Beacon transmitter and position detection system

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of continuously detecting position information in a portable terminal.SOLUTION: A communication unit configured to transmit a first packet including a first identifier indicating a predetermined area and a second identifier identifying an own device, and transmit a second packet including a third identifier obtained by performing a predetermined operation on the first identifier and the second identifier, the set of the third identifier and the second identifier indicates an area different from the predetermined area, the communication unit continuously transmits the first packet, in the beacon transmitter, transmission and transmission stop of the second packet are repeated, and a period of the transmission stop is a period exceeding a period corresponding to a period from a time when the first packet or the second packet is received to a time when an event occurs, the event indicating that a mobile terminal that has received the first packet or the second packet moves from an inside of an area indicated by a set of the first identifier of the first packet or the identifier of the second packet that has been received to an outside of the area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a beacon transmitter and a location detection system. [Background technology]

[0002] One method for detecting the location of a mobile device such as a smartphone involves transmitting and receiving radio waves between the target mobile device and multiple beacon transmitters attached to predetermined locations such as walls or ceilings, and detecting the location of the target object based on the signal strength of the radio waves. In this method, the location of the mobile device is detected using changes in signal strength. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-106513 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 5991793 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When positioning is performed using an application installed on a mobile terminal, limitations may be placed on the operation of the application from the standpoint of general memory usage and energy conservation.

[0005] A beacon transmitter continuously transmits BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy (registered trademark)) advertisement packets (broadcast signals). A mobile device receives the BLE advertisement packets transmitted by the beacon transmitter. The mobile device can estimate the location of the mobile device from the received signal strength (RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator)) of the packet transmitted from the beacon transmitter and the individual identification number that identifies the beacon transmitter included in the packet. The mobile device can more accurately estimate the location of the mobile device by receiving BLE advertisement packets from multiple beacon transmitters and measuring the received signal strength.

[0006] Mobile devices running an operating system (OS) such as iOS (registered trademark) perform monitoring and ranging. Monitoring involves monitoring whether a mobile device enters or leaves a region (a range (communication range) in which signals from the beacon transmitter can be received) defined by one or more beacon transmitters that are created in advance. When the mobile device detects entry or exit from a region during monitoring, it generates an out-of-range or in-range event. Ranging involves measuring the location of the mobile device by measuring the received signal strength of BLE advertising packets from the beacon transmitters. Ranging is performed by a positioning application that runs on the mobile device's OS.

[0007] When a positioning application is in the foreground on a mobile device, the mobile device continues to monitor and ranging, allowing the mobile device's position to be measured continuously. However, when a positioning application is moved to the background on a mobile device, ranging stops due to the specifications of the OS, etc. Therefore, it is difficult for a positioning application installed on a mobile device to perform continuous positioning. On the other hand, if location information acquisition is set to "always" in the mobile device settings, the mobile device will continue monitoring even if the positioning application is moved to the background, detect whether the mobile device has entered or left a region, and generate an out-of-range or in-range event. When this event occurs, the positioning application that has moved to the background will stop ranging. However, even if monitoring continues, if the mobile device moves within the same region or does not move, an out-of-range or in-range event does not occur, and ranging is not performed, making it difficult to continuously detect the mobile device's accurate location.

[0008] The technology disclosed herein aims to provide a technology that can continuously detect location information in a mobile terminal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above problems, the following measures are adopted. That is, the first aspect is: Transmitting a first packet including a first identifier indicating a predetermined area and a second identifier identifying the device; a communication unit that transmits a second packet including a third identifier obtained by performing a predetermined calculation on the first identifier and the second identifier, a pair of the third identifier and the second identifier indicates an area different from the predetermined area, the communication unit continuously transmits the first packets and repeatedly transmits and stops transmitting the second packets; the transmission suspension period is a period exceeding a period corresponding to a period from when the mobile terminal that received the first packet or the second packet received the first packet or the second packet received until an event occurs indicating that the mobile terminal has moved from within the service area of ​​an area indicated by a pair of the first identifier of the received first packet or the identifier of the received second packet to outside the service area of ​​the area. It is a beacon transmitter.

[0010] The second aspect is Transmitting a first packet including a first identifier and a second identifier indicating a predetermined area; a beacon transmitter including a beacon communication unit that transmits a second packet including a third identifier obtained by performing a predetermined calculation on the first identifier and the second identifier; a mobile terminal having a control unit and a storage unit for receiving the first packet and the second packet transmitted by the beacon transmitter, the second identifier is an identifier that identifies the beacon transmitter, a pair of the third identifier and the second identifier indicates an area different from the predetermined area, the beacon communication unit continuously transmits the first packet, and repeatedly transmits and stops transmitting the second packet; the transmission suspension period is a period exceeding a period corresponding to a period from when the mobile terminal that received the first packet or the second packet received the first packet or the second packet received until an event occurs indicating that the mobile terminal has moved from within the coverage area of ​​an area indicated by a combination of the first identifier of the received first packet or the identifier of the received second packet to outside the coverage area of ​​the area, the control unit stores the first identifier included in the first packet in the storage unit as identification information of a monitoring target, performs the predetermined calculation on the first identifier included in the received first packet to infer the third identifier included in the second packet, stores a pair of the third identifier and the second identifier in the storage unit as identification information of the monitoring target, and detects the location of the mobile terminal based on the received first packet. It is a location detection system.

[0011] The disclosed aspects are realized by executing a program on an information processing device. That is, the disclosed configuration can be specified as a program for causing an information processing device to execute the processes executed by each means in the above-described aspects, or a recording medium readable by the information processing device on which the program is recorded. The disclosed configuration can also be specified as a method by which the information processing device executes the processes executed by each means described above. The disclosed configuration can also be specified as a system including an information processing device that performs the processes executed by each means described above. The information processing device is, for example, a computer. A computer is also called a personal computer or a server. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] The disclosed technology can provide a technology that allows a mobile terminal to continuously detect location information. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a position detection system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of the beacon transmitter 10 according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of functional blocks of the mobile terminal 20 according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of an information processing device. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of an operation flow of the beacon transmitter 10 in the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a processing sequence in the mobile terminal 20 in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The configurations of the embodiments are examples, and the configuration of the invention is not limited to the specific configurations of the disclosed embodiments. When implementing the invention, specific configurations according to the embodiments may be appropriately adopted.

[0015] [Embodiment] System Configuration FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a position detection system according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, a notification signal transmitted and received for positioning or the like is called a BLE advertisement packet. A device that transmits a BLE advertisement packet is called a beacon transmitter. The system according to this embodiment includes beacon transmitters 10 (beacon transmitters 10A and 10B in FIG. 1) and a mobile terminal 20. Each beacon transmitter has a similar configuration. The beacon transmitters 10 are fixed to immovable objects such as ceilings, beams, walls, pillars, and floors in spaces such as factories and offices. The number of beacon transmitters 10 is not limited to the example in FIG. 1 and is determined depending on the conditions of the space. Here, the range in which a signal from beacon transmitter 10A can be received is called the communication range of beacon transmitter 10A, and the range in which a signal from beacon transmitter 10B can be received is called the communication range of beacon transmitter 10B. The area that combines the communication range of the beacon transmitter 10A and the communication range of the beacon transmitter 10B is called the first region. Here, the communication range of the beacon transmitter 10A and the communication range of the beacon transmitter 10B partially overlap. The mobile terminal 20 is, for example, a terminal that is carried by a user or attached to a predetermined object that can move. The user and the object are examples of moving bodies. The location of the mobile terminal 20 corresponds to the location of the user or the object.

[0016] The beacon transmitter 10 transmits a notification signal (for example, a BLE advertisement packet) including identification information for identifying the beacon transmitter 10 and a transmission date and time. The identification information includes, for example, a UUID (Universally Unique Identifier), major, and minor values. The notification signal transmitted by the beacon transmitter 10 is a trigger packet or a positioning packet. The beacon transmitter 10 transmits a trigger packet and a positioning packet. The beacon transmitter 10 transmits the trigger packet intermittently. The beacon transmitter 10 transmits the trigger packet, for example, about 100 times for five consecutive seconds in one minute (about 20 times per second). In other words, at this time, the beacon transmitter 10 does not transmit a trigger packet for 55 consecutive seconds in one minute. The beacon transmitter 10 also transmits positioning packets continuously (periodically). For example, the beacon transmitter 10 transmits a positioning packet about once per second.

[0017] In the example of FIG. 1, the beacon transmitter 10A transmits a trigger packet and a positioning packet. The trigger packet transmitted by the beacon transmitter 10A is assumed to include a UUID of "A", a major of "1", and a minor of "1". The positioning packet transmitted by the beacon transmitter 10A is assumed to include a UUID of "B", a major of "1", and a minor of "1". Furthermore, the beacon transmitter 10B transmits a trigger packet and a positioning packet. The trigger packet transmitted by the beacon transmitter 10B is assumed to include a UUID of "A", a major of "1", and a minor of "2". The positioning packet transmitted by the beacon transmitter 10B is assumed to include a UUID of "B", a major of "1", and a minor of "2". The major and minor are assumed to be identifiers that identify the beacon transmitter 10. Therefore, here, the major and minor included in the beacons transmitted from the same beacon transmitter 10 are the same. In the example of FIG. 1, the mobile terminal 20 is present within the communication range of the beacon transmitter 10A and within the communication range of the beacon transmitter 10B. In the example of FIG. 1, the mobile terminal 20 is present in a first region. Here, it is assumed that the first region is represented by the UUID of the positioning packet. It is also assumed that one region is represented by the UUID, major, and minor of the trigger packet of the beacon transmitter 10A. It is also assumed that one region is represented by the UUID, major, and minor of the trigger packet of the beacon transmitter 10B. In other words, a certain region may be represented by a UUID, or by the UUID, major, and minor. It is also assumed that the number of beacon transmitters 10 included in one region may be one or more. Here, it is assumed that there is a region of multiple beacon transmitters 10 identified by the UUID of the positioning packet, and a region of one beacon transmitter 10 identified by the UUID, major, and minor of the trigger packet. At this time, the mobile terminal 20 receives a beacon from the beacon transmitter 10A and a beacon from the beacon transmitter 10B. The trigger packet and the positioning packet are identified by, for example, the UUID.Here, the UUID of the trigger packet is calculated by performing a predetermined calculation on the UUID of the positioning packet. As a result, the mobile terminal 20 can estimate the UUID of the trigger packet of a beacon transmitter 10 by receiving a positioning packet from that beacon transmitter 10. Furthermore, the mobile terminal 20 can estimate the UUID, major, and minor of the trigger packet of that beacon transmitter 10. The mobile terminal 20 stores a region represented by the estimated UUID, major, and minor of the trigger packet of that beacon transmitter 10. Here, the UUID of the positioning packet is common to multiple beacon transmitters 10, so that one region includes the communication ranges of multiple beacon transmitters 10. However, one region may also include the communication range of one beacon transmitter 10. The UUIDs of multiple trigger packets may be calculated from the UUID of one positioning packet. The positioning packet is an example of a first packet. The trigger packet is an example of a second packet. The UUID of the positioning packet is an example of a first identifier. The major and minor of the positioning packet are an example of a second identifier. The major and minor of the trigger packet are an example of a second identifier. The UUID of the trigger packet is an example of a third identifier.

[0018] The mobile terminal 20 receives a BLE advertisement packet from the beacon transmitter 10. Although FIG. 1 shows one mobile terminal 20, the number of mobile terminals 20 is not limited to one. The mobile terminal 20 may be carried by a user or attached to a movable object. The mobile terminal 20 may be built into a device carried by a user or attached to a movable object. Examples of the mobile terminal 20 include a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, and a personal computer. The mobile terminal 20 runs on an OS such as iOS. It is assumed that a positioning application (positioning application) that acquires the position of the mobile terminal 20 is installed in advance on the mobile terminal 20. The mobile terminal 20 can run multiple applications simultaneously through multitasking. It is assumed that applications running on the mobile terminal 20, other than the application running in the foreground, run in the background. Therefore, the positioning application may also run in the background.

[0019] <Functional configuration of the beacon transmitter> 2 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of the beacon transmitter 10 according to this embodiment. The beacon transmitter 10 is installed in a space such as a factory or an office. A plurality of beacon transmitters 10 can be installed in the space. The beacon transmitter 10 includes a communication unit 11, an antenna 12, and a storage unit 13.

[0020] The communication unit 11 transmits trigger packets and positioning packets. The communication unit 11 is connected to an antenna 12. The communication unit 11 transmits the packets via the antenna 12. The communication unit 11 is an example of a beacon communication unit.

[0021] Furthermore, the communication unit 11 transmits trigger packets and positioning packets containing identification information for identifying the beacon transmitter 10 based on the information stored in the storage unit 13. The packets may also contain date and time information indicating the transmission time. Specifically, technology such as BLE may be used, and radio beacons may be broadcast. Each packet contains a UUID indicating the region in which the beacon transmitter 10 exists, and major and minor codes for identifying the beacon transmitter 10. The communication unit 11 transmits trigger packets and positioning packets at predetermined timing.

[0022] Antenna 12 is an antenna that transmits signals (packets) by electromagnetic waves. Antenna 12 is connected to communication unit 11 and transmits signals to mobile terminal 20. Antenna 12 may be a directional antenna that has directivity in a specific direction, or an omnidirectional antenna that does not have directivity in a specific direction.

[0023] The storage unit 13 is, for example, a nonvolatile memory, such as an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) such as a flash memory included in a microprocessor. The storage unit 13 is realized by a predetermined beacon transmission unit. The unique identification information (UUID, major, minor) of the receiver 10 may be stored.

[0024] <Functional configuration of mobile terminal> FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of functional blocks of the mobile terminal 20 according to this embodiment. The mobile terminal 20 is a computer such as a smartphone or tablet terminal, and includes a communication control unit 21, a positioning control unit 22, a storage unit 23, and an antenna 24. It is also assumed that an OS and an application (positioning application) for performing positioning of the mobile terminal 20 are pre-installed in the mobile terminal 20. Applications such as the positioning application run on the OS of the mobile terminal 20. The communication control unit 21 is realized, for example, by the OS installed in the mobile terminal 20 utilizing the communication function of the mobile terminal 20. The positioning control unit 22 is realized, for example, by the positioning application installed in the mobile terminal 20 utilizing the communication function of the mobile terminal. This is achieved by using.

[0025] In a mobile terminal 20 running an OS used in mobile terminals, such as iOS, the OS and positioning application perform monitoring and ranging. Monitoring involves monitoring the mobile terminal's entry into and exit from a predetermined region (a range in which signals from the beacon transmitters can be received) by one or more beacon transmitters 10 that are set in advance. In monitoring, when the mobile terminal 20 detects entry into or exit from a predetermined region, it generates an out-of-service or in-service event. Ranging involves measuring the received signal strength of a BLE advertisement packet from a beacon transmitter to measure the location of the mobile terminal 20. When an out-of-service or in-service event occurs, the positioning application of the mobile terminal 20 performs ranging for a certain period of time (for example, several seconds to approximately 10 seconds) even if the positioning application has transitioned to the background. In addition, a positioning application that has transitioned to the background does not perform ranging unless an out-of-service or in-service event occurs due to monitoring.

[0026] If the mobile terminal 20 does not receive a BLE advertising packet from a beacon transmitter 10 in a specific region for a predetermined period (e.g., 30 seconds) or longer due to OS specifications, the mobile terminal 20 generates an out-of-range event indicating that the mobile terminal 20 has left the specific region through monitoring. When an out-of-range event occurs, the positioning application performs ranging. At this time, the positioning application measures the received signal strength of positioning packets from the registered region and estimates the position of the mobile terminal 20. The positioning application also performs ranging when an in-range event occurs. Furthermore, if the mobile terminal 20 continuously receives BLE advertising packets from a beacon transmitter 10 in a specific region at intervals within the above-mentioned predetermined period, the mobile terminal 20 does not generate either an in-range event or an out-of-range event.

[0027] The communication control unit 21 receives a signal (trigger packet, positioning packet) including identification information for identifying the beacon transmitter 10 from the beacon transmitter 10. The communication control unit 21 receives the signal via the antenna 24. When the communication control unit 21 receives a signal (trigger packet or positioning packet) from the beacon transmitter 10 during monitoring, it generates an in-range event indicating that it has entered the region of the beacon transmitter 10. Furthermore, when the communication control unit 21 does not receive a signal belonging to a specific region even after a predetermined time has elapsed since receiving a signal belonging to the specific region during monitoring, it generates an out-of-range event indicating that it has left the specific region.

[0028] During ranging, the positioning control unit 22 receives a signal (positioning packet) received from the beacon transmitter 10 and measures the received signal strength of the signal. The positioning control unit 22 receives a signal via the antenna 24. The positioning control unit 22 receives a signal including identification information of the beacon transmitter 10 or the like from the beacon transmitter 10 or the like. The positioning control unit 22 stores information included in the received signal, the received signal strength of the signal, etc. in the memory unit 23. The positioning control unit 221 can identify the signal (packet) by checking the identification information (UUID, major, minor) of the received signal (packet). The positioning control unit 22 is an example of a terminal communication unit.

[0029] The storage unit 23 is a non-volatile memory, and is realized by, for example, an EEPROM such as a flash memory included in a microprocessor. The storage unit 23 can also store unique identification information (UUID, major, minor) of the beacon transmitter 10 included in the received signal, data used by the mobile terminal 20, applications, etc. The storage unit 23 can store information included in the received signal, the received signal strength of the signal, etc.

[0030] The antenna 24 is an antenna that transmits signals (packets) by electromagnetic waves. The antenna 24 is connected to the communication control unit 21 and the positioning control unit 22, and receives a signal from the beacon transmitter 10. The antenna 24 may be a directional antenna having directivity in a specific direction, or an omnidirectional antenna having no directivity in a specific direction.

[0031] <Device configuration> The beacon transmitter 10 and the mobile terminal 20 may be a dedicated or a non-dedicated device such as a smartphone, a mobile phone, a tablet terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), or a PC (Personal Computer). It can be realized by using a general-purpose computer or an electronic device equipped with a computer.

[0032] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information processing device. The information processing device 90 shown in FIG. 4 has the configuration of a general computer. The beacon transmitter 10 and the mobile terminal 20 can be realized by the information processing device 90 shown in FIG. 4. The information processing device 90 has a processor 91, a memory 92, a storage unit 93, an input unit 94, an output unit 95, and a communication control unit 96. These are connected to each other by a bus. The memory 92 and the storage unit 93 are computer-readable recording media. The hardware configuration of the information processing device is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 4, and components may be omitted, replaced, or added as appropriate.

[0033] The information processing device 90 has a processor 91 that loads a program stored on a recording medium into a working area of ​​a memory 92 and executes it, and each component is controlled through the execution of the program, thereby realizing functions that meet a specified purpose.

[0034] The processor 91 is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor).

[0035] The memory 92 includes, for example, a random access memory (RAM) and a read only memory (ROM). The memory 92 is also called a main storage device.

[0036] The storage unit 93 is, for example, an EPROM (Erasable Programmable ROM), a hard disk, The storage unit 93 may include a hard disk drive (HDD), a hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid state drive (SSD). The storage unit 93 may also include removable media, i.e., portable recording media. Removable media may be, for example, a universal serial bus (USB) memory or a disk recording medium such as a compact disc (CD) or a digital versatile disc (DVD). The storage unit 93 is also called a secondary storage device.

[0037] The storage unit 93 stores various programs, various data, and various tables on a recording medium in a readable and writable manner. The storage unit 93 stores an operating system (OS), various programs, various tables, etc. The information stored in the storage unit 93 may be stored in the memory 92. Furthermore, the information stored in the memory 92 may be stored in the storage unit 93.

[0038] The operating system is software that mediates between software and hardware, manages memory space, manages files, and manages processes and tasks. The operating system also includes a communication interface. The communication interface is a program that exchanges data with other external devices connected via the communication control unit 96. Examples of external devices include other information processing devices and external storage devices.

[0039] The input unit 94 includes a keyboard, a pointing device, a wireless remote control, a touch panel, etc. The input unit 94 may also include an input device for video or images such as a camera, and an input device for audio such as a microphone.

[0040] The output unit 95 includes a display device such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), an EL (Electroluminescence) panel, or an output device such as a printer. The output unit 95 may also include an audio output device such as a speaker.

[0041] The communication control unit 96 connects to other devices and controls communication between the information processing device 90 and other devices. The communication control unit 96 includes, for example, a LAN (Local Area Network) interface board, a wireless communication circuit for wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), a communication circuit for telephone communication, and the like. The LAN interface board and wireless communication circuit are connected to a network such as the Internet.

[0042] The information processing device 90 that realizes the beacon transmitter 10 and the mobile terminal 20 realizes each function by the processor 91 loading a program stored in the storage unit 93 into the memory 92 and executing it. For example, the communication unit 11 of the beacon transmitter 10 is a functional unit realized by the processor 91 loading a program stored in the storage unit 93 into the memory 92 and executing it. The communication control unit 21 of the mobile terminal 20 is a functional unit realized by the processor 91 loading an OS program stored in the storage unit 93 into the memory 92 and executing it. The positioning control unit 22 of the mobile terminal 20 is a functional unit realized by the processor 91 loading a positioning application program stored in the storage unit 93 into the memory 92 and executing it. In addition, the storage unit of each device is provided in the storage area of ​​the memory 92 or the storage unit 93. The processor 91 is an example of a control unit.

[0043] <<Example of operation>> An example of the operation of the position detection system of this embodiment will be described. In the position detection system of this embodiment, multiple beacon transmitters 10 are installed on the ceiling or the like of a space such as a factory or office. Each beacon transmitter 10 has unique identification information (UUID, major, minor). In a space such as a factory or office, the mobile terminal 20 may move together with a user or an object, etc., whose position is to be detected. In other words, the position of the mobile terminal 20 corresponds to the position of the user carrying the mobile terminal 20 or the object, etc., to which the mobile terminal 20 is attached.

[0044] 5 is a diagram showing an example of an operation flow of the beacon transmitter 10 in this embodiment. The beacon transmitter 10 repeats the operation flow of FIG. 5 while in operation.

[0045] In S101, the communication unit 11 of the beacon transmitter 10 intermittently transmits trigger packets. The trigger packet includes a UUID value that identifies the region in which the beacon transmitter 10 exists, and major and minor values ​​that identify the beacon transmitter 10. Here, the UUID of the packet received by the mobile terminal 20 is set in advance so that it can be identified as a trigger packet or a positioning packet. Alternatively, it may be set so that it can be identified as a trigger packet or a positioning packet using the UUID, major, and minor. For example, the communication unit 11 transmits trigger packets for 5 seconds from 0 to 5 seconds every minute, and does not transmit trigger packets for 55 seconds from 5 to 60 seconds every minute. The communication unit 11 transmits trigger packets 100 times (20 times per second) during the period (5 seconds) in which the trigger packets are transmitted. It is preferable to set the transmission interval of the trigger packets during the period in which the trigger packets are transmitted to be sufficiently short. It is also preferable to set the period in which the trigger packets are transmitted to be sufficiently long. By transmitting trigger packets frequently for a long period of time, it becomes easier for the mobile terminal 20 to receive the trigger packets. In addition, the period during which trigger packets are not transmitted is set to be longer than the period (for example, 30 seconds) from when the mobile terminal 20 receives a BLE advertisement packet for a specific region until an out-of-service event occurs due to not receiving a BLE advertisement packet for the specific region. The period from when an advertising packet is received until an out-of-service event occurs due to failure to receive a BLE advertising packet for the specific region depends on the specifications of the OS, etc. The period during which trigger packets are not transmitted is the period during which trigger packet transmission is stopped. The frequency of location estimation in the mobile terminal 20 can be adjusted by adjusting the period during which trigger packets are not transmitted. In an environment where the mobile terminal 20 moves infrequently, the frequency of location estimation in the mobile terminal 20 can be reduced by extending the period during which trigger packets are not transmitted. The mobile terminal 20 recognizes that it has gone out of service of the specific region by not receiving a trigger packet for a predetermined period or longer. The period from when a trigger packet for the specific region is not received until an out-of-service event occurs is determined in advance by, for example, the specifications of the OS, etc.

[0046] In S102, the communication unit 11 of the beacon transmitter 10 continuously transmits positioning packets. The positioning packets include a UUID value different from the UUID of the trigger packet transmitted by the beacon transmitter 10, and major and minor values ​​that identify the beacon transmitter 10. By making the UUID of the positioning packets different from the UUID of the trigger packet, the mobile terminal 20 can recognize the positioning packets as packets from a region different from the region of the trigger packet. By recognizing the trigger packet as a packet having a UUID different from that of the positioning packet, the mobile terminal 20 can generate an out-of-service event by not receiving the UUID included in the trigger packet even if it continuously receives positioning packets. The communication unit 11 continuously transmits positioning packets approximately once per second. The transmission interval for transmitting positioning packets is longer than the transmission interval for transmitting trigger packets. This allows the beacon transmitter 10 to continuously transmit positioning packets even during the period when the trigger packets are being transmitted. Furthermore, the transmission interval for transmitting the positioning packets is sufficiently shorter than the period from when the mobile terminal 20 receives a BLE advertisement packet for a specific region until it fails to receive a BLE advertisement packet for the specific region and causes an out-of-service event.

[0047] During operation, the communication unit 11 of the beacon transmitter 10 transmits two types of packets, a trigger packet and a positioning packet, in parallel at the above-mentioned predetermined intervals.

[0048] Here, one beacon transmitter 10 transmits one type of trigger packet, but one beacon transmitter 10 may transmit multiple types of trigger packets. In this case, the beacon transmitter 10 uses different UUIDs, majors, and minors for the multiple types of trigger packets so that the transmission periods of the trigger packets do not overlap with each other. This allows the mobile terminal 20 to increase the frequency of location estimation without depending on the period until an out-of-service event occurs when the mobile terminal 20 does not receive a BLE advertising packet for a specific region, even in an environment with a small number of beacon transmitters 10.

[0049] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an operation flow of the mobile terminal 20 in this embodiment. The mobile terminal 20 repeats the operation flow of FIG. 6 while in operation. Here, it is assumed that a positioning application is running on the OS of the mobile terminal 20 and that the positioning application has transitioned to the background. When the positioning application is in the foreground of the mobile terminal 20, the positioning application can perform ranging continuously. However, when the positioning application transitions to the background of the mobile terminal 20, restrictions are placed on continuous ranging due to the specifications of the OS, etc. Specifically, if the acquisition of location information is set to "always" in the settings of the mobile terminal 20, the mobile terminal 20 continues monitoring even when the positioning application transitions to the background. However, with regard to ranging, the mobile terminal 20 performs ranging for a predetermined period when an event occurs during monitoring (an out-of-service event, an in-service event). In other words, if no event occurs, ranging is not performed, and continuous location acquisition is difficult. Here, it is assumed that the mobile terminal 20 is set to "always" for acquiring location information. In other words, the mobile terminal 20 is in a state where monitoring can be performed continuously. Here, it is assumed that one region is identified by the UUID of the positioning packet or the UUID, major, and minor of the trigger packet. If the UUIDs of the positioning packets of beacon transmitters 10 are the same, then the beacon transmitters 10 are beacon transmitters that exist in the same region. It is assumed that the beacon transmitter 10 is continuously transmitting positioning packets (S102) and intermittently transmitting trigger packets (S101).

[0050] In S201, the positioning control unit 22 of the positioning application of the mobile terminal 20 notifies the communication control unit 21 of the OS in advance of the registration of a region identified by the UUID of the positioning packet. The number of notified regions may be one or more. The region is a region defined by one or more beacon transmitters 10 installed in a location (predetermined area) where the user of the mobile terminal 20 is staying, etc. Based on the notification from the positioning control unit 22, the communication control unit 21 of the mobile terminal 20 stores the region identified by the notified UUID in the memory unit 23. The region stored in the memory unit 23 is a registered region. There may be an upper limit to the number of regions stored in the memory unit 23. The region is a region defined by the beacon transmitter 10 that the mobile terminal 20 is monitoring. The predetermined area is, for example, a workplace, school, etc. used by the user of the mobile terminal 20. If the region identified by the UUID of the positioning packet is already stored in the storage unit 23, the process of S201 does not need to be executed.

[0051] In S202, the communication control unit 21 receives a signal from the beacon transmitter 10 or the like through the antenna 24 by monitoring. Upon receiving the signal (packet), the communication control unit 21 checks the identification information (UUID, major, minor). Based on region (registered region) information stored in the storage unit 23, the communication control unit 21 determines whether the UUID of the received signal is a UUID that identifies a registered region. If the UUID of the received signal is the UUID of a region stored in the storage unit 23, the communication control unit 21 further determines whether the UUID of the received signal has been received within a predetermined time (e.g., 30 seconds). If the UUID of the received signal has not been received within the predetermined time, the communication control unit 21 generates an in-range event and notifies the positioning control unit 22. The notification includes information about the UUID of the received signal. The in-range event is an event indicating that the mobile terminal 20 has entered the region identified by the received signal. If the UUID of the received signal is received within the specified time, the communication control unit 21 does not generate either an in-service event or an out-of-service event. An out-of-service event is an event indicating that the mobile terminal 20 has left the region identified by the received signal. If the UUID of the received signal is not a UUID that identifies a registered region, the communication control unit 21 does not generate either an in-service event or an out-of-service event. The specified time is the period from when the mobile terminal 20 receives a packet indicating a specific region to when an event indicating that the mobile terminal 20 has moved from the in-service area of ​​the specific region to outside the service area of ​​the specific region occurs.

[0052] Furthermore, if a predetermined time has elapsed since the last time a positioning packet containing a UUID identifying a registered region was received (if no positioning packet containing a UUID identifying a registered region has been received for the predetermined time after the last time a positioning packet containing a UUID identifying a registered region was received), the communication control unit 21 generates an out-of-range event and notifies the positioning control unit 22.

[0053] If neither an in-range event nor an out-of-range event has occurred (S202; NO), The process is repeated. If an in-range event or an out-of-range event occurs (S202; YES), the process proceeds to S203. In addition, the communication control unit 21 repeats the process of S202 in parallel. The communication control unit 21 makes the above determination for each received signal. The UUID of the region stored in the storage unit 23 is an example of identification information of the monitored object.

[0054] The beacon transmitter 10 continuously transmits positioning packets (S102). The transmission interval at which the beacon transmitter 10 transmits the positioning packets is sufficiently shorter than the period until the mobile terminal 20 generates an out-of-service event due to not receiving a BLE advertisement packet for a specific region. Therefore, when the mobile terminal 20 remains in the region identified by the UUID of the received signal, the mobile terminal 20 does not generate an in-service event or an out-of-service event indicating entry or exit to the region.

[0055] In S203, when the positioning control unit 22 receives notification of the occurrence of an in-range event or an out-of-range event from the communication control unit 21, it activates the positioning application. An application can be in either an active state or a sleep state. The active state is a state in which the application is operational. The sleep state is a state in which the application is not operational. Depending on the specifications of the OS, etc., an application may be in an active state or a sleep state based on predetermined conditions. Also, even if the application has transitioned to the background, the application can be in an active state. When the positioning application is in an active state, the positioning control unit 22 can perform ranging.

[0056] In S204, the positioning control unit 22 performs ranging for a predetermined period of time. The predetermined period of time is determined, for example, by the OS or the like, depending on the operating status of other applications, etc. The positioning control unit 22 receives a signal from the beacon transmitter 10 or the like via the antenna 24. Upon receiving the signal (packet), the positioning control unit 22 checks the identification information (UUID, major, minor). The positioning control unit 22 extracts a positioning packet from a beacon transmitter 10 belonging to a region identified by the UUID of the positioning packet received in S202. The beacon transmitter 10 belonging to the region transmits a positioning packet including the UUID of the positioning packet received in S202. That is, the positioning control unit 22 extracts the positioning packet including the UUID. The positioning control unit 22 also measures the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the extracted positioning packet. The positioning control unit 22 identifies the beacon transmitter 10 that transmitted the extracted positioning packet from the major and minor of the positioning packet. The positioning control unit 22 estimates the location of the mobile terminal 20 based on the location of the identified beacon transmitter 10 and the measured received signal strength indicator (RSSI). It is assumed that information on the location of each beacon transmitter 10 is stored in advance in the storage unit 23. In addition, the information on the location of each beacon transmitter 10 may be included in the positioning packet transmitted by each beacon transmitter 10.

[0057] In S205, the positioning control unit 22 determines whether or not there is a positioning packet extracted in S204. If there is no extracted positioning packet (S205; NO), the process proceeds to S209. If there is an extracted positioning packet (S205; YES), the process proceeds to S206.

[0058] In S206, the positioning control unit 22 estimates the identification information (UUID, major, minor) of the extracted positioning packet, based on the identification information (UUID, major, minor) of the positioning packet, of the trigger packet (trigger packet corresponding to the positioning packet) transmitted by the beacon transmitter 10 that transmitted the positioning packet. The positioning control unit 22 estimates the UUID of the trigger packet corresponding to the positioning packet by performing a predetermined calculation (for example, +1) on the UUID of the positioning packet. The positioning control unit 22 infers the major and minor of the trigger packet assuming that the major and minor of the trigger packet are the same as the major and minor of the extracted positioning packet. This allows the positioning control unit 22 to infer the identification information of the trigger packet. When multiple positioning packets are extracted, the positioning control unit 22 infers the identification information of the trigger packets corresponding to each positioning packet.

[0059] In S207, the positioning control unit 22 notifies the communication control unit 21 of the registration of the region identified by the identification information (UUID, major, minor) of the trigger packet estimated in S206. The number of regions notified may be one or more. The region is a region of one beacon transmitter 10. Based on the notification from the positioning control unit 22, the communication control unit 21 stores the region identified by the notified UUID, major, and minor in the memory unit 23. The region stored in the memory unit 23 is a registered region.

[0060] In S208, the communication control unit 21 receives a signal from the beacon transmitter 10 or the like through the antenna 24 by monitoring. When the communication control unit 21 receives the signal (packet), it checks the identification information (UUID, major, minor). Based on the region (registered region) information stored in the storage unit 23, the communication control unit 21 determines whether the UUID, major, and minor of the received signal are the UUID, major, and minor that identify a registered region. If the UUID, major, and minor of the received signal are the UUID, major, and minor of the region stored in the storage unit 23, the communication control unit 21 further determines whether the UUID, major, and minor of the received signal have been received within a predetermined time (e.g., 30 seconds). If the UUID, major, and minor of the received signal have not been received within the predetermined time, the communication control unit 21 generates an in-range event and notifies the positioning control unit 22. The notification includes information on the UUID, major, and minor of the received signal. If the UUID, major, and minor of the received signal are received within the specified time period, the communication control unit 21 does not generate an in-service event or an out-of-service event. If the UUID, major, and minor of the received signal are not the UUID, major, and minor that identify a registered region, the communication control unit 21 does not generate an in-service event or an out-of-service event.

[0061] In addition, if a predetermined time has elapsed since the communication control unit 21 last received a trigger packet including a UUID, major, and minor that identify a registered region (if no trigger packet including a UUID, major, and minor that identify a registered region has been received for the predetermined time after receiving a trigger packet including a UUID, major, and minor that identify a registered region), the communication control unit 21 generates an out-of-range event and notifies the positioning control unit 22.

[0062] If an in-range event or out-of-range event has not occurred (S208; NO), the process of S208 is repeated. If an in-range event or out-of-range event has occurred (S208; YES), the process proceeds to S203. In addition, the communication control unit 21 repeats the process of S208 in parallel. The communication control unit 21 makes the above determination for each received signal. The UUID, major, and minor of the trigger packet are examples of a set of identifiers consisting of the third identifier and the second identifier. In addition, the UUID, major, and minor of the region stored in the memory unit 23 are examples of identification information of the monitoring target.

[0063] The beacon transmitter 10 transmits trigger packets intermittently (S101). Therefore, even if the mobile terminal 20 does not move, it will not receive a trigger packet that it has received once for a predetermined period of time or longer. As a result, the mobile terminal 20 will Based on this, an out-of-range event is generated. Furthermore, when the mobile terminal 20 receives the trigger packet again, an in-range event is generated based on the processing of S208. When an in-range event or an out-of-range event occurs, the positioning application becomes active (S203) and ranging is performed (S204). By continuously performing ranging, the mobile terminal 20 can continuously estimate its location.

[0064] In the communication control unit 21, the processing of S202 and the processing of S208 may be executed in parallel. Furthermore, in the communication control unit 21, the processing of S202 and the processing of S208 may be executed independently of the processing of the positioning control unit 22. The processing of S202 and the processing of S208 may be executed integrally. In monitoring, the communication control unit 21 checks the identification information of the received packet and monitors the region identification information stored in the storage unit 23.

[0065] In S209, the positioning control unit 22 determines that the mobile terminal 20 is outside the range of the region identified by the UUID included in the signal received in S202, and waits until a notification arrives from the communication control unit 21.

[0066] Furthermore, when the positioning application has transitioned to the foreground, the processing from S204 onwards is continuously executed.

[0067] As a result, when the mobile terminal 20 receives a trigger packet from the beacon transmitter 10 according to the operation flow of Figure 5, an out-of-range event can be generated periodically even if the mobile terminal 20 is not actually moving.

[0068] (Variation) In S207, an upper limit (predetermined upper limit value) may be set on the number of regions that can be stored in the storage unit 23 due to limitations such as the OS. When the number of regions stored in the storage unit 23 reaches the upper limit, the communication control unit 21 of the mobile terminal 20 is unable to store any more regions in the storage unit 23. At this time, if the mobile terminal 20 actually goes outside all of the regions stored in the storage unit 23, an out-of-service event occurs. However, since the number of regions stored in the storage unit 23 has reached the upper limit, no more regions can be stored in the storage unit 23. Therefore, even if the mobile terminal 20 subsequently receives a packet in a new region, the mobile terminal 20 remains outside all of the regions stored in the storage unit 23, and no event occurs. If no event occurs, ranging will not be performed. In other words, it will be difficult for the mobile terminal 20 to continuously acquire location information. Therefore, when the number of regions stored in the storage unit 23 reaches the upper limit, the communication control unit 21 of the mobile terminal 20 deletes the region identified by the identification information of the trigger packet stored most recently from the storage unit 23 and stores a new region. As a result, the mobile terminal 20 can continue to acquire location information by receiving packets in the new region.

[0069] Furthermore, if there are many more regions around the mobile terminal 20 than the upper limit of the number of regions that can be stored in the storage unit 23, the regions stored in the storage unit 23 will be frequently swapped. For example, suppose there is an area A where the mobile terminal 20 can receive signals from a plurality of beacon transmitters 10, and an area B where the mobile terminal 20 can receive signals from another plurality of beacon transmitters 10, and area A and area B do not overlap. In other words, suppose the mobile terminal 20 cannot receive signals from the beacon transmitters 10 in area A in area B, and cannot receive signals from the beacon transmitters 10 in area B in area A. In this case, if a user carrying the mobile terminal 20 travels between area A and area B, the regions stored in the storage unit 23 may be frequently swapped. Frequent region swapping increases the load on the mobile terminal 20. Furthermore, because trigger packets are transmitted intermittently, frequent swapping of the regions identified by the identification information of the trigger packets may cause the memory unit 23 to store a large number of regions. This makes it more difficult to receive trigger packets containing the stored identification information, making it more difficult for events to occur. In extreme cases, all of the upper limit number of regions are replaced at once, and if the mobile terminal 20 immediately goes out of range of those regions at that stage, an event may not occur. It is undesirable for the load on the mobile terminal 20 to increase. Therefore, when the number of regions stored in the storage unit 23 reaches the upper limit and the region identified by the identification information of the trigger packet stored most recently is deleted from the storage unit 23 and a new region is stored, the mobile terminal 20 stores in the storage unit 23 the region identified by the identification information of the trigger packet corresponding to the positioning packet with the strongest received signal among the positioning packets received during the predetermined period (e.g., 5 seconds) in the ranging of S204. This makes it possible to prevent the regions stored in the storage unit 23 from being frequently replaced.

[0070] (Actions and Effects of the Embodiments) Each beacon transmitter 10 in the system of this embodiment transmits two types of packets as BLE advertising packets: trigger packets and positioning packets. Trigger packets are transmitted intermittently. Positioning packets are transmitted continuously. By transmitting trigger packets intermittently, it is possible to forcibly generate an out-of-service event in the mobile terminal 20, indicating that the mobile terminal 20 has left the region indicated by the trigger packet, even if the mobile terminal 20 is not moving. Thereafter, when the mobile terminal 20 receives the trigger packet again, it is possible to generate an in-service event, indicating that the mobile terminal 20 has entered the region indicated by the trigger packet. When an out-of-service event or an in-service event occurs, the mobile terminal 20 can perform ranging. Furthermore, by continuously transmitting positioning packets from the beacon transmitter 10, when ranging is performed in the mobile terminal 20 due to the occurrence of an event (out-of-service event, in-service event), the mobile terminal 20 can receive the positioning packets and estimate the position of the mobile terminal 20.

[0071] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified or combined within the scope of the invention.

[0072] <Computer-readable recording medium> A program that causes a computer or other machine or device (hereinafter referred to as a computer, etc.) to realize any of the above functions can be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. Then, by having the computer, etc. read and execute the program from this recording medium, the function can be provided.

[0073] Here, a computer-readable recording medium refers to a recording medium that stores information such as data and programs electrically, magnetically, optically, mechanically, or chemically and can be read by a computer, etc. Such a recording medium may be provided with elements that constitute a computer, such as a CPU and memory, and the CPU may be made to execute the program.

[0074] Among such recording media, those that can be removed from a computer or the like include, for example, flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, CD-R / Ws, DVDs, DATs, 8mm tapes, memory cards, and the like.

[0075] Furthermore, examples of recording media fixed to computers include hard disks and ROMs. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] 10: Beacon transmitter 10A: Beacon transmitter 10B: Beacon transmitter 11: Communications Department 12: Antenna 13: Storage section 20: Mobile devices 21: Communication control section 22: Positioning control section 23: Storage section 24: Antenna 90: Information processing equipment 91: Processor 92: Memory 93: Storage section 94: Input section 95: Output section 96: Communication control section

Claims

1. Transmitting a first packet including a first identifier indicating a predetermined area and a second identifier identifying the device itself; a communication unit that transmits a second packet including a third identifier obtained by performing a predetermined calculation on the first identifier and the second identifier; a pair of the third identifier and the second identifier indicates an area different from the predetermined area, the communication unit continuously transmits the first packets and repeatedly transmits and stops transmitting the second packets; the transmission suspension period is a period exceeding a period corresponding to a period from when the mobile terminal that received the first packet or the second packet received the first packet or the second packet received until an event occurs indicating that the mobile terminal has moved from within the service area of ​​an area indicated by a pair of the first identifier of the received first packet or the identifier of the received second packet to outside the service area of ​​the area. Beacon transmitter.

2. Transmitting a first packet including a first identifier and a second identifier indicating a predetermined area; a beacon transmitter including a beacon communication unit that transmits a second packet including a third identifier obtained by performing a predetermined calculation on the first identifier and the second identifier; a mobile terminal including a control unit and a storage unit for receiving the first packet and the second packet transmitted by the beacon transmitter, the second identifier is an identifier for identifying the beacon transmitter, a pair of the third identifier and the second identifier indicates an area different from the predetermined area, the beacon communication unit continuously transmits the first packet and repeatedly transmits and stops transmitting the second packet; the transmission suspension period is a second period that exceeds a first period corresponding to a period from when the portable terminal that received the first packet or the second packet received the first packet or the second packet received until when an out-of-service event occurs, which indicates that the portable terminal has moved from within the service area of ​​an area indicated by a pair of the first identifier of the received first packet or the identifier of the received second packet to outside the service area of ​​the area, the control unit stores the first identifier included in the received first packet in the storage unit as identification information of a monitoring target, performs the predetermined calculation on the first identifier included in the received first packet to infer the third identifier included in the second packet, stores the pair of the third identifier and the second identifier included in the received first packet in the storage unit as identification information of the monitoring target, and detects the location of the mobile terminal based on the received first packet. Location detection system.

3. the control unit, when receiving the first packet or the second packet including the identification information of the monitoring target, generates an in-service event indicating that the mobile terminal has entered an area indicated by the identification information of the monitoring target, generates an out-of-service event when not receiving the first packet or the second packet including the identification information of the monitoring target indicating the area during the first period starting from when the in-service event occurred, and detects the location of the mobile terminal based on the received first packet when the in-service event or the out-of-service event occurs. The location detection system according to claim 2 .

4. When the number of pieces of identification information of the monitoring targets stored in the storage unit reaches a predetermined upper limit value, the control unit selects, from the sets of identifiers that are the identification information of the monitoring targets stored in the storage unit, delete the set of identifiers that is the identification information of the monitoring target that was stored earliest in the storage unit, and store in the storage unit the set of identifiers included in the second packet with the strongest received signal strength among the second packets that include the identification information of the monitoring target and that are received within a predetermined period of time, as the identification information of the monitoring target; 4. The position detection system according to claim 2 or 3.

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