 attached to each of the embedded bases 10 and the terminal 32 constitute a base position search unit 30.

[0032] Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a system using the base position search unit 30. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, in a system using the base position search unit 30, in addition to the communication module 20 and terminal 32 constituting the base position search unit 30, a GPS (Global Positioning System) satellite 33 serving as a radio wave transmitter that transmits radio waves is used. The terminal 32 communicates with the GPS satellite 33 serving as a radio wave transmitter by a first communication method using radio waves from the GPS satellite 33.

[0033] Moreover, the terminal 32 communicates with the communication module 20 attached to the base 10 by a second communication method that does not use radio waves from the GPS satellite 33. The second communication method that is the wireless communication method between the terminal 32 and the communication module 20 is not particularly limited as long as it does not use radio waves from the GPS satellite 33. In one example, wireless communication is performed between the terminal 32 and the communication module 20 by using existing communication technologies such as Wi-Fi, BlueTooth (registered trademark), and Wi-SUN, or by combining existing communication technologies. In another example, wireless communication is performed between the terminal 32 and the communication module 20 by using infrared rays or ultraviolet rays. Note that in a configuration using Wi-Fi as the second communication method, wireless communication is possible between the terminal 32 and the communication module 20 that are about 30 m away from each other.

[0034] The terminal 32 includes a communication unit 35 and a processing unit 36. The communication unit 35 is composed of, for example, a communication circuit. The terminal 32 wirelessly communicates with the GPS satellite 33 via the communication unit 35 in a first communication method. The terminal 32 also wirelessly communicates with the communication module 20 via the communication unit 35 in a second communication method.

[0035] The processing unit 36 ​​is composed of a processor or an integrated circuit, and a storage medium such as a memory. The processor or integrated circuit constituting the processing unit 36 ​​includes any of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a microcomputer, an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), and a DSP (Digital Signal processor). The processing unit 36 ​​may include only one integrated circuit or the like, or may include multiple integrated circuits or the like. The processing unit 36 ​​may include only one storage medium or may include multiple storage media. The processing unit 36 ​​includes a position identification unit 37 and a determination unit 38. The processing unit 36 ​​including the position identification unit 37 and the determination unit 38 performs the processing described below.

[0036] The communication module 20 includes a processing circuit 41, a communication circuit 42, and a storage medium 43. The processing circuit 41 is configured from a processor or an integrated circuit. The processor or integrated circuit configuring the processing circuit 41 includes any of a CPU, an ASIC, a microcomputer, an FPGA, and a DSP. The processing circuit 41 may include only one integrated circuit or the like, or may include multiple integrated circuits or the like. The storage medium 43 is configured from, for example, a memory. The communication module 20 wirelessly communicates with the terminal 32 using the second communication method via the communication circuit 42.

[0037] The storage medium 43 stores base position information 45. The base position information 45 indicates the position of the base 10 on which the communication module 20 is attached. In this embodiment, the base position information 45 indicates the position of the base 10 based on GPS, that is, the absolute position. In addition to the base position information 45, the storage medium 43 may store an identifier of the base 10 on which the communication module 20 is attached. The identifier of the base 10 is indicated by, for example, an identification number or an IP address. When multiple bases 10 are embedded in the roadbed 2, as in the example of FIG. 4, the multiple bases 10 can be identified by the identifier. A method of writing the base position information 45 and the like to the storage medium 43 will be described later.

[0038] Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed by the terminal 32 in searching for the position where a certain base 10 is embedded. When the processing of the example of Fig. 6 is started, the communication unit 35 of the terminal 32 wirelessly communicates with the GPS satellite 33, which is a radio wave transmitter, using a first communication method (S61).

[0039] Then, the position specifying unit 37 of the processing unit 36 ​​specifies the real-time position of the terminal 32 based on the information acquired by communication with the GPS satellite 33 in the first communication method (S62). At this time, the communication unit 35 receives radio waves from the GPS satellite 33, and the position specifying unit 37 specifies the real-time position of the terminal 32 based on the strength of the received radio waves, etc. Furthermore, the real-time position of the terminal 32 is specified as a position based on the GPS, i.e., as an absolute position.

[0040] The communication unit 35 also wirelessly communicates with the communication module 20 attached to the base 10 to be searched, using the second communication method. The communication unit 35 then receives base position information 45 indicating the position of the base 10 to be searched from the communication module 20 by wireless communication using the second communication method (S63). When multiple bases 10 are embedded in the roadbed 2, as in the example of FIG. 4, the terminal 32 may also receive base position information 45 for bases 10 other than the search target from the communication module 20 attached to the base 10. For this reason, in the example of FIG. 4, the terminal 32 receives the identifier of the base 10 in addition to the base position information 45 from the communication module 20 attached to the base 10. The determination unit 38 of the processing unit 36 ​​then determines whether the received base position information 45 is information related to the base 10 to be searched, based on the identifier of the base 10.

[0041] In another example, the communications module 20 continues to transmit base position information 45 of the base 10 to which it is attached as long as it is operating. Then, the terminal 32 receives the base position information 45 continuously transmitted from the communications module 20 while being located within a range where it can communicate with the communications module 20 using the second communication method. In another example, the communications module receives a command signal requesting the communications module 20 to transmit the base position information 45 from the terminal 32 located within a range where it can communicate using the second communication method. Then, in response to receiving the command signal, the communications module 20 transmits the base position information 45 to the terminal 32 that transmitted the command signal.

[0042] Then, the determination unit 38 compares the real-time position of the terminal 32 identified by the position identification unit 37 with the position of the base 10 to be searched for, which is indicated by the received base position information 45 (S64). Then, the determination unit 38 determines the position to excavate the roadbed 2 based on the comparison result (S65). That is, it is determined whether or not the real-time position of the terminal 32 corresponds to the position to form the hole 5. In the determination of S65, it is determined whether or not the position of the terminal 32 in real time matches the position of the base 10 in the base position information 45. Then, if the position of the terminal 32 matches the position of the base 10, the real-time position of the terminal 32 is specified as the position to excavate the roadbed 2. Thereby, the position of the base 10 to be searched for is specified.

[0043] On the other hand, when the position of the terminal 32 is different from the position of the base 10, the determination unit 38 determines that the real-time position of the terminal 32 is different from the position where the roadbed 2 is excavated. Then, the terminal 32 is moved, that is, the position of the terminal 32 is changed, and the processes of S61 to S65 are performed again. The processes of S61 to S65 are repeatedly performed until the real-time position of the terminal 32 matches the position of the base 10 to be searched for, which is indicated by the base position information 45. That is, the processes of S61 to S65 are repeated until the position of the base 10 to be searched for is identified.

[0044] Here, the communication module 20 performs operations such as communication operations using power from the battery 21. For this reason, the capacity of the battery 21 is appropriately adjusted according to the period from when the base 10 is embedded until the position of the base 10 is searched for. Also, when it takes a long time from when the base 10 is embedded until the position of the base 10 is searched for, the remaining capacity of the battery 21 may become low. In this embodiment, when the remaining capacity of the battery 21 becomes low, a battery other than the battery 21 may be added, and power may be supplied to the communication module 20 from the added battery.

[0045] 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a process for setting base position information 45 in storage medium 43 of communication module 20. In the example of FIG. 7, communication circuit 42 of communication module 20 is capable of wireless communication with GPS satellite 33 by a first communication method using radio waves from GPS satellite 33. Moreover, the example of the process of FIG. 7 is performed before backfilling hole 5A. The example of the process of FIG. 7 may be performed in a state where communication module 20 is attached to base 10, or may be performed before communication module 20 is attached to base 10.

[0046] When the process of the example of FIG. 7 is started, the communication circuit 42 of the communication module 20 wirelessly communicates with the GPS satellite 33, which is a radio wave transmitter, in the first communication method at the position where the base 10 is installed in the hole 5A (S71). Then, the processing circuit 41 of the communication module 20 specifies the position of the base 10 (hole 5A) based on the information acquired by communication with the GPS satellite 33 in the first communication method (S72). At this time, the communication circuit 42 receives radio waves from the GPS satellite 33, and the processing circuit 41 calculates the position of the communication module 20 in real time based on the strength of the received radio waves, etc. Then, the processing circuit 41 specifies the position of the communication module 20 in real time as the position of the base 10. Also, the position of the base 10 is specified as a position based on the GPS, that is, as an absolute position. Then, the processing circuit 41 writes base position information 45 indicating the specified position of the base 10 to the storage medium 43 (S73).

[0047] 8 is a flowchart showing another example of the process of setting the base position information 45 in the storage medium 43 of the communication module 20, which is different from that shown in FIG. 7. In the example shown in FIG. 8, the communication module 20 cannot communicate with the GPS satellite 33. The process shown in FIG. 8 is also performed before backfilling the hole 5A. In addition, the process shown in FIG. 8 may be performed in a state where the communication module 20 is attached to the base 10, or may be performed before the communication module 20 is attached to the base 10.

[0048] When the process of the example of FIG. 8 is started, the communication unit 35 of the terminal 32 wirelessly communicates with the GPS satellite 33, which is a radio wave transmitter, in the first communication method at the position where the base 10 is installed in the hole 5A (S81). Then, the processing unit 36 ​​of the terminal 32 specifies the position of the base 10 (hole 5A) based on the information acquired by communication with the GPS satellite 33 in the first communication method (S82). At this time, the position specifying unit 37 of the processing unit 36 ​​receives radio waves from the GPS satellite 33, and the position specifying unit 37 calculates the position of the terminal 32 in real time based on the strength of the received radio waves, etc. Then, the position specifying unit 37 specifies the position of the terminal 32 in real time as the position of the base 10. Also, the position of the base 10 is specified as a position based on GPS, that is, as an absolute position.

[0049] Then, the communication unit 35 of the terminal 32 wirelessly communicates with the communication module 20 in a second communication method that does not use radio waves from the GPS satellite 33. At this time, the communication unit 35 of the terminal 32 transmits base position information 45 indicating the identified position of the base 10 to the communication module 20 in the second communication method (S83). Then, the processing circuit 41 of the communication module 20 writes the base position information 45 received by the communication circuit 42 from the terminal 32 in the storage medium 43 (S84).

[0050] In one example, the position of the base 10 is identified by the terminal 32 in the same manner as in the example of Fig. 8. However, in this example, a computer other than the terminal 32 is connected to the communication module 20 by wire, and base position information 45 indicating the identified position of the base 10 is transmitted from the computer to the communication module 20 by wired communication. As a result, the base position information 45 is written in the storage medium 43 of the communication module 20.

[0051] As described above, in this embodiment, the communication module 20 is attached to the base 10 of the aviation beacon light 1, and the base position information 45 indicating the position of the base 10 embedded in the roadbed 2 is stored in the storage medium 43 of the communication module 20. Then, the processing unit 36 ​​of the terminal 32 specifies the real-time position of the terminal 32 based on information acquired by communication with the GPS satellite 33 in a first communication method using radio waves from the GPS satellite 33, and the terminal 32 receives the base position information 45 from the communication module 20 by communication in a second communication method not using radio waves from the GPS satellite 33. Then, the processing unit 36 ​​of the terminal 32 compares the specified real-time position of the terminal 32 with the position of the base 10 indicated by the received base position information 45, and determines the position for excavating the roadbed 2.

[0052] When installing the aviation beacon 1, the position of the embedded base 10 is searched for as described above, and therefore the time required to search for the position of the base 10 is reduced compared to searching for the position of the base 10 by surveying or the like. Also, in this embodiment, the effort required to search for the position of the base 10 is reduced compared to searching for the position of the base 10 by surveying or the like.

[0053] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the processing unit 36 ​​of the terminal 32 specifies the real-time position of the terminal 32 as a position based on the GPS, and in the base position information 45 stored in the storage medium 43 of the communication module 20, the position of the base 10 is indicated as a position based on the GPS. Therefore, the real-time position of the terminal 32 is appropriately specified, and the position of the base 10 is appropriately indicated in the base position information 45. Then, when the position of the terminal 32 coincides with the position of the base 10, the real-time position of the terminal 32 is appropriately specified as the position for excavating the roadbed 2.

[0054] In addition, in this embodiment, when installing the aviation beacon light 1, the base 10 is installed inside the hole 5A formed in the roadbed 2, and the communication module 20, in which the base position information 45 is stored in the storage medium 43, is attached to the base 10. Then, with the communication module 20 attached to the base 10, the hole 5A in which the base 10 is installed is backfilled. Therefore, the communication module 20, in which the base position information 45 is stored in the storage medium 43, is appropriately installed at the position where the base 10 is buried.

[0055] In addition, in one example of this embodiment, the communication module 20 specifies the position of the base 10 based on information acquired by communication with the GPS satellite 33 in the first communication method, and writes base position information 45 indicating the specified position of the base 10 to the storage medium 43. Therefore, the base position information 45 is appropriately set and stored in the storage medium 43 of the communication module 20.

[0056] Furthermore, in one example of this embodiment, the terminal 32 identifies the position of the base 10 based on information acquired by communication with the GPS satellite 33 in the first communication method. Then, the terminal 32 transmits base position information 45 indicating the identified position of the base 10 to the communication module 20 in the second communication method, thereby writing the base position information 45 to the storage medium 43 of the communication module 20. As a result, even if the communication module 20 cannot communicate with the GPS satellite 33, which is a radio wave transmitter, the base position information 45 is appropriately set and stored in the storage medium 43 of the communication module 20.

[0057] In the above-mentioned embodiment, the GPS satellite 33 is used as the radio wave transmitter, but the position of the embedded base 10 may be searched for by using a radio wave transmitter other than the GPS satellite 33 instead. In one modification, a radio wave transmitter (not shown) installed at an airport is used instead of the GPS satellite 33. The radio wave transmitter used in this modification is, for example, a component of a location information system at the airport.

[0058] In this modification, the terminal 32 also communicates with the radio wave transmitter in a first communication method using radio waves from the radio wave transmitter. Then, the processing unit 36 ​​of the terminal 32 specifies the real-time location of the terminal 32 based on information acquired through communication with the radio wave transmitter in the first communication method. In this modification, the communication unit 35 of the terminal 32 receives radio waves from a radio wave transmitter located at an airport, and the processing unit 36 ​​specifies the real-time location of the terminal 32 based on the strength of the received radio waves, etc. Also, in this modification, the real-time location of the terminal 32 is specified as a relative position based on the radio wave transmitter.

[0059] Also in this modification, the terminal 32 receives the base position information 45 from the communication module 20 by communication in the second communication method that does not use radio waves from the radio wave transmitter. However, in this modification, the base position information 45 indicates the position of the base 10 as a relative position with the radio wave transmitter as the reference.

[0060] In one example of this modified example, the communication module 20 identifies the position of the base 10 based on information acquired by communication with a radio wave transmitter located at the airport using the first communication method, and writes base position information 45 indicating the identified position of the base 10 into the storage medium 43. In another example, the terminal 32 identifies the position of the base 10 based on information acquired by communication with a radio wave transmitter located at the airport using the first communication method. Then, the terminal 32 transmits base position information 45 indicating the identified position of the base 10 to the communication module 20 using the second communication method, thereby writing the base position information 45 into the storage medium 43 of the communication module 20.

[0061] This modification also provides the same effects and advantages as the above-mentioned embodiment. In this modification, the processing unit 36 ​​of the terminal 32 specifies the real-time position of the terminal 32 as a relative position based on the radio wave transmitter located at the airport, and the base position information 45 stored in the storage medium 43 of the communication module 20 indicates the position of the base 10 as a relative position based on the radio wave transmitter located at the airport. Therefore, the real-time position of the terminal 32 is appropriately specified, and the base position information 45 appropriately indicates the position of the base 10. Then, when the position of the terminal 32 coincides with the position of the base 10, the real-time position of the terminal 32 is appropriately specified as the position where the roadbed 2 is excavated.

[0062] According to at least one of these embodiments, base position information indicating the position of the base embedded in the roadbed is stored in the storage medium of the communication module. The terminal then identifies the position of the terminal based on information acquired by communication with the radio wave transmitter in a first communication method using radio waves from the radio wave transmitter, and receives the base position information from the communication module by communication in a second communication method not using radio waves from the radio wave transmitter. The terminal then makes a determination using the identified terminal position and the base position indicated by the received base position information. This makes it possible to provide a base position search unit, terminal, and base position search method that shorten the time required to search for the position of the embedded base and reduce the effort required to search for the position of the base when installing an aviation beacon light.

[0063] Although some embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, and are included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents described in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0064] 1...aviation marker light, 2...roadbed, 5,5A...hole, 10...base, 11...mounted member, 12...light, 20...communication module, 21...battery, 30...base position search unit, 32...terminal, 33...GPS satellite, 35...communication unit, 36...processing unit, 37...position identification unit, 38...determination unit, 41...processing circuit, 42...communication circuit, 43...storage medium, 45...base position information.

Claims

1. A communication module installed on a base of an aviation beacon light, the communication module including a storage medium in which base position information indicating the position of the base embedded in the roadbed is stored; a terminal that communicates with the radio wave transmitter by a first communication method using radio waves from the radio wave transmitter and receives the base position information from the communication module by communication by a second communication method not using the radio waves from the radio wave transmitter; a processing unit provided in the terminal, the processing unit specifying a position of the terminal based on information acquired by communication with the radio wave transmitter in the first communication method, the processing unit determining a position of the terminal using the specified position of the terminal and the position of the base indicated by the received base position information; A base position detection unit comprising:

2. the radio wave transmitter is a GPS satellite, The processing unit of the terminal identifies the location of the terminal in real time based on a GPS; In the base position information stored in the storage medium of the communication module, the position of the base is indicated by a position based on the GPS.

2. The base location finding unit of claim 1.

3. The radio wave transmitter is located at an airport, The processing unit of the terminal identifies the position of the terminal in real time as a relative position based on the radio wave transmitter; In the base position information stored in the storage medium of the communication module, the position of the base is indicated as a relative position based on the radio wave transmitter.

2. The base location finding unit of claim 1.

4. A base position search unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the communication module communicates with the radio wave transmitter using the first communication method, identifies the position of the base based on information obtained by communication with the radio wave transmitter using the first communication method, and writes the base position information indicating the identified position of the base to the storage medium.

5. A base position search unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the terminal identifies the position of the base based on information obtained by communication with the radio wave transmitter using the first communication method, and writes the base position information to the storage medium of the communication module by transmitting the base position information indicating the identified position of the base to the communication module using the second communication method.

6. A terminal for use with a communication module, comprising: a communication unit that communicates with the radio wave transmitter by a first communication method using radio waves from the radio wave transmitter and communicates with the communication module attached to the base of the aviation beacon light by a second communication method not using the radio waves from the radio wave transmitter, and receives base position information indicating the position of the base embedded in the roadbed from the communication module by communication using the second communication method; a location identification unit that identifies a location of the terminal based on information acquired through communication with the radio wave transmitter in the first communication method; a determination unit that compares the specified position of the terminal with the position of the base indicated by the received base position information, and determines a position for excavating the roadbed based on a comparison result; A terminal comprising:

7. identifying a location of the terminal based on information acquired by the terminal through communication with the radio wave transmitter in a first communication method using radio waves from the radio wave transmitter; a communication module attached to a base of the aviation beacon light and the terminal communicate with each other by a second communication method not using the radio waves from the radio wave transmitter, and the terminal receives base position information indicating the position of the base embedded in the roadbed from the communication module; comparing the identified position of the terminal with the position of the base indicated by the received base position information, and determining a position for excavating the roadbed based on a comparison result; A base position locating method comprising the steps of:

8. Installing the base inside a hole formed in the roadbed, and attaching the communication module, the base position information of which is stored in a storage medium, to the base; With the communication module attached to the base, backfilling the hole in which the base is installed, thereby embedding the base in the roadbed; The base position locating method according to claim 7, further comprising:

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