Position management system, method, and information processing device

Abstract

To prevent a deterioration in reliability of position information by facilitating detection of abnormality in a system for estimating the position of a management object depending on reading of information from wireless devices.SOLUTION: A position management system includes a first reader that can read information from wireless devices, a first wireless device existing in a reading range of the first reader, and a second wireless device attached to a management object. The position management system estimates the position of the management object on the basis of a reading result of second identification information in the case where the first reader reads the second identification information from the second wireless device. In addition, the position management system detects abnormality relating to the first wireless device on the basis of a result of an attempt of reading first identification information from the first wireless device by the first reader.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a location management system, method, and information processing apparatus.

Background Art

[0002] RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) is a technology that enables information embedded in a small device, also called a tag, to be read from an external reader by short-range wireless communication. For example, by attaching an RFID tag embedded with unique identification information to an article, it becomes possible to efficiently grasp the location of the article, and it also becomes easy to visualize the information of the articles under management. Among them, passive RFID tags that transmit information using the energy of electromagnetic waves radiated from a reader do not require a battery, so the manufacturing cost is low, and since they can operate semi-permanently, their use in various scenarios is expanding.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a management system that utilizes RFID to streamline the progress management of construction work. In the management system of Patent Document 1, RFID tags are installed at specific locations, and in a situation where RFID tags are also attached to building materials, the latest location and status of the building materials are presented to the user based on the information read from these RFID tags by a handy terminal.

[0004] Patent Document 2 discloses a system that combines the reading of information from RFID tags and a self-position estimation method in order to estimate the position of a management target without relying on GPS (Global Positioning System) positioning, which is likely to become unstable in an environment with many obstacles. The system of Patent Document 2 estimates the location of the management target based on the known positions of fixedly installed location tags and the relative movement amount of the reading device calculated according to the self-position estimation method (also referred to as PDR (Pedestrian Dead Reckoning)).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-129312 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-141415 [Summary of the Invention] [Problems to be Solved by the Invention]

[0006] In the systems of Patent Documents 1 and 2, the tag reader does not detect the RFID tag unless the RFID tag is present in the vicinity of the tag reader. However, the reason why the RFID tag is not detected is not necessarily because the RFID tag does not exist. For example, if the RFID tag is damaged or removed for some reason, or if the tag reader is not operating normally, the RFID tag may not be detected. If it is not possible to appropriately distinguish between normal non-detection due to the absence of the RFID tag and system abnormalities that can occur for various reasons, the reliability of the position information will decrease.

[0007] In view of the above points, the present invention aims to facilitate the detection of abnormalities and prevent a decrease in the reliability of position information in a system that estimates the position of a management target relying on the reading of information from a wireless device. [Means for Solving the Problems]

[0008] According to one aspect, there is provided a position management system for managing the position of a management target movable in a real space, the position management system including: a first reader capable of reading identification information stored in a wireless device from the wireless device; a first wireless device storing unique first identification information; and a second wireless device attached to the management target and storing second identification information for identifying the management target. The first wireless device is installed within a reading range of the first reader. The position management system includes: an estimation unit configured to estimate the position of the management target based on a result of reading the second identification information from the second wireless device by the first reader; and an abnormality detection unit configured to detect an abnormality related to the first wireless device based on a result of a trial to read the first identification information from the first wireless device by the first reader. A corresponding method and information processing apparatus are also provided.

Effects of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, in a system for estimating the position of a management target relying on reading information from a wireless device, it is possible to facilitate detection of an abnormality and prevent a decrease in the reliability of position information.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiments, not all of these plurality of features are essential to the invention, and the plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. Further, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0012] <1. Overview of the System> FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of a location management system 1 according to an embodiment. The location management system 1 is a system that tracks the location of a management target that can change daily, manages the location of the management target, and supports visualization of location information. The management target may include at least one of an article located in the real space and a user who is active in the real space. The article may be an inanimate object (e.g., a machine, a device, an instrument, a material, a consumer product, a part, a household item, a vehicle, or a robot), or may be a living thing (e.g., an animal or a plant). Hereinafter, an example of managing articles in an office will be mainly described, but the technology according to the present disclosure is also applicable to other types of management operations, such as setting up an event venue and managing materials in a construction project.

[0013] In the present embodiment, for the management of location information, it is assumed that a plurality of areas are set in the real space. These areas serve as candidates for the location of each management target. The location information of each management target further includes two-dimensional or three-dimensional position coordinates of a point where each management target is estimated to be located.

[0014] In the example of FIG. 1A, a plurality of areas 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d are set in the real space. For example, if the office is one real space, each of the areas 10a to 10d may correspond to each floor or each room in the office. Although not shown in FIG. 1A, the areas may be set hierarchically such that one area includes another area.

[0015] An article 30a exists in area 10a. An article 30b exists in area 10d. These articles are management targets in the location management system 1. The management targets 30a and 30b are movable in the real space.

[0016] The location management system 1 utilizes a wireless device, also called a tag, to track the location of the object to be managed. The location tag is a wireless device (first wireless device) installed in each of the areas set in the real space. In the figure, a location tag 40a is installed in area 10a, a location tag 40b in area 10b, a location tag 40c in area 10c, and a location tag 40d in area 10d. Note that two or more location tags may be installed in one area. Each location tag stores unique identification information (first identification information) in its internal memory.

[0017] The target tag is a wireless device (second wireless device) attached to each of the objects to be managed in the location management system 1. In Fig. 1A, a target tag 50a attached to the object to be managed 30a and a target tag 50b attached to the object to be managed 30b are shown. Each target tag stores identification information (second identification information) for identifying the object to which the target tag is attached in its internal memory.

[0018] User 20a moves between multiple areas while carrying the tag reader 100a in daily work. User 20b also moves between multiple areas while carrying the tag reader 100b. In this specification, the expression that a user carries a certain object shall broadly include various modes in which the user moves together with the object (for example, moving while holding or wearing the object).

[0019] In the following description, when it is not necessary to distinguish between areas 10a to 10d from each other, these are collectively referred to as area 10 by omitting the alphabet at the end of the reference numeral. The same applies to user 20 (20a, 20b), object to be managed 30 (object to be managed 30a, 30b), location tag 40 (40a, 40b,...), target tag 50 (target tag 50a, 50b), and other elements.

[0020] In this embodiment, each of the tags such as the position tag 40 and the target tag 50 shall be a passive RFID tag (passive tag). The passive tag is composed of a small IC (Integrated Circuit) chip with a built-in memory and an antenna, and stores unique identification information and other information in the memory. In this specification, the identification information is simply referred to as ID, and the identification information for identifying the tag is also called the tag ID. Note that the tag ID may be regarded as information for identifying the object to which the tag is attached. The IC chip of the passive tag operates using the energy of the electromagnetic wave radiated from the tag reader, modulates the tag ID and other information stored in the memory into an information signal, and transmits (returns) the information signal from the antenna.

[0021] In other embodiments, each tag may be an active RFID tag. When the tag actively (e.g., periodically) transmits information using the power from the battery built in the tag to the surroundings, the tag may be called a beacon tag. In still another embodiment, each tag may be a wireless device that responds to a signal from the reader and returns information in, for example, the NFC (Near Field Communication) method or the Bluetooth (registered trademark) method. Each tag may be called by any name such as an IC tag, an IC card, or a responder.

[0022] The tag reader 100 is a reading device capable of reading information stored in a wireless device such as an RFID tag. For example, the tag reader 100 can detect the position tag 40 by reading the tag ID from the position tag 40. Also, the tag reader 100 can detect the target tag 50 (and the corresponding management target 30) by reading the tag ID from the target tag 50. An example of the specific configuration of the tag reader 100 will be further described later.

[0023] The terminal device 200 is an information processing device used by the user 20 or other management users. The terminal device 200 may be a general-purpose computer such as a PC (Personal Computer) or a smartphone, or may be a dedicated terminal device provided for the management and browsing of location information. An example of the specific configuration of the terminal device 200 will be further described later.

[0024] The management server 300 is an information processing device that holds the location information of the management target 30 and other information in a database. The management server 300 may be implemented as an application server, a database server, or a cloud server using, for example, a high-performance general-purpose computer. The management server 300 receives the tag reading result from the tag reader 100 and updates the location information in the database based on the received tag reading result. An example of the specific configuration of the management server 300 will be further described later.

[0025] As described above, the location management system 1 estimates the location of the management target relying on the reading of information from the wireless device by the tag reader. For example, when the tag reader 100a reads the respective tag IDs from the target tag 50a and the location tag 40a, based on the tag reading result, it can be estimated that the management target 30a is located in the area 10a. On the other hand, when the tag reader does not detect any tag, usually, it can be determined that there is no tag (and management target) in the vicinity of that tag reader. However, the reason why the tag is not detected may be that the tag has been damaged or removed for some reason, or the tag reader is not operating normally.

[0026] In this embodiment, in order to appropriately distinguish the anomalies of the system that may occur due to the various causes described above from normal operations, a tag reader 110 is incorporated into the location management system 1. In FIG. 1A, a tag reader 110a is installed in area 10a, a tag reader 110b is installed in area 10b, a tag reader 110c is installed in area 10c, and a tag reader 110d is installed in area 10d. The tag reader 1100 is also a reading device capable of reading information stored in a wireless device such as an RFID tag. However, while the tag reader 100 can be carried and moved by the user 20, the tag readers 110 are fixedly installed at their respective locations. Therefore, in the following description, the tag reader 100 is also referred to as a mobile reader, and the tag reader 110 is also referred to as a fixed reader.

[0027] Each fixed reader 110 forms a pair with a corresponding location tag 40. In the example of FIG. 1A, the pair of the location tag 40a and the fixed reader 110a forms a reading system 105a. Also, the pair of the location tag 40b and the fixed reader 110b forms a reading system 105b, the pair of the location tag 40c and the fixed reader 110c forms a reading system 105c, and the pair of the location tag 40d and the fixed reader 110d forms a reading system 105d. In each reading system 105, at least one of the fixed reader 110 and the location tag 40 is installed at a known location in the real space. Also, the location tag 40 is installed within the reading range of the fixed reader 110. In the figure, the respective reading ranges of the fixed readers 110 are shown by dotted ellipses. As will be described in detail later, by incorporating the fixed reader 110 that always includes each location tag 40 within the reading range in this way, it becomes easy to identify the causes of anomalies that may occur in the location management system 1.

[0028] Note that in the location management system 1, not all location tags necessarily form a pair with a fixed reader. FIG. 1B shows another example of the configuration of the location management system 1. In the example of FIG. 1B, the location management system 1 includes location tags 45a and 45b in addition to the components shown in FIG. 1A. The location tag 45a is installed in area 10e. The location tag 45b is installed in area 10f. These location tags 45 are wireless devices (third wireless devices) installed at known points in the real space and storing unique identification information (third identification information). For example, when the mobile reader 100b reads the respective tag IDs from the target tag 50b and the location tag 45b, the management server 300 can estimate that the management target 30b is located in area 10f based on the tag reading result. In the following description, the location tag 40 that forms a pair with a fixed reader is also referred to as a paired location tag, and the location tag 45 that does not form a pair with a fixed reader is also referred to as an unpaired location tag. Unpaired location tags are typically installed outside the reading range of the fixed reader.

[0029] The mobile reader 100, the fixed reader 110, the terminal device 200, and the management server 300 are connected to the network 5. The network 5 may be a wired network, a wireless network, or any combination thereof. Examples of the network 5 may include the Internet, an intranet, and a cloud network. The tag readers 100 and 110 may be directly communicable with the management server 300, or may be indirectly communicable with the management server 300 via some relay device (not shown). For example, the user 20 may carry a user terminal together with the mobile reader 100, and the user terminal may relay the communication between the mobile reader 100 and the management server 300. Also, a relay device that relays the communication between the fixed reader 110 and the management server 300 may be installed in the real space. One relay device may provide the function of relaying communication to a plurality of fixed readers 110.

[0030] Although FIGS. 1A and 1B show a single management server 300, the functions of the management server 300, which will be described in detail later, may be provided by a single device or may be provided by a plurality of physically separate devices cooperating with each other. Further, in the present embodiment, an example in which the management server 300 holds a database will be described, but a device separate from the management server 300 may hold part or all of the database. For example, some data may be held by a wireless device (e.g., a position tag or a target tag), a tag reader, or a terminal device.

[0031] Note that the number of areas set in the real space and the number of management targets managed by the position management system 1 are not limited to the examples shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B and may be any number. Similarly, the number of users 20 and the number of tag readers 100 and 110 may also be any number.

[0032] <2. Configuration Example of Tag Reader> FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a tag reader (mobile reader 100 and fixed reader 110) according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 2, the tag reader includes a control unit 111, a storage unit 112, a communication unit 113, an operation unit 115, and a reading unit 116. In a certain embodiment, the mobile reader 100 may further include a measurement unit 114.

[0033] The control unit 111 consists of a memory that stores a computer program and one or more processors (e.g., a CPU (Central Processing Unit)) that execute the computer program. The control unit 111 controls all the functions of the tag reader described in this specification. For example, the control unit 111 causes the reading unit 116 to read an RFID tag within the tag reading range, and temporarily stores the read information, the reading time, and the signal reception level in the storage unit 112 as read result data. Also, and then, the control unit 111 transmits the read result data stored in the storage unit 112, together with the reader identification information (also referred to as reader ID) of its own device, to the management server 300 via the communication unit 113. In an embodiment where the mobile reader 100 includes the measurement unit 114, the control unit 111 causes the measurement unit 114 to measure the position of its own device in parallel with the reading of the RFID tag, and stores the measurement result in the storage unit 112. Then, the control unit 111 transmits the measurement result data stored in the storage unit 112, together with the reader ID of its own device, to the management server 300 via the communication unit 113.

[0034] The storage unit 112 may include any type of storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory (e.g., ROM (Read Only Memory) or RAM (Random Access Memory)), an optical disk, or a magnetic disk. In this embodiment, the storage unit 112 stores the data to be transmitted to the management server 300 and the reader ID of the tag reader.

[0035] The communication unit 113 is a communication interface for the tag reader to communicate with other devices. For example, the communication unit 113 may be a WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) interface that communicates with a WLAN access point, or a cellular communication interface that communicates with a cellular base station. Also, the communication unit 113 may be a connection interface (e.g., a Bluetooth (registered trademark) interface or a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface) for connection to a relay device.

[0036] The measurement unit 114 is a unit capable of measuring the position of the own device. For example, the measurement unit 114 can measure the relative movement amount of the tag reader from a certain reference position using a self-position estimation method also called PDR. When the measurement unit 114 measures the relative movement amount using PDR, the measurement unit 114 includes a three-axis acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and a geomagnetic sensor. The measurement unit 114 may measure the relative movement amount using any known self-position estimation method, and the detailed description thereof is omitted here. In a certain modification, the measurement unit 114 may further include a pressure sensor used for estimating the relative height from the reference position. The measurement unit 114 continuously measures the relative movement amount of the mobile reader 100 and outputs the measurement result to the control unit 111. The relative movement amount may be represented by a two-dimensional vector in the horizontal plane or a three-dimensional vector including a component in the height direction.

[0037] As will be described later, the position coordinates of the points where each of the pair position tags 40 (or the fixed reader 110) and the non-pair position tags 45 are installed are known and registered in the database. Therefore, based on the relative movement amount from the time when the mobile reader 100 detects a certain position tag to the current time and the known position coordinates of the position tag, the position coordinates of the point where the mobile reader 100 is currently located can be estimated.

[0038] The mobile reader 100 may not include the measurement unit 114. In that case, as will be described later, a simple position estimation based only on the tag reading result can be performed without considering the relative movement amount of the mobile reader 100.

[0039] The operation unit 115 receives operations by the user 20. The operation unit 115 includes, for example, physical input devices such as buttons, switches, or levers disposed on the housing of the tag reader. The operation unit 115 receives operations by the user 20 via the input device and outputs an operation signal to the control unit 111. Further, the operation unit 115 may include an audio input interface such as a microphone.

[0040] The reading unit 116 is a unit capable of reading information stored in each of the position tag and the target tag under the management of the position management system 1. Referring to FIG. 2, the reading unit 116 includes an RF controller 120, a power amplifier 121, a filter 122, a first coupler 123, a second coupler 124, an antenna 125, a power detection unit 126, and a canceller 127. The RF controller 120 outputs a transmission signal (for example, a signal modulated in the UHF band) from the TX terminal to the power amplifier 121 according to the control by the control unit 111. The power amplifier 121 amplifies the transmission signal input from the RF controller 120 and outputs it to the filter 122. The filter 122 may be, for example, a low-pass filter, and removes unnecessary frequency components of the transmission signal amplified by the power amplifier 121. The first coupler 123 distributes the transmission signal that has passed through the filter 122 to the second coupler 124 and the power detection unit 126. The second coupler 124 outputs the transmission signal input from the first coupler 123 to the antenna 125, and outputs the reception signal input from the antenna 125 to the RF controller 120. The antenna 125 transmits the transmission signal input from the second coupler 124 into the air as an electromagnetic wave. Also, the antenna 125 receives a signal returned from an RFID tag existing within the reading range of the tag reader as a response to the transmission signal, and outputs the received signal to the second coupler 124. The power detection unit 126 detects the power level of the signal input from the first coupler 123, and outputs a signal RF_DETECT indicating the detected power level to the control unit 111. The canceller 127 receives a signal CARRIER_CANCEL indicating the power level of the carrier wave from the control unit 111. Then, based on CARRIER_CANCEL, the canceller 127 cancels the carrier wave component of the transmission signal, thereby extracting the desired signal component of the reception signal to be output to the RX terminal of the RF controller 120. The RF controller 120 demodulates the signal input from the RX terminal, acquires the tag ID and other information returned from the RFID tag, and outputs the acquired information to the control unit 111. Also, the RF controller 120 measures the reception level (also referred to as reception strength) of the signal input from the RX terminal, and outputs the measurement result to the control unit 111.

[0041] In this embodiment, the trial of tag reading by the reading unit 116 can be performed periodically (for example, once per second) without requiring an explicit instruction from the user. The transmission of data from the communication unit 113 to the management server 300 can also be performed periodically (for example, once every few seconds) without requiring an explicit instruction from the user. As a result of the trial of tag reading, if the RFID tag is not detected, the control unit 111 transmits communication data indicating non-detection of the tag to the management server 300 via the communication unit 113 at the timing of communication that periodically arrives. When the communication unit 113 communicates with the management server 300 indirectly via a relay device, the data transmission to the management server 300 may be performed only while the connection between the communication unit 113 and the relay device is valid.

[0042] <3. Configuration example of terminal device> FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a terminal device 200 according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 3, the terminal device 200 includes a control unit 211, a storage unit 212, a communication unit 213, an operation unit 215, a display unit 221, and an audio output unit 222.

[0043] The control unit 211 includes a memory that stores a computer program and one or more processors that execute the computer program. The processor may be a CPU or may be an IC (Integrated Circuit) such as a microcontroller (for example, a one-chip microcontroller). The control unit 211 controls all functions of the terminal device 200 described in this specification. For example, in the position management system 1, when the user desires to view the position information of the management target, the control unit 211 causes the display unit 221 to display a screen for presenting the position information. Some examples of the screen displayed for the user will be further described later.

[0044] The storage unit 212 may include any type of storage medium, such as a semiconductor memory such as a ROM or RAM, an optical disk, or a magnetic disk. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 212 temporarily stores, for example, a map image received from a management server 300 described later and position information of a management target for screen display.

[0045] The communication unit 213 is a communication interface for the terminal device 200 to communicate with the management server 300. For example, the communication unit 213 may be a WLAN interface or a cellular communication interface. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the terminal device 200 may further include a connection interface for connecting to peripheral devices (for example, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) interface or a USB interface).

[0046] The operation unit 215 receives operations and information input by the user. The operation unit 215 includes, for example, input devices such as a touch sensor, a keypad, a keyboard, buttons, or a pointing device. The operation unit 215 receives an operation by the user via the input device and outputs an operation signal to the control unit 211. Further, the operation unit 215 may further include other types of input devices, such as a voice input interface like a microphone or a sensor that detects vibration.

[0047] The display unit 221 displays images and information. The display unit 221 may be, for example, a liquid crystal display or an OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) display. The audio output unit 222 outputs audio. The audio output unit 222 may be, for example, a speaker.

[0048] Note that a user terminal carried by the user 20 may have functions equivalent to those of the terminal device 200 described here.

[0049] <4. Configuration example of management server> <4-1. Schematic configuration> FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the management server 300 according to an embodiment. Referring to FIG. 4, the management server 300 includes a communication unit 310, a location information database (DB) 320, a control unit 330, and a monitoring DB 340.

[0050] The communication unit 310 is a communication interface for the management server 300 to communicate with other devices. The communication unit 310 may be a wired communication interface or a wireless communication interface. In the present embodiment, the communication unit 310 communicates with the mobile reader 100, the fixed reader 110, and the terminal device 200.

[0051] The location information DB 320 is a database that stores various data related to the management of the locations of the objects to be managed. In the present embodiment, the location information DB 320 includes a target table 321, an area table 322, a location tag table 323, a reader table 324, and a tag detection table 325.

[0052] The control unit 330 is a set of a plurality of software modules that execute various processes related to the estimation of locations and the management of location information. Each individual software module can operate by a computer program stored in a memory (not shown) being executed by one or more processors (not shown) of the management server 300. In the present embodiment, the control unit 330 includes a data management unit 331, an estimation unit 332, an information providing unit 333, and an abnormality detection unit 334.

[0053] The monitoring DB 340 is a database that stores various data used for monitoring the states of the devices and devices constituting the location management system 1. In the present embodiment, the monitoring DB 340 includes a tag monitoring table 350 and a reader monitoring table 360.

[0054] <4-2. Basic Data Configuration and Registration> The target table 321 may have one or more of the following data items related to each of the management targets 30 under the management of the location management system 1: "Target ID" "Tag ID" "Name" "Target Type" "Location Area" "Location Point" The "Target ID" is identification information that uniquely identifies each of the management targets 30. The "Tag ID" is identification information that uniquely identifies the target tag 50 attached to each management target. The value of the "Tag ID" is the same as the value of the tag ID stored internally by the corresponding target tag 50. The "Name" represents the name of each management target. The "Target Type" is type information indicating the type (e.g., "desk", "chair", or "computer", etc.) into which each management target is classified. The "Location Area" identifies, by the value of the "Area ID" in the area table 322 described later, the location area among a plurality of areas where each management target is presumed to be located. The "Location Point" represents the position coordinates of the point where each management target is presumed to be located in an embodiment where detailed position estimation using PDR is performed.

[0055] The area table 322 may have one or more of the following data items related to each of the areas 10 set in the real space: "Area ID" "Name" "Geographic Information" "Map Image" "Scale" The "Area ID" is identification information that uniquely identifies each of the areas 10. The "Name" represents the name of each area. The "Geographic Information" is information that defines the range occupied by each area in the real space. For example, a rectangular range can be defined by the coordinates of the vertices and the lengths of each side, and a circular range can be defined by the coordinates of the center point and the radius. The "Map Image" is a data item for storing the map image data when the map image data available for each area is registered by the user. The "Scale" represents the ratio for converting the distance on the map image to the distance in the real space (e.g., how many meters in the real space corresponds to one pixel of the image).

[0056] The position tag table 323 may have one or more of the following data items related to each of the position tags 40 and 45 installed in the real space: "Tag ID" "Installation Area" "Installation Location" "Pair Reader" "Tag ID" is identification information that uniquely identifies each of the position tags 40 and 45. The value of "Tag ID" is the same as the value of the tag ID stored internally by the corresponding position tag. "Installation Area" identifies the area where each position tag is installed with the value of "Area ID" in the area table 322. That is, the tag ID of each position tag is associated with the installation area corresponding to the position tag in the position tag table 323. "Installation Location" represents the known position coordinates of the location where each position tag is installed. "Pair Reader" identifies, for each of the pair position tags 40, the fixed reader 110 paired with the position tag with the value of "Reader ID" in the reader table 324 described later. For the non-pair position tags 45, "Pair Reader" may be blank.

[0057] The reader table 324 may have one or more of the following data items related to each of the mobile reader 100 and the fixed reader 110 used in the position management system 1: "Reader ID" "Name" "Reader Type" "User" "Reader ID" is identification information that uniquely identifies each of the mobile reader 100 and the fixed reader 110. "Name" represents the name of each tag reader. "Reader Type" is type information indicating whether each tag reader is a mobile reader or a fixed reader. "User" is identification information that identifies the user 20 carrying the mobile reader for each of the mobile readers 100. For the fixed reader 110, "User" may be blank.

[0058] The data management unit 331 manages various data stored in the location information DB 320 as described above. The data to be registered in each table of the location information DB 320 can be generated, for example, by a user or an engineer. The data management unit 331 may receive a data file describing such data via the communication unit 310 and register the data in each table. The map image data of each area may be, for example, data based on CAD (Computer-Aided Design) drawings. Further, the data management unit 331 may provide a user interface (UI) for accepting registration, modification, or deletion of data to the user via, for example, the terminal device 200.

[0059] <4-3. Estimation of Position> The estimation unit 332 receives the reading result data from the mobile reader 100 and the fixed reader 110 via the communication unit 310, and estimates the position of each management target 30 based on the received reading result data.

[0060] As an example, assume that one management target 30 exists in the vicinity of a certain pair of position tags 40. The fixed reader 110 corresponding to this pair of position tags 40 reads the tag ID from the pair of position tags 40 at the first time point and reads the tag ID from the target tag 50 attached to the management target 30 at the second time point. The second time point may be before or after the first time point. When the reading result data indicates the results of these tag readings, the estimation unit 332 estimates the position of the management target 30 based on the known position information of at least the point where the pair of position tags 40 (or the corresponding fixed reader 110) is installed. Two embodiments of position estimation will be further described later. When the user 20 carrying the mobile reader 100 approaches the same management target 30 and pair of position tags 40, the estimation unit 332 can similarly estimate the position of the management target 30 based on the tag reading result indicated by the reading result data received from the mobile reader 100.

[0061] As another example, assume that one object 30 is located near a certain unpaired position tag 45, and a user 20 carrying a mobile reader 100 approaches these object 30 and unpaired position tag 45. The mobile reader 100 reads the tag ID from the unpaired position tag 45 at a first time point, and reads the tag ID from a target tag 50 attached to the object 30 at a second time point. When the read result data indicates the results of these tag readings, the estimation unit 332 estimates the position of the object 30 based on at least the known position information of the location where the unpaired position tag 45 is installed.

[0062] In the first embodiment of position estimation, a simple estimation that does not use a self-position estimation method is performed. In the first embodiment, the estimation unit 332 estimates that the detected object 30 is located in the installation area associated with the tag ID of the reference position tag. In this case, the estimation unit 332 updates the value of "location area" in the record of the detected object 30 in the target table 321 to an area ID that identifies the estimated area. The reference position tag here may be a paired position tag 40 or an unpaired position tag 45. However, it is a condition that the detection time of the reference position tag is temporally close to the detection time of the target tag 50 (for example, the time difference between the first time point and the second time point is less than a preset threshold value (for example, several seconds)). Further, the estimation unit 332 may consider that the detected object 30 is located at the installation location associated with the tag ID of the reference position tag. In this case, the estimation unit 332 updates the value of "location point" in the record of the detected object 30 in the target table 321 to the position coordinates of the estimated point.

[0063] Note that when two or more position tags are detected together with the target tag 50 with a time difference less than the above threshold value, the position tag with the highest reception level or the position tag with the smallest difference in detection time may be selected as the reference position tag. Instead, it may be estimated that the object 30 is located at any point (for example, the center of gravity or a preset point) between the installation locations of the two or more position tags. In the first embodiment, although the accuracy of position estimation is rough, it is possible to achieve low-cost and efficient position management.

[0064] In the second embodiment of the position estimation, a more refined estimation is performed using a self-position estimation method. For example, as described above, the timing at which the mobile reader 100 reads the tag ID from the reference position tag is set as the first time point, and the timing at which the tag ID is read from the target tag 50 attached to the management target 30 is set as the second time point. Compared with the first embodiment, in the second embodiment, the time difference between the first time point and the second time point may be longer (that is, the above-described condition for the time difference does not have to be imposed). The estimation unit 332 can estimate the position coordinates of the point where the detected management target 30 (target tag 50) is located based on the relative movement amount of the mobile reader 100 between the first time point and the second time point and the known position of the reference position tag according to the following calculation formula: (u, v, h) = (U0 + (X - X0), V0 + (Y - Y0), H0 + (Z - Z0)) Here, (X, Y, Z) represents the relative movement amount measured at the second time point, and (X0, Y0, Z0) represents the relative movement amount measured at the first time point. Also, (U0, V0, H0) represents the known position coordinates of the installation location of the reference position tag. Note that the height component H in the vertical direction may be derived by applying the measured atmospheric pressure value to the relational expression representing the atmospheric pressure - height model instead of the above-described calculation formula. The estimation unit 332 updates the value of "location" in the record of the detected management target 30 in the target table 321 to the position coordinates estimated in this way.

[0065] In the second embodiment, the estimation unit 332 may estimate that the detected management target 30 is located in the installation area associated with the tag ID of the reference position tag. Instead, the estimation unit 332 may estimate the location area of the management target 30 by determining which area 10 the estimated position coordinates of the management target 30 belong to with reference to the geographical information of each area 10. The estimation unit 332 updates the value of "location area" in the record of the detected management target 30 in the target table 321 to the area ID that identifies the estimated area.

[0066] The tag detection table 325 of the location information DB 320 is used to store records of the reading result data received from the mobile reader 100 and the fixed reader 110 (hereinafter referred to as reading result records). The tag detection table 325 may have one or more of the following data items, for example: "Reading time" "Tag ID" "Reader ID" "Received signal strength" "Reading time" represents the time when the tag ID was read for each reading result record. "Tag ID" represents the tag ID read for each reading result record. "Reader ID" indicates the tag reader that performed the tag reading for each reading result record, using the value of "Reader ID" in the reader table 324. "Received signal strength" represents the reception level of the signal received by the tag reader at the time of tag reading for each reading result record.

[0067] Note that in addition to (or instead of) the position of each management target 30, the estimation unit 332 may estimate the position of the mobile reader 100 (the position of the user 20 carrying the mobile reader 100). In the first embodiment described above, the position of the mobile reader 100 is simply estimated from the position of the reference position tag selected based on the tag reading result without using the self-position estimation method. In the second embodiment described above, the position of the mobile reader 100 can be estimated more precisely according to the above calculation formula using the self-position estimation method.

[0068] <4-4. Provision of Location Information> The information providing unit 333 can display the position information of each of the management targets 30 on the display unit 221 of the terminal device 200 in order to assist the user in grasping the location of the management target 30. In particular, in the present embodiment, in order to enable a global or approximate grasp of the location of the management target, the work space is regularly divided into a plurality of coordinate areas (also referred to as grids). Then, the information providing unit 333 can display on the screen the coordinate area information regarding the coordinate area to which the estimated position coordinates of each management target belong. In addition, the information providing unit 333 can display on the screen the location area information regarding the estimated location area of each management target.

[0069] FIG. 5 shows an example of a plurality of coordinate areas. Referring to FIG. 5, in the space of one floor of a certain building, areas 10a to 10f are set. In addition, paired position tags 40a to 40d are respectively installed in areas 10a to 10d, and unpaired position tags 45a to 45c are respectively installed in areas 10e to 10g. In addition, the entire floor space is divided into a total of four rectangular coordinate areas GR1 to GR4 of 2×2. The shapes of these coordinate areas may be uniform, and the intervals between the boundary lines of the coordinate areas may be constant on each coordinate axis. The boundary lines of the coordinate areas shown by the dashed-dotted line in the figure may or may not coincide with the boundary lines between the areas 10 shown by the solid line in the figure.

[0070] FIG. 6 shows a first example of the configuration of an information viewing screen that can be provided by the information providing unit 333. The information viewing screen 600 can be called in response to a user input via the operation unit 215 of the terminal device 200 and displayed by the display unit 221 of the terminal device 200. Referring to FIG. 6, the information viewing screen 600 includes a building selection field 601, a floor selection field 602, function buttons 603, 604, 605, a map display area 610, and a list display area 620. When the user selects a building and a floor for which the user desires to view location information in fields 601 and 602, a map image of the selected floor is displayed in the map display area 610. The information providing unit 333 superimposes a boundary line (dashed line in the figure) representing the boundaries of a plurality of coordinate regions on this map image, and further superimposes coordinate region information. In the example of FIG. 6, a total of four coordinate regions of 2×2 are set for the selected floor.

[0071] As an example, the coordinate region information displayed on the screen may include statistical information regarding the management targets estimated to be located in each coordinate region. The statistical information here may include, for example, the number of management targets aggregated for each coordinate region selected according to some filtering conditions. Also, the number of management targets may be aggregated for each target type. The function button 603 is a button that calls a UI for allowing the user to specify filtering conditions. The filtering conditions here may include, for example, one or more of conditions related to the management targets and conditions related to the tag reader that detected the management targets. For example, the conditions related to the management targets may include conditions related to the name or target type of the management targets. The conditions related to the tag reader may include a condition that only the management targets detected by a specific tag reader (for example, the tag reader used by the logged-in user) are included.

[0072] In the example of FIG. 6, a box 611 is superimposed on each of the four coordinate regions of the map display area 610. Each box 611 indicates the number of management targets estimated to be currently located in the corresponding coordinate region, for each target type. By presenting such statistical information in units of coordinate regions, it becomes possible for the user to easily and quickly grasp the general location of the management targets at the latest time point or at the time point specified by the user. Also, it is possible to avoid information congestion on the screen in a situation where there are a large number of management targets.

[0073] The list display area 620 includes expandable and collapsible list items 621 and 622. The list item 621 corresponds to "Floor 1F" selected in the floor selection field 602. The list item 622 corresponds to each area 10 set within "Floor 1F". When the user operates any of the list items 622, a list of management targets located in the area 10 corresponding to the operated list item 622 is displayed (when the same list item 622 is operated again, the once-displayed list of management targets becomes non-displayed).

[0074] The function button 604 is a button that calls up a UI that allows the user to change settings related to information display. The function button 605 is a button that calls up a UI that allows activation of some auxiliary function. Since these UIs may be configured according to any known method, detailed descriptions thereof are omitted here. The settings related to information display may include, for example, the size of the coordinate region described above. The auxiliary function may include, for example, downloading a list data file related to the displayed management targets.

[0075] FIG. 7 shows a second example of the configuration of the information viewing screen that can be provided by the information providing unit 333. In the second example, the information providing unit 333 superimposes and displays either the coordinate area information or the location area information on the map image in the map display area 610 according to the selection by the user. Referring to FIG. 7, the information viewing screen 600 includes a display switching button 706 in addition to the components described in relation to FIG. 6. The display switching button 706 is a button for switching the information displayed in the map display area 610 between the coordinate area information and the location area information. For example, when the user operates the display switching button 706 while the coordinate area information is being displayed in the map display area 610, the information providing unit 333 causes the location area information to be displayed in the map display area 610 instead of the coordinate area information. When the user operates the display switching button 706 while the location area information is being displayed in the map display area 610, the information providing unit 333 causes the coordinate area information to be displayed in the map display area 610 instead of the location area information. As an example, the location area information may include statistical information regarding the management targets estimated to be located in each area. The statistical information here may include, for example, the number of management targets selected according to some filtering conditions, aggregated for each location area. Also, the number of management targets may be aggregated for each target type. In the example of FIG. 7, in the map display area 610, seven boxes 711 are superimposed on the map image. Each box 711 shows the number of management targets of each target type that are currently estimated to be located in the corresponding area.

[0076] <4-5. Detection of Abnormality> In the example of FIG. 7, the box 711 in the lower left of the map display area 610 indicates that the number of management targets 30 existing in the corresponding area 10b is zero. However, just from this, it is unclear whether there are actually no management targets 30 in area 10b or whether some abnormality has occurred in the reading system 105b installed in area 10b.

[0077] Assuming the above-described situation, in order to appropriately distinguish between the normally estimated position information and the abnormality of the system, the abnormality detection unit 334 monitors the status of the wireless devices and tag readers under the management of the position management system 1. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the abnormality detection unit 334 detects an abnormality related to the paired position tag 40 based on the result of a trial to read the tag ID from the paired position tag 40 by the fixed reader 110. In addition, the abnormality detection unit 334 may consider the result of reading the tag ID from the paired position tag 40 by the mobile reader 100 in order to distinguish between the abnormality of the paired position tag 40 and the abnormality of the fixed reader 110. Further, the abnormality detection unit 334 may detect an abnormality related to the non-paired position tag 45 based on the result of reading the tag ID from the non-paired position tag 45 by the mobile reader 100. The monitoring DB 340 is a database used for such monitoring and abnormality detection by the abnormality detection unit 334.

[0078] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of the tag monitoring table 350 of the monitoring DB 340. Referring to FIG. 8, the tag monitoring table 350 may have six data items: a position tag ID 351, an associated reader 352, a last detection time 353, a detecting reader 354, an elapsed time 355, and an alarm threshold 356. The position tag ID 351 is identification information that uniquely identifies each of the position tags to be monitored. The associated reader 352 identifies the fixed reader 110 that forms a pair with the pair position tag 40 when the position tag identified by the position tag ID 351 is the pair position tag 40, by the value of "reader ID" in the reader table 324. When the position tag identified by the position tag ID 351 is the non-pair position tag 45, the associated reader 352 is blank. The last detection time 353 represents the time when each position tag was last detected by any tag reader. The detecting reader 354 identifies the tag reader that last detected each position tag, by the value of "reader ID" in the reader table 324. The elapsed time 355 represents the length of time elapsed from the last detection time 353 to the current time. The alarm threshold 356 represents a time threshold used to determine whether an abnormality related to each position tag has occurred. As will be described in detail later, the time threshold indicated by the alarm threshold 356 is compared with the length of time indicated by the elapsed time 355 (i.e., the elapsed time from the last detection time). If this elapsed time (5 minutes in the record identified by the position tag ID "TG01" in FIG. 8) is less than the time threshold (15 minutes in the same record), it can be considered that no abnormality related to the corresponding position tag has occurred. For example, it may be considered that all of the position tag, the corresponding tag reader (tag reading function and communication function thereof), and the data upload path from them to the management server 300 are operating normally. On the other hand, if the above elapsed time exceeds the time threshold, there may be an abnormality related to the corresponding position tag.

[0079] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of the configuration of the reader monitoring table 360 of the monitoring DB 340. Referring to FIG. 9, the reader monitoring table 360 may have four data items: a reader ID 361, a last reception time 362, an elapsed time 363, and an alarm threshold 364. The reader ID 361 is identification information that uniquely identifies each of the tag readers to be monitored. The tag readers to be monitored may include only the fixed reader 110, or may include both the fixed reader 110 and the mobile reader 100. The last reception time 362 represents the time when data was last received from each tag reader. The elapsed time 363 represents the length of time elapsed from the last reception time 362 to the current time. The alarm threshold 364 represents a time threshold used to determine whether an abnormality related to each tag reader has occurred.

[0080] The abnormality detection unit 334 monitors the status of the position tags and the tag readers using these tag monitoring table 350 and reader monitoring table 360. For example, assume that the result of a reading attempt by the fixed reader 110 indicates that the tag ID has not been read from the paired position tag 40 corresponding to the fixed reader 110 over a preset first time period. In this case, the abnormality detection unit 334 determines that an abnormality has occurred related to the paired position tag 40. In the example of FIG. 8, the paired position tag (referred to as position tag 40b) identified by the position tag ID "TG02" has not been detected by any tag reader over an elapsed time of 12 hours from the last detection time to the current time. Therefore, the abnormality detection unit 334 can determine that some abnormality has occurred related to the position tag 40b.

[0081] As another example, assume that the tag monitoring table 350 indicates that the tag ID has not been read from a non-paired position tag 45 for a preset second time period from any tag reader. In this case, the abnormality detection unit 334 determines that an abnormality has occurred related to the non-paired position tag 45. In the example of FIG. 8, the non-paired position tag (referred to as position tag 45b) identified by the position tag ID "TG12" has not been detected by any tag reader over an elapsed time of 8 days or more from the final detection time to the current time. Therefore, the abnormality detection unit 334 can determine that some abnormality related to the position tag 45b has occurred.

[0082] The first time period and the second time period for the above-described abnormality detection are exemplified as the value of the alarm threshold 356 in the tag monitoring table 350. Typically, the second time period, which is the alarm threshold for the non-paired position tag 45, can be set longer than the first time period, which is the alarm threshold for the paired position tag 40. In the example of FIG. 8, the first time period is 15 minutes and the second time period is 1 week. The paired position tag 40 should be periodically detected by the fixed reader 110 that forms a pair if there is no abnormality, while the non-paired position tag 45 is detected only when it enters the reading range of the moving mobile reader 100. Therefore, by setting the second time period longer compared to the first time period, it is possible to avoid the un-detection of the non-paired position tag 45 being detected as an abnormality too frequently. For example, the first time period can be set based on the cycle of the tag reading attempts by the fixed reader 110, and the second time period can be set based on the number of users 20 carrying the mobile reader 100 and the frequency of the real-space patrol.

[0083] Additionally or alternatively, the first time length and the second time length may be individually set for each wireless device (position tag). For example, when the period of tag reading attempts by the fixed reader 110 is not uniform (e.g., depending on power saving requirements or performance), different first time lengths may be set for each of the paired position tags 40. When the user 20's patrol frequency varies for each installation area of the unpaired position tags 45, different second time lengths may be set for each of the unpaired position tags 45. Thereby, the sensitivity of anomaly detection can be optimized for the entire position management system 1.

[0084] As described above, at least the fixed reader 110 communicates with the management server 300 periodically. When the fixed reader 110 has not detected an RFID tag recently, the communication data received by the management server 300 from the fixed reader 110 does not include read result data, which means that the RFID tag has not been detected. As long as this periodic communication is being performed, the anomaly detection unit 334 determines that the fixed reader 110 is operating normally. On the other hand, when no data is received from the fixed reader 110 over a preset third time length, the anomaly detection unit 334 determines that an anomaly has occurred in the fixed reader 110. In a modification, the anomaly detection unit 334 may send an inquiry signal to the fixed reader 110 when the communication from the fixed reader 110 has been interrupted, and determine that an anomaly has occurred in the fixed reader 110 on the condition that no response signal to the inquiry signal is received. In this modification, it is not necessarily required for the fixed reader 110 to communicate with the management server 300 periodically. In another modification, the anomaly detection unit 334 may consider the reception intensity indicated by the read result data received from each fixed reader 110 for detecting an anomaly in each fixed reader 110. For example, when the reception intensity of the signal from the paired position tag 40 in a certain fixed reader 110 shows a value significantly lower (or lower than a preset threshold value) compared to the normal intensity, the anomaly detection unit 334 may determine that an anomaly has occurred in the fixed reader 110.

[0085] In the example of FIG. 9, for the fixed reader identified by the reader ID "RD02" (referred to as fixed reader 110b), the elapsed time from the final reception time is 5 minutes, which is less than 30 minutes, the value of the alarm threshold 364 (the third time period). Therefore, the abnormality detection unit 334 determines that the fixed reader 110b is operating normally. The abnormality detection unit 334 may consider this status of the fixed reader 110b that forms a pair with the pair position tag 40b in the determination of the abnormality of the pair position tag 40b. That is, even if the elapsed time from the final detection time of the pair position tag 40b exceeds the first time period, it is not possible to completely distinguish whether there is an abnormality in the pair position tag 40b or an abnormality in the fixed reader 110b just based on this. However, in the example described above, since it can be seen from the communication history with the fixed reader 110b that there is no abnormality in the fixed reader 110b, the abnormality detection unit 334 can determine that there is an abnormality in the pair position tag 40b.

[0086] In the example of FIG. 9, the elapsed time from the final reception time of the fixed reader identified by the reader ID "RD07" exceeds 30 minutes, which is the third time period. Therefore, the abnormality detection unit 334 determines that an abnormality has occurred in this fixed reader. The third time period can typically be set to a value equal to or greater than the communication cycle between the fixed reader 110 and the management server 300.

[0087] In a further example, assume that within a certain period, the fixed reader 110 does not read the tag ID from the corresponding pair position tag 40, and within this period, the mobile reader 100 reads the tag ID from the pair position tag 40. The latter reading result indicates that at least the pair position tag 40 is operating normally among the fixed reader 110 and the corresponding pair position tag 40. Therefore, the abnormality detection unit 334 may determine that an abnormality has occurred in the fixed reader 110 based on the results of such tag reading (attempts). In this way, by considering the data received from both the fixed reader 110 and the mobile reader 100, even if the fixed reader 110 does not communicate with the management server 300 periodically, it is possible to distinguish between the abnormality of the fixed reader 110 and the abnormality of the pair position tag 40.

[0088] Note that the configurations of the location information DB 320 and the monitoring DB 340 are not limited to the configurations described in this specification. Two or more of the described tables may be integrated into one table, or one table may be separated into two or more tables. Each table may have additional data items, or may not have one or more of the described data items. For example, the tag monitoring table 350 may be integrated with the location tag table 323. Similarly, the reader monitoring table 360 may be integrated with the reader table 324.

[0089] In addition to the statuses of the wireless device and the tag reader, the abnormality detection unit 334 may be capable of detecting the normal or abnormal status of the following locations on the communication path between the reading system 105 and the management server 300: · When a relay device relays the communication between the tag reader and the management server - The communication channel between the tag reader and the relay device - The relay function of the relay device - The communication channel between the relay device and the management server · When the tag reader communicates directly with the management server - The communication channel between the tag reader and the management server Since methods for detecting abnormalities that can occur at these locations are widely known in the field of communication technology, the description of the methods is omitted here.

[0090] <4-6. Notification of Abnormality Occurrence> When the abnormality detection unit 334 detects any abnormality as a result of the above-described monitoring, it notifies (or alarms) the user of the occurrence of the abnormality. For example, the notification of the occurrence of the abnormality may be made on the screen displayed by the terminal device 200. The abnormality detection unit 334 may provide location information related to the location where the abnormality was detected on the screen. The location information here may be, for example, information indicating the installation area or installation location of the paired location tag 40, the fixed reader 110, or the unpaired location tag 45 where the abnormality was detected.

[0091] FIG. 10 shows an example of notification of an abnormality in the information browsing screen 600 described with reference to FIG. 7. The information browsing screen 600 shown in FIG. 10 includes the components described in relation to FIGS. 6 and 7, except that a box 750 is displayed at the lower left of the map display area 610 instead of the box 711. The box 750 includes text notifying that an abnormality has occurred in the pair position tag 40b installed in the area 10b ("area B") corresponding to this display position. By seeing the notification displayed in this way, the user can easily notice the occurrence of an abnormality in the system and can quickly take measures such as checking the installation status of the tag or replacing the tag.

[0092] The notification of the occurrence of an abnormality in the position management system 1 is not limited to the above-described example. For example, the notification of the occurrence of an abnormality may be performed in any manner such as sending a message (e.g., an email) to the account of the management user, outputting a voice message or an alarm sound, or recording in the operation log. A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for accessing an information browsing screen (notification screen) as shown in FIG. 10 may be described in the message sent to the account of the management user.

[0093] <5. Flow of Processing> In this section, examples of the flow of several processes that can be executed in the position management system 1 will be described using the flowcharts of FIGS. 11A to 15. In the following description, the processing steps are abbreviated as "S (step)".

[0094] <5-1. Data Transmission Processing> (1) First Example FIG. 11A is a flowchart showing a first example of the flow of data transmission processing executed by a tag reader. The data transmission processing according to the first example can be executed by a mobile reader 100 that does not have a fixed reader 110 and a measurement unit 114.

[0095] First, at S11, the reading unit 116 attempts to read the tag ID from a nearby RFID tag by emitting electromagnetic waves within the reading range. As a result of the tag reading attempt, if a tag ID is received from a nearby RFID tag using the energy of the electromagnetic waves (S12 - YES), the process proceeds to S18. On the other hand, if no tag ID is received (S12 - NO), the process proceeds to S16.

[0096] At S16, the control unit 111 obtains the current time, for example, by referring to an internal real - time clock. Next, at S17, the control unit 111 transmits communication data including the current time and the reader ID (not including the reading result data) to the management server 300 via the communication unit 113.

[0097] At S18, the control unit 111 obtains the current time as the reading time of the tag ID. Next, at S19, the control unit 111 transmits reading result data including the read tag ID, the reading time, the reception level, and the reader ID to the management server 300 via the communication unit 113.

[0098] Thereafter, the process returns to S11. Such data transmission processing can be performed periodically at a preset cycle.

[0099] (2) Second example FIG. 11B is a flowchart showing a second example of the flow of data transmission processing executed by the tag reader. The data transmission processing according to the second example can be executed by the mobile reader 100 having the measurement unit 114.

[0100] First, at S11, the reading unit 116 attempts to read the tag ID from a nearby RFID tag by emitting electromagnetic waves within the reading range. As a result of the tag reading attempt, if a tag ID is received from a nearby RFID tag using the energy of the electromagnetic waves (S12 - YES), the process proceeds to S18. On the other hand, if no tag ID is received (S12 - NO), the process proceeds to S13.

[0101] In S13, the measurement unit 114 measures the relative movement amount of the own device based on sensor data output from, for example, a three-axis acceleration sensor, a gyro sensor, and a geomagnetic sensor. Here, the measurement unit 114 may further cause the pressure sensor to measure the atmospheric pressure. Next, in S14, the control unit 111 acquires the current time as the measurement time by referring to, for example, an internal real-time clock. Next, in S15, the control unit 111 transmits measurement result data including the relative movement amount measured by the measurement unit 114, the measurement time, and the reader ID to the management server 300 via the communication unit 113.

[0102] In S18, the control unit 111 acquires the current time as the reading time of the tag ID. Next, in S19, the control unit 111 transmits reading result data including the read tag ID, the reading time, the reception level, and the reader ID to the management server 300 via the communication unit 113.

[0103] Thereafter, the process returns to S11. Such data transmission processing can be periodically performed during the period in which the mobile reader 100 is activated.

[0104] <5-2. Position Estimation Processing> FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the position estimation processing executed by the management server 300. Assume that several reading result records are accumulated in the tag detection table 325 when the position estimation processing in FIG. 12 is started.

[0105] First, in S21, the estimation unit 332 of the management server 300 focuses on one management target 30, and acquires, from the tag detection table 325, a reading result record regarding the target tag 50 attached to the management target 30. Next, in S22, the estimation unit 332 extracts, from the tag detection table 325, reading result records regarding one or more position tags 40, 45 received from the same tag reader as the acquired reading result record. Next, in S23, the estimation unit 332 selects, based on the correlation between the reading result record regarding the target tag 50 and the reading result records regarding one or more position tags 40, 45, one reference position tag to be a criterion for position estimation.

[0106] Subsequent S24 and S25 are processing steps that can be executed in an embodiment where the position management system 1 includes the mobile reader 100 having the measurement unit 114. In S24, the estimation unit 332 calculates, based on the measurement result data received from the tag reader, the relative movement amount of the tag reader between the reading time of the target tag 50 and the reading time of the reference position tag. Next, in S25, the estimation unit 332 estimates the position coordinates of the focused management target 30 based on the calculated relative movement amount and the known position of the reference position tag.

[0107] Next, in S26, the estimation unit 332 estimates that the area associated with the reference position tag in the position tag table 323 is the location area of the focused management target 30.

[0108] Then, in S27, the estimation unit 332 updates the column of the location area 315 in the target table 321 with the area ID of the location area estimated in S26. Also, when S24 and S25 are executed, the estimation unit 332 updates the column of the coordinates 316 in the target table 321 with the coordinate value of the position coordinates estimated in S25.

[0109] The estimation unit 332 can sequentially focus on each of one or more management targets 30 that may have moved within a certain period, and repeat the above-described processing. By periodically executing such processing, the latest position information of each management target 30 can be maintained in the position information DB 320.

[0110] <5-3. Display control process> FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of a display control process executed by the cooperation of the terminal device 200 and the management server 300. Here, it is assumed that the above-described information browsing screen 600 is called by the user and is displayed on the display unit 221 under the control of the control unit 211 of the terminal device 200.

[0111] First, in S31, the information providing unit 333 of the management server 300 acquires, from the target table 321, the position information of one or more management targets 30 that meet the filtering conditions that can be specified in the terminal device 200. For example, the information providing unit 333 can acquire, from the target table 321, the location area and position coordinates of the management target that is estimated to be located in the specified area at the current time. Next, in S32, the information providing unit 333 acquires the map image data of the specified area from the area table 322. Next, in S33, the information providing unit 333 sets a plurality of coordinate areas in the specified area.

[0112] Next, in S34, the information providing unit 333 generates location area information based on the location areas of the one or more management targets 30 acquired in S31. Also, in S35, the information providing unit 333 generates coordinate area information based on the position coordinates of the one or more management targets acquired in S31.

[0113] Next, in S36, the information providing unit 333 transmits the generated location area information and coordinate area information to the terminal device 200 via the communication unit 310. The control unit 211 of the terminal device 200 causes the display unit 221 to display the information browsing screen 600 based on one or both of the location area information and coordinate area information received from the management server 300. The control unit 211 controls the display unit 221 to display, for example, statistical information by location area or statistical information by coordinate area superimposed on the map image in the map display area 610 of the information browsing screen 600.

[0114] <5-4. Monitoring process> (1) Reader monitoring process FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of reader monitoring processing executed by the abnormality detection unit 334 of the management server 300. Here, it is assumed that a plurality of fixed readers 110 under the management of the position management system 1 are targets of monitoring.

[0115] First, in S41, the abnormality detection unit 334 focuses on one fixed reader 110. In S42, the abnormality detection unit 334 refers to the reader monitoring table 360 and calculates the elapsed time from the final reception time of the focused fixed reader 110. Next, in S43, the abnormality detection unit 334 acquires a preset alarm threshold (third time period) for the focused fixed reader 110. Then, in S44, the abnormality detection unit 334 determines whether the calculated elapsed time exceeds the alarm threshold. Here, if the elapsed time does not exceed the alarm threshold, the process proceeds to S45. On the other hand, if the elapsed time exceeds the alarm threshold, the process proceeds to S46.

[0116] In S45, the abnormality detection unit 334 determines that the focused fixed reader 110 is operating normally.

[0117] On the other hand, in S46, since the elapsed time from the final reception time of the focused fixed reader 110 exceeds the alarm threshold, the abnormality detection unit 334 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the focused fixed reader 110. Then, in S47, the abnormality detection unit 334 notifies the user of the occurrence of the abnormality.

[0118] Thereafter, in S48, the abnormality detection unit 334 determines whether there are other fixed readers 110 to be focused on among the monitored fixed readers 110. If there are other fixed readers 110 to be focused on, the process returns to S41, and the above-described processing is repeated for the remaining fixed readers 110. If there are no other fixed readers 110 to be focused on, the reader monitoring processing in FIG. 14 ends.

[0119] Such reader monitoring processing can be periodically performed during the period in which the position management system 1 is in operation.

[0120] (2) Tag monitoring processing FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of tag monitoring processing executed by the abnormality detection unit 334 of the management server 300. Here, it is assumed that a plurality of paired position tags 40 and unpaired position tags 45 under the management of the position management system 1 are targets of monitoring.

[0121] First, in S51, the abnormality detection unit 334 focuses on one position tag. In S52, the abnormality detection unit 334 refers to the tag monitoring table 350 and calculates the elapsed time from the final detection time of the focused position tag. Next, in S53, the abnormality detection unit 334 acquires the alarm threshold value set in advance for the focused position tag. The alarm threshold value acquired here corresponds to the first time period when the focused position tag is a paired position tag, and corresponds to the second time period when the focused position tag is an unpaired position tag. Then, in S54, the abnormality detection unit 334 determines whether the calculated elapsed time exceeds the alarm threshold value. Here, if the elapsed time does not exceed the alarm threshold value, the process proceeds to S55. On the other hand, if the elapsed time exceeds the alarm threshold value, the process proceeds to S56.

[0122] In S55, the abnormality detection unit 334 determines that the focused position tag is operating normally.

[0123] On the other hand, when the elapsed time from the final reception time for the focused position tag exceeds the alarm threshold value, in S56, the process branches depending on whether the focused position tag is a paired position tag or an unpaired position tag. If the focused position tag is a paired position tag, the process proceeds to S57. On the other hand, if the focused position tag is an unpaired position tag, the process proceeds to S58.

[0124] In S57, the abnormality detection unit 334 determines whether an abnormality has been detected for the fixed reader 110 corresponding to the focused paired position tag 40, for example, based on the result of the reader monitoring process described above. If there is an abnormality in the corresponding fixed reader 110, the process proceeds to S60. On the other hand, if there is no abnormality in the corresponding fixed reader 110, the process proceeds to S58.

[0125] In S58, the abnormality detection unit 334 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the target position tag (paired position tag or unpaired position tag). Then, in S59, the abnormality detection unit 334 notifies the user of the occurrence of the abnormality.

[0126] In S60, the abnormality detection unit 334 determines that there may be an abnormality in the target paired position tag. However, in this case, the reason that the paired position tag is not detected for a time exceeding the alarm threshold is likely to be an abnormality in the corresponding fixed reader 110. When the tag monitoring process is executed again after the abnormality of the corresponding fixed reader 110 is resolved, the status of the paired position tag returns to normal in S55, and if there is also an abnormality in the paired position tag, the abnormality is detected in S58.

[0127] In S61, the abnormality detection unit 334 determines whether there are other position tags to be noted among the position tags to be monitored. If there are other position tags to be noted, the process returns to S51, and the above-described process is repeated for the remaining position tags. If there are no other position tags to be noted, the tag monitoring process in FIG. 15 ends.

[0128] Such a tag monitoring process can be periodically performed in parallel with the reader monitoring process during the period when the position management system 1 is in operation.

[0129] <6. Modification Example> <6-1. First Modification Example> Regarding the above-described embodiments, various modification examples can be conceived. For example, although FIG. 1A shows an example in which one position tag 40 forms a pair with one fixed reader 110, the technology according to the present disclosure is not limited to such an example. In order to detect abnormalities of a plurality of position tags 40, one fixed reader 110 including those position tags 40 within the reading range may be installed. Also, there may be a dedicated fixed RFID tag for abnormality detection that is not used for position estimation.

[0130] FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the configuration of the position management system 1 according to the first modification. Referring to FIG. 16, similar to the example of FIG. 1A, position tags 40a are installed in area 10a, position tags 40b are installed in area 10b, position tags 40c are installed in area 10c, and position tags 40d are installed in area 10d. However, in the first modification, a fixed reader 110e is installed near the boundary between area 10a and area 10b. The known installation positions of position tags 40a and 40b are within the reading range of the fixed reader 110e. Also, a fixed reader 110f is installed near the boundary between area 10c and area 10d. The known installation positions of position tags 40c and 40d are within the reading range of the fixed reader 110f. Even when the fixed reader 110 is arranged in this way, the estimation unit 332 of the management server 300 can estimate the positions of the respective management targets 30 based on the reading result data received from the mobile reader 100 and the fixed reader 110. Further, the abnormality detection unit 334 can detect an abnormality related to the pair of position tags 40a and 40b based on the result of the attempt to read the tag ID by the fixed reader 110e. Similarly, the abnormality detection unit 334 can detect an abnormality related to the position tags 40c and 40d based on the result of the attempt to read the tag ID by the fixed reader 110f.

[0131] <6-2. Second Modification> In the above-described embodiment, an example of detecting an abnormality related to the position tag 40 and identifying the cause of the abnormality by a pair of the position tag 40 and the fixed reader 110 constituting the reading system 105 has been mainly described. However, the technology according to the present disclosure is not limited to such an example. In the second modification, in order to detect an abnormality of the mobile reader 100, an RFID tag for abnormality detection (hereinafter referred to as an abnormality detection tag) that forms a pair with the mobile reader 100 may be incorporated.

[0132] In the second modification example, the abnormality detection tag stores unique identification information and is co-located with the mobile reader 100 instead of being installed at a specific location. Here, the term "X is co-located with Y" includes various modes in which X is disposed or installed at a common position with Y. For example, when X is co-located with Y, it may include modes in which X is attached to, connected to, placed on, built into, or worn on Y, and modes in which X is maintained in the vicinity of Y (such as being packed together with Y in a larger case). Therefore, when the mobile reader 100 moves, the abnormality detection tag co-located with (and thus paired with) the mobile reader 100 moves with the mobile reader 100 and is always located within the reading range of the mobile reader 100.

[0133] In the second modification example, when the tag ID is read from the target tag 50 by the mobile reader 100 or the fixed reader 110, the estimation unit 332 of the management server 300 estimates the position of the management target 30 based on the result of the reading of the tag ID from the target tag 50. In this modification example, the estimation unit 332 may estimate one or both of the location area and the position coordinates of the management target 30 based on the detection results of the target tag 50 and the reference position tag received from the same tag reader, as in the position estimation process described with reference to FIG. 12. Alternatively, in this modification example, the estimation unit 332 may estimate the position of the management target 30 using a known positioning technique such as GPS positioning or base station positioning without relying on the detection result of the position tag 40. For example, when a GPS unit is installed in the mobile reader 100, the estimation unit 332 may estimate that the management target 30 to which the target tag 50 is attached is located at the position measured by the GPS unit when the target tag 50 is detected by the mobile reader 100. In this case, the position management system 1 may not include the position tag 40 fixedly installed in the real space.

[0134] When the result of the tag reading trial by the abnormality detection unit 334 of the management server 300 indicates that the mobile reader 100 has not read the tag ID from the abnormality detection tag corresponding thereto over a preset time period, it is determined that an abnormality related to the abnormality detection tag has occurred. The abnormality related to the abnormality detection tag here may include at least one of an abnormality of the mobile reader 100 and an abnormality of the abnormality detection tag.

[0135] FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the monitoring process executed by the abnormality detection unit 334 of the management server 300 in the second modification. Here, it is assumed that a plurality of mobile readers 100 under the management of the position management system 1 are the objects of monitoring.

[0136] First, in S71, the abnormality detection unit 334 pays attention to a pair of one mobile reader 100 and an abnormality detection tag co-located with the mobile reader 100. In S72, the abnormality detection unit 334 refers to the reader monitoring table 360 and calculates the elapsed time from the last reception time of the mobile reader 100 of the pair of interest. Next, in S73, the abnormality detection unit 334 acquires the alarm threshold value preset for the mobile reader 100. Then, in S74, the abnormality detection unit 334 determines whether the calculated elapsed time exceeds the alarm threshold value. Here, if the elapsed time exceeds the alarm threshold value, the process proceeds to S75. On the other hand, if the elapsed time does not exceed the alarm threshold value, the process proceeds to S76.

[0137] In S75, since the elapsed time from the last reception time of the mobile reader 100 of the pair of interest exceeds the alarm threshold value, the abnormality detection unit 334 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the mobile reader 100. Then, the process proceeds to S80.

[0138] On one hand, in S76, the abnormality detection unit 334 refers to the tag monitoring table 350 and calculates the elapsed time from the final detection time of the abnormality detection tag of the target pair. Next, in S77, the abnormality detection unit 334 acquires the alarm threshold value preset for the abnormality detection tag. Then, in S78, the abnormality detection unit 334 determines whether the calculated elapsed time exceeds the alarm threshold value. Here, if the elapsed time does not exceed the alarm threshold value, the process proceeds to S81. On the other hand, if the elapsed time exceeds the alarm threshold value, the process proceeds to S79.

[0139] In S79, although the periodic data reception from the mobile reader 100 of the target pair continues, since the abnormality detection tag is not detected, the abnormality detection unit 334 determines that an abnormality has occurred in the tag reading function of the mobile reader 100 or the abnormality detection tag. Then, the process proceeds to S80.

[0140] In S80, the abnormality detection unit 334 notifies the user of the occurrence of an abnormality related to the abnormality detection tag.

[0141] On the other hand, in S81, since the abnormality detection tag is continuously detected and the reception of periodic data from the mobile reader 100 also continues, the abnormality detection unit 334 determines that the mobile reader 100 (and the abnormality detection tag) is operating normally.

[0142] In S82, the abnormality detection unit 334 determines whether there are other pairs to be noted. If there are other pairs to be noted, the process returns to S71, and the above-described process is repeated for the remaining pairs. If there are no other pairs to be noted, the monitoring process in FIG. 17 ends.

[0143] Such monitoring processing can be periodically performed during the period when the mobile reader 100 is operating.

[0144] <7. Summary> So far, various embodiments, examples, and modifications of the technology according to the present disclosure have been described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 17. In the above-described embodiments, the first wireless device (pair position tag / anomaly detection tag) and the first reader device (fixed reader / mobile reader) form a pair, and the second wireless device (target tag) is attached to the movable object to be managed. When the second identification information is read from the second wireless device by the first reader device, the position of the object to be managed is estimated based on the result of the reading of the second identification information. Further, an anomaly related to the first wireless device is detected based on the result of the attempt to read the first identification information from the first wireless device by the first reader device. Since the first wireless device is installed within the reading range of the first reader device, if the reading of information from the first wireless device fails, it means that some anomaly has occurred related to the first wireless device. In this way, it is possible to appropriately distinguish between the normal undetected state of the object to be managed and the anomaly of the RFID tag and the tag reader that serve as the basis for position estimation, facilitate the detection of anomalies, and prevent a decrease in the reliability of position information.

[0145] Also, in the above-described embodiments, at least one of the first reader device (fixed reader) and the first wireless device (pair position tag) is installed at a known first point in the real space, and the position of the object to be managed can be further estimated based on the position coordinates of the first point. In this case, it is possible to easily detect an anomaly such as damage or removal of the position tag introduced as the basis for position estimation, and prompt the user to take measures such as checking the installation state of the position tag or replacing the tag.

[0146] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, a third wireless device (non-paired position tag) that does not form a pair with the fixed reader can be installed at a known second point in the real space. When the second reader (mobile reader) reads the third identification information from the third wireless device and the second identification information from the second wireless device, the position of the management target is estimated based on at least the position information of the second point. In this way, by enabling position estimation based on the reading of information from a third wireless device that does not form a pair with the fixed reader, it is possible to expand the area where position estimation is possible while suppressing the increase in cost associated with an increase in the number of installed fixed readers.

[0147] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, when the first reader does not read the first identification information from the first wireless device over a preset first time period, it can be determined that an abnormality has occurred in the first wireless device. Alternatively, when no reader reads the third identification information from the third wireless device over a second time period, it can be determined that an abnormality has occurred in the third wireless device. In this way, by comparing the elapsed time from the final detection time of each wireless device with a threshold value to determine the presence or absence of an abnormality, it is possible to detect the occurrence of an abnormality in a timely manner and prompt the user to take prompt measures.

[0148] In addition, in the above-described embodiment, when data is not received from the first reader over a preset third time period, it can be determined that an abnormality has occurred in the first reader. In this way, by combining the abnormality detection based on the elapsed time from the final detection time of the first wireless device and the abnormality detection based on the monitoring of the state of the first reader, it is possible to appropriately identify the cause of the abnormality related to the first wireless device.

[0149] In addition, in a certain modification, the first wireless device (abnormality detection tag) is co-located with the first reader (mobile reader), and the first reader and the first wireless device are movable. In this case, for example, the server can easily detect an abnormality of the mobile reader carried and moved by the user, and prompt the user to take measures such as repairing or replacing the mobile reader.

[0150] <8. Other Embodiments> The above-described embodiments can also be realized in a form of processing in which a program for realizing one or more functions is supplied to a system or apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or apparatus read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0151] The disclosure of this specification includes at least the following location management system, method, and information processing apparatus. (Item 1) A location management system for managing the location of a management target movable in a real space, A first reader capable of reading identification information stored in the wireless device from the wireless device, A first wireless device storing unique first identification information, A second wireless device attached to the management target and storing second identification information for identifying the management target, including The first wireless device is installed within the reading range of the first reader, The location management system When the second identification information is read from the second wireless device by the first reader, an estimation unit that estimates the location of the management target based on the result of the reading of the second identification information, An abnormality detection unit that detects an abnormality related to the first wireless device based on the result of a trial to read the first identification information from the first wireless device by the first reader, A location management system including. (Item 2) The location management system according to Item 1, wherein at least one of the first reader and the first wireless device is installed at a known first location within the real space. (Item 3) The position management system according to item 2, wherein the estimation unit estimates the position of the management target based on the result of reading the second identification information and the position coordinates of the first point when the first identification information is read from the first wireless device and the second identification information is read from the second wireless device. (Item 4) The position management system further includes a third wireless device installed at a known second point in the real space and storing unique third identification information and when the third identification information is read from the third wireless device and the second identification information is read from the second wireless device by a movable second reading device, the estimation unit estimates the position of the management target based on the result of reading the second identification information and the position information of the second point. The position management system according to item 3. (Item 5) The position management system according to item 4, wherein the abnormality detection unit determines that an abnormality has occurred in the first wireless device when the result of the attempt to read by the first reading device indicates that the first reading device has not read the first identification information from the first wireless device for a preset first time period. (Item 6) The position management system according to item 5, wherein the abnormality detection unit determines that an abnormality has occurred in the third wireless device when a reading result indicating that the third identification information has been read from the third wireless device is not received from any reading device for a preset second time period. (Item 7) In the position management system according to item 6, the second time period is longer than the first time period. (Item 8) In the position management system according to item 6, the first time period and the second time period can be set individually for each wireless device. (Item 9) The first wireless device is co-located with the first reading device and the first reading device and the first wireless device are movable. The position management system according to item 1. (Item 10) The position management system according to any one of items 1 to 9, wherein the abnormality detection unit determines that an abnormality has occurred in the first reading device when data is not received from the first reading device over a preset third time period. (Item 11) The position management system according to any one of items 1 to 10, wherein the abnormality detection unit indicates that the result of the attempt to read by the first reading device shows that the first reading device has not read the first identification information from the first wireless device within a certain period, and the result of the attempt to read by a second reading device different from the first reading device shows that the second reading device has read the first identification information from the first wireless device within the period, and determines that an abnormality has occurred in the first reading device. (Item 12) The position management system according to any one of items 1 to 11, wherein the abnormality detection unit notifies the user of the occurrence of the abnormality when the abnormality is detected. (Item 13) The position management system according to item 12, wherein the abnormality detection unit provides the user with position information related to the position where the abnormality is detected on a screen displayed by a display device. (Item 14) The position management system includes a communication unit that communicates with the first reading device, the abnormality detection unit, and includes a server device including the same, and is the position management system according to any one of items 1 to 13. (Item 15) A method executed in a position management system, wherein the position management system includes a first reading device capable of reading identification information stored in the wireless device from the wireless device, a first wireless device storing unique first identification information, a second wireless device attached to a management target and storing second identification information for identifying the management target. including the first wireless device is installed within the reading range of the first reading device, the method includes when the first reading device reads the second identification information from the second wireless device, estimating the position of the management target based on the result of the reading of the second identification information; attempting to read the first identification information from the first wireless device by the first reading device; detecting an abnormality related to the first wireless device based on the result of the attempt to read the first identification information by the first reading device; A method including the above. (Item 16) An information processing device used in a location management system, the location management system includes a first reading device capable of reading identification information stored in the wireless device from the wireless device, a first wireless device storing unique first identification information, a second wireless device attached to the management target and storing second identification information for identifying the management target, including the first wireless device is installed within the reading range of the first reading device, the information processing device includes an estimation unit that estimates the position of the management target based on the result of the reading of the second identification information when the second identification information is read from the second wireless device by the first reading device; an abnormality detection unit that detects an abnormality related to the first wireless device based on the result of the attempt to read the first identification information from the first wireless device by the first reading device; An information processing device comprising the above.

[0152] The invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0153] 1: Location management system, 5: Network, 10(10a, 10b,...): Area, 20(20a, 20b): User, 30(30a, 30b,...): Management target, 40(40a, 40b,...): Paired location tag (first wireless device), 45(45a, 45b,...): Unpaired location tag (third wireless device), 50(50a, 50b,...): Target tag (second wireless device), 100(100a, 100b): Mobile reader (second reading device), 105(105a, 105b,...): Reading system, 110(110a, 110b,...): Fixed reader (first reading device), 200: Terminal device, 300: Management server (information processing device), 310: Communication unit, 320: Location information DB, 331: Data management unit, 332: Estimation unit, 333: Information providing unit, 334: Abnormality detection unit, 340: Monitoring DB, 350: Tag monitoring table, 360: Reader monitoring table, 600: Information browsing screen

Claims

1. A position management system for managing the position of a management target movable in a real space, a first reader capable of reading identification information stored in the wireless device from the wireless device, a first wireless device storing unique first identification information, a second wireless device attached to the management target and storing second identification information for identifying the management target, comprising: the first wireless device is installed within the reading range of the first reader, the position management system, when the second identification information is read from the second wireless device by the first reader, an estimation unit that estimates the position of the management target based on the result of the reading of the second identification information, an abnormality detection unit that detects an abnormality related to the first wireless device based on the result of a trial to read the first identification information from the first wireless device by the first reader, A position management system comprising:

2. The position management system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first reader and the first wireless device is installed at a known first point in the real space.

3. The estimation unit estimates the position of the management target based on the result of the reading of the second identification information and the position coordinates of the first point when the first identification information is read from the first wireless device and the second identification information is read from the second wireless device. The position management system according to claim 2.

4. The position management system, a third wireless device installed at a known second point in the real space and storing unique third identification information, further comprising: the estimation unit estimates the position of the management target based on the result of the reading of the second identification information and the position information of the second point when the third identification information is read from the third wireless device and the second identification information is read from the second wireless device by a movable second reader. The position management system according to claim 3.

5. The abnormality detection unit determines that an abnormality related to the first wireless device has occurred when the result of the trial of reading by the first reader indicates that the first reader has not read the first identification information from the first wireless device for a preset first time period. The position management system according to claim 4.

6. The position management system according to claim 5, wherein the abnormality detection unit determines that an abnormality has occurred in the third wireless device when a reading result indicating that the third identification information has been read from the third wireless device is not received from any reading device over a preset second time period.

7. The position management system according to claim 6, wherein the second time period is longer than the first time period.

8. The position management system according to claim 6, wherein the first time period and the second time period can be individually set for each wireless device.

9. The first wireless device is co-located with the first reading device, The first reading device and the first wireless device are movable, The position management system according to claim 1.

10. The position management system according to claim 1, wherein the abnormality detection unit determines that an abnormality has occurred in the first reading device when data is not received from the first reading device over a preset third time period.

11. The position management system according to claim 1, wherein the result of the attempt to read by the first reading device indicates that the first reading device has not read the first identification information from the first wireless device within a certain period, and the result of the attempt to read by a second reading device different from the first reading device indicates that the second reading device has read the first identification information from the first wireless device within the period, and in this case, the abnormality detection unit determines that an abnormality has occurred in the first reading device.

12. The position management system according to claim 1, wherein the abnormality detection unit notifies the user of the occurrence of the abnormality when the abnormality is detected.

13. The position management system according to claim 12, wherein the abnormality detection unit provides the user with position information related to the position where the abnormality is detected on a screen displayed by a display device.

14. The position management system is a communication unit that communicates with the first reading device, the abnormality detection unit, The position management system according to any one of claims 1 to 13, including a server device provided with the above.

15. A method executed in a position management system, The position management system is a first reading device capable of reading identification information stored in the wireless device from the wireless device, a first wireless device storing unique first identification information, A second wireless device attached to the management target and storing second identification information for identifying the management target, including The first wireless device is installed within the reading range of the first reading device, The method includes When the first reading device reads the second identification information from the second wireless device, estimating the position of the management target based on the result of the reading of the second identification information; The first reading device attempts to read the first identification information from the first wireless device; Detecting an abnormality related to the first wireless device based on the result of the attempt to read the first identification information by the first reading device; A method including.

16. An information processing apparatus used in a position management system, The position management system includes A first reading device capable of reading identification information stored in the wireless device from the wireless device, A first wireless device storing unique first identification information, A second wireless device attached to the management target and storing second identification information for identifying the management target, including The first wireless device is installed within the reading range of the first reading device, The information processing apparatus includes An estimation unit that estimates the position of the management target based on the result of the reading of the second identification information when the second identification information is read from the second wireless device by the first reading device; An abnormality detection unit that detects an abnormality related to the first wireless device based on the result of the attempt to read the first identification information from the first wireless device by the first reading device; An information processing apparatus comprising.

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