Locking device and loss prevention system

Abstract

To provide a locking device and a loss prevention system capable of preventing loss of an umbrella and suppressing increase of running cost.SOLUTION: A locking device 20 includes an NFC tag 30, and when receiving a locking instruction from a portable terminal via the NFC tag 30 by short-range radio communication, locks an umbrella by driving a DC motor 26 by power supply of a power supply part 34 to set a movable part 25 to a locking position. On the other hand, when the locking device 20 receives the unlocking instruction from the portable terminal via the NFC tag 30 by the short-range wireless communication, the locking device 20 unlocks the umbrella by driving the DC motor 26 by the power supply of the power supply unit 34 to move the movable portion 25 to the unlocked position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a locking device and a loss prevention system for preventing the loss of an umbrella. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 describes a system in which a tag that emits wireless information is attached to an umbrella, and if the umbrella is lost, a mobile terminal or the like receives the wireless information emitted from the tag and determines the location of the umbrella. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Re-tabled publication 2019 / 188314 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the system described in Patent Document 1, even if a tag is attached to an umbrella, a third party can still use the umbrella, so if a third party does not notice the tag, they may mistakenly pick up the umbrella and use it. Also, because a battery is required to operate the tag, there is a risk that running costs will increase.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a locking device and a loss prevention system that can prevent the loss of umbrellas and suppress increases in running costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a locking device detachably fixed to an umbrella, comprising: a locking mechanism having a movable part movable between an unlocked position and a locked position; a DC motor for moving the movable part between the unlocked position and the locked position; a communication interface for performing short-range wireless communication with a mobile terminal using an AC magnetic field from the mobile terminal brought close to an antenna; and a power supply unit for supplying power to the DC motor with power corresponding to the AC magnetic field used in the short-range wireless communication. When the communication interface receives a locking command via the short-range wireless communication, it drives the DC motor with power supplied by the power supply unit to place the movable part in the locked position, and when it receives an unlocking command via the short-range wireless communication, it drives the DC motor with power supplied by the power supply unit to place the movable part in the unlocked position.

[0007] In the locking device configured as described above, by bringing a mobile terminal close to the antenna, the movable part of the locking mechanism can be moved between the locked and unlocked positions via short-range wireless communication between the mobile terminal and the mobile terminal, thereby locking and unlocking the umbrella. This prevents a third party from mistaking an umbrella locked by the locking device for their own umbrella. Locking the umbrella with the locking device also prevents theft of the umbrella for a third party's use. Furthermore, the power required for the DC motor that moves the movable part between the locked and unlocked positions can be supplied by power corresponding to the AC magnetic field used in short-range wireless communication, eliminating the need for a battery and reducing running costs. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a locking device that can prevent the loss of an umbrella and suppress an increase in running costs, and a loss prevention system that uses this locking device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a loss prevention system. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a locking device attached to an umbrella. [Figure 3]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a loss prevention system. [Figure 4] 10 is a timing chart illustrating the processing of the mobile terminal and the locking device when locking the umbrella. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a screen displayed on the mobile terminal. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a screen displayed on the mobile terminal. [Figure 7] 10 is a timing chart illustrating the processing of the mobile terminal and the locking device when unlocking the umbrella. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a loss prevention system according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] (First embodiment) A loss prevention system according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1, the loss prevention system 10 is a system used to prevent the loss of an umbrella 1 due to mistaking it for another umbrella or leaving it behind. The loss prevention system 10 is composed of a locking device 20 that is detachably fixed to the umbrella 1 and a mobile terminal 40 that is held by the user.

[0011] The umbrella 1 targeted by the loss prevention system 10 is a so-called jump umbrella. Specifically, the umbrella 1 includes a central shaft 5, an umbrella cover 2 attached to one end of the central shaft 5 via a rib (not shown) so that it can be opened and closed, a handle 7 attached to the other end of the central shaft 5 and held by the user, and a bottom flap 6 with an operating part protruding from the central shaft 5 that accepts the opening operation of the umbrella cover 2.

[0012] In the loss prevention system 10, the locking device 20 is used while fixed to the center shaft 5 of the umbrella 1. When the umbrella 1 is locked, the locking device 20 prevents the umbrella 1 from being opened by disabling the operation of the bottom flap 6. The user can switch between locking and unlocking the umbrella 1 using the locking device 20 by operating the mobile terminal 40.

[0013] The configuration of the locking device 20 will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2(a) shows the locking device 20 in an unlocked state, and Figure 2(b) shows the locking device 20 in a locked state. The locking device 20 mainly comprises a case 21, a locking mechanism 22, a DC motor 26, and an NFC tag 30. The case 21 is a rectangular plate member with a slit 23 formed through its center. A fixing band 27, for example, using a tightening bolt, is provided on the back side of the case 21, and the locking device 20 is fixed to the center shaft 5 of the umbrella 1 so that the slit 23 overlaps the position of the bottom flap 6, as shown in Figure 2(a). In this embodiment, the fixing band 27 is an example of a fixing member.

[0014] A DC motor 26 is provided on the surface of the case 21, close to the slit 23. A micromotor with a small outer diameter is used for the DC motor 26, and it is fixed perpendicular to the surface of the case 21. A locking mechanism 22 is provided integrally with the DC motor 26 so as to cover the slit 23 where the lower latch 6 is located. The locking mechanism 22 is a set of a semi-cylindrical fixed cover 24 and a movable cover 25, and can be moved between an unlocked position where they are stacked as shown in Figure 2(a) and a locked position where the movable cover 25 is rotated 180 degrees as shown in Figure 2(b).

[0015] The DC motor 26 is located at the center of the fixed cover 24 and the movable cover 25 when they form a cylindrical shape, and is configured as one piece with a middle plate 241 that blocks the straight portion of the fixed cover 24. Since the fixed cover 24 is fixed to the case 21, it also serves as a member that supports the integrated DC motor 26. The movable cover 25 is formed to be slightly larger than the fixed cover 24, and is configured to be connected to the output shaft of the DC motor 26 so that its arc portion moves in the rotational direction on the same circumference as the arc of the fixed cover 24. In this embodiment, the movable cover 25 is an example of a movable part.

[0016] Case 21 houses NFC tag 30 for performing near field communication with mobile terminal 40 using an AC magnetic field from mobile terminal 40. NFC tag 30 is a communication interface for performing near field communication (NFC: Near Field Communication) with mobile terminal 40 when an antenna 47 (described later) of mobile terminal 40 approaches. NFC tag 30 is a tag that is only passively driven, that is, driven by power corresponding to the AC magnetic field generated by mobile terminal 40 (antenna 47 (described later)), and has antenna 31 and NFC chip 32, as shown in FIG. 3 .

[0017] The antenna 31 is attached to the case 21 in an exposed state on the surface thereof so that the antenna 47 of the mobile terminal 40 can approach it. The antenna 31 is a loop antenna, and when an AC magnetic field generated by the antenna 47 of the mobile terminal 40 is brought close to the antenna 31, a current flows due to electromagnetic induction, causing a voltage change in the NFC chip 32. The NFC chip 32 is an integrated circuit and has the functional blocks of a signal processing unit 33, a power supply unit 34, and a control unit 35. The signal processing unit 33 mainly demodulates the voltage change generated by electromagnetic induction in the antenna 31 and extracts various commands. The power supply unit 34 converts power corresponding to the AC magnetic field used in near-field wireless communication into power for driving the NFC chip 32. The control unit 35 will be described later.

[0018] The power supply unit 34 has a capacitor 36. Therefore, in addition to supplying power to the NFC chip 32 by bringing the antenna 31 close to an AC magnetic field, it is possible to supply power to the DC motor 26 using the power stored in the capacitor 36. In other words, the NFC tag 30 does not supply power to the DC motor 26 using a power storage device such as a battery, but can supply power stored in the capacitor 36 to the DC motor 26 by bringing the antenna 31 close to an AC magnetic field.

[0019] Next, we will explain the configuration of the mobile terminal 40. The mobile terminal 40 is, for example, a smartphone, and includes an MCU (Micro Controller Unit) 41, a display 42, a GPS sensor 43, a memory 44, and an NFC tag 45, as shown in FIG.

[0020] The MCU 41 includes a calculation unit such as a CPU and a RAM in which programs and parameters executed by the CPU are temporarily loaded. The MCU 41 can execute processes according to the programs by loading the OS 50, application programs 51, and various parameters stored in the memory 44 into the RAM and executing them. The display 42 is a touch panel display unit that can display icons and the like and accept touch operations by the user. The mobile terminal 40 may also be equipped with physical buttons that accept user operations. The GPS sensor 43 is a sensor that detects location information indicating the current location using the well-known GPS (an abbreviation for Global Positioning System). In this embodiment, the GPS sensor is an example of a location detection unit.

[0021] The NFC tag 45 is a communication interface for performing short-range wireless communication with the NFC tag 30 of the locking device 20. The NFC tag 45 includes an NFC chip 46 and an antenna 47. The antenna 47 is a loop antenna, similar to the antenna 31. The NFC tag 45 is an actively driven tag, and therefore the NFC chip 46 is driven by power from a power supply circuit (not shown), causing an AC magnetic field to be generated in the antenna 47. The NFC chip 46, like the NFC chip 32, includes a signal processing unit and a control unit.

[0022] The memory 44 is a flash memory, and stores an OS 50 and an application program 51. The application program 51 is a program that causes the MCU 41 to execute processes related to locking and unlocking the umbrella 1 using the locking device 20. By executing the application program 51 under the execution of the OS 50, the MCU 41 can execute a series of processes shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, which will be described later, and the screen displays on the display 42 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The application program 51 is stored in the memory 44, for example, by being downloaded from a server managed by the vendor of the locking device 20. Hereinafter, the execution of processes by the MCU 41 in accordance with the application program 51 under the execution of the OS 50 will also be simply referred to as "the MCU 41 executes...".

[0023] Next, with reference to Fig. 4, the flow of processing by the locking device 20 and the mobile terminal 40 when a user locks the umbrella 1 with the locking device 20 will be described. First, when the user operates a predetermined icon from among the icons displayed on the display 42 of the mobile terminal 40, the MCU 41 starts up the application program 51 and displays the operation screen 60 shown in Fig. 5(a) on the display 42. The operation screen 60 includes icons 61 and 62 indicating the locked and unlocked states of the locking device 20, as well as a notification setting switch 63 and icons 64, 65, and 66, which are operators that accept various operations related to locking and unlocking the umbrella 1 with the locking device 20.

[0024] Before locking the umbrella 1 with the locking device 20, the locking device 20 must be associated with the mobile terminal 40. When the user operates the setting icon 66 included in the operation screen 60, the MCU 41 displays the setting screen 70 shown in FIG. 5B on the display 42. The setting screen 70 includes a notification setting area 71 that displays controls and information related to the settings of the notification process performed by the mobile terminal 40, and a registered device setting area 72 that displays controls and information related to the settings when associating the locking device 20 with the mobile terminal 40. The registered device setting area 72 displays authentication information corresponding to the locking device 20 associated with the mobile terminal 40. The authentication information is also information registered in the management information 52 stored in the memory 44 of the mobile terminal 40. For example, the registered device setting area 72 shown in FIG. 5B displays "umbrella No. 1 1039481" as the authentication information of the already associated locking device 20. Details of the controls and information included in the notification setting area 71 will be described later.

[0025] When no authentication information is registered in the management information 52, the user must operate the mobile terminal 40 to register the authentication information of the locking device 20 to be associated in the management information 52 (setting process, timing 10). Specifically, when the user operates an icon in the registered device setting area 72, the MCU 41 displays a device registration screen (not shown) on the display 42. When the user selects authentication information corresponding to the locking device 20 to be associated with the mobile terminal 40 on this device registration screen, the MCU 41 registers the authentication information corresponding to the locking device 20 to be associated in the management information 52. Hereinafter, timing will also be referred to as "T".

[0026] The management information 52 registers setting values ​​corresponding to two items: an "umbrella number" item and a "shared flag" item. The "umbrella number" item is a setting value in which authentication information for identifying the locking device 20 is registered. The "shared flag" item is a setting value in which a value indicating whether the locking device 20 associated with the mobile terminal 40 is to be shared with a mobile terminal managed by another user, in other words, whether a locked umbrella 1 is to be unlocked by a mobile terminal managed by another user, is registered. For example, by setting the shared flag to a value indicating validity, the locking device 20 identified by the authentication information registered in the "umbrella number" item can be shared with another user. Note that multiple pieces of authentication information can also be registered in the management information 52. By registering multiple pieces of authentication information in the management information 52, the mobile terminal 40 is associated with multiple locking devices 20 via the respective authentication information, and the mobile terminal 40 can execute the processes shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 7 (described later) with each of the locking devices 20.

[0027] Once the association of the locking device 20 with the management information 52 is completed, the authentication information corresponding to the newly associated locking device 20 is displayed in the registered device setting area 72, and the user becomes able to lock and unlock the umbrella 1 using the locking device 20.

[0028] When a user brings the antenna 47 of the mobile terminal 40 close to the antenna 31 of the locking device 20, the MCU 41 executes a polling process at T11 to establish communication with the NFC tag 30 of the locking device 20 via the NFC tag 45. In the polling process, the NFC tag 45 generates a request command and transmits the request command by modulating an AC magnetic field in response to the request command. When the antenna 31 of the locking device 20 approaches the AC magnetic field generated by the antenna 47, a voltage change occurs in the NFC chip 32 due to electromagnetic induction. The request command is received by demodulating this voltage change. Hereinafter, modulating the AC magnetic field to transmit a predetermined signal is also referred to simply as "transmitting a command." On the other hand, demodulating the voltage change corresponding to the transmitted command and receiving the original command is also referred to simply as "receiving a command."

[0029] When the NFC chip 32 of the locking device 20 determines that the request command corresponds to the device itself, it generates a response command and responds by transmitting this response command to the mobile terminal 40. This enables short-range wireless communication between the mobile terminal 40 and the locking device 20.

[0030] At T12, the MCU 41 of the portable terminal 40 transmits a request command for authentication information to the locking device 20 via the NFC tag 45. Upon receiving the request command for authentication information, the NFC chip 32 of the locking device 20 generates authentication information corresponding to its own device and transmits this authentication information at T13. At this time, the NFC chip 32 transmits information indicating the state of the locking device 20 (locked state, unlocked state) along with the authentication information. In this example, the locking device 20 has not locked the umbrella 1, so the NFC chip 32 transmits information indicating the unlocked state to the portable terminal 40.

[0031] In T14, the MCU 41 performs authentication processing using the authentication information received from the locking device 20. Specifically, the MCU 41 determines whether any of the authentication information registered in the management information 52 matches the received authentication information. If any of the authentication information registered in the management information 52 matches the received authentication information, the MCU 41 generates a command indicating a lock instruction or an unlock instruction depending on the state of the locking device 20 (locked state or unlocked state) in T15 and transmits the generated command. Specifically, if the information transmitted from the locking device 20 in the processing of T13 indicates an unlocked state, the MCU 41 generates a lock command indicating a lock instruction and transmits this lock command to the locking device 20. On the other hand, if the information transmitted from the locking device 20 in the processing of T13 indicates a locked state, the MCU 41 generates an unlock command indicating an unlock instruction and transmits this unlock command to the locking device 20. In the authentication process of T14, if there is no management information 52 that matches the received authentication information, the MCU 41 determines that the instruction to the locking device 20 is invalid, and ends the process of FIG.

[0032] The following explanation assumes that the MCU 41 has transmitted a lock command to the locking device 20. When the NFC chip 32 of the locking device 20 receives the lock command, at T16 it performs a locking operation by driving the DC motor 26 with power supplied from the power supply unit 34 to place the movable cover 25 in the locked position. With the antenna 31 positioned within the AC magnetic field, current flows through the power supply unit 34, charging the capacitor 36. Having received the lock command, the NFC chip 32 (control unit 35) outputs a rotation command using the DC power generated by the charging of the capacitor 36, thereby rotating the DC motor 26 and placing the movable cover 25 in the locked position. As shown in FIG. 2(b), with the movable cover 25 in the locked position, the bottom lever 6 of the umbrella 1 is shielded by the movable cover 25, making it impossible to press the bottom lever 6 (i.e., to open the umbrella 1).

[0033] When the locking operation is completed, the NFC chip 32 of the locking device 20 transmits a completion notification command indicating that the locking operation is completed to the mobile terminal 40 at T17. When the MCU 41 receives the completion notification command, it stores the location information detected by the GPS sensor 43 in the memory 44 as location information indicating the current location of the locked umbrella 1 at T18.

[0034] At T19, the MCU 41 changes the display mode of the operation screen 60 shown in FIG. 5(a) to one that indicates that the umbrella 1 is locked. Specifically, the MCU 41 turns off the display color of the unlock icon 62 and turns on the display color of the lock icon 61. This allows the user to confirm that the umbrella 1 has been locked by the change in display color of the lock icon 61 and the unlock icon 62 on the operation screen 60. In other words, the user can switch between locking and unlocking the locking device 20 simply by bringing the mobile terminal 40 close to the locking device 20.

[0035] At T20, the MCU 41 starts counting the time that has elapsed since the locking device 20 started locking the umbrella 1. As will be described later, when a preset lock determination time has elapsed since the MCU 41 started counting the elapsed time, the MCU 41 performs a notification process to notify the user that the umbrella 1 has been left behind. When the notification setting switch 63, which is a toggle switch, is turned "ON" on the operation screen 60 shown in FIG. 5(a) and the notification flag stored in the memory 44 is set to a value indicating enabled, the MCU 41 starts counting the elapsed time through the notification process at T20.

[0036] The notification flag stored in the memory 44 can be set not only by operating the operation screen 60 but also by operating the setting screen 70 described above. In this case, on the setting screen 70 shown in FIG. 5(b), by operating the notification setting switch 74 to "ON," the notification flag is set to a value indicating enable, and by operating the notification setting switch 74 to "OFF," the notification flag is set to a value indicating disable. Also, by operating the alarm sound setting switch 75, which is a toggle switch, to "ON" while the notification setting switch 74 is "ON," the alarm sound flag, which indicates whether the alarm sound is enabled or disabled and is stored in the memory 44, is set to a value indicating enable. This makes it possible to output an alarm sound in the notification process. On the other hand, by operating the alarm sound setting switch 75 to "OFF" while the notification setting switch 74 is "ON," the alarm sound flag is set to a value indicating disable. This makes it possible to notify by vibration only, without outputting an alarm sound, in the notification process. Alternatively, an alarm sound setting switch 75 may be operated to switch the value of a flag indicating the output in the notification process between an alarm sound and a vibration.

[0037] Thereafter, when the counting of the elapsed time, which started at T20, reaches the lock determination time, the MCU 41 of the mobile terminal 40 executes a notification process to prevent the umbrella 1 from being left behind. Specifically, at T21 in FIG. 7, the MCU 41 displays the misplacement notification screen 80 shown in FIG. 6(a) on the display 42. The misplacement notification screen 80 displays text 81, indicating that the umbrella 1 has been left behind, such as "Have you forgotten your umbrella?" If the alarm sound flag is set to a value indicating enablement, the MCU 41 notifies the user visually and audibly by outputting an alarm sound along with the display of the misplacement notification screen 80. This allows the user to recognize that the umbrella 1 locked by the locking device 20 has been left behind. For example, the user can stop the output of the alarm sound by operating the text 81 on the misplacement notification screen 80. Note that the text 81 may be any content that alerts the user to whether or not the umbrella 1 has been left behind, and is not limited to the above description.

[0038] The time that elapses until the MCU 41 displays the notification screen 80 through the notification process at T21 can be changed by changing the value of the notification timer item 73 in the notification setting area 71 shown in Fig. 5(b). When the value of the notification timer item 73 is changed, the MCU 41 uses the value indicated in the changed notification timer item 73 as the lock determination time to determine the elapsed time measured at T20. This allows the user to set in advance the time at which they want to be notified through the notification process that the umbrella 1 has been left behind.

[0039] When the user operates the location information icon 65 on the left-behind notification screen 80, the MCU 41 detects that the location information icon 65 has been operated, and causes the display 42 to display a location notification screen 85 shown in FIG. 6(b). The location notification screen 85 is a screen that shows the location of the umbrella 1 locked by the locking device 20. The location notification screen 85 displays an icon 86 that shows the location indicated by the location information stored in T18 and "umbrella No. 1," which is part of the authentication information of the locking device 20 in which the location information has been stored. This allows the user to grasp the location of the locked umbrella 1 from the location notification screen 85. When the user operates the home icon 64 on the left-behind notification screen 80 or the location notification screen 85, the MCU 41 detects the operation of the home icon 64, and causes the display 42 to display an operation screen 60 shown in FIG. 5(a). The display of the location notification screen 85 by the MCU 41 is not limited to after the misplacement notification screen 80 is displayed on the display 42, but can be displayed in response to operation of the location information icon 65 even before the misplacement notification screen 80 is displayed, as long as the umbrella 1 has been locked by the locking device 20.

[0040] It is assumed that the user goes to the position indicated by the icon 86 on the location notification screen 85 to retrieve the locked umbrella 1 and brings the antenna 47 of the mobile terminal 40 close to the antenna 31 of the locking device 20. At T22, the MCU 41 of the mobile terminal 40 transmits a request command to the locking device 20 by polling processing. The polling processing performed at T22 is the same as the polling processing at T11 already described.

[0041] When short-range wireless communication is established, the MCU 41 transmits a request command for authentication information to the locking device 20 at T23. When the NFC chip 32 of the locking device 20 receives the request command for authentication information, it transmits the authentication information and information indicating the current state (locked state, unlocked state) of the locking device 20 at T24. In this example, the locking device 20 has locked the umbrella 1, so the NFC chip 32 transmits information indicating the locked state to the mobile terminal 40.

[0042] At T25, the MCU 41 performs authentication processing using the authentication information received from the locking device 20. The authentication processing performed at T25 is the same as the authentication processing at T14 already described. If the authentication processing is successful, at T26 the MCU 41 transmits a command indicating a lock instruction or an unlock instruction to the locking device 20 according to the information indicating the state of the locking device 20. In this example, since the locking device 20 is in a locked state, the MCU 41 transmits an unlock command to the locking device 20.

[0043] When the NFC chip 32 of the locking device 20 receives the unlock command, at T27 it performs an unlocking operation to unlock the umbrella 1. In the unlocking operation at T27 as well, the NFC chip 32 (controller 35) issues a rotation instruction to the DC motor 26, causing the DC motor 26 to rotate using DC power from the capacitor 36, and moving the movable cover 25 to the unlocked position.

[0044] At T28, the NFC chip 32 transmits a completion notification command indicating that the unlocking operation has been completed to the mobile terminal 40. Upon receiving the completion notification command from the locking device 20, the MCU 41 performs a reset process at T29 to reset the position information and elapsed time stored in the memory 44. Note that the MCU 41 may initialize various flags related to the notification process stored in the memory 44 in the reset process at T29.

[0045] At T30, the MCU 41 changes the display mode of the operation screen 60 to one that indicates that the umbrella 1 is unlocked. Specifically, the MCU 41 turns on the display color of the unlock icon 62 and turns off the display color of the lock icon 61. This allows the user to confirm that the umbrella 1 has been unlocked by the change in display color of the lock icon 61 and the unlock icon 62 on the operation screen 60. After that, the user can press the bottom flap 6 of the umbrella 1 and open and use the umbrella 1.

[0046] The present embodiment described above can achieve the following effects. When the locking device 20 receives a lock command from the mobile terminal 40 via short-range wireless communication, it drives the DC motor 26 with power from the power supply unit 34 to move the movable cover 25 to the locked position, thereby locking the umbrella 1. On the other hand, when it receives an unlock command from the mobile terminal 40 via short-range wireless communication, it drives the DC motor 26 with power from the power supply unit 34 to move the movable cover 25 to the unlocked position. This prevents a third party from mistaking the locked umbrella 1 for their own umbrella and preventing the loss of the umbrella 1. This prevents a third party without the mobile terminal 40 from stealing a locked umbrella 1 for their own use. Furthermore, because the DC motor 26, which moves the movable cover 25 between the locked and unlocked positions, can be driven by power corresponding to an AC magnetic field, no battery is required, thereby reducing running costs.

[0047] The locking device 20 is fixed to the center shaft 5 of the umbrella 1 by a fixing band 27, and the movable cover 25 can be moved between an unlocked position that does not prevent the pressing operation on the bottom flap 6 of the umbrella 1, and a locked position that prevents the pressing operation on the bottom flap 6. This prevents the umbrella 1, which opens by operating the bottom flap 6, from being mistaken for a third party, theft for the purpose of use, and loss of the umbrella 1.

[0048] When the locking by the locking device 20 is completed in response to the lock command transmitted via short-range wireless communication, the mobile terminal 40 measures the time that has elapsed since the start of locking, and when this time has exceeded a predetermined lock determination time, it performs a notification process. This allows the user to recognize that the umbrella 1 has been left behind by the notification from the mobile terminal 40, and prevents the umbrella 1 from being lost due to being left behind.

[0049] The mobile terminal 40 can change the lock determination time in response to an operation, and performs a notification process when the elapsed time reaches the changed lock determination time. This allows the user to set in advance the time at which they want to be notified that the umbrella 1 has been left behind, and prevents the mobile terminal 40 from performing the notification process at a time unintended by the user.

[0050] When the locking of the umbrella 1 by the locking device 20 is completed, the mobile terminal 40 stores in the memory 44 the location information indicating the current location detected by the GPS sensor 43. In response to an operation, the mobile terminal 40 uses the stored location information to display on the display 42 a location notification screen 85 indicating the location of the locked umbrella 1. This allows the user to know the location of the locked umbrella 1 from the location notification screen 85, and prevents the umbrella 1 from being lost due to being left behind.

[0051] The mobile terminal 40 performs an authentication process using authentication information before transmitting a locking command or an unlocking command to the locking device 20, and transmits the locking command or the unlocking command if the authentication process is successful. This prevents the mobile terminal 40 from locking or unlocking the umbrella 1 with an unauthenticated locking device 20, which can more effectively prevent a third party from mistaking the umbrella 1 for another person's own use or stealing it for other purposes.

[0052] (Second embodiment) In the second embodiment, the same parts as in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and their description will not be repeated. This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the locking device for locking the umbrella 1. Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating the locking device 110.

[0053] The locking device 110 includes a tightening cord 130 and a cord fastening device 120. After the tightening cord 130 is wound around the outer periphery of the umbrella 1 stored in the umbrella bag 111 to tighten it, the tightening cord 130 is maintained in its tightened state by the cord fastening device 120. The tightening cord 130 is long enough to be wound around the outer periphery of the umbrella 1 and is coiled. The tightening cord 130 has one end connected to the cord fastening device 120 and the other end provided with a circular eye 131. Note that since the tightening cord 130 is wound around the outer periphery of the umbrella 1, it may be a straight cord instead of a coiled cord. The tightening cord 130 may be a metal wire, a reinforced resin wire rope, or a metal chain.

[0054] The string fastening device 120 mainly comprises a case 121, a locking mechanism 122, and an NFC tag 30. The antenna 31 of the NFC tag 30, as previously described, is attached to the surface of the case 121. The locking mechanism 122 comprises a latch 123 extending in an arc shape, a pair of guide portions 124 also extending in an arc shape, and an abutment portion 125. The guide portion 124 and the abutment portion 125 are formed to be located on approximately the same circumference. A gap is formed between the tips of the guide portion 124 and the abutment portion 125 by separating them. The latch 123 is slidably housed in the guide portion 124, and by sliding its tip between the tip of the guide portion 124 and the tip of the abutment portion 125, the gap from the latch 123 to the abutment portion 125 can be changed between a closed state and an open state. In other words, the locking mechanism 122 is configured like a horseshoe lock. In this embodiment, the latch 123, the guide portion 124, and the abutment portion 125 are examples of a hook portion.

[0055] The case 121 contains a DC motor (not shown) and a gear mechanism that converts the rotation of the DC motor into a sliding movement of the latch 123. The locking mechanism 122 is configured so that the latch 123 can be moved between an unlocked position shown by a solid line in Fig. 8 and a locked position shown by a dashed line by the sliding movement of the latch 123 caused by the rotation of the DC motor. In the unlocked position, the tip of the latch 123 is positioned toward the tip of the guide portion 124, so that the engagement of the tightening cord 130 with the locking mechanism 122 can be released. In the locked position, the tip of the latch 123 is positioned toward the abutment portion 125, so that the engagement of the tightening cord 130 with the locking mechanism 122 cannot be released. The locking device 110 can be connected to the eye 131 side of the tightening string 130 by passing the guide portion 124 or the stop portion 125 through the eye 131 of the tightening string 130 with the latch 123 in the unlocked position and then setting the latch 123 to the locked position.

[0056] When locking the umbrella 1 with the locking device 110, the user first places the umbrella 1 in the storage space through the opening 112 of the umbrella bag 111. Next, the user takes the eye 131 side of the tightening cord 130 and wraps the coiled tightening cord 130 around the outer periphery of the umbrella bag 111 containing the umbrella 1, thereby tightening the umbrella 1 together with the umbrella bag 111. At this time, the tightening cord 130 may tighten the area around the opening 112 of the umbrella bag 111. Then, the user hooks the eye 131 of the tightening cord 130 onto the guide portion 124 or the abutment portion 125 of the cord fixing device 120, thereby maintaining the tightening of the umbrella bag 111 by the tightening cord 130. Because the locking device 110 tightens and locks the umbrella bag 111 with the tightening cord 130, it can be used for umbrellas 1 of any shape.

[0057] Next, the user brings the mobile terminal 40 close to the antenna 31 of the locking device 110, causing the mobile terminal 40 to transmit a locking command to the NFC tag 30 of the cord fastening device 120 via short-range wireless communication. The process flow for locking the umbrella 1 between the NFC tags 30 and 45 has already been explained using Figure 4. By rotating the DC motor, the latch 123 is set to the locked position, making it impossible to release the tightening cord 130 from the locking mechanism 122.

[0058] On the other hand, to unlock the umbrella 1, the user brings the mobile terminal 40 close to the antenna 31 of the cord fastener 120, thereby transmitting an unlock command from the mobile terminal 40 to the NFC tag 30 of the cord fastener 120. The process flow for unlocking the umbrella 1 between the NFC tags 30 and 45 has already been described with reference to FIG. 7. The rotation of the DC motor 26 moves the latch 123 to the unlock position, thereby releasing the fastening cord 130 from the locking mechanism 122. The user can then remove the umbrella 1 from the umbrella bag 111 by loosening the fastening cord 130 from the umbrella bag 111. The umbrella bag 111 may be secured to the case 121 of the cord fastener 120, allowing the umbrella 1 to be stored like an Eco Bag (registered trademark) and carried around together with the cord fastener 120 after removal from the umbrella bag 111.

[0059] In the embodiment described above, the umbrella 1 and umbrella bag 111 are locked in a state where they are fastened by the fastening string 130, which prevents a third party from mistaking the locked umbrella 1 for their own umbrella and losing the umbrella 1. It also prevents a third party who does not have a mobile terminal 40 from stealing the locked umbrella 1 for their own use. Furthermore, the locking device 110 does not require a battery, which helps to reduce running costs.

[0060] As described above, the loss prevention system and locking device according to this embodiment can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit thereof. In the above-described embodiment, when the mobile terminal 40 is brought close to the antenna 31 of the locking device 20, it performs authentication processing using the authentication information transmitted from the locking device 20 (T14, T25). If the authentication processing is successful, it transmits a lock command or an unlock command to the locking device 20 (T15, T26), thereby locking or unlocking the umbrella 1. Alternatively, the control unit 35 of the locking device 20 may perform authentication processing using the authentication information transmitted from the mobile terminal 40, and if this authentication processing is successful, it may lock or unlock the umbrella 1. In this case, when the mobile terminal 40 is brought close to the antenna 31 of the locking device 20, it transmits authentication information including an umbrella number to the locking device 20. Then, the control unit 35 of the locking device 20 may lock or unlock the umbrella 1 if the umbrella number matches an umbrella number previously registered in the locking device 20.

[0061] Operation icons indicating locking and unlocking of the umbrella 1 may be displayed on the operation screen 60 of the mobile terminal 40, and upon receiving an operation on this operation icon, the MCU 41 may send a lock command or an unlock command to the locking device according to the operated icon. In this case, when the operation icon related to locking the umbrella 1 is operated, the MCU 41 may execute the series of processes T11 to T19 already described with the locking device 20 to set the locking device to a locked state. On the other hand, when the operation icon related to unlocking the umbrella 1 is operated, the MCU 41 may execute the series of processes T22 to T30 already described with the locking device 20 to set the locking device to an unlocked state.

[0062] Although NFC has been used as an example of short-range wireless communication, this is not limited to this, and any communication method may be used between the mobile terminal 40 and the locking device 20, 110 as long as it is a communication method that allows communication using an alternating current magnetic field by bringing the mobile terminal 40 close.

[0063] Although the DC motor 26 is used as the motor for moving the movable cover 25 and the latch 123, the present invention is not limited to this and may be a stepping motor driven by a pulse signal.

[0064] In the second embodiment, the locking device does not need to be equipped with the umbrella pouch 111. In this case, the umbrella 1 can be locked by tightening the outer periphery of the closed umbrella 1 with the tightening string 130 and maintaining the tightening of the umbrella 1 by the tightening string 130 with the string fixing device 120.

[0065] In the second embodiment, the items that can be locked by the locking device are not limited to umbrellas, but may also be sports equipment such as skis and snowboards, bicycles, and even carry cases. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 1...umbrella, 5...center shaft, 10...loss prevention system, 20...locking device, 22...locking mechanism, 31...antenna, 34...power supply unit, 40...mobile terminal, 110...locking device, 130...tightening string, 122...locking mechanism

Claims

1. A locking device that is detachably fixed to an umbrella, a locking mechanism having a movable part that is movable between an unlocked position and a locked position; a DC motor that moves the movable part between the unlocked position and the locked position; a communication interface that performs short-range wireless communication with a mobile terminal by using an AC magnetic field from the mobile terminal that is brought close to the antenna; a power supply unit that supplies power to the DC motor according to the AC magnetic field used in the short-range wireless communication, The communication interface includes: When a locking instruction is received via the short-range wireless communication, the power supply unit supplies power to the DC motor to drive the movable unit to the locked position; When an unlocking instruction is received via the short-range wireless communication, the locking device drives the DC motor by supplying power from the power supply unit to set the movable unit to the unlocked position.

2. A fixing member is provided to fix the locking device to the center shaft of the umbrella, The movable part is The locking device of claim 1, wherein the locking device is fixed to the center axis of the umbrella by the fixing member, and is movable between the unlocked position, which allows the bottom lever of the umbrella to be pressed, and the locked position, which prevents the bottom lever from being pressed.

3. A tightening cord is provided to tighten the outer periphery of the umbrella to make it impossible for the umbrella to open, The locking mechanism includes: a hook portion for hooking the tightening cord that has tightened the umbrella to thereby maintain the tightening of the tightening cord to the umbrella; The movable part is The locking device according to claim 1, wherein the locking device is movable between a position in which the tightening cord can be released from the hook portion as the unlocked position and a position in which the tightening cord cannot be released from the hook portion as the locked position.

4. A loss prevention system comprising a mobile terminal and a locking device detachably fixed to an umbrella, The locking device is a locking mechanism having a movable part that is movable between an unlocked position and a locked position; a DC motor that moves the movable part between the unlocked position and the locked position; a communication interface having an antenna, the communication interface performing short-range wireless communication with a mobile terminal by using an AC magnetic field from the mobile terminal located close to the antenna; a power supply unit that supplies power to the DC motor according to the AC magnetic field used in the short-range wireless communication, The communication interface includes: When a locking instruction is received from the mobile terminal via the short-range wireless communication, the power supply unit supplies power to drive the DC motor, thereby placing the movable unit in the locked position; When an unlocking instruction is received from the mobile terminal via the short-range wireless communication, the power supply unit supplies power to drive the DC motor, thereby setting the movable unit to the unlocked position.

5. The mobile terminal measuring the elapsed time since the movable part of the locking device was moved to the locked position in response to the locking instruction; The loss prevention system according to claim 4 , wherein a notification is given when the elapsed time exceeds a predetermined lock determination time.

6. The mobile terminal The lock determination time can be changed according to the operation, The loss prevention system according to claim 5 , wherein a notification is made when the elapsed time has passed the changed lock determination time.

7. The mobile terminal a position detection unit that detects position information indicating a current position; When the movable part of the locking device is moved to the locked position in response to the lock instruction, the position information detected by the position detection part is stored; 5. The loss prevention system according to claim 4, wherein, in response to an operation, a position indicated by the stored position information is displayed on a display unit as the position of the umbrella locked by the locking device.

8. The mobile terminal performing authentication processing using authentication information with the locking device via the short-range wireless communication; The loss prevention system according to claim 4 , wherein if the authentication process is successful, the locking instruction or the unlocking instruction is transmitted via the short-range wireless communication.

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