Processing Execution System Using Beacon

Abstract

While suppressing the number of registration information held for receiving beacon information in a mobile terminal, efficiently and reliably receive beacon information from a large number of beacons to be received and execute a predetermined process. 【Solution means】In a mobile terminal that executes a predetermined process when receiving beacon information from a plurality of beacons predetermined as reception targets, a processing unit that executes the predetermined process, a first storage unit that stores one or more pieces of registration information, and when it is determined that any of the registration information stored in the first storage unit completely matches or partially matches the received beacon information, a command unit that commands the processing unit to execute the predetermined process is provided. The processing unit, in addition to the predetermined process, acquires one or more other beacon information associated with the registration information that matches the received beacon information, and adds or updates and stores these other beacon information in the first storage unit as new registration information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing execution system that receives beacon information transmitted from a beacon by a mobile terminal and executes a predetermined process such as unlocking a door.

Background Art

[0002] Mobile terminals have a function that enables them to effectively receive only the signals of some target beacons among the signals transmitted from various beacons. This function utilizes the fact that the signal transmitted from each beacon contains unique beacon information for identifying the beacon. Specifically, the beacon information transmitted by the target beacon is registered in the mobile terminal, and when the received beacon information matches the registered information (hereinafter also referred to as registered information), it is recognized as a signal from the target beacon, and the mobile terminal executes a predetermined process set by the reception.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, when the number of target beacons increases, it is necessary for the mobile terminal to hold the same number of registered information, and the corresponding resources must be allocated. In addition, it may take an unexpected amount of time for the reception process related to the comparison between the received beacon information and the registered information. Particularly when such a reception processing function is installed in the OS, the degree of freedom in using resources may be restricted, and the above-described problems may become prominent. As an example, there may be a restriction on the number of registered information that can be held. In this case, it may happen that a large number of beacon reception targets exceeding the restricted number cannot be registered.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to make it possible to efficiently and reliably receive signals from a large number of beacon reception targets while suppressing the number of registered information held in a mobile terminal.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] That is, the present invention has the following configuration. [1] A processing execution system including a plurality of beacons predetermined as reception targets and a mobile terminal that executes a predetermined process when receiving beacon information from the beacons, wherein the mobile terminal includes a processing unit that executes the predetermined process, a first storage unit that stores one or more pieces of registered information, and a command unit that, when it is determined that any of the registered information stored in the first storage unit completely or partially matches the received beacon information (hereinafter referred to as "match"), commands the processing unit to execute the predetermined process, wherein the processing unit, in addition to the predetermined process, acquires one or more other beacon information associated with the registered information that matches the received beacon information, and adds or updates and stores these other beacon information as new registered information in the first storage unit.

[0007] (Effect) With such a configuration, in the mobile terminal, by simply storing some registration information in the first storage unit, when beacon information that matches any of the registration information is received, other beacon information associated therewith is added or updated as new registration information in the first storage unit. Therefore, thereafter, a predetermined process can be executed by receiving beacon information that matches the new registration information. That is, since the registration information in the first storage unit can be dynamically changed, even if the number of beacon information to be received increases significantly, it is not necessary to store the corresponding number of registration information in the first storage unit at once, and the capacity of the first storage unit can be reduced as much as possible. Also, the resources and processes required therefor become unnecessary, and the reception of beacon information and the execution of a predetermined process associated therewith can be efficiently performed. Furthermore, since the first storage unit can be provided in the main memory or cache memory that has a high access speed but a limited capacity, the reception of beacon information and the execution of a predetermined process can be accelerated also in this regard. Also, if the other beacon information can be derived from the initially registered registration information by a predetermined relational expression (rule), it becomes unnecessary to even hold the other beacon information, so that resources can be further reduced.

[0008] [2] The processing system according to [1], wherein the processing unit additionally stores the acquired other beacon information as new registration information in a surplus area provided in the first storage unit.

[0009] (Effect) With such a configuration, for example, even if the upper limit number of registration information that can be stored in the first storage unit is n (n is an integer of 2 or more) in terms of capacity, if m (m is an integer of 2 or more and less than n) is set as the number of registration information originally stored, and the number of new registration information that can be stored in the remaining surplus area is set as k (k is an integer of 2 or more), the substantial number of registration information that can be stored in this first storage unit is m × k, and can be increased dramatically compared to n.

[0010] [3] The processing unit updates and stores the acquired other beacon information in the first storage unit as new registration information together with the beacon information that matches the registration information, while moving the initially stored registration information to a predetermined third storage unit. After the predetermined process is completed, etc., under the condition that the reception of the beacon information that matches the new registration information is no longer required, the processing unit returns the registration information moved to the third storage unit to the first storage unit. The processing execution system according to [1], characterized in that.

[0011] (Effect) With such a configuration, for example, even if the upper limit number of registration information that can be stored in the first storage unit is n (n is an integer of 2 or more), the substantial number of registration information that can be stored in this first storage unit is n×n, and can be increased dramatically compared to n.

[0012] [4] The processing execution system further includes a second storage unit that stores the beacon information transmitted by each beacon in groups, For the beacon information belonging to each group, a unique common part is set for each group, In the first storage unit, the common part of each group is stored as initial registration information, When the command unit receives beacon information having a part that matches the common part of the registration information, it determines that there is a match, The processing unit refers to the second storage unit and acquires other beacon information of the group to which the received beacon information belongs. The processing execution system according to any one of [1] to [3], characterized in that.

[0013] (Effect) With such a configuration, matching determination can be performed at high speed, and the algorithm constituting the processing unit etc. can be simplified.

[0014] [5] It further includes a second storage unit that stores the beacon information of each of the beacons in groups. For each group, one piece of beacon information among the beacon information belonging to the group is stored in the first storage unit as initial registration information. The processing unit refers to the second storage unit and acquires other beacon information of the group to which the received beacon information belongs. The processing execution system according to any one of [1] to [3], characterized in that. (Effect) It is a more specific embodiment.

[0015] [6] A mobile terminal that receives beacon information from a plurality of beacons predetermined as reception targets and executes a predetermined process, A processing unit that executes the predetermined process, A first storage unit that stores one or more pieces of registration information, When it is determined that any of the registration information stored in the first storage unit completely matches or partially matches the received beacon information (hereinafter referred to as "match"), a command unit that commands the processing unit to execute the predetermined process is provided. In addition to the predetermined process, the processing unit acquires one or more other beacon information associated with the registration information that matches the received beacon information, and adds or updates and stores these other beacon information in the first storage unit as new registration information. A mobile terminal characterized by that. (Effect) Even such a thing can achieve the same effect as [1].

[0016] [7] A program installed in a mobile terminal that receives beacon information from a plurality of beacons predetermined as reception targets and executes a predetermined process, A processing unit that executes the predetermined process, A first storage unit that stores one or more pieces of registration information, When it is determined that any of the registration information stored in the first storage unit exactly matches or partially matches the received beacon information (hereinafter referred to as "match"), it functions as a command unit that commands the processing unit to execute the predetermined process. In addition to the predetermined process, the processing unit acquires one or more other beacon information associated with the registration information that matches the received beacon information, and functions to add or update and store these other beacon information as new registration information in the first storage unit. A program characterized by that. (Effect) Even with such a thing, it can exhibit the same effect as [1].

Effect of the Invention

[0017] According to the present invention configured as described above, it is possible to efficiently and reliably receive beacon information from a large number of beacons to be received and execute a predetermined process while suppressing the number of registration information for receiving beacon information in a mobile terminal.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018]

Figure 1

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Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of a processing execution system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1. Overview As shown in FIG. 1, this processing execution system 100 includes a plurality of predetermined beacon 1s to be received (hereinafter also referred to as reception target beacon 1s), and a mobile terminal 2 that executes a predetermined process when receiving the beacon information emitted by the beacon information. Here, the beacon 1 is provided, for example, near or attached to doors and gates where a large number of people enter and exit, such as apartment buildings, factories, hospitals, concert halls, etc. The mobile terminal 2 is carried by people (residents and contractors) entering and exiting the doors, etc. The predetermined process executed by the mobile terminal 2 is to transmit an unlocking signal wirelessly to the unlocking device provided on the door or the like to automatically unlock it when entering within a certain range from the door or the like.

[0020] 2. Beacon 1 First, the beacon 1 will be briefly described. The beacon 1 here is a well-known device that emits a wireless signal at regular time intervals (for example, intervals of several seconds), and is composed of basic components such as a microcontroller, a signal transmitter (here a BLE chip), a battery, an antenna, and a housing. As shown in FIG. 2, the wireless signal includes beacon information for identifying each beacon 1. The beacon information here includes a main identifier, a first sub-identifier, and a second sub-identifier.

[0021] 3. Mobile Terminal 2 Next, the mobile terminal 2 will be described. This mobile terminal 2 is a movable terminal device such as a smartphone, a tablet, or a notebook computer. In terms of hardware, it is equipped with a CPU, a memory, a communication device, a display, a touch panel, etc. Also, in terms of software, as shown in FIG. 3, this mobile terminal 2 includes a receiving unit that receives the beacon information, a first storage unit that stores one or more pieces of registration information, a second storage unit that stores the beacon information of each beacon 1 to be received, a processing unit that executes the predetermined process, and a command unit that commands the processing unit to execute the predetermined process. Among these units, the receiving unit, the first storage unit, and the command unit are, here, part of the OS and are always in an operating state as long as the power of the mobile terminal 2 is on. On the other hand, the processing unit is, here, an application installed on the OS and can take two states: an execution state in which processing is executed and a stop state in which the operation stops. The execution state includes a state in which processing is executed in the foreground that is displayed on the display and inputtable by the user and a state in which processing is executed in the background that is not displayed on the display. Also, the stop state includes a state in which it is started but in the background and the operation is stopped and a kill state in which it is not started.

[0022] 4. Description of Each Unit of the Mobile Terminal 2 (1) Receiving Unit The receiving unit receives the beacon information being wirelessly transmitted (FIG. 4: step S1), measures the reception intensity thereof, and stores these in a predetermined area of the memory.

[0023] (2) First Storage Unit The first storage unit is set in a predetermined area of the memory of this mobile terminal 2, for example, a main memory or a cache memory with a high access speed, and one or more pieces of registration information that can be compared with the beacon information are stored here. In this embodiment, the beacon information transmitted by each beacon 1 to be received is divided into several groups. Also, as shown in FIG. 5, one piece of beacon information for each group or information obtained by extracting the common part of the group (hereinafter also referred to as representative beacon information) is stored in the initial registration area of the first storage unit as initial registration information. There is an upper limit (e.g., 20) to the number of registration information that can be stored in the first storage unit. Here, a partial area thereof is set as the initial registration area, and the rest is the surplus area.

[0024] (3) Second storage unit All beacon information of all reception target beacons 1, that is, the beacon information including the representative beacon information, is stored in the second storage unit provided in a memory area without a registration number limit as shown in FIG. 6, that is, a memory area that can be set by the application, and is associated with the representative beacon information of each group. It is preferable that no wild card characters are used in the beacon information stored in this second storage unit and all information is specified. As the above-described association mode, as shown in FIG. 6(a), there is a case where the representative beacon information of the group and other beacon information are simply associated by a group number or the like, or as shown in FIG. 6(b), a calculation formula for calculating other beacon information from the representative beacon information is stored, and there is a case where it is calculated from this calculation formula. In FIG. 6(b), a case is illustrated in which values obtained by adding 1 to 4 to some values of the representative beacon information become other beacon information.

[0025] (4) Command unit As shown in steps S2 to S5 of FIG. 4, the command unit acquires the beacon information received by the receiving unit, and searches for registration information that matches the beacon information among the registration information stored in the first storage unit. If there is matching registration information, even if the processing unit is temporarily in a stopped state, it is forced to be in an execution state, and the predetermined process is executed. In addition, when a certain time elapses after the reception of the beacon information, this command unit changes the processing unit from the execution state to the stopped state (FIG. 4: step S6). This certain time is not extended even if beacon information that matches the same registration information is received during that time. However, when the command unit determines that it has received other beacon information that matches other registration information within the certain time, it maintains the execution state of the processing unit for another certain time.

[0026] Here, the "match" mentioned here refers to partial match or complete match, and either the user or the administrator can specify one of them. For example, when specifying a partial match, one or more bits of the registration information can be set as wild card characters such as "*", and a match of the other parts can be used to determine the match. Here, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the wild card character "*" can be used for the first sub-identifier and the second sub-identifier. That is, when there is a wild card character in the registration information, the command unit searches on the condition of partial match, and when there is no wild card character, it searches on the condition of complete match.

[0027] (4) Processing unit As described above, when receiving any of the representative beacon information stored as initial registration information in the first storage unit, the processing unit becomes an execution state according to the command from the command unit. At this time, the processing unit executes the predetermined process (FIG. 7: step S11), and in addition, operates as follows. That is, all the beacon information of the group to which the beacon information determined to match the registration information belongs, that is, the received beacon information and other beacon information associated therewith, is acquired from the second storage unit (FIG. 7: step S12). Then, these beacon information are additionally stored as new registration information in the surplus area of the first storage unit (FIG. 7: step S13). Also, after that, when receiving beacon information of another group (FIG. 7: step S14), all the beacon information of the group to which the beacon information belongs is acquired from the second storage unit, and the beacon information of the group previously registered in the surplus area is updated with these beacon information.

[0028] 5. Specific operation example Here, a case where a delivery company delivers packages to a plurality of different apartment buildings will be described as an example. The premise is as follows. · As shown in FIG. 1, each apartment building is provided with a plurality of doors with unlocking devices. · A beacon 1 is installed on each door. The beacon information transmitted by each beacon 1 in one apartment building is stored in the second storage unit as one group. · Each piece of beacon information in one group is set such that the main identifier is common and the first sub-identifier and the second sub-identifier are different. · The beacon information of different apartment buildings is set such that the main identifiers are different.

[0029] Under the above premises, the delivery person operates the mobile terminal 2 to read, for example, the barcode attached to the delivery slip of the delivery goods at the time of departure or from the server device, the beacon information transmitted by the beacon 1 installed on all the doors necessary for entry and exit in each apartment building of the delivery destination. At this time, since the processing unit is in an execution state by the operation of the delivery person, the processing unit stores all the read beacon information in the second storage unit and stores the main identifier of each apartment building in the first storage unit as initial registration information.

[0030] When the delivery person arrives at the first apartment building and approaches the door with the goods, the receiving unit receives the beacon information from the beacon 1 of the door. Then, the command unit first collates the received beacon information with the registration information stored in the surplus area of the first storage unit. At first, nothing is registered in the surplus area, so the command unit determines that they do not match. Next, it determines whether the received beacon information matches any of the initial registration information. And when the main identifier, which is part of the beacon information, matches any of the main identifiers of the initial registration information stored in the first storage unit, it determines that they match and sets the processing unit to the execution state.

[0031] The processing unit in the execution state acquires the unlocking signal of the door, wirelessly transmits the unlocking signal to the unlocking device, and unlocks the door. Note that the value of this unlocking signal may be, for example, stored in advance in the storage device of the mobile terminal 2 in association with each door or beacon information at the time of departure, and the processing unit may acquire it, or it may communicate with a server device such as a cloud that holds the unlocking signal associated with the beacon information via the Internet or the like and acquire it. By this, the delivery person can enter the collective housing from the door hands-free and perform the delivery service.

[0032] On the other hand, as described above, the processing unit acquires all the beacon information of the group to which the beacon information determined to match the initial registration information belongs from the second storage unit. Then, these beacon information are additionally stored as new registration information in the surplus area of the first storage unit. When the delivery person goes around to other doors of the collective housing to perform the delivery service, the same operation as described above is carried out. Also, when the delivery person then conducts business in another collective housing, although the beacon information of the previous collective housing is stored in the surplus area, the processing unit deletes this and updates and stores each beacon information of the collective housing as new registration information in the surplus area.

[0033] 6. Other Embodiments The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, when the processing unit receives any of the representative beacon information stored as the initial registration information in the first storage unit, the initial registration information registered in the first storage unit, that is, the representative beacon information, may be stored in a third storage unit provided in the same area as the second storage unit for backup (Fig. 8: Step S21). At this time, the processing unit acquires all the beacon information of the group to which the received representative beacon information belongs from the second storage unit (Fig. 8: Step S22), and updates and stores these beacon information as new registration information in the first storage unit (Fig. 8: Step S23).

[0034] Then, this processing unit executes a predetermined process (Fig. 8: step S24). On the other hand, different from the above embodiment, unless the registration information in the first storage unit is returned to the initial registration information, even if beacon information of another group is received, the command unit cannot determine that they match, and the processing unit cannot execute the predetermined process. Therefore, here, when the period during which beacon information is not received continues for a predetermined period or more, or in the case of the example of home delivery to the apartment house, if the user inputs that the home delivery work to the apartment house has been completed, or if the beacon signal from the beacon to be received is not received, or if it is determined by the GPS signal that the user has left the apartment house, etc., when the reception of beacon information that matches the new registration information becomes unnecessary (Fig. 8: step S25), the processing unit may return the initial registration information stored in the third storage unit to the first storage unit.

[0035] Also, in the above embodiment, the beacon information belonging to the same group each had a common part called the main identifier, but they may be separate ones without a common part. Furthermore, the present invention is applicable to information wireless transmitters other than beacons.

Explanation of Signs

[0036] 100 ··· Processing execution system 1 ··· Beacon 2 ··· Mobile terminal

Claims

1. A processing execution system comprising a plurality of beacons predetermined as reception targets, and a mobile terminal that executes a predetermined process when receiving beacon information from the beacons, wherein the mobile terminal comprises a processing unit that executes the predetermined process, a first storage unit that stores one or more pieces of registration information, and a command unit that, when it is determined that any of the registration information stored in the first storage unit exactly matches or partially matches the received beacon information (hereinafter referred to as "match"), commands the processing unit to execute the predetermined process, wherein, in addition to the predetermined process, the processing unit acquires one or more pieces of other beacon information associated with the registration information that matches the received beacon information, and adds or updates and stores these other beacon information as new registration information in the first storage unit. A processing execution system characterized by this.

2. The processing execution system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit additionally stores the acquired other beacon information as new registration information in an extra area provided in the first storage unit.

3. The processing unit updates and stores the acquired other beacon information together with the beacon information that matches the registration information as new registration information in the first storage unit, while evacuating the initially stored registration information to a predetermined third storage unit. After the predetermined process ends, etc., under the condition that reception of beacon information that matches the new registration information is no longer required, the registration information evacuated to the third storage unit is restored to the first storage unit. The processing execution system according to claim 1, characterized by this.

4. further comprising a third storage unit that stores the beacon information transmitted by each beacon in groups, and each group of beacon information has a unique common part set for each group, wherein the first storage unit stores the common part of each group as initial registration information, and the command unit determines that there is a match when receiving beacon information having a part that matches the common part of the registration information, wherein the processing unit acquires other beacon information of the group to which the received beacon information belongs by referring to the third storage unit. The processing execution system according to claim 1, characterized by this.

5. further comprising a second storage unit that stores the beacon information of each beacon in groups, For each group, one piece of beacon information among the beacon information belonging to the group is stored in the first storage unit as initial registration information. The processing system according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit refers to the second storage unit and acquires other beacon information of the group to which the received beacon information belongs.

6. A mobile terminal that executes a predetermined process when receiving beacon information from a plurality of beacons predetermined as reception targets, a processing unit that executes the predetermined process; a first storage unit that stores one or more pieces of registration information; and a command unit that, when it is determined that any of the registration information stored in the first storage unit exactly matches or partially matches the received beacon information (hereinafter referred to as "match"), commands the processing unit to execute the predetermined process. The mobile terminal is characterized in that, in addition to the predetermined process, the processing unit acquires one or more other pieces of beacon information associated with the registration information that matches the received beacon information, and adds or updates and stores these other pieces of beacon information in the first storage unit as new registration information.

7. A program installed in a mobile terminal that executes a predetermined process when receiving beacon information from a plurality of beacons predetermined as reception targets, a processing unit that executes the predetermined process; a first storage unit that stores one or more pieces of registration information; and a function as a command unit that, when it is determined that any of the registration information stored in the first storage unit exactly matches or partially matches the received beacon information (hereinafter referred to as "match"), causes the processing unit to execute the predetermined process. The program is characterized in that, in addition to the predetermined process, the processing unit functions to acquire one or more other pieces of beacon information associated with the registration information that matches the received beacon information, and add or update and store these other pieces of beacon information in the first storage unit as new registration information.

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