Location information system

Abstract

This system provides a location information system that can accurately determine whether rescue is necessary in an emergency based on the app usage status of stationary mobile devices within a monitoring area. [Solution] In a location information system comprising a mobile information terminal and a server, the mobile information terminal has an application management function that acquires information on the usage status of applications and programs running on the mobile information terminal and creates and stores an application usage list. The server has a function to acquire various information held by the mobile information terminal. When a fire signal is received and the mobile information of the mobile information terminal indicates that it has stopped moving, the server requests the mobile information terminal to send an application usage list. If the received application usage list indicates that a specific type of application is not running, the server sends an email to the mobile information terminal to check on its safety status.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a position information system for grasping the position of a portable information terminal by using the communication function of the terminal, and further to a position information system capable of judging the state of the possessor according to the usage status of the portable information terminal. For example, it is related to a position information system useful for grasping the state of personnel in a monitoring area and supporting rescue activities when disasters such as fires and earthquakes occur.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, a disaster prevention support system for supporting fire fighting activities by transmitting information such as the location of a fire and commands related to fire fighting activities from a fire receiver to a terminal carried by a self-defense fire fighter based on information from the fire receiver at the time of a fire has been put into practical use. For example, there is known a disaster prevention support system including a support device and a terminal. The support device determines whether the position of the terminal is within a facility, and when it indicates that the position of the terminal is within the facility, transmits support information to the terminal when an abnormality such as a fire occurs. The terminal displays the support information on a display unit when it receives the support information (for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] On the other hand, when disasters such as fires and earthquakes occur, it may be necessary to check whether there are any stayers who have been left behind in a building. Therefore, a server collects and manages user location information indicating the section where the terminal is located based on the terminal ID and section ID included in the position information received from the user's terminal, and when receiving a fire detection signal from a fire receiver, detects the user terminal located in the fire occurrence section from the user location information and outputs it as information on the user who has been left behind (see Patent Document 2).

[0004] Furthermore, in a location information system equipped with a mobile terminal and a server capable of wireless communication, the server is capable of transmitting a map of a predetermined area and information indicating the location of the mobile terminal on the map to a predetermined device, generates movement information indicating whether or not the mobile terminal is moving based on the location information received from the mobile terminal, generates mobile rate information indicating the mobile terminal's mobile rate based on the movement information and terminal information received from the mobile terminal, transmits these together with the map information to the predetermined device, and displays marks for mobile terminals on the map in a way that allows their mobile rate to be identified (see Patent Document 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2018-147439 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2019-032867 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-182685 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] While the disaster prevention support system described in Patent Document 1 can support the activities of the self-defense fire brigade, it has the problem of not being able to obtain information about users who have been left behind. On the other hand, while the user location management system described in Patent Document 2 can obtain information about users who have been left behind, it has the problem of providing false information that there are users who have been left behind if a mobile device (including personal information terminals and mobile communication terminals) is left behind, leading to unnecessary actions in rescue operations.

[0007] The invention described in Patent Document 3 attempts to estimate the damage status of a mobile information terminal by detecting its "carrying rate," "charging status," and "movement status." However, while it can be inferred that a mobile information terminal in motion is capable of taking evacuation action, a terminal that is not moving (and therefore not taking evacuation action) despite an emergency may be facing a situation where evacuation is difficult for some reason (such as being injured and unable to move), or it may be that the terminal is undamaged and completely safe, and is operating the mobile information terminal as usual, gathering information or playing games. However, the invention in Patent Document 3 cannot distinguish between the above situations, which presents a problem in that it is not possible to accurately determine whether rescue is necessary.

[0008] This invention was made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to provide a location information system that, in the event of an emergency such as a fire, can accurately determine whether rescue is necessary by inferring the status of the owner of a stationary mobile information terminal within a monitoring area based on the application usage status of the terminal. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] To solve the above problems, this invention provides: A transmitter installed in a designated area that wirelessly transmits a signal containing its own identification information, A portable information terminal having a receiver that receives signals from the transmitter, and a wireless communication device capable of transmitting transmitter information including the identification information of the transmitter and its own identification information, The system comprises a server that receives information transmitted from the aforementioned mobile information terminal, The server is a location information system configured to receive a fire signal, including information about the location of a fire, transmitted from a fire receiver capable of receiving fire detection signals from fire detectors of a fire alarm system installed within the predetermined area, and to determine the location of the fire. The aforementioned mobile information terminal has an application management means that acquires information regarding the usage status of application programs running on the mobile information terminal, creates and stores an application usage list, The aforementioned server, The device has a terminal information acquisition means for acquiring various information possessed by the aforementioned mobile information terminal, and the various information of the mobile information terminal includes identification information of the transmitter with the highest radio wave intensity value and movement information of the mobile information terminal. If the aforementioned fire signal is being received and the mobile device's movement information indicates that it has stopped, the system is configured to request the mobile device to send the application usage list. If the application usage list received from the mobile device indicates that no specific type of application is running, the system is configured to send an email to the mobile device to check on its safety status.

[0010] According to the location information system configured as described above, if the server is receiving a fire signal and the mobile device has stopped moving, it requests and receives an application usage list from the mobile device. Based on the application usage status on the mobile device, the server can infer the owner's status and, depending on the type of application being used, send an email to check on the owner's safety, thereby accurately determining whether rescue is necessary.

[0011] Here, preferably, the particular type of application is configured to be a game-related or entertainment-related application program. If the application running on a mobile device at the time of a fire is a gaming application or an entertainment application, it can be inferred that the device owner has determined that there is no need to evacuate. Therefore, according to the above configuration, it can be determined that rescue is unnecessary.

[0012] Furthermore, preferably, the content of the email sent from the server to the mobile information terminal shall include a question asking whether or not rescue is needed. With this configuration, by sending an email to the device owner to confirm their needs depending on the type of app being used, it becomes possible to accurately determine whether or not rescue is necessary. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the position information system of the present invention, in an emergency such as a fire, for a mobile information terminal that is not moving within the monitoring area, the state of the holder can be estimated according to the application usage status of the terminal, and the safety status can be accurately grasped and the necessity of rescue can be determined.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0014] [Figure 1] It is a system configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the position information system according to the present invention. [Figure 2] It is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a mobile information terminal used in the position information system of the embodiment. [Figure 3] It is a flowchart showing an example of a position information transmission processing procedure in a mobile information terminal constituting the position information system of the embodiment. [Figure 4] It is a flowchart showing an example of a map creation processing procedure in a position information server constituting the position information system of the embodiment. [Figure 5] It shows an example of a map image (floor map image) of a monitoring area displayed on a mobile information terminal. (A) is a map image diagram of a floor where no fire has occurred, and (B) is a map image diagram of a floor where a fire has occurred. [Figure 6] It shows an example of an image displayed on a mobile information terminal. (A) is a diagram showing an example of a message displayed together with a floor map when a fire occurs, and (B) is a diagram showing a screen displayed by a status confirmation process.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a position information system to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of the position information system of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the position information system 1 of the present embodiment includes beacons (transmitters) 10 arranged at multiple locations inside a building for transmitting beacon signals (radio waves), and a portable information terminal 20 capable of receiving signals (radio waves) from the beacons 10.

[0016] Further, the position information system of the present embodiment includes a position information server 40 that performs data communication with the portable information terminal 20 via a communication network N such as a mobile phone base station 30 and the Internet, a fire receiver 60 capable of receiving fire detection signals from fire detectors 50 arranged at multiple locations inside the building, a gateway 70 that functions as a relay for wired communication, and the like. A system may also be provided with a mobile beacon that is carried by a detection target person moving in a monitoring area or attached to a detection target object and transmits a beacon signal (radio wave).

[0017] As a communication method for the beacon 10 to transmit a wireless signal (unique information such as a terminal ID and equipment information) to the portable information terminal 20, for example, known communication methods such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication, wireless LAN such as WiFi conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard, infrared communication, and visible light communication can be used. The interval for arranging the beacons 10 is not particularly limited, but in the following description, it is assumed that the communication ranges of adjacent beacons 10 are arranged so as to cover the space inside the building. The portable information terminal ID may be any unique information that can distinguish it from other portable information terminals, such as identification information unique to the portable information terminal.

[0018] Specifically, originally, fire detectors 50 and sprinkler heads are installed in the building at a predetermined interval, so they can be used in a form built-in or added to those devices, or installed in the vicinity of those devices. In addition, the beacon 10 includes a transmission unit that periodically transmits its own identification information on a wireless signal to the surroundings. The signal (beacon signal) transmitted wirelessly by the beacon 10 only needs to include at least the identification information (device ID of the transmitter) of the beacon 10, and may further include information about the area where it is installed and the remaining battery level information.

[0019] The personal information terminal 20 is a device that includes data processing functions such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), non-volatile memory storing programs executed by the CPU, and RAM (Random Access Memory) for work, as well as a receiving function for receiving signals from the beacon 10 and a wireless communication function, and can utilize a well-known smartphone or the like. The internal memory of the mobile information terminal 20 stores an application program (location information display application) that performs the following processes: receiving beacon signals transmitted wirelessly from beacon 10 periodically, extracting identification information (device ID), etc., contained in the beacon signals, detecting the received signal strength of the beacon signals, and transmitting the beacon information, including the identification information and received signal strength, etc., to the location information server 40 via the mobile phone base station 30 and the communication network N; and displaying a floor map image on the screen based on floor map information transmitted from the location information server 40 via the communication network N and the mobile phone base station 30. Furthermore, the mobile information terminal 20 may be configured to transmit beacon information to the location information server 40 when it receives beacon signals transmitted from multiple beacons 10 (beacons 10 whose communication ranges overlap).

[0020] Each fire detector 50 is connected to a fire receiver 60 via a different detector line 51 for each protected area. When it detects the generation of heat, smoke, flames, harmful gases, etc., it transmits a fire detection signal to the fire receiver 60 via the detector line 51. The fire detector 50 may be a type of detector that adds its own installation address to the fire detection signal, or it may be a type of detector that does not add its installation address.

[0021] When the fire alarm receiver (R-type or P-type) 60 receives a fire detection signal from the fire detector 50, it displays a fire alarm on its display unit and also controls the sounding of a district bell (not shown) and other linked devices such as smoke control systems. Furthermore, the fire alarm receiver 60 transmits fire information (abnormal information), including information on the location and time of the fire, and recovery information if a recovery operation is performed in the fire alarm receiver 60, to the location information server 40 via the gateway 70. Furthermore, if the fire detection signal includes the installation address of the fire detector 50, the fire alarm receiver 60 will identify the location of the fire based on that installation address. On the other hand, if the fire detection signal does not include the installation address of the fire detector 50, the fire alarm receiver 60 will identify the location of the fire (warning zone) based on the detector line 51 that transmitted the fire detection signal.

[0022] The location information server 40 has a database (DB) that stores map information (floor map) for each floor of the building managed by the location information server 40, unique identification information (terminal ID) for the mobile information terminal, and information regarding the attributes of the mobile information terminal owner, such as authority and qualifications (owner attribute information). The unique device ID and installation location information for the beacons 10 installed on each floor are stored in the storage device of the location information server 40 as a beacon location management table linked to the map information (floor map) for each floor.

[0023] When the location information server 40 receives the device ID of the beacon 10 from the mobile information terminal 20, it calculates the current location of the mobile information terminal 20 based on the received device ID and the information stored in the database. The server then reads the map information of the floor where the mobile information terminal 20 is located from the database, adds the current location information of the mobile information terminal 20 to the read floor map data, and sends it to the mobile information terminal 20. Alternatively, the location information server 40 generates floor display information by displaying an icon consisting of symbols or shapes indicating the current location of the mobile information terminal 20 on the floor map, and then sends the generated floor display information to the mobile information terminal 20 via the communication network N and the mobile phone base station 30. As a result, the display unit of the mobile information terminal 20 that receives the information can display a floor map image showing the current location of the mobile information terminal 20. If there are multiple mobile information terminals 20 within the monitoring area (floor map), multiple icons indicating the current location of each of the multiple mobile information terminals may be displayed on the floor map.

[0024] Furthermore, the location information server 40 may determine the owner's attributes or type based on the device ID and terminal ID of the beacon 10 sent from the mobile information terminal 20, refer to the display range specification table to read information on the equipment to be displayed according to the owner's attributes or type, and generate and transmit the display data for the mobile information terminal.

[0025] As a result, the display unit of the mobile information terminal 20 that receives the information can display a floor map image showing its current location. If there are multiple mobile information terminals 20 within the monitoring area (floor map), multiple icons indicating the current location of each of the multiple mobile information terminals 20 may be displayed on the floor map. In addition, the location information server 40 may determine the owner's attributes or type based on the device ID of the mobile information terminal 20, refer to the display range specification table to read information on the equipment to be displayed according to the owner's attributes or type, generate data to be displayed on the floor map, and transmit it.

[0026] Figure 2 shows an example configuration of the personal information terminal 20. As shown in Figure 2, the personal information terminal 20 includes a beacon receiver 21 capable of receiving radio waves from a beacon 10, a wireless communication device 22 for communicating with a location information server 40 via the network N, a data processing unit 23 consisting of a CPU and the like, a storage device 24 for storing application programs (hereinafter referred to as apps), a touch panel display 25 equipped with an input unit and a display unit, a battery 26 for supplying power voltage, and a clock generation unit 27 for generating clock signals.

[0027] Furthermore, the data processing unit 23 includes a radio wave strength detection unit 231 that detects radio wave strength based on signals received by the beacon receiver 21, a transmission processing unit 232 that extracts information such as the device ID of the beacon 10 from the signals received by the beacon receiver 21 and periodically transmits it to the location information server 40 along with its own ID, a map display processing unit 233 that displays maps such as floor maps received from the location information server 40 by the wireless communication device 22 on the display unit, a battery information acquisition unit 234 that calculates the remaining battery level based on the voltage of the battery 26, a movement determination unit 235 that determines whether the mobile information terminal is moving or not and calculates the speed of movement based on the radio wave strength information detected by the radio wave strength detection unit 231, and an application management unit 236 that acquires information on the usage status of applications that it is running, creates an application usage list and stores it in the storage device 24. Here, the application management unit 236 may be implemented as an OS (operating system) stored in the storage device 24, or as a function of the location information display application or other applications, or it may be implemented by hardware.

[0028] The beacon receiver 21 receives radio waves from multiple fixed-position beacons 10 if the fixed-position beacons 10 are installed such that their radio wave transmission ranges overlap. The receiver can determine that a mobile information terminal is located near the beacon with the strongest signal strength among the multiple beacon signals. The movement determination unit 235 can then determine whether the mobile information terminal is moving based on the changes in the signal strength of the multiple beacon signals. If the mobile information terminal has an acceleration sensor, the movement determination unit 235 may also determine whether the terminal is moving and calculate the speed of movement (including 0) based on information from the acceleration sensor.

[0029] Next, the processing procedure performed by the mobile information terminal 20, which constitutes the location information system of this embodiment, will be explained using the flowchart shown in Figure 3. Furthermore, if the mobile information terminal 20 is a general-purpose device such as a smartphone, it is assumed that a location information display application created to operate according to this embodiment is stored in the storage device 24 and that the application is running. Also, the location information transmission process according to the flowchart shown in Figure 3 is not particularly limited, but is executed, for example, by a timer interrupt or a hardware-based radio signal reception interrupt. This interrupt occurs according to the transmission cycle set in the previous location information transmission process.

[0030] For example, when a timer interrupt occurs and the location information transmission process starts, the data processing unit 23 first receives the signal transmitted from the beacon 10 via the beacon receiver 21 (step S1), and obtains the radio wave strength of the received signal (step S2). Then, it extracts information such as the device ID of the beacon included in the received signal with the highest received strength, and transmits the beacon ID and received strength along with its own mobile information terminal ID (self-device ID) to the location information server 40 (step S3). If the beacon receiver 21 is receiving multiple beacon signals, it may transmit the IDs and received strengths of multiple beacons and the mobile information terminal IDs. Then, the process proceeds to step S4, where the transmission cycle timer, which measures the transmission cycle, is reset, the timer for the next transmission cycle is started, and the system transitions to a stopped state (sleep) and terminates.

[0031] Next, the processing in the location information server 40 will be described. The present invention is characterized in that, in the event of a fire, the location information server 40 determines the degree of urgency, i.e., the need for rescue, based on the status of the monitored mobile information terminal 20 (whether or not it is moving and what application it is using), and takes different actions according to the determination result. Table 1 shows the approach to determining the degree of urgency in the location information server 40 of this embodiment. As shown in Table 1, if the mobile information terminal 20 that transmitted the location information is moving, it can be estimated that the terminal is being carried and is taking evacuation action, so the degree of urgency is judged to be low.

[0032] [Table 1]

[0033] On the other hand, if the mobile information terminal 20 is inactive, and an app is being used on that mobile information terminal 20, it can be estimated that the rate of people carrying the terminal is high, but they are not taking evacuation action. However, in this case, it is also possible that the owner of the mobile information terminal 20 is far from the fire site and does not believe that evacuation is necessary, or that they are using the app to request rescue. Therefore, in this case, the urgency level will be treated as "medium," and different responses will be taken depending on the type of app being used. Furthermore, if the personal information terminal 20 has not moved and the app is not being used at the time of the fire, it is possible that the terminal has been left behind (low terminal occupancy rate), or it is possible that the terminal owner has been affected by the disaster and is unable to operate the personal information terminal 20 (unknown terminal occupancy rate). In this case, the urgency level should be treated as "high," and emergency measures should be taken, such as requesting rescue operations from firefighters. Alternatively, a floor map showing that a "high" urgency situation has occurred and its location should be sent to the personal information terminals held by firefighters, or if the system is equipped with a management device, the floor map should be displayed on the display unit of the management device.

[0034] Figure 4 shows an example of the procedure for creating a floor map by the location information server 40 according to the concept described in Table 1. This process can be initiated, for example, when data is received from any of the mobile information terminals 20 under its management. When the floor map creation process according to this flowchart is started, first, the terminal ID (identification information) of the mobile information terminal 20 to be processed first is set (step S31). Next, the terminal ID management table that manages the mobile information terminals 20 to be detected is referenced to read the enabled / disabled information and location information of the mobile information terminal 20 to be processed (step S32).

[0035] Furthermore, the enabled / disabled information in the terminal ID management table can be configured such that, for example, it is set to "enabled" if a mobile information terminal 20 with the terminal ID exists within the system's monitoring area, and to "disabled" if it does not exist. In addition, if the system's monitoring area is a floor in a building or the like and an entry / exit control gate device is installed at the entrance to the area, the server 40 may be configured to store the ID code (terminal ID) and entry or exit information read when the mobile information terminal 20 sent from the gate device passes through the gate, with the corresponding terminal ID set to enabled upon entry and disabled upon exit.

[0036] Next, based on the valid / invalid information read in step S32, it is determined whether the terminal ID is valid or not (step S33). If it is determined that the terminal ID is invalid (No), the process proceeds to step S35, where the icon at the location of the terminal ID on the map is deleted, and then the process proceeds to step S44, where the map is sent to the mobile information terminal 20. Furthermore, if it is determined in step S33 that the terminal ID is valid (Yes), the process proceeds to step S34 to determine whether the location information of the mobile information terminal 20 corresponding to the terminal ID has been successfully received. If it is determined that the information has not been successfully received (No), the process proceeds to step S37 to delete the icon at the location of the terminal ID on the map, and then proceeds to step S44 to send the map to the mobile information terminal 20.

[0037] Furthermore, if it is determined in step S34 that the information has been received successfully (Yes), the process proceeds to step S36, where the terminal ID management table is updated and stored with the received location information. Then, the process moves to step S37, where it is determined whether or not a fire is occurring based on the information from the fire alarm receiver. If it is determined in step S37 that a fire is occurring (Yes), the process proceeds to step S38, where it is determined whether or not the mobile information terminal 20 is moving based on the terminal movement information in the terminal ID management table or the updated location information and the location information before the update in step S36.

[0038] If step S38 determines that the terminal to be processed is in motion, the urgency is low, so the process proceeds to step S42 to read the location information of the terminal ID that was stored. Then, in step S43, as shown in Figure 5(A), icons M indicating a person and their number are plotted (displayed) on the map, and then the process proceeds to step S44 to send the map to the mobile information terminal 20. The map created in step S43 may also include icons F indicating a fire at the location of the fire, as shown in Figure 5(B), or messages calling for evacuation, as shown in Figure 6(A).

[0039] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S38 that the device is not moving, i.e., stopped, the process moves to step S39 to obtain information about the currently running application from the terminal ID management table. Then, the process proceeds to the next step S40 to determine whether the running application is a game application or an entertainment application.

[0040] Furthermore, when performing the process of obtaining information about the running application in step S39, the following procedure should be followed. Specifically, (1) The server 40 requests the "list of running apps" from the location information app running on the mobile terminal 20. (2) Upon receiving a request from the server 40, the mobile terminal 20 requests and obtains information such as "information on applications in standby," "information on applications displayed on the screen," and "screen status (displaying / stopped) information" from the operating system (OS) of the mobile terminal. (3) The mobile terminal 20 identifies the application currently displayed on the screen (running application) from the various information obtained in the process described in (2) above, and sends the result to the server 40.

[0041] In the mobile terminal 20 of this embodiment, a "location information app" for the location information system is always running, and continues to run as long as the location information system is operating. Even when other apps are being used or the screen is off, and even when the location information app is not displayed on the screen, the location information app is running in the background (internally) and is configured to receive, execute, and reply to requests and commands from the server 40. In the procedure described above, the mobile terminal 20 is responsible for identifying the running application in step (3). However, the mobile terminal 20 may send the information obtained in step (2) directly to the server 40, and the server 40 may then perform the identification of the running application.

[0042] Next, in step S40, if it is determined that the running application is a gaming application or an entertainment application (Yes), it is presumed that the terminal owner has determined that there is no need to evacuate, and the urgency is low, so the process proceeds to step S42 to read the location information of the stored terminal ID. Then, in step S43, an icon is plotted (displayed) at that location on the map, and then the process proceeds to step S44 to send the map to the mobile information terminal 20.

[0043] Furthermore, in step S40, if it is determined that the running application is a specific application such as a gaming application or an entertainment application (Yes), the process proceeds to step S42. If it is determined that it is not a specific application (No), the process proceeds to step S41, where a status check is performed to confirm the status of the terminal owner, before proceeding to step S42. In step S42, the location information of the stored terminal ID is read, an icon is plotted (displayed) at that location on the map in step S43, and then the process proceeds to step S44 to send the map to the mobile information terminal 20. Depending on the result of the status check in step S41, if the urgency is high, the icon plotted on the map in step S43 is changed or an icon or text indicating a rescue request is added. Subsequently, in step S45, the terminal ID to be processed is updated to the next terminal ID, and the process returns to step S32, repeating the process according to the above procedure. Note that in step S45, after processing the last terminal ID is completed, the first terminal ID is set.

[0044] Here, we will explain the status check process in step S41. The status check process in step S41 changes depending on the type of application running, and specific examples are shown in Table 2. Note that Table 2 corresponds to the specific processing in the case of a "medium" urgency level in Table 1. [Table 2]

[0045] In the location information server 40 of this embodiment, as shown in Table 2, if the application running on the mobile information terminal is a game application or an entertainment application such as an application for viewing videos, music, or books, it is determined that no rescue is needed and the normal map transmission process is executed. On the other hand, if the application running is an application other than a game application or an entertainment application, a status confirmation process is executed, such as automatically sending an email or making an automated voice call as shown in Figure 6(B), to confirm with the terminal owner whether or not rescue is needed. The content of the email sent to the mobile information terminal is not limited to the content shown in Figure 6(B), and may also be an email confirming the status of the terminal owner, such as whether or not they are injured.

[0046] As described above, according to the location information system of this embodiment, when the location information server 40 is receiving a fire signal from the fire receiver 60 and the mobile information terminal 20 has stopped moving, it requests and receives an application usage list from the mobile information terminal. Based on the application usage status on the mobile information terminal, it can infer the status of the owner, and depending on the type of application being used, it can send an email to confirm the safety status of the terminal owner, thereby accurately determining the safety status and whether rescue is necessary.

[0047] Although the present invention has been described above based on embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, in the above embodiments, the beacon 10 was described as having only the function of transmitting information, but it may also have the function of receiving wireless signals from portable information terminals or other transmitters (wireless tags, terminals, etc.) and furthermore, the function of transmitting the received information to a server. Furthermore, while the above embodiment exemplifies a location information system that utilizes beacon-based positioning, the system is not limited to this, and may utilize other positioning methods such as IMES (Indoor Messaging System). [Explanation of Symbols]

[0048] 10 beacons 20 Mobile Information Terminals 30 Cell phone base stations 40. Location information server (server) 50 Fire detector 60 Fire alarm receiver 70 Gateway (Repeater) 21 Beacon Receiver 22 Wireless communication devices 23 Data Processing Unit 24 Storage device 231 Radio wave intensity detection unit 232 Transmission Processing Unit 233 Map display processing unit 234 Battery information acquisition section 235 Movement determination section 236 App Management Department

Claims

1. A transmitter installed in a designated area that wirelessly transmits a signal containing its own identification information, A portable information terminal having a receiver that receives signals from the transmitter, and a wireless communication device capable of transmitting transmitter information including the identification information of the transmitter and its own identification information, The system comprises a server that receives information transmitted from the aforementioned mobile information terminal, The server is a location information system configured to receive a fire signal, including information about the location of a fire, transmitted from a fire receiver capable of receiving fire detection signals from fire detectors of a fire alarm system installed within the predetermined area, and to determine the location of the fire. The aforementioned mobile information terminal has an application management means that acquires information regarding the usage status of application programs running on the mobile information terminal, creates and stores an application usage list, The aforementioned server, The device has a terminal information acquisition means for acquiring various information possessed by the aforementioned mobile information terminal, and the various information of the mobile information terminal includes identification information of the transmitter with the highest radio wave intensity value and movement information of the mobile information terminal. A location information system characterized in that, when a fire signal is being received and the mobile information terminal's movement information indicates that it has stopped, the system requests the mobile information terminal to send the application usage list, and when the application usage list received from the mobile information terminal indicates that no specific type of application is running, it sends an email to the mobile information terminal to check on its safety status.

2. The location information system according to claim 1, characterized in that the aforementioned specific type of application is a game-related or entertainment-related application program.

3. The location information system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the content of the email sent from the server to the mobile information terminal includes a question asking whether or not rescue is needed.

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