Information processing device, management system, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing device capable of monitoring the location of a target more flexibly and reliably, a management system, an information processing method, and a program.SOLUTION: A server device (10), which is an information processing device, comprises a CPU (11). The CPU (11) is configured to: acquire reception information from a plurality of communication devices, each receiving radio waves transmitted by a plurality of transmitters; determine whether each of the plurality of transmitters is within the set range of at least one of the plurality of communication devices on the basis of the reception information; and integrate the determination results about each of the communication devices and output the results to at least one of the plurality of communication devices.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to an information processing apparatus, a management system, an information processing method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] There are cases where the behavior ranges of a plurality of moving objects, such as a group of nursery children or elderly patients, a group of livestock, or a group of autonomous mobile machines, are watched or monitored. If the number of objects to be watched is large compared to the number of watchers, it is easy to overlook something. In particular, when dealing with some moving objects whose behaviors deviate from the assumption, the watching of the remaining objects may become insufficient.

[0003] In Patent Document 1, a patient to be cared for or the like holds a transmitter, and a caregiver receives the radio waves emitted by the transmitter using a smartphone or the like to determine whether the subject is within a set range.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In the conventional technology, even when there are a plurality of persons in charge of watching, it has been difficult to flexibly and surely monitor the whereabouts of the objects to be watched.

[0006] An object of this invention is to provide an information processing apparatus, a management system, an information processing method, and a program that can more flexibly and surely monitor the whereabouts of a target.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] To achieve the above object, the present invention Obtain the reception information of radio waves transmitted from a plurality of transmitters by a plurality of communication devices, Based on the reception information, determine whether each of the plurality of transmitters is within the setting range of at least any one of the plurality of communication devices, Integrate the results of the determination for each of the communication devices and output them to at least one of the plurality of communication devices An information processing apparatus including a control unit.

Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, there is an effect that the location of the target can be monitored more flexibly and reliably.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0009]

Figure 1

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of the monitoring system 100 of the present embodiment. The monitoring system 100 includes a server device 10, a plurality of communication devices 40, and a plurality of transmitters 50.

[0011] The transmitter 50 is held by a moving object to be monitored, for example, a kindergarten child, a nursery school child, an elderly care recipient, livestock, a mobile machine, etc. In the present embodiment, the case where a kindergarten or nursery school child holds it during off-campus activities or the like will be described. The transmitter 50 has a function as a beacon that transmits minimum information according to the Bluetooth Low Energy standard (BLE. Bluetooth is a registered trademark).

[0012] The communication device 40 is held by a person in charge of watching and monitoring a moving object such as a kindergarten child, for example, a nursery teacher. The communication device 40 is, for example, a smartphone. Alternatively, the communication device 40 may be a tablet terminal, a dedicated portable device, or the like. In the present embodiment, there are a plurality of persons in charge, and accordingly, a plurality of communication devices 40 are also included in the monitoring system 100. The communication device 40 can receive the radio wave of the transmitter 50 by BLE and can communicate with the server device 10 via WiFi, a telephone line, or the like.

[0013] The server device 10 is the information processing device of the present embodiment. The server device 10 acquires the reception information of the radio wave of the transmitter 50 from a plurality of communication devices 40, and further acquires the position information of the plurality of communication devices 40. The server device 10 integrally analyzes the status of watching over each transmitter 50, that is, the kindergarten child, and transmits the analysis result to each communication device 40.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the communication device 40 and the transmitter 50. As shown in Fig. 2(a), the communication device 40 includes a CPU 41 (Central Processing Unit), a RAM 42 (Random Access Memory), a storage unit 43, a measurement unit 44, a communication unit 45, a display unit 46, an operation reception unit 47, a notification unit 48, a photographing unit 49, etc.

[0015] The CPU 41 is a processor that comprehensively controls the operation of the communication device 40. The CPU 41 may be a dedicated microcomputer or a general-purpose CPU. Also, the CPU 41 may have a single processor or a plurality of processors. When the CPU 41 has a plurality of processors, the plurality of processors may perform parallel processing or may operate independently for each application.

[0016] The RAM 42 provides a working memory space for the CPU 41 and stores temporary data. The RAM is, for example, a DRAM (Dynamic RAM), but is not limited thereto.

[0017] The storage unit 43 has a non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory is, for example, a flash memory, but is not limited thereto. The storage unit 43 stores and holds a program 431 for operation control and setting data for the operation. The setting data includes a reference value setting 432. The storage unit 43 may include an external memory card or the like. Also, the storage unit 43 may include a storage area in a cloud server or the like on the network. The program 431 includes an application program related to the monitoring (watching over children) control of the transmitter 50 described later.

[0018] The measurement unit 44 measures the position and movement of the own device (communication device 40). The measurement unit 44 has, for example, a positioning operation unit 441. The positioning operation unit 441 receives radio waves from positioning satellites related to GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) and performs arithmetic processing to calculate the position of the own device. In addition, the measurement unit 44 may have an acceleration sensor, a geomagnetic field sensor, etc., and based on the measurement results of these, the CPU 41 may be able to specify the movement and orientation of the own device.

[0019] The communication unit 45 transmits and receives radio waves to and from external devices and controls communication with the external devices. The communication unit 45 can receive radio waves from the transmitter 50 at least by BLE. In addition to this, the communication unit 45 can be connected to the Internet via a mobile phone line or WiFi. Also, the communication unit 45 may be able to read an RFID tag by near field communication (NFC) such as RFID (Radio Frequency Identification).

[0020] The display unit 46 performs display on a digital display screen based on the control of the CPU 41. The digital display screen may be, for example, a liquid crystal display screen or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescent) screen. Various characters, signs, graphics, images, etc. may be displayable in full color on the digital display screen.

[0021] The operation reception unit 47 receives an input operation from the outside such as a user and outputs an operation signal corresponding to the received input operation to the CPU 41. The operation reception unit 47 may include, for example, a touch panel and a push button switch. The touch panel is located overlapping the digital display screen. When a touch operation is detected, the touch panel specifies the position on the detected digital display screen and generates an operation signal including the information of the specified position and outputs it to the CPU 41. The push button switch may be located, for example, on the side surface of the communication device 40. When a pressing operation of the push button switch is detected, the operation reception unit 47 outputs an operation signal for specifying the pressed push button switch to the CPU 41.

[0022] The notification unit 48 performs a predetermined notification operation based on the control of the CPU 41. The predetermined notification operation may include, for example, part or all of lighting or blinking of an LED (Light Emitting Diode), generation of a beep sound, and generation of vibration. The notification unit 48 has a well-known configuration according to the executable notification operation.

[0023] The imaging unit 49 has a camera capable of imaging a visible light image and generating a digital image. The imaging unit 49 may be able to recognize and read an operation when a barcode, a two-dimensional identification code, or the like is within the field of view of the camera.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2(b), the transmitter 50 includes a transmission module 501, a measurement unit 54, a notification unit 58, a second identification information 59, and the like.

[0025] The transmission module 501 can transmit the first identification information of its own device by radio waves using BLE. The transmission module 501 includes a CPU 51, a RAM 52, a storage unit 53, a communication unit 55, and the like.

[0026] The CPU 51 has a processor that controls the operation of the transmission module 501. The processor may be a dedicated microcomputer for the transmission module 501. The RAM 52 provides a memory space for the CPU 51 to operate and stores temporary data. It is better that these consume less power and can operate stably for a long time continuously.

[0027] The storage unit 53 is a non-volatile memory and stores a control program and setting data related to the operation of the communication unit 55. The storage unit 53 has the first identification information 531. The first identification information 531 may be a unique identification number of the transmission module 501 or the like.

[0028] The transmission module 501 may operate continuously for a certain specified time, for example, 1 hour, triggered by the detection of acceleration by an acceleration sensor. That is, the transmitter 50 may be automatically started without the need for a switch operation or the like.

[0029] The communication unit 55 includes an antenna and a transmission / reception circuit for transmitting and receiving radio waves. The communication unit 55 broadcasts its own information to the outside at a defined time interval. The operation of the communication unit 55 can be stopped under the control of the CPU 51.

[0030] The measurement unit 54 includes, for example, an acceleration sensor. The measurement data of the acceleration sensor is input to the transmission module 501. The acceleration sensor may output only information on whether acceleration equal to or greater than a threshold value has been measured.

[0031] The notification unit 58 notifies, for example, that the transmission module 501 is operating or that the supply power of a battery (not shown) is insufficient. The notification unit 58 may have, for example, an LED, and the emission color or emission pattern may differ according to the notification content. The emission color may be switched between, for example, green and red. The emission pattern may be switched between, for example, blinking patterns.

[0032] The second identification information 59 is information different from the first identification information 531, and is, for example, the identification information of the transmitter 50 that can be acquired by a method other than receiving the above radio wave. The second identification information 59 is not automatically transmitted by the operation of the transmission module 501 that automatically operates as described above, but is read by a separate reading operation from the outside. For example, the second identification information 59 may be visible to the user from the outside, that is, optically recognizable. For example, the second identification information 59 may be identification information represented by a barcode that is a one-dimensional identification code, a two-dimensional identification code, or the like. These may be printed on the outer surface of the transmitter 50 by unevenness or the like, or a seal or the like on which these are printed may be attached to the outer surface. The seal or the like here includes a sheet or plate having no adhesive member and those adhered using a separate adhesive member. The seal or the like may be one to which the owner of the transmitter 50 has set and attached the second identification information 59 himself / herself. Alternatively, the second identification information 59 may be an RFID tag or the like that can be read from the outside using near-field communication and may be located on the outer surface or inside along the outer wall. Further, the number, symbol, name, etc., which are the contents of the identification code, may also be described on the surface of the transmitter 50 as characters visible to the user together. It is often difficult to easily distinguish between a plurality of transmitters 50 of the same model from the appearance. Therefore, when it is not determined which of the plurality of transmitters 50 each mobile body holds, the second identification information 59 can be used to associate the transmitter 50 held by the mobile body with its transmitted and received radio wave (radio wave including the first identification information). Also, even when the monitoring target holding a plurality of transmitters 50 is determined, when the plurality of transmitters 50 are collectively stored by the administrator and distributed to the mobile body of the monitoring target at the time of use, the second identification information 59 can be used to identify the transmitter 50.

[0033] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the server device 10. The server device 10 may be, for example, a general-purpose PC (Personal Computer) or the like. The server device 10 includes a CPU 11 (control unit), a RAM 12, a storage unit 13, a communication unit 15, a display unit 16, an operation reception unit 17, and the like.

[0034] The CPU 11 is a processor that comprehensively controls the operation of the server device 10. The CPU 11 may be a dedicated microcomputer or a general-purpose CPU. Also, the CPU 11 may have a single processor or multiple processors. When the CPU 11 has multiple processors, the multiple processors may perform parallel processing or may operate independently for each application.

[0035] The RAM 12 provides a working memory space for the CPU 11 and stores temporary data. The RAM is, for example, a DRAM, but is not limited thereto.

[0036] The storage unit 13 has a non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory is, for example, a flash memory or an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), but is not limited thereto. The storage unit 13 stores and holds a program 131 for operation control, operation setting data, and map data 134. The setting data includes target information 132 and range setting 133. The target information 132 includes the identification information of the present embodiment and is list information of the transmitters 50 to be detected. The range setting 133 is information that defines up to which radio wave intensity is to be set as the monitoring range based on the radio wave intensity of the transmitter 50 received by the communication device 40. The range setting 133 includes a first setting range Du and a second setting range Du2, which will be described later. The range setting 133 may also include other information such as the range setting of the area Pa. The range setting 133 and the map data 134 are included in the area information of the present embodiment. The storage unit 13 may be an auxiliary storage device externally attached to the main body of a computer including at least the CPU 11, the RAM 12, and the communication unit 15. Alternatively, the storage unit 13 may include a storage area for the user of the server device 10 in a cloud server or the like on the network.

[0037] The communication unit 15 controls communication with external devices. The communication unit 15 controls the transmission and reception of data, for example, in accordance with the protocols of a LAN (Local Area Network) or a wireless LAN.

[0038] The display unit 16 performs display on a digital screen based on the control of the CPU 11. The digital display screen may be, for example, a liquid crystal display screen or an organic EL screen. The display unit 16 may be a peripheral device externally attached to the main body (computer) of the server device 10 such as a PC. The external attachment may be made by a video signal transmission cable such as an HDMI (registered trademark) cable.

[0039] The operation reception unit 17 receives an input operation from the outside such as a user and outputs an operation signal corresponding to the received content to the CPU 11. The operation reception unit 17 may include a pointing device such as a mouse or a pointer, a keyboard, etc. In addition to or instead of this, the operation reception unit 17 may include a touch panel. The touch panel is located overlapping the digital display screen. The pointing device, the keyboard, etc. may be peripheral devices externally attached to the main body (computer) of the server device 10 such as a PC. The external attachment may be performed by a wired cable, BLE, or wireless communication at a specific frequency.

[0040] Next, the monitoring operation will be described. In the present embodiment, a plurality of communication devices 40 receive the BLE radio waves transmitted by a plurality of transmitters 50, and determine whether or not the children who are the holders of the respective transmitters 50 are within the set range. BLE communication is short-range wireless communication, and the radio wave reception intensity decreases as the distance increases. Therefore, as an approximate value, the distance between the communication device 40 and the transmitter 50 can be obtained by converting the radio wave reception intensity into distance. As the transmissible distance of BLE, about 50 m is assumed here as the range of stable transmission and reception. Also, in a place with good visibility, etc., radio wave transmission and reception may be possible even at a longer distance.

[0041] The identification information of the transmitter 50 to be monitored is stored and held in advance in the server device 10 as target information 132. The identification information includes the combination of the first identification information 531 and the second identification information 59 described above. In addition to this, identification information of the child who is the holder, such as name or number, may be further stored in association with the second identification information 59. The registration process of the identification information may be performed collectively first, and registration by the addition of the transmitter 50, deletion due to failure, etc. may be appropriately performed.

[0042] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the control procedure of the pre-registration control process executed by the CPU 11 of the server device 10. This pre-registration control process is started, for example, when the CPU 11 detects the reception of a predetermined input operation to the operation reception unit 17 or acquires a registration or deletion request from the communication device 40. The pre-registration control process may be performed once at the time of purchase or before the first use of the transmitter 50 and once at the time of disposal.

[0043] The CPU 11 determines whether there is a transmitter 50 to be newly registered (S1). If it is determined that there is no transmitter 50 to be newly registered (S1; N), the process of the CPU 11 proceeds to process S6. When it is determined that there is a transmitter 50 to be newly registered (S1; Y), the CPU 11 acquires the first identification information 531 of the transmitter 50 to be registered from the communication device 40 (S2). At this time, the communication device 40, for example, establishes an automatic communication connection related to BLE with the unregistered transmitter 50 to be registered by the communication unit 45 and acquires the first identification information 531. The CPU 41 of the communication device 40 causes the communication device 40 to transmit the first identification information 531 to the server device 10. When a plurality of unregistered transmitters 50 are automatically activated simultaneously with the detection of acceleration as described above, the communication unit 45 receives a plurality of unregistered first identification information 531 at once. As a result, the CPU 41 and the CPU 11 cannot distinguish which transmitter 50 the acquired first identification information 531 corresponds to. Therefore, when there are a plurality of unregistered transmitters 50, the registration operator operates them one by one or inserts the battery so that only one of the unregistered transmitters 50 to be registered operates. The registered transmitter 50 does not cause a problem even if it operates simultaneously with the unregistered transmitter 50. The CPU 11 acquires the second identification information 59 of the transmitter 50 to be registered from the communication device 40 (S3). The communication device 40 may optically acquire the second identification information 59 of the transmitter 50 for which the first identification information 531 has been acquired by the monitoring person or the like based on manual work by the imaging unit 49, or may acquire it by an RFID reading mechanism or the like of the communication unit 45. For example, the monitoring person causes the CPU 41 to execute the camera function and the barcode reading function (such as an application) of the communication device 40, captures the second identification information 59 of the transmitter 50, and reads the content. Alternatively, the monitoring person causes the CPU 41 to execute the RFID reading function of the communication device 40 and reads the second identification information 59 of the transmitter 50. Thereby, the first identification information 531 and the second identification information 59 are associated with each other. The communication device 40 transmits these pieces of information to the server device 10 in order or collectively.

[0044] The CPU 11 adds and stores the acquired first identification information 531 and second identification information 59 in association with each other in the target information 132 (S4). At this time, the second identification information 59 may be associated with a specific child or the like. In this case, for example, the operation reception unit 17 may receive an input operation of personal information such as the name of a child. The CPU 11 may store the received personal information as third identification information in association with the second identification information 59 in the target information 132. When a large number of children each hold the transmitter 50, it is often difficult for the caregiver to identify specifically whose location information it is based only on the combination of the first identification information 531 and the second identification information 59. By associating third identification information with the second identification information 59 and providing location information based on the third identification information, the caregiver can easily and promptly obtain the situation of a specific child.

[0045] The CPU 11 determines whether all the transmitters 50 to be registered have been registered (S5). For example, in the communication device 40, the CPU 41 may cause the display unit 46 to display a button for selecting whether to end the registration each time one set of the first identification information 531 and the second identification information 59 is transmitted to the server device 10. The operation reception unit 47 detects which button has been selected, and the detection result is transmitted to the server device 10. The CPU 11 may perform the determination process of process S5 according to the information on whether the registration has ended. If it is determined that not all the registrations have been completed, that is, if there is a transmitter 50 to be registered that has not been completed (S5; N), the process of the CPU 11 returns to process S2.

[0046] If it is determined that all the transmitters 50 to be registered have been registered (S5; Y), the CPU 11 determines whether there is a transmitter 50 to be deleted from the registration (S6). If it is determined that there is no transmitter 50 to be deleted from the registration (S6; N), the CPU 11 ends the pre-registration control process.

[0047] When it is determined that there is a transmitter 50 to be deleted from registration (S6; Y), the CPU 11 causes the display unit 16 to display, for example, a list of the transmitters 50 registered therein (S7). The CPU 11 receives a selection operation of the transmitter 50 to be deleted by the operation reception unit 17 (S8). Note that the CPU 11 may simply receive and acquire the second identification information 59 of the transmitter 50 to be deleted from the communication device 40.

[0048] The CPU 11 deletes the registration of the selected transmitter 50 (S9). The CPU 11 determines whether or not all deletions of the transmitters 50 to be deleted have been completed (S10). If it is determined that not all deletions have been completed, that is, if there is a transmitter 50 to be deleted that has not been deleted (S10; N), the process of the CPU 11 returns to process S7. If it is determined that all the transmitters 50 to be deleted have been deleted (S10; Y), the CPU 11 ends the pre-registration control process.

[0049] Next, the content of the operation of monitoring the transmitter 50 will be described. In the following description, it is assumed that a plurality of guardians (monitors) such as nursery teachers lead a plurality of kindergarten children from a nursery school to a nearby park (destination of movement) and play them in an area (monitoring area of a plurality of transmitters) set in the park, and then return to the nursery school. Each guardian holds a communication device 40, and each kindergarten child holds a transmitter 50. The server device 10 may be located at an arbitrary position on a network capable of communicating with the communication device 40.

[0050] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the positional relationship between a guardian and a kindergarten child during movement. As shown in Fig. 5(a), the guardians and the communication device 40 are located at least at the head and the tail on the way from the nursery to the park and on the way back from the park to the nursery. That is, these guardians and the communication device 40 move with the children in a line and the transmitters 50 sandwiched in between. The distance between the communication device 40(F) (the first communication device) of the leading guardian F and the communication device 40(E) (the second communication device) of the trailing guardian E is the distance Dfe (the first distance). Here, the head and the tail refer to the positions when the children are in a normal positional relationship. That is, even if a child holding a transmitter 50 jumps out in front of the leading communication device 40 or stands still beside the trailing communication device 40 and protrudes backward, they are defined as the "head" and the "tail" by definition.

[0051] As described above, in BLE, there is a limit to the reception distance of the radio waves from the transmitter 50. The distance Dfe may be set to be equal to or less than the first set range Du. The first set range Du is determined according to the range within which the communication device 40 of the guardian can receive the transmission radio waves from the transmitter 50 held by the child at a reference intensity or higher. At the same time, the distance Dfe is set to an appropriate value equal to or less than the upper limit value (the first upper limit value) of the range within which the guardian can appropriately lead the child. In particular, the distance Dfe may be set to an interval that allows for a margin in receiving radio waves even when crossing a road at an intersection or being blocked by a building at a corner. Also, the human body shields radio waves. Therefore, depending on the holding mode of the communication device 40(F) of the leading guardian, the communication device 40 of the leading guardian may have a lower reception sensitivity to the radio waves from the transmitter 50 compared to the communication device 40(E) of the trailing guardian. An appropriate distance Dfe may be determined in consideration of such sensitivity anisotropy. For example, the first set range Du may be a circular range having a radius shorter than the above-described BLE transmission distance and longer than the width of the arterial road, and may be, for example, about 30 to 60% of the transmission distance. Therefore, the reference intensity is higher than the lower limit value at which the communication device 40 can actually detect. The allowable first upper limit value of the distance Dfe is smaller than twice the radius of the first set range Du.

[0052] The distance Dfn (second distance) from the communication device 40(F) of the leading caregiver F to each of the transmitters 50(n) held by the child n and the distance Dne (third distance) from the communication device 40(E) of the trailing caregiver E to each of the transmitters 50(n) are obtained. The sum Dfn + Dne of these distances is compared with the distance Dfe. If Dfn + Dne is significantly larger than the distance Dfn, it is determined that the child n is in a deviated state of protruding greatly from the line. In the example of Fig. 5(a), the boxed "F" and "E" are the positions of the leading and trailing communication devices 40 respectively, and the circled numbers "1" to "10" are the positions of the transmitters 50. Among the transmitters 50, the distance Df4 + D4e corresponding to the position of the transmitter 50(4) is the largest. Here, (Df4 + D4e - Dfe) is smaller than the second upper limit value dth and is within the allowable range.

[0053] In the example shown in Fig. 5(b), at the corner, the transmitter 50(4) is about to protrude onto the road side. When (Df4 + D4e - Dfe) at this time exceeds the second upper limit value dth, the server device 10 detects a value equal to or greater than the second upper limit value dth and outputs warning information to the communication device 40.

[0054] Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining the positional relationship between the caregivers and the children during park activities. In Fig. 6(a), children 1 to 10 holding the transmitter 50 are instructed to move within the designated area Pa in the park P. Guardians A to C line up at appropriate intervals along the periphery of the area Pa and are positioned to monitor the area Pa. The communication devices 40(A) to 40(C) of each of the guardians A to C are positioned such that at least one of the second set ranges Du2, which are circles centered on each communication device 40, always covers the area Pa. In the area Pa, there may be a portion where two or more second set ranges Du2 overlap, and outside the area Pa, there may be no portion where two or more second set ranges Du2 overlap. In addition, if there is an area in the set area Pa that cannot be entered, such as a pond or a flower bed, the area does not have to be covered by the second set range Du2. Also, when the play equipment is dispersed in multiple locations, the area between them needs to be included in the second set range Du2, but the overlapping portion of the second set range Du2 by the multiple communication devices 40 in this area may be narrow. When the range setting 133 that defines the position range of the area Pa is held in advance by the server device 10 or the like, the second set range Du2 may be automatically adjusted based on the range setting 133.

[0055] When the server device 10 does not hold the range setting 133 for the area Pa, for example, the area Pa can be up to about 50 m square, but can be adjusted as appropriate according to subsequent situations. For example, when there is no range setting 133 for the area Pa but there is map data 134, information on the shape and area of the park at the destination may be obtained based on the position of the destination. When the size of the park is smaller than the above 50 m square, the second set range Du2 may be reduced. The second set range Du2 may be different from the above first set range Du. Also, a park or the like including the current positions of the guardians A to C may be specified as the destination from the map data 134, and the area Pa and the second set range Du2 corresponding to the size and shape of the park may be set. More specifically, the positions (monitoring positions) of the communication devices 40(A) to 40(C) of each of the monitors A to C, the area Pa, and / or the second setting range Du2 may be determined so as to satisfy the following two conditions. (1) All positions within the range of the area Pa are included in at least one of the second setting ranges Du2 for the plurality of communication devices 40(A) to 40(C) respectively. (2) The area Pa is located within the range of the park which is the destination specified from the map data 134. Alternatively, the positions of the communication devices 40(A) to 40(C) of each of the monitors A to C, the area Pa and / or the second setting range Du2 may be determined so as to satisfy the following condition (3). (3) A predetermined proportion of the range of the second setting range Du2 is located within the range of the park which is the destination. The predetermined proportion may be, for example, 50% or more, or 67% or more, or 80% or more or 90% or more. When the predetermined proportion is high, it becomes possible to quickly identify a child who has deviated from the area Pa. However, since the monitor himself / herself will be inside the area Pa, it is likely that he / she will need to monitor the entire surrounding area. When the predetermined proportion is lower, the monitor can mainly narrow the viewing direction inward from near the periphery of the area Pa. However, there may be a time lag between when the monitored moving body (child) deviates from the area Pa and when it exits the second setting range Du2.

[0056] If the server device 10 does not hold the range setting 133 for the area Pa and does not have the map data 134 either, that is, it does not have area information or it is difficult to infer the area Pa from the map data 134, the area Pa may be changed, mainly reduced, based on the position distribution of the children and the caregivers. For example, if the children are continuously biased towards a range narrower than the second setting range Du2, it is inferred that the area Pa is estimated to be wide. Also, if the caregiver is positioned off-center compared to the area Pa where the caregiver is set, it is inferred that the area Pa is set unnecessarily wide. In such a case, the estimated range of the area Pa may be reduced. In response to the reduction of the area Pa, the second setting range Du2 may also be reduced. However, the children may gather in a partial range temporarily. Therefore, the reduction does not have to be done significantly at one time. The area Pa may be reduced little by little in multiple stages. Also, if the children or the caregiver stay in the reduced range for a specified time or more after the reduction, the reduction of the area Pa may be promptly canceled.

[0057] In Fig. 6(a), children 1, 5, and 6 are in the overlapping part of the second setting range Du2 by the two communication devices 40. Children 2 - 4, 7 - 10 are in the second setting range Du2 by only one communication device 40. Note that a part of the second setting range Du2 may be located outside the area Pa. As described above, when a plurality of caregivers A - C are positioned to look from the periphery to the inside of the area Pa, the part that is within the second setting range Du2 and outside the area Pa hits the back of the caregivers A - C. Regarding such a part, the caregivers A - C may each sometimes or as needed turn around and visually confirm that each of the children 1 - 10 is within the area Pa. That is, the children 1 - 10 are more likely to be confirmed by the caregivers A - C as long as they are within the range surrounded by the caregivers A - C. The children located overlappingly in the range of the second setting range Du2 for the plurality of communication devices 40 can be regarded as safe.

[0058] In one embodiment, for example, for each child (transmitter 50), the number of communication devices 40 within the second setting range Du2 may be quantitatively determined as a safety level indicating the degree to which the situation can be regarded as safe. That is, it may be determined that the higher the number of communication devices 40 that detect the radio waves transmitted by a certain transmitter 50, the higher the safety level. For a child located only within the second setting range Du2 of a certain communication device 40, that is, when the safety level is "1", it may be determined that the caregiver holding the communication device 40 focuses on monitoring. In particular, when the child with a low safety level and the transmitter 50 are moving away from the caregiver, that is, when the radio wave reception intensity is decreasing, the safety level may be defined lower so as to pay more attention to monitoring. Information regarding children with a low safety level (at least a part of the plurality of transmitters 50) may be notified only to a part of the plurality of communication devices 40, for example, only to the only communication device 40 within the second setting range Du2 of the transmitter 50. Alternatively, this child's information may be notified to all communication devices 40. Information regarding children and transmitters 50 with a high safety level may not be notified to the communication devices 40, but information may be output so that the safety levels of all children can be confirmed.

[0059] When the number of communication devices 40 is larger compared to the area Pa, even if the second setting range Du2 is narrowed, the entire area Pa can be included within the second setting range Du2. Therefore, it is easy to reduce the range covered by the second setting range Du2 outside the area Pa. Also, the caregiver can limit the field of view for monitoring by being closer to the outer edge of the area Pa. On the other hand, when the caregiver is closer to the center of the area Pa, it is less likely that the second setting range Du2 will protrude significantly outside the area Pa. The arrangement of the caregivers may be appropriately determined according to the number of caregivers, the direction in which children are likely to go outside the area Pa, for example, the presence or absence of a fence, and the degree of danger outside the area Pa, for example, a roadway where it is easy to jump out.

[0060] At this time, the server device 10 acquires and integrates the reception status of the radio waves of the transmitter 50 from the three communication devices 40, and outputs the integrated result to each communication device 40. For example, the server device 10 receives the first identification information of one or more transmitters 50 detected within the second setting range Du2 from each of the three communication devices 40. At this time, the server device 10 may also receive the reception intensity or distance information converted from the reception intensity. The server device 10 lists how many communication devices 40 each transmitter 50 is detected by and with what intensity. The server device 10 determines whether radio waves from all the transmitters 50 are received by at least any one of the communication devices 40, and transmits the result to each communication device 40. In addition, the server device 10 specifies and stores the third identification information corresponding to the first identification information of the transmitter 50 that has not been detected by any of the communication devices 40 or has been detected by only one device. The server device 10 transmits the specified third identification information and its related information, focusing on each communication device 40, particularly the last detected or the currently detected communication device 40. Therefore, even if children 1 to 10 move across the second setting range Du2 of each communication device 40, the detection judgment can be continuously and normally made. When the children deviate outside all the second setting ranges Du2, the last detected communication device 40 is specified, so the deviation direction can be estimated.

[0061] In FIG. 6(b), when the transmitter 50(4) (the first transmitter) of child 4 goes out of the area Pa where it is set, it is specified that child 4 has gone outside the second setting range Du2 of all the communication devices 40. When the transmitter 50(4) of child 4 deviates from the second setting range Du2, the server device 10 detects this deviation and outputs a warning notification as the shortage information of the transmitter 50. The warning notification may be output to all the communication devices 40. While a certain caregiver is tracking and searching for child 4, the caregiver's monitoring range can be monitored by other caregivers with more emphasis than usual.

[0062] FIGS. 7 and 8 are diagrams showing examples of the notification screens of the detection status displayed on the communication device 40. Figure 7(a) is a display example when all children are normally detected within the second set range Du2. The number of transmitters 50 to be detected is 10 (second number), and it is shown that 10 children corresponding to the same number of 10 transmitters 50 (first number) are normally detected. Also, in this example, only one of the three communication devices 40 detects, and the identification information of the transmitter 50 held by the children with a safety level of "1" is listed. Also, children 9 and 10 are detected only by the communication device 40(C) of the caregiver C. Therefore, on the display screen of the communication device 40(C), children 9 and 10 who should be particularly noted are highlighted. The highlighting of the identification information of the transmitter 50 detected only by the own device may be, for example, bold, colored, framed, blinking, etc. Alternatively, as described above, only the identification information of the transmitter 50 detected only by the own device may be listed. In Figure 7(a), only the identification information of the transmitter 50 held by the children with a safety level of "1" is listed, but it may not be limited to this. The identification information of the transmitter 50 held by the children with a safety level of "2" or higher may be listed together with the identification information of the transmitter 50 held by the children with a safety level of "1". For example, a list display such as "Safety Level 2: 1, 5, 6" may be made below the display column of Safety Level "1".

[0063] Figure 7(b) is a display example when child 4 deviates from the second set range Du2. Since child 4, who is one of the 10 children, deviates from the second set range Du2 of caregiver B, caregiver B is regarded as a searcher. The elapsed time is the elapsed time since deviating from the second set range Du2.

[0064] As described above, the second setting range Du2 is narrower than the range in which the communication device 40 can actually receive radio waves according to the BLE standard. Therefore, at least immediately after the transmitter 50(4) deviates from the second setting range Du2, in many cases, the communication device 40(B) can receive the transmission radio waves of the transmitter 50(4). Also, it is possible that the transmission radio waves of the transmitter 50(4) can be received by a plurality of communication devices 40. Therefore, the estimated distance may be obtained based on the radio wave intensity of the transmitter 50(4) currently being received. Further, the transmitter 50 may include information on the most recent acceleration obtained by the acceleration sensor of the measurement unit 54 in the transmission radio waves. When this information is received and acquired by the communication device 40, it can be determined whether the child holding the deviating transmitter 50(4) is walking or running and moving, or standing still.

[0065] When the transmission radio waves of the transmitter 50(4) are not received from any of the communication devices 40, the estimated distance may be calculated based on the elapsed time from the timing when the transmission radio waves were last received and the moving speed at that timing. The moving speed can be obtained, for example, from the time difference between the timing when the transmission radio waves were last received and the previous timing and the difference in distance at these two timings. That is, it may be assumed that the moving speed has not changed since the timing when the transmission radio waves were last received. Also, when the communication device 40 has received acceleration information as described above, the estimated distance may be calculated by multiplying the moving speed by the elapsed time excluding the time that can be regarded as having stopped midway. Further, based on the periodic variation of the acceleration sensor detected during walking, the time interval per step is specified, and it is assumed that the above moving speed changes at a ratio corresponding to the time interval and is sequentially obtained. In this case, the communication device 40 may transfer all the received acceleration data as it is to the server device 10, or may identify the characteristic timing for each step by itself and transmit the timing information or the interval information thereof to the server device 10.

[0066] FIG. 8 is an example of a display shown on the communication device 40(B) of the watcher B who conducts the search. On the communication device 40(B) of the watcher B who is the searcher, more detailed information about the child 4 who is the search target is displayed. As described above, if the change history of the estimated distance from a plurality of communication devices 40 is actually obtained, the direction of the transmitter 50(4), that is, the relative position with respect to the communication device 40(B) can also be estimated. When two communication devices 40 have received the radio wave of the transmitter 50(4), there are two corresponding points on the plane. That is, these two points are represented as the intersection points of circles corresponding to the estimated distances from the respective communication devices 40 centered on the positions of the communication devices 40. However, in many cases, it can be estimated from either the reception status within the most recent second setting range Du2 or information such as that which could not be received by other communication devices 40. For example, if the communication device 40(C) cannot receive the radio wave of the transmitter 50(4) or the reception intensity is significantly weaker than the reception intensities of the communication devices 40(A) and 40(B), it can be estimated that it is the point on the side away from the communication device 40(C). Since the position of the communication device 40(B) is obtained by positioning, the estimated position of the transmitter 50(4) may be shown superimposed on the map image based on the map data 134. In a situation where the radio wave from the transmitter 50(4) is received only by one of the communication devices 40, for example, the communication device 40(B), the distance from the communication device 40(B) is known, but the direction from the communication device 40(B) cannot be specified. Therefore, the direction of the transmitter 50(4) from the communication device 40(B) may be extended as it is based on the position and the moving direction when the radio wave from the transmitter 50(4) was last received by two communication devices 40(B). Alternatively, by the watcher B who holds the communication device 40(B) moving for searching, distances from substantially multiple locations will be obtained. Therefore, for example, by assuming that the moving speed and velocity of the transmitter 50(4) before the start of the movement of the watcher B are constant, it becomes possible to approximately obtain the current position of the transmitter 50(4) in consideration of the moving distance during the moving time of the watcher B. Note that after the transmitter 50(4) has moved outside the second setting range Du2 of the communication device 40(B), there may be a case where it is estimated that the movement has stopped based on the acceleration information received from the transmitter 50(4).At this time, due to the movement of the communication device 40(B), the current position of the transmitter 50(4) can be obtained without the above assumption only from the reception result by the communication device 40(B).

[0067] When the searcher gets sufficiently close to the target child 4 to be tracked / search, for example, within 10 m, a push button switch for "Discovery Protection" may be displayed on the screen of the communication device 40(B). When the supervisor B protects the child 4, the supervisor B selects and operates this push button switch. The communication device 40(B) transmits information on the selection operation of "Discovery Protection" to the server device 10, and the server device 10 ends the process related to tracking / searching.

[0068] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the control procedure of the monitoring control process executed by the CPU 11 of the server device 10. This monitoring control process is included in the program 131 and includes the information processing method of the present embodiment. The monitoring control process is started for each park activity that requires monitoring before the start of each activity. The CPU 11 sets and registers the transmitter 50 to be monitored (S21). For example, when a caregiver stores multiple transmitters 50 together, if the caregiver executes the camera function or RFID function of the communication device 40, the second identification information 59 of the transmitter 50 to be monitored in this movement is photographed one by one, read, and handed to each child. When the caregiver takes out multiple transmitters 50 together to hand them to the children, the communication modules 501 of the multiple transmitters 50 are automatically activated triggered by the detection of acceleration by the acceleration sensor, and the communication unit 45 receives multiple first identification information 531 at once. In such a case, it is difficult to determine which transmitter 50 was handed to which child only from the first identification information. Therefore, when the caregiver hands the transmitter 50 to the child, the communication device 40 reads the second identification information 59. The CPU 41 of the communication device 40 transmits the read second identification information to the server device 10. The CPU 11 acquires the received second identification information 59, extracts it from the target information 132 as the current monitoring target, and temporarily stores it in the RAM 12. As a result, the transmitters 50 not used due to a child's absence or the like are excluded from the monitoring target, and the number (number of registered units) of the transmitters 50 that actually become the monitoring target is determined. When the child and the transmitter 50 used by the child are not fixedly associated, at this time, the third identification information corresponding to the second identification information 59 may be set respectively by the input operation of the caregiver.

[0069] The CPU 11 calls and executes the movement monitoring control process (S22). The movement monitoring control process is a process related to the monitoring control during the movement to the destination shown in FIG. 6 and the like above.

[0070] The CPU 11 calls and executes the destination monitoring control process (S23). The destination monitoring control process is a process related to the monitoring control in the park or the like at the destination shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.

[0071] The CPU 11 calls and executes the movement monitoring control process (S24). Here, a process related to the monitoring control during the movement on the return journey from the destination is performed.

[0072] The CPU 11 outputs monitoring history information (S25). The output can be made to the storage unit 13 as history data. Also, the monitoring history information may be displayed on the digital display screen by the display unit 16. Further, the above history data may be automatically sent to a responsible person or the like by e-mail or the like. Then, the CPU 11 ends the monitoring control process.

[0073] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the control procedure by the CPU 11 of the movement monitoring control process. When the movement monitoring control process is started, the CPU 11 requests each communication device 40 for its current position and acquires the current position (S41). The CPU 11 determines whether the current position, at least the current position of the leading communication device 40 (F), is located on the path connecting the preset nursery school and the destination park (S42). Whether it is located on the path may be determined by whether the current position is within a range of a predetermined width with respect to the linear path, for example, within a range of about the width of the road.

[0074] When it is determined that the communication device 40 is not on the path (S42; N), the CPU 11 outputs a warning message indicating that it has deviated from the path to the communication device 40 (S52). Then, the process of the CPU 11 proceeds to process S43. When it is determined that the communication device 40 is on the path (S42; Y), the process of the CPU 11 proceeds to process S43.

[0075] In process S43, the CPU 11 determines whether the distance Dfe between the leading communication device 40 (F) and the trailing communication device 40 (E) is equal to or less than the first upper limit value (S43). When there are three or more communication devices 40, the CPU 11 may automatically determine the leading communication device 40 (F) and the trailing communication device 40 (E) based on the positions along the path. Alternatively, when the communication device 40 (F) of the leading caregiver (F) and the communication device 40 (E) of the trailing caregiver (E) are determined in advance, the communication device 40 (F) and the communication device 40 (E) may be fixed.

[0076] If it is determined that the distance Dfe is not less than the first upper limit value, that is, the distance Dfe is greater than the first upper limit value (S43; N), the CPU 11 outputs a warning indicating that the distance between the head and the tail of the communication device 40 is excessive to the communication device 40 (S53). Then, the process of the CPU 11 proceeds to process S44. If it is determined that the distance Dfe is less than or equal to the first upper limit value (S43; Y), the process of the CPU 11 proceeds to process S44.

[0077] In process S44, the CPU 11 acquires the reception information of the radio waves from the transmitter 50 held by the monitored child from each communication device 40 (S44; acquisition means). The CPU 11 determines whether all the transmitters 50 are within the first setting range Du of any one of the communication devices 40 (S45; determination means). If it is determined that there is a transmitter 50 that is not within the first setting range Du of any communication device 40 (S45; N), the CPU 11 outputs a warning to the communication device 40 indicating that there is a transmitter 50 located outside the monitored range (S55; output means). As described above for the monitoring in the park, in the communication device 40, the transmission radio waves of the transmitter 50 are often received even outside the first setting range Du. Based on the received transmission radio waves, the CPU 11 outputs the tracking, search direction, and distance of the child holding the transmitter 50 to the communication device 40 estimated to be the closest to the child. Then, the process of the CPU 11 proceeds to process S46. If it is determined that all the transmitters 50 are within the first setting range Du of any one of the communication devices 40 (S45; Y), the process of the CPU 11 proceeds to process S46.

[0078] In process S46, the CPU 11 specifies the distances Dfn and Dne from the first communication device 40 (F) and the last communication device 40 (E) to each transmitter 50 (n), respectively (S46). The CPU 11 determines whether there is a transmitter 50 (n) for which the sum of the distances Dfn and Dne exceeds the second upper limit value dth by more than the distance Dfe (S47). As described above, the CPU 11 may determine whether Dfn + Dne - Dfe is greater than the second upper limit value dth.

[0079] When it is determined that there is a transmitter 50(n) for which Dfn + Dne - Dfe is greater than the second upper limit value dth (S47; Y), the CPU 11 performs a notification output to alert the caregiver n who holds the transmitter 50(n) (S57). Then, the process of the CPU 11 proceeds to process S48. When it is determined that there is no transmitter 50(n) for which Dfn + Dne - Dfe is greater than the second upper limit value dth (S47; N), the process of the CPU 11 proceeds to process S48.

[0080] In process S48, the CPU 11 determines whether the destination has been reached (S48). The determination of whether the destination has been reached may be made, for example, based on whether the current position of the communication device 40 is within the preset destination area Pa. Alternatively, the CPU 11 may determine that the destination has been reached when an input operation indicating arrival at the destination is received by the operation reception unit 17. The input operation indicating arrival at the destination may always be possible during the movement monitoring control process by calling the caregiver. Alternatively, when a representative point of the destination is set, when the communication device 40 approaches within a reference distance from the representative point, the display by the display unit 46 may be switched so that the input operation becomes possible. Such an input operation may be possible only by the communication device 40(F), or a specific caregiver may be preset in advance, and it may be possible only by the communication device 40 of the supervisor. Alternatively, the input operation may be possible from any communication device 40. When it is determined that the destination has not been reached (S48; N), the process of the CPU 11 returns to process S41. When it is determined that the destination has been reached (S48; Y), the CPU 11 ends the movement monitoring control process and returns the process to the monitoring control process.

[0081] FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the control procedure by CPU 11 for destination monitoring control processing. When the destination monitoring control processing starts, CPU 11 acquires the current positions from each communication device 40 (S61). Based on the map data 134 and the information of the preset area Pa, CPU 11 sets an initial monitoring range (S62). CPU 11 identifies, as a destination, a park or the like where the current position of each communication device 40 is included based on the map data 134. CPU 11 identifies the range of the park or the like specified from the map data 134. When area Pa is not preset, the initial monitoring range may be, for example, a predetermined range centered on the centroid position of the positions of a plurality of communication devices 40 as the maximum range of area Pa, for example, a range of 50 m square. Also, at this time, CPU 11 may adjust so that area Pa does not exceed the range of the park or the like specified above. The positions of each communication device 40 and the second setting range Du2 are appropriately determined so that the set or set entire area Pa is covered. Also, CPU 11 may determine area Pa, the positions of each communication device 40, the second setting range Du2, etc. so that a range of a predetermined ratio within the second setting range Du2 is located within the range of the park P that is the destination.

[0082] CPU 11 acquires reception information of radio waves from the transmitters 50 to be monitored (S63; acquisition means). CPU 11 determines whether all the transmitters 50 are located within the second setting range Du2 of any one of the communication devices 40 (S64; determination means). When it is determined that any one of the transmitters 50 is not located within the second setting range Du2 of any communication device 40 (S64; N), CPU 11 outputs a warning indicating that there is a transmitter 50 located outside the setting range to each communication device 40 (S74; output means). The content of the warning output may be the content shown in FIG. 7(b) above. CPU 11 calls and executes the tracking control processing (S75). Then, the processing of CPU 11 proceeds to processing S66.

[0083] If it is determined that all of the transmitters 50 are located within the second set range Du2 of any of the communication devices 40 (S64; Y), the CPU 11 outputs to each communication device 40 an output indicating that all of the transmitters 50 have been detected normally (S65). Then, the processing of the CPU 11 proceeds to step S66.

[0084] In process S66, the CPU 11 determines whether the arrangement of the multiple communication devices 40 is appropriate (S66). As described above, if the second set range Du2 of the communication devices 40 does not cover the area Pa, the arrangement is inappropriate. Conversely, if information about the area Pa is not stored in advance, the provisionally set area Pa or the second set range Du2 may be too wide. In this case, the distribution of the actual positions of the communication devices 40 and the transmitters 50 may be more biased than the second set range Du2 or the area Pa. Furthermore, if the second set ranges Du2 of the multiple communication devices 40 overlap outside the area Pa, the arrangement may also be determined to be inappropriate.

[0085] If it is determined that the placement of the communication devices 40 is inappropriate (S66; N), the CPU 11 determines whether the placement of the communication devices 40 is biased with respect to the area Pa (S67). This bias means that all of the communication devices 40 are located in a certain range within the area Pa. If it is determined that the placement of the communication devices 40 is biased with respect to the area Pa (S67; Y), the CPU 11 changes (reduces) the area Pa and adjusts the second set range Du2 accordingly (S68; range change means). Then, the processing of the CPU 11 proceeds to step S69.

[0086] If it is determined that the placement of the communication devices 40 is not biased relative to the area Pa (S67; N), the CPU 11 outputs an instruction to the communication devices 40 to adjust their placement (S77). This means that the communication devices 40 are dispersed within the area Pa, but the spacing between the communication devices 40 is uneven. The CPU 11 may display a map on the display unit 46 of the communication device 40 to specifically show the direction of movement and distance of movement of each communication device 40. If each communication device 40 has map data, the CPU 11 may cause the communication device 40 to draw the map. If each communication device 40 does not have map data, the CPU 11 may read out a map image of the range corresponding to the position of the communication device 40 from the map data 134 and transmit the map image to the communication device 40. Then, the CPU 11 proceeds to step S69. If it is determined that the placement of the communication devices 40 is appropriate (S66; Y), the CPU 11 proceeds to step S69.

[0087] In process S69, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the destination has been departed (S69). Whether or not the destination has been departed may be automatically determined, for example, based on whether or not the communication device 40 has left the area Pa other than during the tracking process described below. Alternatively, the departure from the destination may be determined based on whether or not the operation receiving unit 47 of the communication device 40 has received an input operation indicating that the communication device 40 is leaving the destination. This input operation may be executable at any time during the execution of the destination monitoring control process. Alternatively, as described above, when the communication device 40 has left the area Pa other than during the tracking process, the display unit 46 may display an acceptance button so that a selection operation can be performed.

[0088] If it is determined that the vehicle has not departed from the destination (S69; N), the process of the CPU 11 returns to step S61. If it is determined that the vehicle has departed from the destination (S69; Y), the CPU 11 ends the destination monitoring control process and returns the process to the monitoring control process.

[0089] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the control procedure of the tracking control process by the CPU 11. When the tracking control process is started, the CPU 11 identifies the tracking target (S81). The CPU 11 identifies the first identification information and the second identification information of the tracking target that has moved out of the second set range Du2. The CPU 11 identifies the communication device 40(L) that last detected the tracking target within the second set range Du2 (S82).

[0090] The CPU 11 determines whether radio waves transmitted by the tracked transmitter 50 are detected outside the second set range Du2 (S83). If it is determined that radio waves transmitted by the tracked transmitter 50 are detected (S83; Y), the CPU 11 acquires the movement status of the tracked transmitter 50 based on the time-series change in the reception strength of the radio waves from the transmitter 50, acceleration information, and the like (S84). If the transmitter 50 is detected by two or more communication devices 40, the CPU 11 can more accurately determine the current location of the transmitter 50. That is, as described above, the CPU 11 can select one of two points that satisfy the distance conditions from both communication devices 40 according to the radio wave reception strengths of the two communication devices 40 as the current location of the transmitter 50. Furthermore, if the transmitter 50 is detected by only one communication device 40, the CPU 11 may estimate the location of the transmitter 50 based on the location and movement direction when the transmitter 50 was detected by the two communication devices 40, assuming that the transmitter 50 is moving in that movement direction. Alternatively, the CPU 11 may approximately calculate the position of the transmitter 50 based on changes in reception strength (i.e., changes in distance) associated with the movement of the communication devices 40 detecting the transmitter 50, and the positions of the respective communication devices 40. If the position of the transmitter 50 cannot be obtained with reliable accuracy by the above method, the entire range of possible locations of the transmitter 50 may be calculated. The CPU 11 calculates the distance and direction of the transmitter 50 from the communication device 40(L) based on the current position of the communication device 40(L) obtained by satellite positioning or the like and the current position of the transmitter 50 obtained above (S85). As described above, if the current position of the transmitter 50 is not specified and a location range is obtained, the distance and direction including the entire range of possible locations are calculated. Then, the CPU 11 proceeds to step S86.

[0091] If it is determined that the transmission radio wave by the transmitter 50 to be tracked has not been detected (S83; N), the CPU 11 estimates the current position based on the position where the transmitter 50 was last identified and the movement in the vicinity of the position. The CPU 11 calculates the estimated relative position and direction of the transmitter 50 with respect to the communication device 40(L) (S94). Then, the process of the CPU 11 proceeds to process S86.

[0092] In process S86, the CPU 11 outputs information on the object to be tracked to the communication device 40(L) (S86). The information on the object to be tracked includes the second identification information, the relative distance and direction from the communication device 40(L). The information on the object to be tracked may include the geographical coordinates of the estimated position of the object to be tracked. Also, when the transmission radio wave from the transmitter 50 of the object to be tracked has not actually been detected, information indicating that fact may also be included in the information on the object to be tracked. The fact that the transmission radio wave has not been detected suggests that the transmitter 50 is outside the communicable range, or may be inside a building, in the shadow, underground, or in a tunnel, etc.

[0093] The CPU 11 determines whether the communication device 40(L) is located within the reference range from the transmitter 50 to be tracked (S87). The reference range is, in many cases, a distance range within which the object to be tracked can be protected immediately upon visual recognition, for example, 10 m. If it is determined that the communication device 40(L) is not located within the reference range (S87; N), the process of the CPU 11 returns to process S83.

[0094] When it is determined that the communication device 40(L) is located within the reference range (S87; Y), the CPU 11 determines whether information indicating that a child who holds the transmitter 50 to be tracked from the communication device 40(L) has been protected is received (S88). In the communication device 40(L), when it is located within the reference range, the CPU 41 causes the display unit 46 to display a push button switch on the digital display screen for receiving the operation of the caregiver L when the protection of the child is completed. When the caregiver L protects the child, the caregiver L selects and operates the push button switch, and the CPU 41 transmits information indicating that this selection operation has been received to the server device 10 through the communication unit 45. The CPU 11 determines whether the protection of the child and the securing of the transmitter 50 have been completed based on this information.

[0095] When it is determined that the securing of the transmitter 50 has not been completed (S88; N), the process of the CPU 11 returns to process S83. When it is determined that the securing of the transmitter 50 has been completed (S88; Y), the CPU 11 stores and holds the current tracking information in the storage unit 13 (S89). The tracking information may include the start date and time of the tracking control process, location information, the second identification information of the tracking target, the maximum distance from the communication device 40(L), the time required for securing, and the like. Then, the CPU 11 ends the tracking control process and returns the process to the destination monitoring control process.

[0096] As described above, the server device 10 of this embodiment includes a CPU 11. The CPU 11 acquires reception information of radio waves transmitted from the multiple transmitters 50 by the multiple communication devices 40. Based on the reception information, the CPU 11 determines whether each of the multiple transmitters 50 is within the set range (first set range Du, second set range Du2) of at least one of the multiple communication devices 40. The CPU 11 integrates the determination results for each communication device 40 and outputs the integrated result to at least one of the multiple communication devices 40. This allows the location of the transmitter 50 to be stably and continuously captured even if the transmitter 50 moves from near one communication device 40 into the range of another communication device 40. This allows the server device 10 to monitor the location of the target more flexibly and reliably. In particular, the server device 10 can avoid going unnoticed for a long time when a transmitter 50 has unintentionally moved out of its set range. This reduces the possibility of a target being monitored, such as a missing kindergarten child, going missing or falling into a serious situation such as an accident or incident.

[0097] Furthermore, CPU 11 may output the integrated determination result to multiple communication devices 40. That is, since the integrated result can be easily confirmed individually in each communication device 40, multiple watchers (monitors) carrying communication devices 40 can easily obtain necessary information without much effort and can reliably watch over (monitor) each child (target).

[0098] Furthermore, the plurality of transmitters 50 transmit radio waves including their own first identification information 531 by short-range wireless communication such as BLE. The CPU 11 of the server device 10 may be able to calculate the distances of the plurality of transmitters 50 to the plurality of communication devices 40 based on the reception strength of the radio waves by the plurality of communication devices 40. In this way, distance is estimated from the reception strength of short-range wireless communication, which makes it possible to reduce the weight, size, power consumption, and cost of the transmitter 50. The server device 10 can aggregate such distance information of multiple transmitters 50 and monitor the location of each transmitter 50 with simple processing.

[0099] Furthermore, when it is determined that a certain first transmitter among the multiple transmitters 50 is not within the set range of any communication device 40, the CPU 11 may output information about the first transmitter to the communication device that last received radio waves from the first transmitter within the set range. By notifying the communication device 40 that is assumed to be closest to the transmitter 50, the watcher (monitor) who is the holder of the communication device 40 can quickly track and search for the holder of the first transmitter.

[0100] Furthermore, the CPU 11 may determine a safety level for each transmitter 50 based on the number of multiple communication devices 40 that receive radio waves within a set range. The CPU 11 may output at least a portion of information related to the determined safety level to the communication device 40. When multiple monitors (watchers) are monitoring (watching over) multiple targets, it is efficient for the monitors to be positioned so as to sandwich or surround the multiple targets. In such an arrangement, the set ranges of each communication device 40 may overlap in a sandwiched or surrounded area. That is, a holder of a transmitter 50 in an area where the set ranges overlap is considered to be safe. Therefore, the server device 10 may determine the number of devices whose set ranges overlap as the safety level for each transmitter 50 and its holder. This allows the server device 10 to notify the communication device 40 to pay more attention to children holding transmitters 50 that are likely to deviate from the set range.

[0101] Furthermore, when multiple transmitters 50 move in a line, the CPU 11 may calculate the following three distances: (1) a first distance Dfe between the communication device 40(F) located at the front of the line and the communication device 40(E) located at the end of the line among the multiple communication devices 40; (2) a second distance Dfn between the communication device 40(F) and the multiple transmitters 50(n); and (3) a third distance Dne between the communication device 40(E) and the multiple transmitters 50(n). The CPU 11 may determine whether the multiple transmitters 50 have deviated from the line based on the first distance Dfe, the second distance Dfn, and the third distance Dne. In this way, when the monitoring target (the monitoring target) is located in a specific line, the monitoring target can be more appropriately monitored (watched over) by using parameters appropriate for that state. This is particularly true when the monitoring target does not always line up neatly, such as when monitoring children while they are moving around, and when not lining up can easily lead to danger. This enables more effective and accurate monitoring.

[0102] In particular, the CPU 11 may determine the deviation state by comparing the first distance Dfe with the sum of the second distance Dfn and the third distance Dne. When the vehicle deviates from the queue, the sum of the second distance Dfn and the third distance Dne becomes larger than the first distance Dfe, so the server device 10 can easily and accurately detect deviation from the queue by simple calculation processing.

[0103] Furthermore, the CPU 11 may output the number of transmitters 50 that are determined to be within the set range among the multiple transmitters 50 to the communication device 40. This allows the user of the communication device 40, who is the monitor, to easily know whether the number of targets that should be within the set range is correct.

[0104] In addition, the CPU 11 may pre-hold the registered number of a plurality of transmitters 50 used each time when going out. When the number of transmitters 50 determined to be within the above setting range is less than the above registered number, the CPU 11 may output information indicating that the number of the plurality of transmitters 50 is insufficient to the communication device 40. Thereby, the monitor holding the communication device 40 can promptly learn of the deviation of the holder of the transmitter 50 that has been overlooked. Therefore, before the holder of the deviated transmitter 50 completely disappears or troubles such as an accident occur, the holder of the transmitter 50 can be quickly tracked and searched for.

[0105] Further, the monitoring system 100 which is the management system of the present embodiment includes the above server device 10, a plurality of transmitters 50, and a plurality of communication devices 40 that receive radio waves respectively transmitted from the plurality of transmitters 50 and transmit reception information of the radio waves to the server device 10. According to such a monitoring system 100, even if the transmitter 50 moves from near a certain communication device 40 to the range of another communication device 40, the position of the transmitter 50 can be stably and continuously captured. Therefore, the locations of the transmitter 50 and the moving body holding the transmitter 50 are monitored more flexibly and reliably. In particular, according to the present monitoring system 100, it is possible to avoid failing to notice that the transmitter 50 has deviated from the set range at some point. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that a ward such as a missing child falls into a serious situation such as being missing, having an accident, or being involved in an incident.

[0106] Further, the information processing method of the present embodiment includes the following processing steps. Obtain reception information of radio waves transmitted from a plurality of transmitters 50 by a plurality of communication devices 40. Based on the reception information, determine whether each of the plurality of transmitters 50 is within the setting range of at least any one of the plurality of communication devices 40. Integrate the determination results and output them to at least one of the plurality of communication devices 40. By such an information processing method, it is possible to stably, easily, and more reliably monitor the locations of a plurality of transmitters 50 using the communication devices 40 held by a plurality of monitors and learn of the deviation from the set range.

[0107] Also, by installing the program 131 related to the above information processing method in a computer and causing the CPU 11 to execute it, it is possible to easily, more flexibly and reliably monitor the location of the target without using a special hardware configuration.

[0108] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, the distance between the communication device 40 and the transmitter 50 may not be obtained only based on the reception intensity of the radio wave by the communication device 40. When the orientations of the communication device 40 and the transmitter 50 can be specified or estimated, the distance may be corrected in consideration of body shielding and antenna directivity according to these orientations.

[0109] Also, in the above, BLE has been described as an example of short-range wireless communication, but it is not limited to this. Other radio waves in frequency bands and modulation methods that can be used as beacons may be used. For example, ultra-wideband radio (UWB) or the like may be used. It is preferable that this radio wave can be received by a communication device 40 such as a general-purpose smartphone.

[0110] Also, in the above, an example has been described in which the number of communication devices 40 within the second setting range Du2 is used as the safety level of each transmitter 50, but it is not limited to this. Such an index of the safety level may not be used. Alternatively, even within the second setting range Du2, the distance from the transmitter 50 may be further considered, and an index may be used such that the safety level decreases when it is far from any of the communication devices 40 even within the overlapping range.

[0111] In the above description, only the head and the tail are considered in the columnar arrangement, but it is not limited to this. When there are three or more supervisors and those after the third supervisor enter the middle of the column, the column may be divided into two or more parts for convenience with those after the third supervisor as the boundary. In this case, the communication device 40 of the supervisors after the third supervisor can be the tail of the front column and the head of the rear column. For each child's position, the second distance and the third distance may be obtained for each column, and the shortest of them may be considered.

[0112] In the above description, the detection of the transmitter 50 is described on the premise of a columnar arrangement on the way to the park and on the way back from the park, but it is not limited to this. It is not necessary to simply consider a columnar arrangement, and it is not necessary to consider a columnar arrangement only in the case of a destination where people are not even arranged in a column.

[0113] Alternatively, if one is simply moving around along a road or the like, the monitoring related to the on-site activities may be omitted. Also, the destination may not be a park. It may be a square, a field, a riverbank, or inside a building. When the destination is a building, the second set range Du2 may be adjusted according to the size of the room inside the building.

[0114] In the above description, the server device 10 transmits all the integrated results to all the communication devices 40, but it is not limited to this. The integrated results may be transmitted only to some communication devices 40 such as the communication device 40 of the person in charge.

[0115] Also, the server device 10 of the present embodiment does not necessarily have to acquire monitoring data from the communication device 40 that monitors the transmitter 50 held by a nursery child or the like and output the monitoring result to the communication device 40. It may exchange data with a communication device 40 that monitors the transmitter 50 held by an elderly person, a hospital patient, etc., or a communication device 40 that monitors the transmitter 50 attached to a vehicle or mobile equipment such as a wheeled play equipment or a kick scooter. Further, the server device 10 may acquire monitoring data from a communication device 40 that monitors the transmitter 50 attached to an autonomous mobile machine or other organisms and transmit the monitoring data to the communication device 40.

[0116] In addition, in the above description, barcodes, two-dimensional identification codes, etc. were given as optically readable second identification information 59, but it is not limited to these. A simple arrangement of numbers and symbols may be displayed and read by an OCR (Optical Character Reader) or a character recognition function of a photographed image.

[0117] Further, the server device 10 may be a dedicated server device related to monitoring control, and may be a device automatically set and connected from a program 431 related to a monitoring application installed in the communication device 40. Further, the above processing by the server device 10 may be distributed and executed by a plurality of information processing devices. Alternatively, the server device 10 may be shared by any one of the plurality of communication devices 40. A general-purpose PC as the server device 10 may be a tablet terminal carried together with any one of the communication devices 40.

[0118] In addition, the program 131 of the server device 10 and the program 431 of the communication device 40 related to the above monitoring may include processing related to off-campus activities other than monitoring. For example, the programs 131 and 431 may also execute schedule management of off-campus activities and assistance in creating a report on off-campus activities.

[0119] In the above description, the storage unit 13 composed of a non-volatile memory such as an HDD or a flash memory was given as an example of a computer-readable medium storing the program 131 related to the monitoring control of the present invention, but it is not limited to these. As other computer-readable media, other non-volatile memories such as MRAM, and portable recording media such as CD-ROMs and DVD disks can be applied. In addition, a carrier wave is also applied to the present invention as a medium for providing the data of the program according to the present invention via a communication line. In addition, the specific configurations, processing operations, procedures, etc. shown in the above embodiments can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention includes the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalent scope.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0120] 10 Server device 11 CPU 12 RAM 13 Storage unit 131 Program 132 Target information 133 Range setting 134 Map data 15 Communication unit 16 Display unit 17 Operation reception unit 40 Communication device 41 CPU 42 RAM 43 Storage unit 431 Program 432 Reference value setting 44 Measurement unit 441 Positioning operation unit 45 Communication unit 46 Display unit 47 Operation reception unit 48 Notification unit 49 Imaging unit 50 Transmitter 501 Transmission module 51 CPU 52 RAM 53 Storage unit 531 First identification information 54 Measurement unit 55 Communication unit 58 Notification unit 59 Second identification information 100 Monitoring system 131, 431 Programs A~C, E, F, L Guardians Pa Area

Claims

1. Obtain reception information of radio waves transmitted from a plurality of transmitters by a plurality of communication devices, Based on the reception information, determine whether each of the plurality of transmitters is within at least one of the setting ranges of the plurality of communication devices, Integrate the determination results for each of the communication devices and output them to at least one of the plurality of communication devices An information processing apparatus comprising a control unit.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit outputs the integrated determination result to the plurality of communication devices.

3. The plurality of transmitters transmit the radio waves including their own identification information by short-range wireless communication, The control unit obtains the distances of the plurality of transmitters from the plurality of communication devices based on the reception intensity of the radio waves by the plurality of communication devices. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined that a certain first transmitter among the plurality of transmitters is not within any of the setting ranges of the communication devices, the control unit outputs the information of the first transmitter to the communication device that last received the radio wave from the first transmitter within the setting range.

5. The control unit determines the respective safety levels of the transmitters based on the number of communication devices that have received the radio wave within the setting range, and outputs at least a part of the information regarding the safety levels to the communication devices. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the plurality of transmitters move in a row, the control unit determines the deviation states of the plurality of transmitters from the row based on a first distance between a first communication device located at the head of the row and a second communication device located at the end of the row among the plurality of communication devices, a second distance between the first communication device and the plurality of transmitters, and a third distance between the second communication device and the plurality of transmitters.

7. The information processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control unit determines the deviation state by comparing the first distance with the sum of the second distance and the third distance.

8. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit outputs the number of transmitters determined to be within the setting range among the plurality of transmitters to the communication devices.

9. The control unit holds in advance the registered number of the plurality of transmitters, and when the number of transmitters determined to be within the set range is less than the registered number of the transmitters, outputs shortage information of the plurality of transmitters to the communication device. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

10. The information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, a plurality of transmitters, a plurality of communication devices that receive radio waves respectively transmitted from the plurality of transmitters and transmit reception information of the radio waves to the information processing apparatus, a management system including.

11. Obtain reception information of radio waves transmitted from a plurality of transmitters by a plurality of communication devices, Based on the reception information, determine whether each of the plurality of transmitters is within the set range of at least any one of the plurality of communication devices, Integrate the determination results for each of the communication devices and output them to at least one of the plurality of communication devices Information processing method.

12. A computer, an acquisition means for acquiring reception information of radio waves transmitted from a plurality of transmitters by a plurality of communication devices, a determination means for determining whether each of the plurality of transmitters is within the set range of at least any one of the plurality of communication devices based on the reception information, an output means for integrating the determination results for each of the communication devices and outputting them to at least one of the plurality of communication devices, A program that functions as.

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