Display control device, display control system, display control method, and program

Abstract

To enable easy and timely confirmation of a subject's current location based on information received from a terminal device they possess, such as a child. [Solution] The display terminal 30 acquires information about a person being monitored, such as a child, and displays an icon 30C on the output unit 35 that is associated with at least one of the person's current location and activity, which is linked to the information about the person. The display control system S includes a positioning terminal 10 that transmits information about the person, and an icon display control unit 316 that acquires information about the person from the positioning terminal 10 and displays an icon on the output unit 35 that is associated with at least one of the person's current location and activity, which is linked to the information about the person.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a display control device, a display control system, a display control method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] The safety of children who are out, such as going to school, is one of the most important concerns for guardians. For the purpose of monitoring children who are out, various forms of location information transmission devices are carried by children, and the location information from the children's devices is received by a mobile terminal such as a smartphone held by the guardian, and the location where the child is can be confirmed by an app on the mobile terminal. A system has been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a technology in which location information from a GPS terminal held by a child is transmitted via a server to a mobile terminal such as a smartphone held by a guardian, and the guardian can confirm the current location of the child on the mobile terminal.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in Patent Document 1, checking the child's current location requires taking out a mobile device and launching the necessary app, which presents a problem because, for example, if the mobile device is in a bag or on a desk while doing housework, it is not possible to immediately check the child's current location on the mobile device. To solve this problem, it is conceivable to display the child's current location on a wearable device such as a smartwatch worn by the guardian, but due to the limited display capabilities of wearable devices (constraints such as display area and resolution), it is difficult to display the child's current location on a map.

[0005] One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a display control device, a display control system, a display control method, and a program that enable simple and timely notification of the status of a subject, such as a child, based on information received from a terminal device possessed by that subject. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A display control device according to one aspect of the present invention acquires information about an object and causes a display unit to display an image associated with at least one of the object's current location and activity, which is associated with the information about the object. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to notify a subject, such as a child, of their situation in a simple and timely manner based on information about that subject received from a terminal device that the subject possesses. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a system configuration diagram illustrating the configuration of a display control system S in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of a positioning terminal 10, a mobile terminal 20, and a display terminal 30 in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3]Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating the functions implemented by the processing unit 11 of the positioning terminal 10 shown as an example. [Figure 4] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating the functions implemented by the processing unit 21 of the mobile terminal 20 shown as an example. [Figure 5] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating the functions implemented by the processing unit 31 of the display terminal 30 shown as an example. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the structure of the target icon ID table 1 held by the mobile terminal 20. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of the configuration of the schedule table 2 held by the mobile device 20. [Figure 8] This figure illustrates an example of the display settings screen for a mobile terminal 20 in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of the configuration of the icon data table 3 held by the display terminal 30. [Figure 10] This flowchart illustrates the flow of icon display processing by the display control system S in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11A] This figure shows an example of the normal display screen of the display terminal 30 in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11B] This figure shows an example of the icon main display screen of the display terminal 30 in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11C] This figure shows an example of the icon sub-display screen of the display terminal 30 in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11D] This figure shows an example of the schedule display screen of the display terminal 30 in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11E] This figure shows an example of a weather display screen on a display terminal 30 in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11F] This figure shows an example of a school route monitoring display screen for a display terminal 30 in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 12] This flowchart illustrates the flow of icon display processing by the display control system S in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 13]It is a flowchart exemplifying the flow of icon display processing by the display control system S in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 14] It is a diagram showing an example of a time-elapsed display screen of the display terminal 30 in one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 15] It is a diagram exemplifying the time-elapsed display icon 30G of the display terminal 30 in one embodiment of the present invention.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in accordance with its embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] <Display Control System> FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram exemplifying the system configuration of the display control system S in one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the display control system S includes a positioning terminal 10 possessed by a person to be located such as a child C, a mobile terminal 20 possessed by a guardian P, and a display terminal 30 such as a wearable terminal worn by the guardian P. The person to be located (the object to be watched over) is not limited to the child C, and may be another person such as an elderly person, or a moving object such as an automobile.

[0011] The positioning terminal 10 possessed by the child C has a function of receiving a positioning satellite signal from a satellite positioning system such as GPS and calculating position information indicating the current position (latitude, longitude, altitude) of the positioning terminal 10, and can transmit the calculated position information to other terminal devices by wireless communication. It can be preferably configured as, for example, a smart watch, a smart phone, etc. Alternatively, the positioning terminal 10 may be configured as a portable device having only a positioning function and a communication function. In the embodiment described in the present application, altitude information of the positioning terminal 10 is not used, but altitude information is not particularly excluded and may be appropriately used as information for specifying the position of the positioning terminal 10.

[0012] The mobile terminal 20 is a device held by the guardian P, and has the function of reading the icon ID, which is information about the type of icon to be displayed on the display terminal 30, based on the location information received from the positioning terminal 10, and transmitting it to the display terminal 30. It can be suitably configured as, for example, a smartphone or a tablet terminal. The location information received from the positioning terminal 10 can be displayed on the map screen of the mobile terminal 20.

[0013] The display terminal 30 can be suitably configured as a wearable device such as a smartwatch, which can be worn by, for example, a parent P, and allows them to quickly check the screen display as needed. The display terminal 30 displays the corresponding icon on the screen according to the icon ID received from the mobile terminal 20.

[0014] Referring to Figure 1, the positioning terminal 10 held by child C is connected to the parent P's mobile terminal 20 via network N. Network N consists of wired or wireless communication lines that enable secure communication, such as a mobile communication network or a local area network (LAN). The parent P's mobile terminal 20 and the display terminal 30 are connected via wireless communication using communication standards such as BLE (Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® (Wireless Fidelity), or NFC (Near Field Communication). The positioning terminal 10 held by child C receives signals from the positioning satellite GS to determine its current location. The location information acquired by the positioning terminal 10 is transmitted to the parent P's mobile terminal 20 via network N. Based on the received location information, the mobile terminal 20 displays the positioning terminal 10's location on a map as child C's current location, and also transmits the type of display icon associated with child C's current location to the paired display terminal 30. The display terminal 30 reads the icon data to be displayed according to the received icon ID and displays it on the screen in a predetermined display format. For example, even if parent P cannot immediately operate the mobile terminal 20 to check child C's current location on the map, parent P can instantly find out child C's current location by looking at the display terminal 30. The icon display on the display terminal 30 will be described later with reference to the data processing flow in the positioning terminal 10, mobile terminal 20, and display terminal 30.

[0015] <Positioning terminal> Next, the configuration of the positioning terminal 10 will be described. Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of the positioning terminal 10 in one embodiment of the present invention. The hardware configurations of the mobile terminal 20 and the display terminal 30 in this embodiment are substantially the same as those illustrated in Figure 2.

[0016] As described above, the positioning terminal 10 in this embodiment is configured as a smartwatch. The positioning terminal 10 includes a processing unit 11, a main memory unit 12, an auxiliary memory unit 13, an input unit 14, an output unit 15, a GNSS unit 16, a sensor unit 17, and a communication unit 18.

[0017] The processing unit 11 is comprised of a processor that performs various calculations and control processes necessary for the operation of the positioning terminal 10. The processing unit 11 can also be referred to as a processor. The processors comprising the processing unit 11 include, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), MPU (Micro Processing Unit), SoC (System on a Chip), DSP (Digital Signal Processor), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), PLD (Programmable Logic Device), or FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof. Furthermore, the processing unit 11 may also be a combination of these processors with hardware accelerators, etc.

[0018] The main memory unit 12 stores programs such as firmware, system software, and application software, and also functions as a work area that is temporarily used for various processing tasks. The main memory unit 12 is composed of, for example, non-volatile memory such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and volatile memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory).

[0019] The auxiliary storage unit 13 stores user information, etc. The auxiliary storage unit 13 is composed of semiconductor memory or the like.

[0020] The input unit 14 consists of various components such as a touch panel, keys, and a microphone, and accepts user input. The output unit 15 consists of a display equipped with the aforementioned touch panel to display images and a speaker to amplify sound, and outputs images and sound.

[0021] The GNSS unit 16 is a positioning information acquisition unit for obtaining location information. GNSS is an abbreviation for Global Navigation Satellite System, and the GNSS unit 16 is a satellite positioning device that utilizes satellite positioning systems such as GPS (Global Positioning System). The GNSS unit 16 is composed of antennas and electronic components, and it acquires positioning satellite signals transmitted from multiple positioning satellites to determine its own position.

[0022] The sensor unit 17 consists of various sensors that detect the user's state and movements. The sensor unit 17 is composed of, for example, an acceleration sensor, an angular acceleration sensor, a geomagnetic sensor, a heart rate sensor, etc. The acceleration sensor, angular acceleration sensor, and geomagnetic sensor can make the sensor unit 17 function as a behavior detection unit to detect the user's movements, or as a location determination unit together with the GNSS unit 16. In addition, the heart rate sensor can make the sensor unit 17 function as a biometric information acquisition unit.

[0023] The communication unit 18 controls communication with external information processing devices such as smartphones and tablets. The communication unit 18 is composed of, for example, network connection devices such as SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) cards and network adapters, and short-range wireless communication devices based on communication standards such as BLE (Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® (Wireless Fidelity), and NFC (Near Field Communication).

[0024] The communication unit 18 may exchange information with an external information processing device via a network such as the Internet, or it may exchange information with an external information processing device via a paired information processing terminal such as a smartphone or tablet.

[0025] Next, the functions realized by the processing unit 11 of the positioning terminal 10 will be described. The processing unit 11 of this embodiment includes a communication control unit 111, an output control unit 112, an input control unit 113, a location information acquisition unit 114, a sensor information acquisition unit 115, and a motion information acquisition unit 116.

[0026] The communication control unit 111 performs processing to communicate with external devices via the communication unit 18. For example, the communication control unit 111 communicates with the mobile terminal 20 held by the guardian P to send and receive various types of information.

[0027] The output control unit 112 performs processing to display an image on the screen of the output unit 15. For example, the output control unit 112 performs processing to display the clock display image of a smartwatch on the screen of the output unit 15.

[0028] The input control unit 113 executes a process to accept user operations on the input unit 14. For example, the input control unit 113 executes a process to accept input operations for selection items entered by the user into the input unit 14 based on a menu image displayed on the output unit 15 screen.

[0029] The location information acquisition unit 114 has the function of calculating the latitude and longitude indicating the current location of the positioning terminal 10 based on the positioning satellite signals received by the GNSS unit 16, and using this as location information.

[0030] The sensor information acquisition unit 115 has the function of acquiring measurement values ​​obtained by each sensor from the sensor signals acquired by the various sensors provided in the sensor unit 17.

[0031] The motion information acquisition unit 116 has the function of detecting the movement of the positioning terminal 10 based on the measured values ​​obtained from the acceleration sensor, angular acceleration sensor, geomagnetic sensor, etc. of the sensor unit 17 via the sensor information acquisition unit 115.

[0032] <Mobile devices> Next, the configuration of the mobile terminal 20 will be described. As mentioned above, the hardware configuration of the mobile terminal 20 in this embodiment is substantially the same as the configuration of the positioning terminal 10 illustrated in Figure 2, so the explanation will be omitted.

[0033] Next, the functions implemented by the processing unit 21 of the mobile terminal 20 will be described. Figure 4 illustrates the functional blocks of the mobile terminal 20 in this embodiment. The processing unit 21 in this embodiment includes a communication control unit 211, an output control unit 212, an input control unit 213, a location information acquisition unit 214, a current location information receiving unit 215, a current location determination unit 216, and an icon display setting unit 217.

[0034] The functions of the communication control unit 211, output control unit 212, input control unit 213, and location information acquisition unit 214 are substantially the same as those of the communication control unit 111, output control unit 112, input control unit 113, and location information acquisition unit 114 in the positioning terminal 10, so their explanation will be omitted.

[0035] The current location information receiving unit 215 has the function of acquiring location information received from the positioning terminal 10 as the current location of the positioning terminal 10, that is, the current location of the target, such as child C, who is carrying the positioning terminal 10.

[0036] The current location determination unit 216 has the function of determining whether the positioning terminal 10 is within one of the ranges by comparing the location information from the positioning terminal 10 with range information indicating the location of schools, parks, etc., which are registered as places where icons described later will be displayed. In this application, the area on the map where facilities such as schools exist or the area on the map indicating the route such as the school route to which the subject moves is referred to as a "range," and the data such as latitude and longitude used to identify each range on the map is referred to as "range information."

[0037] The icon display setting unit 217 provides a function for setting range information, etc., that indicates a location such as a school corresponding to the icon display, which is used in the determination process by the current location determination unit 216. Figure 8 shows an example of the range information setting screen on the mobile terminal 20. The range information setting screen 90 is displayed on the output unit 25 by an application program (app) installed on the mobile terminal 20 to realize the icon display function in this embodiment. The range information setting screen 90 illustrated in Figure 8 includes a map 91, target range information 92, target icon information 93, target name information 94, notification-related information 95, and a setting save button 96. The map 91 displayed on the range information setting screen 90 is obtained, for example, from map information (including features such as buildings and roads) stored in the auxiliary storage unit 23 of the mobile terminal 20, or from map information stored on a server (not shown) via the communication unit 28 of the mobile terminal 20. The target area information 92 on the map 91 can be set by tapping or tracing the outline of a desired area, such as a school, hospital, base, or park, on the map 91. The set area is displayed by shading, for example, as shown in Figure 8. Once the target area information 92 is set, the name of the facility, etc., corresponding to that location is automatically set as the target name information 94, and the default icon (icon image) corresponding to that location is automatically set as the target icon information 93. This setting is performed automatically based on the location information shown in the target area information 92 and the map information. After setting the target area information 92, tapping the area where the icon in the target icon information 93 is displayed will display a pull-down menu of multiple predetermined icon images pre-stored in the auxiliary storage unit 23, etc., allowing the user to select one as desired. Furthermore, the name in the target name information 94 can be edited by tapping the displayed name. The notification-related information 95 provides notification condition setting functions such as turning the notification function on or off according to the location information of the positioning terminal 10, and the conditions for sending notifications (inside or outside the location range).The setting save button 96 has the function of associating the icon ID, target name information 94, and target range information 92 corresponding to the icon set (selected) as target icon information 93, and recording them in the auxiliary storage unit 23 as target icon ID table 1.

[0038] Figure 6 shows an example of the information stored in the target icon ID table 1. The icon ID is identification information used to identify the display icon image stored in the display terminal 30, which will be described later. The target name information and range information show the name of the target indicated by the corresponding icon ID and the data representing the range of that target, respectively. In the example in Figure 6, it is shown that the home is identified by icon ID "001," and its range is identified as the area enclosed by the four position coordinates (latitude, longitude) (P1, P2, P3, P4). In addition to the range enclosed by position coordinates, the range data can also be defined as the area enclosed by a circle with radius R1 centered on the reference position coordinate P5, as in the range corresponding to icon ID "002." Furthermore, as in icon ID "003," the range of school (non-attending school) can be defined as the combined range enclosed by a circle with radius R2 centered on position coordinate P6 and a circle with radius R3 centered on position coordinate P7. The same concept applies to ID "004." In other words, items enclosed in parentheses (for example, (P5, R1)) represent a single range defined by the position information and radius information within the parentheses. As explained above, if there are multiple items enclosed in parentheses, the combined range of each range becomes the range information. The format of the data for the range information of the target icon ID table 1 is automatically generated by the icon display setting unit 217. Furthermore, the recorded range information can be manually modified by the user by selecting the target range information 92, which is displayed as set on a screen as shown in Figure 8, using a tap operation or similar method, to change the data format (a range enclosed by three or more position coordinates, a range of a circle defined by one position coordinate and one radius information, etc.) and position coordinates. The mobile terminal 20 may also store the information of the icon data table 3, described later, in the auxiliary storage unit 23 when the application program (app) is installed.

[0039] The mobile terminal 20 can pre-register the schedules of children A and B, who are the targets (monitoring targets) whose current location is acquired from the positioning terminal 10. In this embodiment, the registered schedules for each child A and B are stored in the auxiliary storage unit 23 as a schedule table 2. Registering schedules in this schedule table 2 can be easily done by linking with, for example, the calendar function or schedule book function installed on the mobile terminal 20. Figure 7 shows an example of the configuration of the schedule table 2. The schedule table 2 has, for example, items for each monitoring target terminal ID, such as year, month, day, day of the week, time, planned activity (location), and remarks (name of each schedule, such as "cram school" or "club activity"). Figure 7 is an example for child A, who is assigned terminal ID "A," and shows that, for example, on December 6, 2021, child A will attend X Elementary School from 8:00 to 16:00, and then from 16:30 to 18:30 for club activities at Y Elementary School, which is not the school child A attends. As will be explained later, even within the same elementary school system, if child A attends one school and child Y does not, the system is configured to assign different icons to X Elementary School and Y Elementary School.

[0040] <Display terminal> Next, the configuration of the display terminal 30 will be described. As mentioned above, the hardware configuration of the display terminal 30 in this embodiment is substantially the same as the configuration of the positioning terminal 10 illustrated in Figure 2, so the explanation will be omitted.

[0041] Next, the functions implemented by the processing unit 31 of the display terminal 30 will be described. Figure 5 illustrates the functional blocks of the display terminal 30 in this embodiment. The processing unit 31 in this embodiment includes a communication control unit 311, an output control unit 312, an input control unit 313, a location information acquisition unit 314, a motion information acquisition unit 315, and an icon display control unit 316.

[0042] The functions of the communication control unit 311, output control unit 312, input control unit 313, location information acquisition unit 314, and motion information acquisition unit 315 are substantially the same as those of the communication control unit 111, output control unit 112, input control unit 113, location information acquisition unit 114, and motion information acquisition unit 116 in the positioning terminal 10, so their explanation is omitted.

[0043] The icon display control unit 316 has the function of reading icon data corresponding to the icon ID received from the mobile terminal 20 from the icon data table 3 (described later) and displaying it on the display screen of the display terminal 30. The icon display control unit 316 controls how each icon is displayed on the display screen according to the timing of icon ID reception in the mobile terminal 20, the posture and movement of the display terminal 30 based on information from the motion information acquisition unit 315, etc. An example of display control by the icon display control unit 316 will be described below with reference to the data processing flow example in this embodiment.

[0044] Figure 9 shows an example of the configuration of the icon data table 3 used by the icon display control unit 316. The icon data table 3 stores display data for icons that are displayed on the display screen constituting the output unit 35 of the display terminal 30, corresponding to the icon ID received from the mobile terminal 20. The icon data stored in the icon data table 3 may be stored in advance as preset data in the auxiliary storage unit 33 of the display terminal 30, or it may be made available for the user of the display terminal 30 to download to the display terminal 30 by accessing a predetermined website or the mobile terminal 20, etc. The icon data table 3 stores icon display data (icon image data) for displaying icons, and the name and icon ID corresponding to the icon display data as a set of records. Each icon is an image designed to allow users to intuitively grasp the current location and actions of the monitored child who is carrying the positioning terminal 10, without using map information (facilities, roads, etc.) of the surrounding area, according to the type of child's current location and actions, such as "home," "school," "park," etc. (facilities), "going to and from school," "moving to a place for lessons," etc. The icon data in Icon Data Table 3, such as "cram school," "music school," "swimming," "abacus school," "calligraphy," "English / English conversation," "computer / programming," "martial arts school," "ballet school," "baseball club," and "soccer club," represents facilities (landmarks) such as facilities, classrooms, open spaces, and ball game fields where extracurricular activities and sports clubs are held. Whether the subject is performing an action is determined by whether the time-series data of location information transmitted from the positioning terminal 10 falls within the range set as "going to or from school" or "moving to the location of an extracurricular activity." Each icon data is created in advance according to the display area and resolution of the display device equipped in the display terminal 30, which is composed of a smartwatch or the like, as will be described later.

[0045] <Icon display processing on display terminal 30> The icon display in the display terminal 30 of this embodiment is (1) Calculation of location information based on positioning satellite signals in the positioning terminal 10 and transmission of said location information to the mobile terminal 20 (2) Determining the current location of the target based on the location information received from the positioning terminal 10 and the set range information, determining whether the target is within any of the ranges or performing a specific action, extracting an icon ID based on the determination result and transmitting it to the display terminal 30. (3) Reading the corresponding icon display data based on the icon ID received from the mobile terminal 20, and displaying the icon display data in a display format determined based on the reception timing, the orientation and movement of the display terminal 30. This is achieved through the cooperation of the positioning terminal 10, the mobile terminal 20, and the display terminal 30, and through data processing by each terminal device. The icon display process will be explained below with reference to an example of the data processing flow in this embodiment.

[0046] Figure 10 shows a flowchart illustrating an example of icon display processing on the display terminal 30 in this embodiment. The processing flow in Figure 10 begins with the reception of positioning satellite signals on the positioning terminal 10, which is located on the left side of the page. It is assumed that the positioning terminal 10, the mobile terminal 20, and the display terminal 30 are powered on and in operation.

[0047] In step S1001, the position information acquisition unit 114 of the positioning terminal 10 performs positioning processing based on the positioning satellite signal from the positioning satellite GS received by the GNSS unit 16. In step S1002, the position information acquisition unit 114 uses the positioning result from step S1001 to calculate position information consisting of latitude and longitude indicating the current location of the positioning terminal 10. In step S1003, the position information acquisition unit 114 transmits the calculated position information to the mobile terminal 20.

[0048] Although not shown in Figure 10, the positioning terminal 10 may upload its location information to a server located on the network N. In that case, the mobile terminal 20 accesses the server at an appropriate time to download and acquire the location information uploaded by the positioning terminal 10.

[0049] In step S1004, the current location information receiving unit 215 of the mobile terminal 20 waits to receive location information from the positioning terminal 10 (if step S1004 is No). If it is determined that location information has been received (if step S1004 is Yes), in step S1005, the current location information receiving unit 215 executes the reception process. In step S1006, the current location determination unit 216 of the mobile terminal 20 compares and determines whether the received location information is included in any of the ranges stored in the target icon ID table 1. If it is determined that the received location information is included in any of the ranges (if step S1006 is Yes), in step S1007, the current location determination unit 216 reads the icon ID associated with the corresponding range from the target icon ID table 1 and transmits it to the display terminal 30. If it is determined that the received location information does not fall within any of the ranges (step S1006 is No), in step S1008, the current location determination unit 216 reads the icon ID "000", which is associated with "Not applicable" in the target name information, from the target icon ID table 1 and transmits it to the display terminal 30.

[0050] In step S1009, before receiving icon ID information from the mobile terminal 20, the display terminal 30, which is configured as a smartwatch, displays the time on a digital clock screen, which is the normal display. An example of the time display screen is shown in Figure 11A.

[0051] In step S1010, the icon display control unit 316 of the display terminal 30 waits until it receives an icon ID from the mobile terminal 20 (step S1010 is No). If it determines that an icon ID has been received (step S1010 is Yes), in step S1011, the icon display control unit 316 executes the icon ID reception process. In step S1012, the icon display control unit 316 of the display terminal 30 determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the last icon ID was received. If it determines that the predetermined time has not elapsed (step S1012 is No), the icon display control unit 316 continues to wait until the next icon ID is received. This process ensures a time limit for display switching in order to reduce or eliminate the annoying feeling that may be caused to the user by the screen display on the display terminal 30 frequently switching to the icon main display described later in response to the reception of icon IDs from the mobile terminal 20.

[0052] In step S1012, if the icon display control unit 316 determines that a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since the last time an icon ID was received (step S1012 is Yes), in step S1013, the icon display control unit 316 reads the icon display data corresponding to the icon ID from the icon data table 3 and performs the process of displaying only the corresponding icon on the display screen of the display terminal 30. Figure 11B shows an example of a display screen that displays only the corresponding icon. In the example in Figure 11B, the entire display screen of the smartwatch, which is the display terminal 30, is used to display the icon image indicated by the icon display data "Commuting to and from school (moving along the school route)" (icon ID = 004). In this invention, the display mode in which the entire display screen of the display terminal 30 is used to display an icon is called "icon main display". As shown in Figure 11B, the entire display screen of the smartwatch or other display device 30 worn by the guardian P is used to display the icon. Therefore, even if the guardian P is away from the smartphone or other mobile device 20, or if the guardian P cannot immediately operate the mobile device 20, it is possible to intuitively understand and grasp where the child C (the subject being monitored) is or what they are doing, without displaying map information of the surrounding area (including buildings, roads, and text information representing their attributes (building names, road names), etc.). In other words, the icon image displayed on the output unit 35 of the display device 30 can easily convey to the guardian P where the child C is or what they are doing.

[0053] Returning to the explanation of Figure 10, in step S1014, the icon display control unit 316 continues the main icon display for a predetermined time set by the timer (for example, 10 seconds). After the predetermined time has elapsed, in step S1015, the icon display control unit 316 switches to a display mode in which the icons displayed across the entire display screen of the display terminal 30 by the main icon display are moved to one of the corners of the display screen and displayed smaller. In this application, such a display mode is called "sub-icon display". Figure 11C shows an example of sub-icon display. In Figure 11C, the display terminal 30 in the form of a smartwatch displays its original function, a digital clock, and an icon indicating "going to and from school" is displayed in the upper right corner of the display screen, smaller than the main icon display. With this sub-icon display, it is possible to know the location and actions of the child C while utilizing the original function of the display terminal 30.

[0054] <Other display modes of display terminal 30> Figures 11D to 11F show other display modes on the display terminal 30. Figure 11D shows the "On the way to lesson" icon (30C) from the icon data table 3 in Figure 9 displayed in icon-main display mode, along with the string "07:54 until start" (30D). This indicates that child C, who is carrying the positioning terminal 10, is on their way to a lesson such as a music class, and there are 7 minutes and 54 seconds until the lesson starts. Such a display can be achieved, for example, by pre-storing child C's activity schedule in the schedule table 2 of the mobile terminal 20, and calculating the remaining time until the next appointment by comparing the current time with the activity schedule when receiving location information from the positioning terminal 10. The mobile terminal 20 then transmits the icon ID information (021) corresponding to "On the way to lesson location" and the information indicating "07:54 until start" from the time-series location data and activity schedule from the positioning terminal 10 to the display terminal 30.

[0055] Figure 11E shows an example where the weather (30E) at the current location of the positioning terminal 10 is graphically displayed on the display screen of the display terminal 30, which is in icon-main display mode. The weather at the current location of the positioning terminal 10 can be obtained, for example, by a mobile terminal 20 that receives location information from the positioning terminal 10 and uses that location information to obtain weather information from an external device via the internet. With this, the guardian P can know the weather at the location of child C along with the child's location, which can help in deciding whether to bring an umbrella when picking up or dropping off child C.

[0056] Figure 11F shows an example of graphically displaying the monitoring status along the school route on the main icon display screen for the "going to and from school" icon. Specifically, in the example in Figure 11F, an image of five small flags (30F) is displayed above the "going to and from school" icon. Along the school route, parents or volunteer staff may be stationed at key points to monitor children and ensure their safety during their commute. Short-range wireless data communication is enabled between a positioning terminal 10, such as a smartwatch, carried by a child, and a mobile terminal, such as a smartphone, carried by a parent or volunteer staff member. Each time the child's positioning terminal 10 communicates data with the parent's or volunteer staff member's mobile terminal, the positioning terminal 10 sends information to the mobile terminal 20 indicating that data communication was successful. Upon receiving this information, the mobile terminal 20 determines that the positioning terminal 10 has passed a point where a parent or volunteer staff member is present during the commute, and sends the details of this determination (image data of flags indicating passage in the example in Figure 11F) to the display terminal 30 as needed. As a result, the display terminal 30 can represent the progress of child C along the school route used for commuting to and from school by the number of flag images displayed. Therefore, this invention allows for an intuitive understanding of child C's current location through a simple display, as shown in Figure 11F, which consists only of an image indicating the location of the person being monitored and supplementary information about the location (the number of flag images), rather than a general display (a display with a large amount of information) in which child C's current location is superimposed on a map displayed on the output unit 35 of the display terminal 30.

[0057] Figure 12 shows a flowchart illustrating another example of the icon display process on the display terminal 30 in this embodiment. The processing flow in Figure 12, like in Figure 10, begins with the reception of positioning satellite signals by the positioning terminal 10 on the left side of the page. It is assumed that the positioning terminal 10, the mobile terminal 20, and the display terminal 30 are powered on and operating. Figure 12 shows an example of the display on the display terminal 30 when the positioning terminal 10 is determined to be within a certain range in the processing flow of Figure 10, and then moves out of that range.

[0058] In step S1201, the location information acquisition unit 114 of the positioning terminal 10 transmits the location information calculated in steps S1001 and S1002 of Figure 11 to the mobile terminal 20.

[0059] In step S1202, the current location information receiving unit 215 of the mobile terminal 20 waits to receive location information from the positioning terminal 10 (step S1202 is No). If it is determined that location information has been received (step S1202 is Yes), in step S1203, the current location information receiving unit 215 executes the reception process. In step S1203, the current location information receiving unit 215 of the mobile terminal 20 executes the reception process for location information from the positioning terminal 10. In step S1204, the current location determination unit 216 of the mobile terminal 20 compares and determines whether the received location information is outside of any of the ranges stored in the target icon ID table 1. If it is determined that the received location information is still included in any of the ranges (step S1204 is No), the current location determination unit 216 continues to monitor the location information. If it is determined that the received location information does not fall within any of the ranges (step S1204 is Yes), in step S1205, the current location determination unit 216 reads the icon ID corresponding to the range in which the positioning terminal 10 was determined to have been immediately included from the target icon ID table 1 and transmits it to the display terminal 30.

[0060] In step S1206, the icon display control unit 316 of the display terminal 30 waits until it receives an icon ID from the mobile terminal 20 (step S1206 is No). If it determines that an icon ID has been received (step S1 is Yes), in step S1207, the icon display control unit 316 executes the icon ID reception process. At this point, the display terminal 30, which is configured as a smartwatch, is displaying either the main icon display or the sub-icon display for the icon corresponding to the previously placed position range.

[0061] In step S1208, the icon display control unit 316 of the display terminal 30 performs an "inverted black and white" display of the icon main display for the icon corresponding to the immediately preceding range. This inverted display allows the guardian P, who is wearing the display terminal 30, to know that child C has moved away from a certain location.

[0062] In steps S1209 to S1211, the icon display control unit 316 maintains the inverted icon main display for a time set by the timer, and then in step S1212, returns to the normal display as shown in Figure 11A. That is, in step S1209, the icon display control unit 316 initializes and starts the timer. In step S1210, the icon display control unit 316 waits for a predetermined time to elapse since the timer started (step S1210 is No). If it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed (step S1210 is Yes), the icon display control unit 316 stops and initializes the timer and then proceeds to the process in step S1212.

[0063] Figure 13 shows a flowchart illustrating a modified version of the icon display process at the display terminal 30 shown in Figure 10. The processing flow in Figure 13 is almost the same as that in Figure 10, however, the process in S1009, which suppresses frequent icon display switching, is different from that in Figure 10. For simplicity, this different part of the process will be explained here.

[0064] In other words, in Figure 13, if it is determined in step S1012 that a predetermined amount of time has not elapsed since the last icon ID was received (step S1012 is No), the icon display control unit 316 further determines the importance of the received icon ID in step S1012A. If it is determined that the importance of the received icon ID is not low (step S1012A is No), the icon display control unit 316 performs the main icon display in step S1013, even if the predetermined amount of time has not elapsed. If it is determined that the importance of the received icon ID is low (step S1012A is Yes), the icon display control unit 316 performs the sub-icon display in step S1015. The determination of whether the importance of the icon ID is low or not in step S1010A is made by comparing it with a pre-set reference value (threshold).

[0065] In this way, by setting importance levels according to icon IDs, and by having the display terminal display the main icon for high-importance icon IDs regardless of the elapsed time since the last main icon display, the guardian P wearing the display terminal 30 can be notified without delay when child C enters a high-importance location, regardless of the frequency of the main icon display. Here, the importance level of an icon ID can be determined by the icon display control unit 316 by setting items such as importance A (high), B, C (low) corresponding to the icon ID in the target icon ID table 1. In this case, the importance level can be appropriately defined by judgment criteria such as whether public activities (e.g., going to school) are more important than private activities (e.g., visiting a friend's house, getting a haircut). The importance level can also be set at the same time as setting the target range information 92, target icon information 93, target name information 94, etc. using the screen in Figure 8, by using a pull-down menu or the like to select the importance level, which is not shown in Figure 8.

[0066] <Other display processing> Figure 14 shows another example of display processing in the display terminal 30 in this embodiment. In the example in Figure 14, the icon display control unit 316 of the display terminal 30 is configured to display an image representing the passage of time when the icon is the main display. That is, in Figure 15, an icon (30C) representing "park" is displayed in the icon main display mode, and an image (30G) representing the passage of time is displayed, showing the process of a frog growing from an egg to a tadpole and then to an adult (Figures 14(A) to 14(E)). When displaying this icon representing the passage of time, the icon display control unit 316 can be controlled to display it on the display terminal 30 when, for example, the child C being monitored enters a location not registered in the schedule table 2 of the mobile terminal 20, such as the "park" shown in the example in Figure 14.

[0067] Icons used to indicate the passage of time can employ easily understandable and appropriate motifs, such as a frog growing from an egg or plants growing from seeds, as shown in Figure 15. In Figure 15, for example, in the case of a frog, each stage—egg, tadpole, tadpole with hind legs, frog with tail, and adult frog—is set to represent 15 minutes. By displaying such time-transition icons together with location icons, for example in Figure 15, it is possible to intuitively know how long child C has been in the park, and the guardian P wearing the display terminal 30 can take action such as calling or emailing child C to urge them to come home soon. Furthermore, the above display process is not limited to cases where child C enters a location not registered in the schedule table 2 of the mobile terminal 20 for the day. The above display process may also be performed when child C enters a location registered in the schedule table 2 of the mobile terminal 20.

[0068] Furthermore, the motion information acquisition unit 116 of the positioning terminal 10 may detect the movement (activity) status of the positioning terminal 10 (e.g., walking, running, cycling) based on the measured values ​​obtained from the sensors included in the sensor unit 17, and transmit it to the mobile terminal 20 via the communication unit 18. The mobile terminal 20 may then display an image related to the activity on the output unit 35 of the display terminal 30, based on the acquired movement (activity) status and the icon data table 3. In this case, the name of the activity included in the detected movement status (e.g., walking, running, cycling) is compared with the name information of the components of the icon data table 3, and the corresponding icon display data is extracted (for example, "walking" would mean going to or from school, and "cycling" would mean moving to a place for extracurricular activities).

[0069] Furthermore, while icon data table 3 in this embodiment registers icon display data (still images) as icons, it is not limited to this. Videos (which may also include sound) may be registered as icons.

[0070] The information relating to the object may include information relating to the object's current location and information relating to its activities.

[0071] In this way, the display terminal 30 can determine the current location and activities of child C, who is being monitored.

[0072] The processing unit 31 of the display terminal 30 may choose not to display other images showing features near the current location on the output unit 35.

[0073] In this way, the display terminal 30 can intuitively grasp only the current location and activities of child C, who is being monitored.

[0074] The processing unit 31 may display the icon associated with the acquired position information on the output unit 35 in a first size, and then, after a predetermined time has elapsed, display the icon on the output unit 35 in a second size smaller than the first size.

[0075] In this way, the limited display area of ​​the output unit 35 of the display terminal 30 can be effectively utilized.

[0076] The processing unit 31 may configure the output unit 35 to display the icon of the second size and other information in a manner that they do not overlap.

[0077] In this way, the current location of the target, such as child C, can be confirmed on the display terminal 30 using icons, and other information such as the clock, which is displayed by the functions of the display terminal 30, can also be viewed.

[0078] The processing unit 31 may change the icon to be displayed on the output unit 35 of the display terminal 30 based on the location information, which is information indicating the current location of child C, and the information about the target, such as child C, that is held in relation to the target at the time the location information was acquired, and display it on the output unit 35.

[0079] In this way, the icon displayed on the output unit 35 of the display terminal 30 can be identified at a glance as to whether it is the school where the child C is enrolled or another school, even if they are all the same type of facility (school), and the target child C's current location can be determined more specifically.

[0080] The processing unit 31 may determine whether the location information, which indicates the current location of the target, is within a pre-set range, and if it determines that the target has moved out of the range based on the location information of the target, it may change the display mode of the icon displayed on the output unit 35.

[0081] In this way, it is possible to know when the subject has moved out of a specific area and is moving on to the next action.

[0082] The processing unit 31 may also obtain weather information at the location where the target is located from an external device on the network N, based on location information which is information indicating the current location of the target, and display it on the output unit 35.

[0083] In this way, based on weather information at the target's current location, appropriate action can be taken for the target child C, etc. (such as going to pick them up) as needed.

[0084] The processing unit 31 may, based on location information which indicates the current location of the target, cause the output unit 35 of the display terminal 30 to display an icon representing the elapsed time since entering the facility indicated by the icon, if the target is staying within the facility indicated by the icon.

[0085] In this way, the guardians of child C can use means such as telephone or email to warn them about the time they spend in that area and encourage them to leave as soon as possible.

[0086] The processing unit 31 may also cause the output unit 35 to display an icon related to at least one of the facilities and activities located at the target's current location.

[0087] In this way, parents and guardians can intuitively understand the situation of child C, who is being monitored.

[0088] Furthermore, an embodiment of the present invention can be configured as a display control system comprising a positioning terminal 10 that transmits information about an object, and a processing unit 31 that acquires information about the object from the positioning terminal 10 and causes the output unit 35 to display an icon related to at least one of the object's current location and activity, which is associated with the information about the object.

[0089] In this case, the positioning terminal 10 may be configured as a battery-powered wireless terminal device, and may send at least one of the following to the display terminal 30: information regarding the battery status and information indicating the wireless communication status of the positioning terminal 10.

[0090] In this way, guardians or others who possess the display terminal 30 can easily find out the reason when it becomes difficult or impossible to receive location information from the positioning terminal 10.

[0091] The series of processes described above can be executed by hardware or by software. In other words, the functional configurations shown in Figures 3 to 5 are merely examples and are not particularly limited. That is, it is sufficient that the positioning terminal 10, mobile terminal 20, and display terminal 30 are equipped with a function that can execute the series of processes described above as a whole, and the type of functional block used to realize this function is not particularly limited to the examples in Figures 3 to 5. Furthermore, a single functional block may be composed of hardware alone, software alone, or a combination of both. The functional configuration in this embodiment is realized by a processor that performs arithmetic processing, and processors that can be used in this embodiment include not only single-processor, multi-processor, and multi-core processors, but also combinations of these various processing units with processing circuits such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) and FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays).

[0092] When a series of processes are executed by software, the programs that make up that software are installed on a computer or other device from a network or storage medium. The computer may be a computer built into dedicated hardware. Alternatively, the computer may be a computer capable of performing various functions by installing various programs, such as a general-purpose personal computer.

[0093] Such recording media containing programs consist not only of removable media such as USB memory distributed separately from the main unit to the user to provide the program, but also of recording media provided to the user in a pre-installed state within the main unit. Removable media consist of, for example, magnetic disks (including floppy disks), optical disks, or magneto-optical disks. Optical disks consist of, for example, CD-ROMs (Compact Disk-Read Only Memory), DVDs (Digital Versatile Disks), Blu-ray® Discs, etc. Magneto-optical disks consist of, for example, MDs (Mini-Disks). Furthermore, recording media provided to the user in a pre-installed state within the main unit consist of, for example, ROMs on which programs are recorded, or hard disks included in auxiliary storage units 13, 23, and 33.

[0094] In this specification, the step of describing a program to be recorded on a recording medium includes not only processes that are performed chronologically in that order, but also processes that are not necessarily performed chronologically, but are executed in parallel or individually.

[0095] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments are merely illustrative and do not limit the technical scope of the present invention. The present invention can take on a variety of other embodiments, and it is also possible to combine the above embodiments with their modified configurations. Furthermore, various modifications such as omissions and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. These embodiments and their variations are included in the scope and spirit of the invention as described herein, and are also included in the scope of the invention and its equivalents as described in the claims.

[0096] The invention described in the original claims of this application is listed below. [Note 1] Obtain information about the subject, A display control device comprising a display control unit that causes a display unit to display an image associated with at least one of the current location and activity of the subject, which is associated with information about the subject. [Note 2] The information relating to the subject includes information relating to the subject's current location and information relating to its activities. The display control device described in Appendix 1. [Note 3] The display control unit does not display other images representing features near the current location on the display unit. The display control device described in Appendix 1 or Appendix 2. [Note 4] The display control unit displays the image on the display unit at a first size, and after a predetermined time has elapsed, displays the image on the display unit at a second size smaller than the first size. A display control device as described in any one of the items 1 to 3 of the appendix. [Note 5] The display control unit causes the second-size image and other information to be displayed on the display unit without overlap. The display control device described in Appendix 4. [Note 6] The display control unit modifies the image and displays it on the display unit based on location information, which is information indicating the current location of the object, and information about the object held regarding the object at the time the location information was acquired. A display control device as described in any of the appendices 1 to 5. [Note 7] The display control unit determines whether the location information, which is information indicating the current position of the object, is within a preset range, and if it determines that the object has moved out of the range based on the location information of the object, it changes the display mode of the image displayed on the display unit and displays it accordingly. A display control device as described in any of the appendices 1 to 6. [Note 8] The display control unit, based on location information which indicates the current location of the object, acquires weather information at the location where the object is located from an external device and displays it on the display unit. A display control device as described in any of the appendices 1 through 7. [Note 9] Based on location information, which indicates the current location of the object, the display control unit causes the display unit to display an image representing the elapsed time since the object entered the facility, if the object is staying within the facility indicated by the image. A display control device as described in any of the appendices 1 through 8. [Note 10] The display control unit causes the display unit to display the image related to at least one of the facilities and activities at the current location of the target. A display control device as described in any of the appendices 1 through 9. [Note 11] A terminal device that transmits information about the target, The terminal device acquires information about the target, A display control device comprising a display control unit that causes a display unit to display an image associated with at least one of the current location and activity of the subject, which is associated with information about the subject, A display control system equipped with the following features. [Note 12] The terminal device is a battery-powered wireless terminal device, and the display control system according to Appendix 11 sends at least one of the following to the display control device: information regarding the state of the battery and information indicating the state of wireless communication of the terminal device. [Note 13] Information processing device, Obtain information about the subject, The display unit displays an image associated with at least one of the current location and activity of the subject, which is associated with information about the subject. Display control method. [Note 14] In an information processing device, Obtain information about the subject, The process of displaying an image associated with at least one of the current location and activity of the subject, which is associated with the information about the subject, is performed on the display unit. program. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0097] S Display Control System 1. Target Icon ID Table 2. Schedule Table 3 Icon Data Table 10 Positioning terminals 11, 21, 31 Processing Units 20 Mobile devices 30 Display terminals 35 Output section 316 Icon Display Control Unit

Claims

1. Obtain information about the subject, A display control device comprising a display control unit that causes a display unit to display an image associated with at least one of the current location and activity of the subject, which is associated with information about the subject.

2. The information relating to the subject includes information relating to the subject's current location and information relating to its activities. The display control device according to claim 1.

3. The display control unit does not display other images representing features near the current location on the display unit. The display control device according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The display control unit displays the image on the display unit at a first size, and after a predetermined time has elapsed, displays the image on the display unit at a second size smaller than the first size. A display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The display control unit causes the second-size image and other information to be displayed on the display unit without overlap. The display control device according to claim 4.

6. The display control unit modifies the image and displays it on the display unit based on location information, which is information indicating the current location of the object, and information about the object held regarding the object at the time the location information was acquired. A display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The display control unit determines whether the location information, which is information indicating the current position of the object, is within a preset range, and if it determines that the object has moved out of the range based on the location information of the object, it changes the display mode of the image displayed on the display unit and displays it accordingly. A display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The display control unit, based on location information which indicates the current location of the object, acquires weather information at the location where the object is located from an external device and displays it on the display unit. A display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. Based on location information, which indicates the current location of the object, the display control unit causes the display unit to display an image representing the elapsed time since the object entered the facility, if the object is staying within the facility indicated by the image. A display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The display control unit causes the display unit to display the image related to at least one of the facilities and activities at the current location of the target. A display control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A terminal device that transmits information about the target, The terminal device acquires information about the target, A display control device comprising a display control unit that causes a display unit to display an image associated with at least one of the current location and activity of the subject, which is associated with information about the subject, A display control system equipped with the following features.

12. The display control system according to claim 11, wherein the terminal device is a battery-powered wireless terminal device, and transmits at least one of the following to the display control device: information regarding the state of the battery and information indicating the state of wireless communication of the terminal device.

13. Information processing device, Obtain information about the subject, The display unit displays an image associated with at least one of the current location and activity of the subject, which is associated with information about the subject. Display control method.

14. In an information processing device, Obtain information about the subject, The process of displaying an image on the display unit that is associated with at least one of the current location and activity of the subject, which is linked to the information about the subject, is performed. program.

Images