Usage status determination system

Abstract

To simply and accurately determine a status of using materials and equipment.SOLUTION: Each of multiple fixed beacons 20 outputs electric waves including a fixed beacon ID which indicates identification information of the beacon. A moving beacon 30 disposed in a material and equipment 35 outputs, to a server 50, ID information including a fixed beacon ID of a fixed beacon 20 having the highest electric wave intensity out of the electric waves output from each of the multiple fixed beacons 20 and a moving beacon ID which indicates identification information of the moving beacon. The server 50 specifies a fixed beacon ID having the highest frequency out of the fixed beacon IDs included in multiple pieces of ID information, on the basis of the multiple pieces of ID information acquired within a predetermined time. The server 50 identifies that the material and equipment 35 is used when different fixed beacon IDs exist within a predetermined time zone longer than the predetermined time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a utilization status determination system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a technology for easily identifying the operating status of materials and equipment is known (for example, Patent Document 1). Patent Document 1 discloses a system that acquires operating status information for identifying the operating status of materials and equipment in a target space, and identifies the operating status of the materials and equipment based on the operating status information (for example, Abstract of Patent Document 1).

[0003] Also, a technology capable of managing a moving object is known (for example, Patent Document 2). The technology of Patent Document 2 manages an aerial work vehicle based on the results of radio wave reception by a receiving terminal 2 that receives radio waves from an equipment and material beacon 1 installed on the aerial work vehicle (for example, Abstract of Patent Document 2).

[0004] Also, a technique that makes it possible to calculate operation management information is known (for example, Patent Document 3). The technique of Patent Document 3 acquires first information based on time related to the movement of the work platform of the aerial work vehicle 1 in the height direction and second information based on time related to the operation of the aerial work vehicle 1, and calculates the ratio between the first information and the second information as operation management information for managing the operation status of the aerial work vehicle 1 (for example, Abstract of Patent Document 3). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-040271 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-169040 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2020-067792 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The technology disclosed in Patent Document 1 identifies whether or not a material or equipment is operating (operating status) based on information from the material and equipment beacon 30 and the key beacon 60. For this reason, the technology in Patent Document 1 requires the preparation of a key beacon 60 that is different from the material and equipment beacon 30 installed in the material and equipment (for example, FIG. 1 in Patent Document 1), which has the problem of being costly.

[0007] Furthermore, the technology disclosed in Patent Document 2 requires multiple determination processes to be performed when identifying the operating state (for example, FIG. 8 in Patent Document 2), and the processes are complicated.

[0008] Furthermore, in the technology of Patent Document 3, when obtaining operation management information, it is necessary to calculate the time that the moving means of the aerial work platform is stopped above, the time that the moving means is moving, and the total time thereof.

[0009] For this reason, for example, the techniques of Patent Documents 1 to 3 described above have a problem in that they employ complex methods for determining the operation of equipment and materials, and it is not possible to easily determine the utilization status of equipment and materials.

[0010] In this regard, it is preferable to obtain the utilization status of materials and equipment as easily as possible. For example, at a construction site, a construction company that receives an order for construction work may borrow materials and equipment from a materials and equipment rental company and provide the materials and equipment to a cooperating company. In this case, since the construction company cannot directly manage the materials and equipment, there is a demand to easily determine the extent to which the materials and equipment are being used by the cooperating company and to appropriately utilize the materials and equipment.

[0011] In order to meet these demands, technology such as that in Patent Document 3 mentioned above has been proposed for determining the utilization status of materials and equipment at construction sites. However, although the amount of information that can be obtained by acquiring information on the operation status of the main operating parts of the materials and equipment is large, there is an issue in that the cost of obtaining this information is high.

[0012] In consideration of the above, an object of the present invention is to easily and accurately determine the utilization status of equipment and materials. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] A first aspect of the present invention is a usage status determination system including a plurality of radio wave output means and a first identification means and a second identification means installed in the equipment, each of the radio wave output means outputs radio waves including a radio wave output means ID representing its own identification information, the first identification means outputs ID information including the radio wave output means ID of the radio wave output means having the highest radio wave intensity among the radio waves output from each of the plurality of radio wave output means and the first identification means ID representing its own identification information to the second identification means, the second identification means identifies the radio wave output means ID that appears most frequently among the plurality of ID information based on the plurality of ID information acquired within a predetermined time, and determines that the equipment is being used if different radio wave output means IDs are identified within a predetermined time period longer than the predetermined time. This makes it possible to easily and accurately determine the usage status of the equipment.

[0014] In addition, the utilization status determination system according to the second aspect of the present invention further includes a terminal, and the second identification means transmits information regarding the utilization status of the equipment / material to the terminal, thereby allowing a user operating the terminal to obtain information regarding the utilization status of the equipment / material. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain an effect that the utilization status of equipment and materials can be determined simply and accurately. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a utilization status determination system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a utilization status determination system 10 according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] 10 is a diagram for explaining the timing of radio wave output from a fixed beacon 20 and the timing of radio wave reception by a mobile beacon 30. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining fluctuations in radio wave intensity. [Diagram 5] 11 is a diagram showing an example of ID information stored in a data storage unit 202. FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a position identification result. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining determination of the utilization status of equipment and materials. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining determination of the utilization status of equipment and materials. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of information relating to the utilization status of equipment and materials. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of information relating to the utilization status of equipment and materials. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a computer of each device in the utilization status determination system 10 according to the embodiment. [Figure 12] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a sequence executed by each device of the utilization status determination system 10. FIG. [Figure 13] 10 is a diagram showing an example of a location specification processing routine executed by the server 50 of the utilization status determination system 10. FIG. [Figure 14] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a usage status determination process routine executed by a server 50 of the usage status determination system 10. FIG. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0018] <Configuration of the usage status determination system>

[0019] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of a utilization status determination system according to an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the utilization status determination system 10 according to an embodiment includes a plurality of fixed beacons 20-1, 20-2, and 20-3, which are an example of a plurality of radio wave output means, a mobile beacon 30, which is an example of a first identification means, a gateway 40, which is an example of a log collector, and a server 50, which is an example of a second identification means. Each of the plurality of fixed beacons 20-1, 20-2, and 20-3 is installed, for example, at a predetermined point in a construction site. In the following description, the term "fixed beacon 20" will be used simply to refer to a specific fixed beacon, except when referring to a specific fixed beacon. In the example of FIG. 1, three fixed beacons 20-1, 20-2, and 20-3 are shown, but the utilization status determination system 10 may include more or fewer fixed beacons.

[0020] The mobile beacon 30 is installed, for example, on equipment 35 used at a construction site. In Fig. 1, the mobile beacon 30 is installed on an aerial work vehicle, which is an example of equipment 35 used at a construction site. At a construction site, it may be necessary to identify location information of equipment 35 used in construction work and determine the usage status of equipment 35 based on the location information.

[0021] Therefore, in the utilization status determination system of this embodiment, a mobile beacon 30 is installed on the equipment 35 used at the construction site, and a fixed beacon 20 is installed at each location at the construction site. The mobile beacon 30 receives radio waves output from each of the multiple fixed beacons 20. Then, based on the radio wave intensity of the radio waves, the mobile beacon 30 transmits ID information to the server 50, including a fixed beacon ID that is identification information of the fixed beacon with the strongest radio wave intensity, and a mobile beacon ID that represents its own identification information. The ID information output from the mobile beacon 30 is temporarily received by the gateway 40. Then, the gateway 40 transmits the ID information transmitted from the mobile beacon 30 to the server 50.

[0022] The server 50 receives the ID information transmitted from the gateway 40, and identifies that the mobile beacon 30 is present near the fixed beacon 20 corresponding to the fixed beacon ID included in the ID information. Note that communication between the multiple fixed beacons 20 and the mobile beacon 30 is performed, for example, by Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) (registered trademark), which is an example of a known short-range wireless communication method. Communication between the mobile beacon 30 and the gateway 40 and between the gateway 40 and the server 50 is performed, for example, by Long Term Evolution (LTE) (registered trademark), which is an example of a known wireless communication method. A specific description will be given below.

[0023] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the utilization status determination system 10 according to the first embodiment. Functionally, the utilization status determination system 10 can be expressed as a configuration including a plurality of fixed beacons 20, a mobile beacon 30, a gateway 40, a server 50, and a management terminal KT, as shown in Fig. 2.

[0024] (Fixed beacon) The fixed beacon 20 outputs radio waves including a fixed beacon ID that represents its own identification information. Specifically, the fixed beacon 20 outputs radio waves every time a predetermined time elapses. Note that the timing at which the fixed beacon 20 outputs radio waves is often not synchronized with the timing at which the mobile beacon 30 receives the radio waves.

[0025] FIG. 3 shows a diagram for explaining the timing of output of radio waves from the fixed beacon 20 and the timing of reception of radio waves by the mobile beacon 30. In FIG.

[0026] 3, the fixed beacon 20 outputs radio waves at time intervals t20 (e.g., 1 sec). For example, the time intervals t20 at which the fixed beacon 20 outputs radio waves are set as long as possible to suppress battery consumption of the fixed beacon 20. On the other hand, the mobile beacon 30 receives radio waves at time intervals t30 (e.g., 400 msec). Note that a window time (e.g., 2.5 ms) is set to indicate the time for receiving radio waves in one radio wave reception R by the mobile beacon 30, and the radio waves are received within this window time.

[0027] In this way, each of the multiple fixed beacons 20 outputs radio waves at a predetermined time interval t20, and the mobile beacon 30 receives the radio waves output from each of the multiple fixed beacons 20 at a time interval t30 different from the predetermined time interval t20. As shown in Fig. 3, the mobile beacon 30 receives the radio waves output from each of the multiple fixed beacons 20 at a time interval t30 shorter than the predetermined time interval t20.

[0028] 3, the mobile beacon 30 receives radio waves in time period t31, and transmits ID information to the gateway 40 in time period t32. The mobile beacon 30 sequentially transmits ID information to the gateway 40 by repeating the process in time period t33, which is a combination of time period t31 and time period t32, shown in FIG. 3. The gateway 40 then receives ID information at time interval t40, and transmits the ID information to the server 50 at time interval t41.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 3, if the timing of radio wave output from the fixed beacon 20 and the timing of radio wave reception from the mobile beacon 30 are not synchronized, fluctuations may occur in the radio wave intensity of the radio waves received by the mobile beacon 30.

[0030] Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining fluctuations in radio wave strength. As shown in Fig. 4, when multiple fixed beacons 20-1, 20-2, 20-3, 20-4, 20-5, and 20-6 exist in the vicinity of a mobile beacon 30, the radio wave strength of the fixed beacon 20-6, which is closest to the mobile beacon 30, would normally be the greatest.

[0031] However, as described above, if the timing of transmission of radio waves from the fixed beacon 20 and the timing of reception of radio waves from the mobile beacon 30 are not synchronized, fluctuations occur in the radio wave intensity of the radio waves received by the mobile beacon 30, and for example, the radio wave intensity of the radio waves output from the fixed beacon 20-3 may be at its maximum. In this case, an error occurs in the position of the mobile beacon 30 specified by the server 50.

[0032] It is possible to reduce the occurrence of errors in location determination due to fluctuations in radio wave strength by shortening the time interval t20 of radio wave transmission from the fixed beacon 20, lengthening the time period t31 of the mobile beacon 30, and lengthening the window time in one radio wave reception R by the mobile beacon 30. This improves the accuracy of location determination of the mobile beacon 30.

[0033] However, increasing the frequency of radio wave transmission by the fixed beacon 20 will result in rapid battery consumption in the fixed beacon 20. Also, setting the time zone t31 and window time for receiving radio waves in the mobile beacon 30 to be long will also result in rapid battery consumption in the mobile beacon 30. In this regard, there is an issue of wanting to reduce as much as possible the frequency of battery replacement in the fixed beacons 20 installed at various locations within the construction site and the mobile beacons 30 installed in the equipment and materials 35.

[0034] Therefore, in the utilization status determination system 10 of this embodiment, the fixed beacon IDs transmitted from the mobile beacons 30 are collected over a predetermined time period while keeping the frequency of radio wave transmission by the fixed beacons 20 low, and the fixed beacon ID that appears most frequently within the predetermined time period is identified. Then, the utilization status determination system 10 identifies that the mobile beacon 30 is located near the fixed beacon that appears most frequently. As a result, even if there is fluctuation in radio wave intensity, the position of the mobile beacon 30 itself or the object on which the mobile beacon 30 is installed can be accurately identified. Details will be described later.

[0035] (Mobile beacon) The mobile beacon 30 identifies the fixed beacon ID of the fixed beacon 20 with the highest radio wave intensity among the radio waves output from each of the multiple fixed beacons 20. For example, when multiple fixed beacons 20 exist in the vicinity of the mobile beacon 30, the mobile beacon 30 may receive radio waves output from each of the multiple fixed beacons 20 in the same window time. In this case, the mobile beacon 30 holds only the fixed beacon ID of the fixed beacon 20 with the highest radio wave intensity among the received fixed beacons 20. Then, the mobile beacon 30 transmits ID information including the mobile beacon ID representing its own identification information and the fixed beacon ID of the fixed beacon 20 with the highest radio wave intensity to the server 50 via the gateway 40.

[0036] (gateway) The gateway 40 transmits the ID information output from the fixed beacon 20 to the server 50. For example, the gateway 40 is installed at each location in a construction site.

[0037] (server) The server 50 identifies the position of the mobile beacon 30. The server 50 functionally includes a data collection unit 200, a data storage unit 202, a position identification unit 204, a usage status determination unit 205, and a notification unit 206, as shown in FIG.

[0038] The data collection unit 200 successively receives the ID information transmitted from the gateway 40. Then, the data collection unit 200 stores the received ID information in the data storage unit 202.

[0039] The ID information received at each time is stored in the data storage unit 202. Fig. 5 shows an example of the ID information stored in the data storage unit 202. In the example of Fig. 5, the ID information is associated with the reception time at which the server 50 received the ID information.

[0040] The position identification unit 204 identifies the fixed beacon ID with the highest frequency among the fixed beacon IDs included in the ID information based on the ID information stored in the data storage unit 202 and acquired within a predetermined time (for example, 1 minute or 15 minutes). For example, when data such as that shown in FIG. 5 is stored in the data storage unit 202, the position identification unit 204 identifies the fixed beacon ID "00001" as the fixed beacon ID with the highest frequency from the fixed beacon IDs included in the ID information acquired within the predetermined time T. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the fixed beacon ID "00001" appears three times within the predetermined time T, the fixed beacon ID "00002" appears once, and the fixed beacon ID "00003" appears once, so that the fixed beacon ID "00001" is identified as the one with the highest frequency. Note that the predetermined time T is set in advance.

[0041] Then, the position specifying unit 204 specifies that the mobile beacon 30 is located at a location where the distance between the mobile beacon 30 and the fixed beacon corresponding to the specified fixed beacon ID is within a predetermined range. For example, the position specifying unit 204 specifies that the mobile beacon 30 corresponding to the mobile beacon ID "00001" is located near the fixed beacon corresponding to the fixed beacon ID "00001".

[0042] The result of identifying the location of the mobile beacon 30 is stored in, for example, the data storage unit 202. For example, the location identification unit 204 assigns the fixed beacon ID "00001" to the data stored in the data storage unit 202 as the result of identifying the location, as shown in Fig. 6. This identifies that the mobile beacon 30 was present near the fixed beacon corresponding to the fixed beacon ID "00001" during the reception times T1 to T5.

[0043] In this way, according to the usage status determination system of this embodiment, by collecting fixed beacon IDs transmitted from mobile beacons 30 over a specified period of time and identifying the fixed beacon ID that appears most frequently within that specified period of time, the position of the object on which the mobile beacon 30 is installed can be easily and accurately identified.

[0044] If a different fixed beacon ID is identified within a predetermined time interval Tx that is longer than the predetermined time T, the utilization status determination unit 205 determines that the equipment / material 35 is being utilized.

[0045] Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining the determination of the usage status of the equipment 35. For example, as shown in Fig. 7, if the location identification result of the mobile beacon 30 within a predetermined time T-1 is "00001" and the location identification result of the mobile beacon 30 within a predetermined time T-2 is "00004", a different fixed beacon ID is identified within a predetermined time interval Tx that is longer than the predetermined time T. In this case, the usage status determination unit 205 determines that the equipment 35 is being used. This is because the fact that a different fixed beacon ID is identified within the time interval Tx means that the equipment 35 is moving, and it can also be said that the equipment 35 is being used.

[0046] On the other hand, if all the fixed beacon IDs identified as location identification results within a specified time interval Tx longer than the specified time T are identical, the usage status determination unit 205 determines that the equipment or material 35 is not being used.

[0047] Then, the utilization status determination unit 205 calculates the utilization rate of the equipment 35 within a predetermined period based on the determination result of the utilization status of the equipment 35. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the utilization rate of the equipment 35. As shown in FIG. 8, for example, consider a case where the predetermined time period Tx is one day. In this case, if different fixed beacon IDs exist in the location identification results identified within one day, the equipment 35 is determined to have been "used". On the other hand, if different fixed beacon IDs do not exist in the location identification results identified within one day, and all the fixed beacon IDs are the same, the equipment 35 is determined to have been "unused".

[0048] The utilization status determination unit 205 calculates, for example, the utilization rate of the equipment and materials 35 in the period from 2020 / 12 / 01 to 2020 / 12 / 07 as shown in Fig. 8. In the example of Fig. 8, the utilization rate is 2 / 7 ≈ 0.286.

[0049] In this way, by using the location identification result of the equipment 35 to determine whether the equipment 35 is being used, it is possible to easily determine the usage status of the equipment 35. Furthermore, as described above, since the location identification result of the mobile beacon 30 installed on the equipment 35 is accurately identified, the usage status of the equipment 35 can also be accurately determined.

[0050] The notification unit 206 transmits information relating to the usage status of the equipment / materials 35 obtained by the usage status determination unit 205 to the management terminal KT described later. For example, the notification unit 206 transmits the usage rate of the equipment / materials 35 for a predetermined period obtained by the usage status determination unit 205 as an example of information relating to the usage status of the equipment / materials 35 to the management terminal KT described later.

[0051] (Administrative terminal) The management terminal KT is communicably connected to the server 50, and receives information relating to the usage status of the equipment and materials 35 output from the server 50. Then, the management terminal KT displays the content represented by the information relating to the usage status of the equipment and materials 35 on a display unit such as a display (not shown). This allows the management user to grasp the usage status of the equipment and materials 35.

[0052] The display unit (not shown) of the management terminal KT may display, for example, a screen as shown in Fig. 9 as information on the utilization status of the equipment 35. The screen shown in Fig. 9 shows the utilization rate of an aerial work platform, which is an example of the equipment 35, and displays a list of the utilization rates.

[0053] Moreover, the information on the utilization status of the equipment and materials 35 may be as shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 10 shows a floor plan of a building under construction in which the equipment and materials 35, the aerial work vehicle, is placed. For example, the aerial work vehicle 35-1 is given information indicating a low utilization rate (utilization rate 20%), and the aerial work vehicle 35-2 is given information indicating a high utilization rate (utilization rate 90%). By displaying the utilization rate of the aerial work vehicle together with its icon in the floor plan as shown in Fig. 10, it becomes easy to understand where the aerial work vehicle with a low utilization rate or the aerial work vehicle with a high utilization rate is located.

[0054] A management user (e.g., an employee of the construction company that is the prime contractor for the construction work) who operates the management terminal KT checks the information shown in Fig. 9 or 10, and considers, for example, returning the equipment 35 with a low utilization rate to the lender of the equipment 35, or relocating the equipment 35 with a low utilization rate to another location, etc. This makes it possible to make the utilization status of the equipment 35 appropriate.

[0055] The information on the usage status of the equipment and materials 35 transmitted from the server 50 may be transmitted to a terminal (not shown) managed by the cooperating company. A user belonging to the cooperating company may refer to the information on the usage status of the equipment and materials 35 transmitted from the server 50 and use it, for example, to reserve the equipment and materials 35.

[0056] Alternatively, for example, information regarding the usage status of the equipment 35 may be displayed on the display screen of a reservation management system (not shown) that manages reservations for the equipment 35.

[0057] The server 50 of the utilization status determination system 10 can be realized by, for example, a computer 60 as shown in Fig. 11. The computer 60 realizing the server 50 includes a CPU 61, a memory 62 as a temporary storage area, and a non-volatile storage unit 63. The computer 60 also includes an input / output interface (I / F) 64 to which an input / output device or the like (not shown) is connected, and a read / write (R / W) unit 65 that controls reading and writing of data from and to a recording medium 69. The computer also includes a network I / F 66 that is connected to a network such as the Internet. The CPU 61, the memory 62, the storage unit 63, the input / output I / F 64, the R / W unit 65, and the network I / F 66 are connected to one another via a bus 67.

[0058] The storage unit 63 can be realized by a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a flash memory, etc. The storage unit 63 as a storage medium stores a program for making the computer function. The CPU 61 reads the program from the storage unit 63, expands it in the memory 62, and sequentially executes the processes contained in the program.

[0059] The fixed beacon 20, the mobile beacon 30, and the gateway 40 are realized by, for example, a semiconductor integrated circuit, more specifically, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), etc. The server 50 may also be realized by, for example, a semiconductor integrated circuit, more specifically, an ASIC, etc. The fixed beacon 20, the mobile beacon 30, and the gateway 40 may also be realized by a computer 60 as shown in FIG. 11.

[0060] <Function of the usage status determination system>

[0061] Next, a description will be given of the operation of the utilization status determination system 10. Each device of the utilization status determination system 10 executes a sequence as shown in FIG.

[0062] In step S100, the fixed beacon 20 outputs a radio wave including a fixed beacon ID representing its own identification information at a predetermined transmission timing.

[0063] In step S102, the mobile beacon 30 receives the radio waves output from the fixed beacon 20 in step S100 at a predetermined reception timing. Then, in step S102, the mobile beacon 30 transmits ID information to the gateway 40, including the fixed beacon ID of the fixed beacon 20 having the strongest radio wave intensity among the radio waves output from each of the multiple fixed beacons 20, and the mobile beacon ID representing its own identification information.

[0064] In step S104, the gateway 40 transmits to the server 50 the ID information transmitted from the mobile beacon 30 in step S102.

[0065] In step S106, the data collection unit 200 of the server 50 receives the ID information transmitted from the gateway 40 in step S104 above, and stores it in the data storage unit 202.

[0066] Next, the server 50 executes a location specification processing routine as shown in Fig. 13. For example, the server 50 executes the location specification processing routine shown in Fig. 13 every time a predetermined time T elapses.

[0067] In step S200, the position specifying unit 204 of the server 50 reads out ID information within a predetermined time period T from the data storage unit 202.

[0068] In step S202, the position specifying unit 204 of the server 50 specifies the fixed beacon ID with the highest frequency of occurrence among the fixed beacon IDs included in the plurality of ID information, based on the ID information read out in step S200.

[0069] In step S204, the location identification unit 204 of the server 50 identifies that the mobile beacon 30 is located at a location within a predetermined distance range from the fixed beacon corresponding to the fixed beacon ID identified in step S202. This also identifies the location of the device in which the mobile beacon 30 is installed.

[0070] In step S206, the position identification unit 204 of the server 50 stores the position of the mobile beacon 30 identified in step S204 in the data storage unit 202. For example, in the format shown in Fig. 6, the fixed beacon ID of the fixed beacon existing in the vicinity of the mobile beacon 30 is stored in the data storage unit 202 as the position identification result.

[0071] Next, the server 50 judges the usage status of the equipment 35 based on the location identification result obtained by executing the location identification processing routine of Fig. 13. Specifically, for example, the server 50 executes the usage status judgment processing routine shown in Fig. 14 every time a predetermined time interval Tx longer than the predetermined time T at which the location was identified has elapsed.

[0072] In step S300, the usage status determination unit 205 of the server 50 reads out a sequence of location identification results for one mobile beacon 30 from the data storage unit 202. Note that the sequence of location identification results is a plurality of location identification results for the mobile beacon 30 obtained every time a predetermined time T has elapsed.

[0073] In step S302, the usage status determination unit 205 of the server 50 determines whether or not the multiple location identification results read out in step S300 include different fixed beacon IDs. If the multiple location identification results include different fixed beacon IDs, the process proceeds to step S304. On the other hand, if the multiple location identification results do not include different fixed beacon IDs and all have the same fixed beacon ID, the process proceeds to step S306.

[0074] In step S304, the usage status determination unit 205 of the server 50 determines that the equipment 35 on which the mobile beacon 30 is installed is being used.

[0075] In step S306, the usage status determination unit 205 of the server 50 determines that the equipment 35 on which the mobile beacon 30 is installed is not being used.

[0076] The server 50 executes the above-mentioned usage status determination process routine of FIG. 14 for all the mobile beacons 30, thereby determining the usage status of the equipment in which the mobile beacons 30 are installed.

[0077] As described above, the utilization status determination system of the first embodiment is a utilization status determination system including a plurality of fixed beacons, a mobile beacon, and a server. Each of the plurality of fixed beacons in the utilization status determination system outputs radio waves including a fixed beacon ID that represents its own identification information, and the mobile beacon outputs ID information including the fixed beacon ID of the fixed beacon with the highest radio wave intensity among the radio waves output from each of the plurality of fixed beacons and the mobile beacon ID that represents its own identification information to the server. The server identifies the fixed beacon ID that is most frequently found among the plurality of ID information based on the plurality of ID information acquired within a predetermined time, and identifies that the mobile beacon is located at a location where the distance between the mobile beacon and the fixed beacon corresponding to the identified fixed beacon ID is within a predetermined range. Then, if a different fixed beacon ID is identified within a predetermined time period longer than the predetermined time, the server determines that the equipment is being used. This makes it possible to easily and accurately determine the utilization status of the equipment. Specifically, the usage status of the equipment can be easily determined by determining the usage status of the equipment based on the location information of the equipment. In addition, when identifying the location of the equipment, the location of the equipment is identified with high accuracy by two-stage location identification. Therefore, the usage status of the equipment can be easily and accurately determined.

[0078] Furthermore, according to the utilization status determination system of the first embodiment, even if the output timing of radio waves by the fixed beacon and the reception timing of radio waves by the mobile beacon are not synchronized, the position of the mobile beacon can be accurately identified. As a result, even if the transmission interval of radio waves by the fixed beacon is lengthened, the position of the mobile beacon can be accurately identified. Also, as a result, it is possible to lengthen the transmission interval of radio waves by the fixed beacon, and it is possible to suppress the consumption of the battery equipped in the fixed beacon.

[0079] Furthermore, even if a mobile beacon does not have the computing power to identify its own location, the location of the mobile beacon can be identified by calculations performed by the server.

[0080] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and applications are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0081] For example, in the above first embodiment, the case where the ID information is transmitted to the server 50 via the gateway 40 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a usage status determination system 310 as shown in Fig. 15 may be used, in which the ID information is transmitted to the server 50 via an information terminal 230 such as a smartphone or a tablet. This makes it possible to easily and accurately identify the position of an object on which a mobile beacon 30 is installed, without having to install a gateway 40 at each location on the construction site.

[0082] In the above embodiment, the communication method is described as LTE and BLE, but is not limited thereto. Any communication method may be used. In the above embodiment, the radio wave output means is a fixed beacon 20, but any radio wave output means may be used. The first identification means may be any type, for example, a smartphone, a tablet, or the like.

[0083] In the above embodiment, the second identification means is the server 50, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the second identification means may be the gateway 40 of the first embodiment, a smartphone, a tablet, or the like. In this case, the gateway 40, the smartphone, or the tablet has the function of the server 50 of the above embodiment.

[0084] In addition, in the above embodiment, the equipment 35 is described as an aerial work vehicle as an example, but this is not limited to this, and any equipment 35 that can be used repeatedly at a construction site may be used.

[0085] In the above embodiment, as shown in Fig. 8, the case where the usage status is determined on a daily basis, for example, has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. The time unit for determining the usage status differs depending on the type of equipment / material 35, and therefore may differ depending on the type of equipment / material 35. For example, the usage status of the equipment / material 35 may be determined on a half-day basis.

[0086] In addition, although the above describes an embodiment in which the program according to the present invention is pre-stored (installed) in a memory unit, the program according to the present invention can also be provided in a form in which it is recorded on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or microSD card. [Explanation of symbols]

[0087] 10,310 Usage status determination system 20 Fixed Beacons 30 Mobile Beacon 40 Gateway 50 Servers 60 Computer 200 Data Collection Department 202 Data storage unit 204 Location identification part 205 Usage status determination unit 206 Notification Department KT Management Terminal

Claims

1. A utilization status determination system including a plurality of radio wave output means and a first identification means and a second identification means installed in equipment, each of the radio wave output means outputs a radio wave including a radio wave output means ID representing its own identification information; the first identification means outputs to the second identification means ID information including the radio wave output means ID of the radio wave output means having the greatest radio wave intensity among the radio waves output from each of the plurality of radio wave output means and a first identification means ID representing its own identification information; the second identification means, based on the plurality of ID information acquired within a predetermined time, identifies the radio wave output means ID that occurs most frequently among the plurality of ID information, and determines that the equipment or material is being used if different radio wave output means IDs are identified within a predetermined time period that is longer than the predetermined time. Usage determination system.

2. The utilization status determination system further includes a terminal, The second identification means transmits information regarding a usage status of the equipment and materials to the terminal. The utilization status determination system according to claim 1 .

3. The information regarding the utilization status of the equipment is information that represents the utilization rate of each of the plurality of equipment within a predetermined period in a ranking format. The utilization status determination system according to claim 2 .

4. The information regarding the utilization status of the equipment and materials is information in which each of the icons of the equipment and materials is arranged on a floor plan of the building under construction, and the utilization rate of the equipment and materials is arranged around each of the icons of the equipment and materials. The utilization status determination system according to claim 2 .

5. The radio wave output means is driven by a battery, a timing of outputting the radio wave by the radio wave output means and a timing of receiving the radio wave by the first identification means are not synchronized; each of the plurality of radio wave output means outputs the radio wave at a predetermined time interval; the first identification means is configured to receive the radio waves output from each of the plurality of radio wave output means at a time interval shorter than the predetermined time interval. A position specifying system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.