Position information system

Abstract

To provide a location information system capable of displaying information on all portable terminals in an emergency while protecting privacy in normal times.SOLUTION: In a location information system including a server having a function of grasping a location of a mobile terminal or portable transmitter that performs short-range communication with a transmitter and / or a receiver, the server includes: area setting means for setting a privacy protection area; area determining means for determining whether or not the mobile terminal or portable transmitter is located within the privacy protection area by grasping the location of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter; and information transmitting means for transmitting location information of the mobile terminal or portable transmitter, map information of an area including the current location, and the determination result information by the area determination means. Personal information cannot be viewed if it is determined that the mobile terminal or portable transmitter is within the privacy protection area in normal times, whereas the personal information can be viewed if it is determined that the mobile terminal or portable transmitter is within the privacy protection area in an emergency.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a position information system capable of notifying the position of a mobile terminal or the like to be managed in a facility such as a building that is a monitoring area, and particularly to a position information system that displays the position of a mobile terminal or the like in different modes during normal times and in emergencies such as fires.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in a facility such as a building, a repeater for wireless communication or a transmitter such as a beacon that wirelessly transmits device-specific identification information as position detection information is installed, and the position of a mobile terminal that has received the signal is determined and displayed on a map. There are position search systems and position information systems (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). In addition, a fire detection system that detects the occurrence of a fire based on signals from fire detectors installed at various locations in the facility and the above-mentioned position information system are integrated, and an invention has been proposed in which information such as the position of a fire is displayed on a map showing the position of a mobile terminal based on fire detection information (see, for example, Patent Document 3).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] Patent Document 1 describes that when a user (owner of a mobile terminal) is in a private area such as a toilet, the privacy of the user is protected by canceling the display process on the display. However, in the event of a fire, evacuation of the personnel inside the facility to the outside is required from the perspective of putting human life first. However, if the display on the screen is prohibited for privacy protection in the location information system, it is impossible to accurately grasp the evacuation situation, and there is a problem that evacuation guidance and rescue may be delayed.

[0005] In addition, in a location information and system that determines the terminal position based on wireless signals (radio waves) from relay devices for wireless communication and beacons installed in the facility, it is known that the radio wave intensity received by each terminal fluctuates due to the influence of the operating environment, and this fluctuation causes a deviation in the position of the terminal. As a result, after the position display disappears because the terminal moves to a private area, there is a problem that a situation may occur where, although the actual position of the terminal remains unchanged, it is determined that the terminal is outside the private area due to the fluctuation of the radio wave intensity and is displayed on the screen.

[0006] The present invention has been made paying attention to the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a location information system that can display the information of the holders or persons of all portable terminals in an emergency such as a fire while protecting privacy during normal times. Another object of the present invention is to provide a location information system that can prevent the information of the holder of the portable terminal from being erroneously displayed due to the fluctuation of the radio wave intensity after the information is no longer displayed when the portable terminal moves to an area where privacy is to be protected, although the position of the portable terminal remains unchanged. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a location information system that can display location information suitable for each according to the attributes (authority, qualification, etc.) of the users of the system.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention The unique information of each of the transmitter and the mobile terminal that has received the signal of the transmitter by short-range communication, or each of the portable transmitter and the relay that has received the signal of the portable transmitter by short-range communication Based on unique information the a portable terminal or theA position information system including a server having a function of grasping the position of a portable transmitter, wherein the server comprises area setting means for setting a privacy protection area in an arbitrary area of a predetermined area within a management area, and area determination means for grasping the position of the portable terminal or the portable transmitter based on the unique information of the transmitter or the like, and determining whether or not the grasped position is within the privacy protection area, and the unique information of each of the mobile terminals or the portable transmitter and the relay of each a portable transmitter, the and information transmission means for transmitting the position of the portable terminal or the portable transmitter and the map information of the management area including the position and the determination result information by the area determination means, the and is configured such that when it is determined that the position of the portable terminal or the portable transmitter is within the privacy protection area during normal times, the personal information of the holder of the portable terminal or the portable transmitter is made unviewable, while when it is determined that the position of the portable terminal or the portable transmitter is within the privacy protection area during emergency times, the personal information of the holder of the portable terminal or the portable transmitter is made viewable. the According to the position information system having the above configuration, when it is determined that the positions of the portable terminal and the portable transmitter are within the privacy protection area during normal times, the personal information of the holder of the portable terminal or the portable transmitter is made unviewable, while when it is determined that the positions of the portable terminal and the portable transmitter are within the privacy protection area during emergency times, the personal information of the holders of the portable terminal and the portable transmitter is made viewable. Therefore, while protecting privacy, it is possible to display the information of all holders of portable terminals and portable transmitters during emergency times. the As a result, for example, building managers and disaster prevention personnel can accurately grasp the evacuation situation within the monitored area, and avoid delays in evacuation guidance and rescue. the

[0008] ​​

[0009] Here, preferably, a fire monitoring device is further provided that determines the occurrence location of the fire based on fire information including the location information of the fire transmitted from a device capable of receiving a fire detection signal from a fire detector installed in a predetermined area. The emergency is configured to be the case where the server receives the fire information from the fire monitoring device. According to such a configuration, a system for notifying the server of the occurrence of a fire can be constructed using the fire monitoring system, and the evacuation situation in the monitoring target area can be accurately grasped when a fire occurs.

[0010] Also, preferably, the server is provided with an attribute determination means for determining the attributes of a user, and is configured to generate information that makes the personal information of the holder of a mobile terminal or a portable transmitter, who is determined to be within the privacy protection area according to the determined attributes, unviewable or viewable. Here, the "user" refers to, for example, a user registered in advance in the system in combination with attributes. According to such a configuration, according to the attributes (authority, qualification, etc.) of the users of the system, the personal information of the holder of a mobile terminal or a portable transmitter within the privacy protection area can be made unviewable or viewable, thereby protecting privacy and allowing only specific persons such as building managers and disaster prevention personnel to view the personal information in the event of an emergency, so that appropriate evacuation guidance and rescue can be executed.

[0011] Also, preferably, the information transmission means When it is determined by the area determination means that the position of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter is within the privacy protection area during normal times, an icon indicating the holder of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter is not generated. When it is determined by the area determination means that the position of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter is within the privacy protection area in an emergency, an icon indicating the owner of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter can be generated and transmitted together with the map information. According to such a configuration, during normal times, the owners of all mobile terminals or portable transmitters within the privacy protection area are not displayed, so privacy is protected. In an emergency, an icon indicating the owner of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter existing in the privacy protection area is displayed, so that administrators and the like can accurately grasp the evacuation situation within the area.

[0012] Also preferably, when determining whether the position of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter is within the privacy protection area, the area determination means is configured to perform a hysteresis determination on the condition that the same state continues for a certain period of time or more. According to such a configuration, due to the hysteresis determination, after the personal information becomes unviewable because the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter moves to the area where privacy is to be protected, it is possible to prevent a situation where the personal information is erroneously made viewable due to fluctuations in the radio wave intensity even though the position of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter does not change.

[0013] Also preferably, the area setting means can set a plurality of privacy protection areas within the predetermined area, and the server is configured to include a batch display image creation means for generating an image for collectively displaying the information of the owners of the mobile terminals or portable transmitters within the plurality of privacy protection areas. According to such a configuration, even when there are a plurality of privacy protection areas within the monitoring area, it is possible to grasp at once the existence of all mobile terminals or portable transmitters existing within the privacy protection area, and it is easy to confirm whether the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter is within the privacy protection area or not within the monitoring area.

[0014] Furthermore, preferably, the server includes a stay time measuring means for measuring the time that the owner of the mobile terminal or portable transmitter in the privacy protection area stays in the area. The batch display image creating means is configured to create information for displaying the stay time together with an icon indicating the owner of the mobile terminal or portable transmitter in the privacy protection area. According to such a configuration, since the stay time of the owner of the mobile terminal or portable transmitter existing in the privacy protection area is displayed, it becomes easy for the administrator to manage the organization.

[0015] Furthermore, preferably, the predetermined area is the internal space of a building having a plurality of floors. The server includes an overall image creating means for creating an overall image hierarchically representing the plurality of floors of the building. The overall image creating means is configured to create the overall image by adding a rectangular image linked to the image created by the batch display image creating means as a virtual floor. According to such a configuration, since a virtual floor linked to an image indicating the presence of the owner of the mobile terminal or portable transmitter in a plurality of privacy protection areas is displayed, the presence status of the owner of the mobile terminal or portable transmitter existing in the privacy protection area can be grasped at once by selecting the virtual floor. Also, it becomes possible to easily grasp whether the owner of the mobile terminal or portable transmitter is in the monitoring area or not.

[0016] Furthermore, the server may be configured to record the position of the mobile terminal or portable transmitter together with the information of the privacy protection area. Thereby, it can be used for action verification etc. in the monitoring area. And at that time, based on the attribute of the system user who uses it, when the attribute is a general user, only information excluding the information of the privacy protection area, and when the attribute is an administrator, all information including the information of the privacy protection area can be used or browsed, so that privacy can be respected for the recorded data.

Advantages of the Invention

[0017] According to the position information system of the present invention, during normal times, while protecting privacy, in the event of an emergency such as a fire, it is possible to display the information of all mobile terminals or the holders or persons of portable transmitters. Also, after personal information is no longer displayed due to the movement of the terminal to an area where privacy is to be protected, it is possible to prevent the information of the holder of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter from being erroneously displayed due to fluctuations in radio wave intensity even though the position of the terminal remains unchanged. Furthermore, there is an effect that position information suitable for each can be displayed according to the attributes (authority, qualifications, etc.) of the users of the system.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, embodiments of a location information system to which the present invention is applied will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of the location information system of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the location information system of the present embodiment includes beacons (transmitters) 10 distributed at a plurality of locations within a predetermined area inside a building, a card-type beacon (hereinafter referred to as a card beacon) 11 carried by a user of a facility who enters the predetermined area, a gateway (which may be referred to as a beacon repeater or a receiver) 12 capable of receiving a signal (radio wave) from the card beacon 11, a mobile terminal 20 capable of receiving a signal (radio wave) from the beacon 10 and a signal (radio wave) from the card beacon 11, a location information server 40 that performs data communication with the mobile 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 a fire detection signal from a plurality of fire detectors 50 arranged at a plurality of locations within a predetermined area inside the building, and a fire information server 80 that performs data communication with the fire receiver 60 via a gateway (general repeater) 70 and the communication network N, and a push notification system 90 capable of directly transmitting a message to the mobile terminal 20 via the communication network N, etc. Note that the communication network N may be a network using a secure line, or a part of it may use a network with an independent line.

[0020] The push notification system 90 can be configured by a server (push notification support server) 91 having an API (application programming interface) function, a function of transmitting push notifications, a management function of managing messages and transmission times to be transmitted, a storage device 92 storing programs, etc. Also, an existing system can be used for the push notification system 90. In that case, the push notification system 90 can notify information such as earthquake early warnings in response to requests from other systems, even when the mobile terminal is not running an application, in addition to the notification of a fire occurrence described later. Note that the location information server 40 and the push notification support server 91 may be configured as one support server. Similarly, the fire information server 80 may also be configured as a support server common to the location information server 40 and the push notification support server 91.

[0021] As communication methods of the beacons 10 and 11 that transmit wireless signals (unique information such as device IDs and facility information) to the mobile terminal 20, 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 at which the beacon 10 is arranged 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 within the building.

[0022] Specifically, since fire detectors 50 and sprinkler heads are originally installed in the building at predetermined intervals, the beacons 10 attached in a form built-in or added to those devices, or the beacons 10 attached in a form installed in the vicinity of those devices can be used. The beacon 10 includes a transmission unit that periodically transmits power-related information (built-in battery information or external power information) and its own identification information over a wireless signal to the surroundings. The signal (beacon signal) wirelessly transmitted 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 installed area. Therefore, the power-related information may not be included.

[0023] On the other hand, the card beacon 11 is a card with a built-in battery and IC, and has a function of wirelessly transmitting a beacon signal including an identification code, similar to the beacon 10. The gateway 12 for beacons, although not as numerous as the beacons 10, is installed at one or more mutually separated positions within the area. When it receives a beacon signal from the card beacon 11, it has the function of transmitting beacon information and device ID to the location information server 40 via the mobile phone base station 30 or another radio base station and the communication network N by wireless communication. The location information server 40 stores in the database 41 the installation location information of the gateways 12 installed in advance within the area. Based on the beacon information from the gateway 12 and the device ID of the gateway, it can grasp the location of the user carrying the card beacon 11 and moving based on the reception of the beacon signal at the gateway 12.

[0024] The mobile terminal 20 is a device such as a smartphone equipped with a receiver function for receiving signals from the beacon 10, a wireless communication function, a display unit, etc. When the card beacon 11 is configured to transmit signals of the same communication standard as the beacon 10, the mobile terminal 20 can also receive signals from the card beacon 11 even if it is a general-purpose communication device such as a smartphone. Therefore, when the mobile terminal 20 receives signals from the beacon 10 and the card beacon 11 and transmits the beacon information to the location information server 40, the location information server 40 can register the location of the mobile terminal 20 at the location corresponding to the beacon 10, or register the location of the holder of the card beacon 11 near the mobile terminal 20 at the registered location of the mobile terminal 20 whose location is being grasped.

[0025] In the internal memory of the mobile terminal 20, there is stored an application program (location information display application) that periodically receives beacon signals wirelessly transmitted from the beacons 10 and 11, extracts identification information (device ID), etc. included in the beacon signals, detects the received radio wave intensity of the beacon signals, and transmits, as a set, the beacon information including the identification information, etc. and the identification information (terminal ID) unique to the mobile terminal itself to the location information server 40, and also executes a process of displaying a floor plan (map) based on the floor plan information transmitted from the location information server 40 on the screen of the display unit. When the mobile terminal 20 receives beacon signals transmitted from a plurality of beacons 10 (beacons 10 whose communication ranges partially overlap each other) and the card beacon 11, it transmits the respective beacon information to the location information server 40.

[0026] When the fire detector 50 detects the occurrence of an abnormal phenomenon such as heat, smoke, flame, or harmful gas, for example, it transmits a fire detection signal to the fire receiver 60 via the detector line 51. The fire detector 50 may be a type that adds its own installation address to the fire detection signal, or may be a type that does not add its own installation address to the fire detection signal.

[0027] When the fire receiver 60 receives a fire detection signal from the fire detector 50, it performs a fire detection display on the display unit and also performs controls such as district bell ringing and smoke exhaust and ventilation interlocking. Further, the fire receiver 60 transmits fire information including the location information of the fire occurrence and the occurrence time information, etc. to the fire information server 80 via the gateway 70 and the communication network N. The fire information server 80 is provided with a database 81 that stores equipment and device information of buildings related to fires such as fire transmitters and fire hydrants, and can transmit this information and the fire occurrence location information to the location information server 40.

[0028] In addition, when the installation address of the fire detector 50 is added to the fire detection signal, the fire receiver 60 identifies the location where the fire occurred based on the installation address. On the other hand, when the installation address of the fire detector 50 is not added to the fire detection signal, the fire receiver 60 identifies the location where the fire occurred based on the detector line 51 (alert area) that transmitted the fire detection signal. Also, a system is possible in which the gateway 70 is omitted and the fire receiver 60 directly transmits fire information including the fire location to the fire information server 80. The fire information may be transmitted from a device other than the fire receiver 60.

[0029] The location information server 40 includes a database 41 that stores map information (floor plan) of each floor of the building managed by the location information server 40, information on privacy protection areas within each floor set in advance, identification information unique to the mobile terminal (terminal ID), and information on attributes such as the authority and qualifications of the system user (user) (here, the mobile terminal owner) (system user attribute information) or a display range designation table associated with the system user attribute information. Note that the map information (floor plan information) of each floor may include the device ID and installation location information of the beacon 10 installed on each floor.

[0030] Here, the privacy protection area is an area where, for example, even if the location information server 40 knows that the mobile terminal 20 from which it received information exists, it is prohibited to view information identifying the existence or the mobile terminal on the map information during normal times. For example, there are areas such as toilets and meeting rooms where non-public meetings (secret meetings) are held. However, when the location information server 40 receives fire occurrence information from the fire information server 80, it transmits information (floor plan information with the current position plotted) indicating that the mobile terminal 20 exists in the privacy protection area. Note that the privacy protection area is configured so that the administrator of the location information server 40 can add or delete it. As for the timing to reflect the fact that the mobile terminal 20 is located in the privacy protection area in the map information transmitted to each terminal, it is configured to be arbitrarily set according to the operation policy of the system, such as "when fire information is received", "when the occurrence of a fire is confirmed", and "during evacuation".

[0031] When the location information server 40 receives the device IDs and terminal ID of the beacons 10 and card beacons 11 from the mobile terminal 20, it calculates the current location of the mobile terminal 20 based on the received device ID of the beacon and the information stored in the database 41. Then, it reads out the map information of the floor where the mobile terminal 20 is located and the setting information regarding the privacy protection area from the database 41. If it determines that the mobile terminal 20 is not located in the privacy protection area, it generates floor display information by adding a mark (icon) M indicating the current location of the user who holds the mobile terminal 20 to the read floor map. Then, the generated floor display information executes a process of transmitting it to the mobile terminal 20 that has transmitted the terminal ID. Furthermore, it can also be transmitted to a PC 43 connected to the location information server 40 via a LAN (Local Area Network) or a communication network N and displayed on the PC 43.

[0032] As a result, a floor plan image with an icon or the like indicating the current position of the user who owns the mobile terminal 20 is displayed on the display unit of the mobile terminal 20 or the PC 43. Also, when touching or aligning the cursor with an icon on the displayed screen, information regarding the owner of the mobile terminal 20 or the like is displayed in a balloon or the like. Note that the information regarding the owner of the mobile terminal 20 or the like is stored in advance in the storage device of the terminal that performs the display, and is configured not to acquire personal information by querying the location information server 40. On the other hand, when the location information server 40 determines that the mobile terminal 20 is located in a privacy protection area, during normal times, it creates and transmits a floor plan image that does not show an icon indicating the current position of the user who owns the mobile terminal 20, and during an emergency such as a fire, it creates and transmits a floor plan image that shows icons indicating the current positions of all users who own mobile terminals including the mobile terminal 20 located in the privacy protection area.

[0033] Note that on the display unit of terminals (such as the mobile terminal 20 and the PC 43) owned by specific users such as system administrators and management responsible persons, even during normal times, a floor plan image showing icons indicating all current positions including the mobile terminal 20 located in the privacy protection area may be created, transmitted, and displayed. Also, even during normal times, a floor plan image showing icons indicating all current positions including the mobile terminal 20 located in the privacy protection area is created and transmitted, but while not displaying information regarding the owner of the mobile terminal 20 or the like even when touching or aligning the cursor with an icon, during an emergency, when touching or aligning the cursor with any icon including the icon in the privacy protection area, information regarding the owner of the mobile terminal 20 corresponding to that icon may be configured to be displayed.

[0034] Next, with reference to FIG. 2, an outline of the communication sequence between the location information server 40 and the mobile terminal 20 and between each of the servers 40, 80 and the push notification system 90 in the location information system of the above embodiment will be described. In a normal situation without a fire, when the mobile terminal 20 activates a general-purpose map application within a predetermined area, the mobile terminal 20 receives device IDs from the nearby beacon 10 and the card beacon 11 (#0), and transmits the received device ID and its own terminal ID to the location information server 40 (#1). Note that when the gateway 12 also receives a beacon signal from the card beacon 11, it transmits the card beacon and its own ID to the location information server 40 (#0’).

[0035] The location information server 40 grasps the locations of the mobile terminal 20 and the card beacon 11 that have transmitted their IDs from the received beacon device IDs, reads map information from the database 41, creates map data with an icon or the like added to the location of the terminal on the map, and transmits it to the mobile terminal 20 (#2). The mobile terminal 20 transmits the beacon device ID to the location information server 40 periodically (for example, every minute), and the location information server 40 periodically executes the transmission of the above map data accordingly. When there are a plurality of mobile terminals 20 that have activated the general-purpose map application within the predetermined area, the location information server 40 executes the transmission of the above map data for all the mobile terminals 20 within the area. Note that the location information server 40 may be configured to periodically (for example, every minute) transmit map information to the mobile terminals within the predetermined area even without receiving the ID from the mobile terminal 20.

[0036] When a fire occurs and the fire receiver 60 detects it, the fire receiver 60 transmits fire information including the fire occurrence and the occurrence location to the fire information server 80 (#3). Then, the fire information server 80 transmits the information on the fire occurrence and the occurrence location to the location information server 40 (#4). Then, based on the terminal IDs of the mobile terminals 20 within the area that it has already grasped, the location information server 40 refers to the table in the database 41 to determine the attributes or types of the mobile phone owners, selects the mobile terminals to which the occurrence of the fire should be notified, and makes a push notification request for the occurrence of the fire to the selected mobile terminals to the push notification system 90 (#5).

[0037] Upon receiving the request, the push notification system 90 immediately (e.g., within 1 second) sends a push notification to the selected mobile terminals to inform them of the occurrence of a fire (#6). Then, the mobile terminal 20 that has received the push notification sounds the speaker and displays a message indicating the occurrence of the fire on the display unit. As a result, the mobile phone owner can quickly learn of the occurrence of the fire. Thereafter, the mobile terminal 20 regularly receives the device ID from the nearby beacon 10 as usual (#7) and continues to send the received device ID and its own terminal ID to the location information server 40 (#8). Also, when the gateway 12 receives the beacon signal from the card beacon 11, it sends the card beacon and its own ID to the location information server 40 (#7’). In addition, when it is time for the regular transmission timing, the location information server 40 creates map data with icons indicating the current location of the mobile terminal 20, icons indicating the current location of the card beacon 11, and icons indicating a fire at the fire occurrence location, etc., and sends it to the mobile terminal 20 (#9). As a result, the mobile phone owner can know the location of the mobile terminal holder, the location of the card beacon holder, and the location of the fire occurrence.

[0038] When the location information server 40 creates map data with icons indicating a fire at the fire occurrence location, etc., it may refer to the display range specification table in the database 41 based on the device ID and terminal ID of the transmitter sent from the mobile terminal 20, read the information of the facilities to be displayed according to the attributes or types of the mobile phone owners, and generate and send the display data of the mobile terminal.

[0039] Furthermore, when the location information server 40 of the present embodiment receives fire information (information including the location information of the fire) from the fire information server 80, it generates floor plan display information that reflects this information and the location information of all mobile terminals and card beacons existing in the entire target floor including the privacy protection area, and via the communication network N and the mobile phone base station 30, it is configured to be able to execute a process of transmitting it to the mobile terminal 20 and a predetermined computer (PC) 43 installed in a monitoring room or the like and connected via the communication network N or the LAN. As a result, on the display unit of the mobile terminal 20 or the predetermined computer, a floor plan with a mark (icon) M indicating the current positions of the mobile terminal and the card beacon and the fire occurrence position F marked is displayed. Therefore, according to the location information system of the present embodiment, the icons of mobile terminal owners or card beacon holders who are not displayed because they are in the privacy protection area PA as shown in FIG. 3(A) during normal times can be displayed on the display unit as shown in FIG. 3(B) in the event of an emergency, and all mobile terminal owners and card beacon holders on the floor can be grasped.

[0040] Next, the processing procedures of the mobile terminal 20, the fire information server 80, and the location information server 40 that constitute the location information system of the present embodiment will be described using the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. When the location information display application is launched on the mobile terminal 20, first, as shown in FIG. 4(a), it determines whether it has received beacon signals transmitted from the beacons 10 and 11 (step S11). When it has received the beacon signals (step S11; Yes), it transmits beacon information including the identification information (device ID) of the beacons 10 and 11 and the received radio wave intensity of the beacon signals to the location information server 40 via the mobile phone base station 30 and the communication network N (step S12).

[0041] Next, it is determined whether floor plan information transmitted from the location information server 40 has been received (step S13). When the floor plan information is received (step S13; Yes), a floor plan image based on the floor plan information is displayed on the screen (step S14). As a result, in step S14, which is the first step after the location information display application is launched, the latest floor plan image is displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal 20. After the location information display application is launched, in step S14 for the second time and later, the floor plan image being displayed on the screen is updated to the latest floor plan image.

[0042] As shown in, for example, FIG. 4(b), the fire information server 80 first determines whether fire information (information including the location information of the fire and the occurrence time information, etc.) transmitted from the fire receiver 60 has been received (step S21). When the fire information is received (step S21; Yes), the fire information is transmitted to the location information server 40 via the communication network N (step S22).

[0043] Next, the building in which the fire has occurred is identified based on the fire information, the facility / equipment information of the identified building is acquired from the database 81, the items necessary for display during a fire are generated based on the acquired facility / equipment information, and the generated items necessary for display during a fire are transmitted to the location information server 40 via the communication network N (step S23). Next, the items not necessary for display during a fire are generated based on the acquired facility / equipment information, and the generated items not necessary for display during a fire are transmitted to the location information server 40 via the communication network N (step S24). Note that if there are no items necessary for display during a fire on the same floor and no items necessary for display during a fire on other floors in the building where the fire has occurred, the process of step S23 is omitted. Also, if there are no items not necessary for display during a fire on the same floor and no items not necessary for display during a fire on other floors in the building where the fire has occurred, the process of step S24 is omitted.

[0044] FIG. 5 shows an example of the procedure of the process by the location information server 40. As shown in FIG. 5, the location information server 40 first determines whether it has received beacon information transmitted from the mobile terminal 20 or the gateway 12 (step S31). If it is determined that the beacon information has been received (Yes), the current location of the mobile terminal 20 or the card beacon 11 is calculated based on the received beacon information, the terminal ID, and the information stored in the database 41 (step S32), and it is determined whether the location of the mobile terminal 20 or the card beacon 11 is in the privacy protection area (PA) (step S33). Here, if it is determined that it is not in the privacy protection area (PA) (No), the process proceeds to step S35.

[0045] Also, in step S33, if it is determined that it is in the privacy protection area (PA) (Yes), the process proceeds to step S34, and the attributes of the system user who owns the mobile terminal are determined by referring to the database 41 using the mobile terminal ID. If the attribute of the system user who is the transmission target of the floor plan is "general", the process proceeds to step S36, and if the attribute of the system user who is the transmission target of the floor plan is "administrator", the process proceeds to step S35. In step S35, the floor plan data of the building where the mobile terminal 20 is located is read from the database 41, and a floor plan is created with marks (icons) indicating the positions of all terminals. On the other hand, in step S36, a floor plan is created with marks (icons) indicating the positions of terminals other than the terminals existing in the privacy protection area (PA).

[0046] Next, the location information server 40 determines whether it has received fire information notifying the occurrence of a fire from the fire information server 80 (step S37). If it is determined that the fire information has been received (Yes), an icon indicating the occurrence of a fire is plotted at the fire occurrence position on the floor plan as an item required to be displayed during a fire (step S38), and the mobile terminals to which the occurrence of the fire should be notified are selected by referring to the table in the database 41 (step S39). Subsequently, the push notification system 90 is requested to execute a push notification of a fire occurrence to the mobile terminal selected in step S39 (step S40), and the process proceeds to step S41. Also, if it is determined in step S37 that fire information has not been received (No), steps S38 to S40 are skipped and the process proceeds to step S41.

[0047] In step S41, the floor plan information generated in step S35, S36 or S38 is transmitted to the mobile terminal 20 via the communication network N and the mobile phone base station 30 (step S41). As a result, a floor plan image as shown in, for example, FIG. 3(A) or (B) is displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal 20. As described above, according to the position information system of the present embodiment, depending on whether the mobile terminal owner is in a preset privacy protection area and the attributes of the system user, for example, when the attributes of the system user are general, the position of the mobile terminal that is usually (normally) in the privacy protection area is not displayed on the display unit of the terminal (mobile terminal 20 or PC43), and when a fire occurs (in an emergency), the position of the fire occurrence and all mobile terminals and card beacons including the mobile terminals and card beacons in the privacy protection area are displayed. Therefore, while protecting privacy, it is possible to grasp the positions of all mobile terminal owners and card beacon holders on the floor in case of an emergency.

[0048] Also, according to the position information system of the present embodiment, even when map information is periodically transmitted from the position information server 40 to the mobile terminal 20 at a predetermined time interval, when a fire occurs, a push notification for notifying the mobile terminal of the fire occurrence is immediately executed by the push notification system 90. Therefore, the mobile terminal owner can quickly know the occurrence of the fire. Moreover, as a system for performing push notifications to inform a mobile terminal of the occurrence of a fire, an existing push notification system can be used, and without significantly modifying the program of a server or the like that constitutes a location information system by only adding fire occurrence information to map information or adding a new system, the occurrence of a fire can be promptly displayed on the display unit of the mobile terminal.

[0049] By the way, in the system of FIG. 1, due to the influence of the operating environment, the radio wave intensity from the beacon 10 received by each mobile terminal fluctuates, so there is a possibility that the position of the mobile terminal to be determined deviates. As a result, after the mobile terminal moves into the privacy protection area and detects a beacon installed outside the privacy protection area and the position is no longer displayed, although the position of the mobile terminal does not change, due to the fluctuation of the radio wave intensity, a signal of a beacon set outside the privacy protection area is detected, and it may be determined that the mobile terminal has moved outside the privacy protection area and a display may be made.

[0050] Therefore, in the determination process of step S33 in the flowchart of FIG. 5, it is desirable to perform so-called hysteresis determination processing to make the position determination condition when detecting a beacon installed outside the privacy protection area after detecting that the mobile terminal has entered the privacy protection area and prohibiting the display, or the condition for making the reverse determination, stricter. By doing so, it is possible to avoid a phenomenon in which, due to the fluctuation of the received radio wave intensity of the beacon signal, after being once determined to be in the privacy protection area and the display disappears, it is erroneously displayed as being in the surrounding area, or the display of a mobile terminal near the privacy protection area temporarily disappears.

[0051] Next, as an example, regarding how to change the criteria for determining which transmitter (beacon) registration location to adopt as the location of the mobile terminal, the method of changing the criteria when using the detection duration of the transmitter with the highest radio wave intensity of the beacon signal will be described. As a prerequisite, the beacon transmits beacon signals at intervals of several 10 msec, the mobile terminal notifies the reception status to the location information server 40 every 10 seconds, and the location information server 40 performs location determination every minute to generate and distribute map information for distribution.

[0052] Under this condition, consider the case where the mobile terminal moves as follows: normal area 1 (not a privacy protection area) → normal area 2 → privacy protection area 3 → normal area 4. In this case, initially, the location determination criteria for movement within normal areas 1 and 2 are the default once every 1 minute. Subsequently, when moving from normal area 2 to privacy protection area 3, the location determination criteria are set to 2 minutes, which is twice the default value, and it is determined whether the detection result is continuously determined as movement twice. After that, when moving from privacy protection area 3 to normal area 4, the location determination criteria are set to 2 minutes, which is twice the default value, and it is determined whether the detection result is continuously determined as movement twice. By changing the above-mentioned criteria, hysteresis determination processing becomes possible.

[0053] Also, when the mobile terminal is displayed as an icon despite being in the privacy protection area, the owner of the mobile terminal may be configured to be able to manually change it to indicate that it is in the privacy protection area. Furthermore, if this change operation is frequently performed, the location determination criteria may be made stricter. Specifically, a process of extending the determination time from the default 1 minute to 2 minutes → 3 minutes → 4 minutes is performed.

[0054] Next, a modification example of the above embodiment will be described. In the first modification example, icons of mobile terminals in the privacy protection area are not displayed on the floor plan. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6(A), for example, when there are floors 1F to 5F as the actual monitoring areas, a virtual floor VF is provided in addition to the floors 1F to 5F, etc. When this floor is selected, as shown in FIG. 6(B), for example, icons indicating the owners of mobile terminals or card beacons located in all privacy protection areas PA provided on each of the floors 1F to 5F are collectively displayed as a separate screen. At this time, the stay time may be indicated for each icon.

[0055] Note that the above display is for normal times, and information of individuals in the virtual floor VF is displayed so as to be viewable. Instead of providing and displaying the virtual floor VF, an image may be displayed in a window as shown in FIG. 6(B). Also, the function of generating an image that generates the virtual floor VF or an image corresponding thereto and collectively displays icons indicating mobile terminals or owners in the privacy protection area PA may be provided not in the location information server 40 but on the terminal side that performs the display.

[0056] Furthermore, during normal times, when a specific individual is searched, if the individual being searched is in the privacy protection area PA, as a search result, the information of the individual is displayed in a form where the location cannot be specified, such as "Location: Privacy Protection Area" or "Location: Inside the Building", without specifying the floor. In a search during an emergency, the information of the actual location and the individual may be displayed. By performing the above display, it is possible to grasp the number of people staying in the privacy protection area while protecting the privacy of individuals. Also, when an individual is searched, it is possible to make the individual recognize that they are in the monitoring area of a building or the like while protecting their privacy.

[0057] The second modification example is to temporarily add and set the privacy protection area PA in cooperation with non - public attributes in other systems. As an example of cooperation with other systems, for instance, there may be a case of cooperation with a facility reservation system for reserving meeting rooms. Here, when the attribute of the meeting to be reserved is set as non - public, only the reservation time zone of the meeting room is temporarily set as the privacy protection area. As a result, the icons indicating the mobile terminals held by the users participating in the meeting room used for the non - public meeting are made non - visible, and privacy is protected. Also in this case, as shown in FIG. 6(B), by displaying the icons of the mobile terminals or their owners in the meeting room, which is the privacy protection area, together with the mobile terminals in other privacy protection areas as a separate screen, it becomes difficult to identify the participants and the non - public nature can be ensured.

[0058] In the third modification example, the measured position information is displayed as it is as shown in FIG. 3(B), but for the mobile terminals or card beacons displayed within the privacy protection area (PA), personal information is not displayed even if the cursor is aligned with the mark (icon) on the screen or the mark (icon) is touched. By doing so, it is impossible to identify a person and privacy can be protected. At the same time, the position information of the result of personal search cannot be specified in the form of "private area" or "inside the building", but it is desirable to be in a form that indicates that the person is within the monitoring (management) area.

[0059] In the above-described embodiment, the positions of the portable terminal or the card beacon whose positions are specified are displayed in real time. Further, the position information of the portable terminal or the card beacon whose position is specified may be recorded in a storage device together with the information in the privacy protection area and used for action verification within the monitoring area. At this time, based on the attributes of the system user who uses it, when the attribute is a general user, only information excluding the information in the privacy protection area, and when the attribute is an administrator, all information including the information in the privacy protection area can be used or viewed, so that privacy can be respected even for the recorded data.

[0060] As described above, the present invention has been described based on the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be appropriately modified without departing from the gist thereof. For example, in the above embodiment, it has been described that the signal from the beacon is received by the portable terminal and the received information is transmitted to the position information server by wireless communication. However, when the monitoring target area is a space such as an office, a device capable of receiving the signal from the beacon is connected to a personal computer installed on the desk in the office, and the information received by the device is transmitted to the position information server by the personal computer via a LAN (Local Area Network). In the above description, it is desirable that the personal information includes information such as name, affiliation, and contact information, but it is sufficient if it includes at least information that can identify an individual.

[0061] Also, in the above embodiment, it has been described that the beacon 10 has only the function of transmitting information. However, it may have a function of receiving a wireless signal from a portable terminal or another transmitter (wireless tag, terminal, etc.) and further a function of transmitting the received information to the server. In the above-described embodiment, a system that utilizes positioning by beacons was exemplified as the position information system. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the position information system may be a system that utilizes positioning by other methods such as IMES (Indoor MEssaging System). That is, the transmitter is not limited to a beacon and may be an IMES transmitter or the like. Alternatively, a plurality of video cameras may be installed in the monitoring area, and the AI function provided in the position information server 40 may detect a person in the monitoring area by image processing based on the captured images, and a system having a function of identifying the person in the image by AI from the characteristics of the person and the information in the database may be used.

[0062] Also, in the above-described embodiment, the position identification process of the position information system is performed by the server. However, a part of the process may be performed on the mobile terminal side. Furthermore, the position identification process of the position information system may be single-point positioning of a beacon or multi-point positioning (a process of identifying a position based on signals from a plurality of beacons). In the above-described embodiment, the case where a fire is detected by a fire monitoring device was described as an example of an emergency. However, it may be applied when other emergencies such as an earthquake or a flood occur. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the position information system within a facility and can also be configured as an outdoor position information system. In that case, GPS information acquired by the mobile terminal may be used as the position information.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0063] 10 Beacon (Fixed Transmitter) 11 Card Beacon (Portable Transmitter) 12 Gateway for Card Beacon (Beacon Repeater) 20 Mobile Terminal 40 Position Information Server (Server) 41 Database 50 Fire Detector 60 Fire Receiver (Receiver) 80 Fire Information Server (Fire Monitoring Device) 81 Database 90 Push Notification System 91 Push Notification Support Server

Claims

A position information system comprising a server having a function of grasping the position of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter based on the unique information of each of the transmitter and the mobile terminal that has received the signal of the transmitter by short-range communication, or the unique information of each of the portable transmitter and the repeater that has received the signal of the portable transmitter by short-range communication, wherein the server, has an area setting means for setting a privacy protection area in an arbitrary area of a predetermined area within the management area, has an area determination means for grasping the position of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter based on the unique information of each of the transmitter and the mobile terminal or the unique information of each of the portable transmitter and the repeater, and determining whether or not the grasped position is within the privacy protection area, and has an information transmission means for transmitting the grasped position of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter, the map information of the management area including the position, and the determination result information by the area determination means, and is characterized in that, when it is determined that the position of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter is within the privacy protection area during normal times, the personal information of the owner of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter is made unviewable, while when it is determined that the position of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter is within the privacy protection area during an emergency, the personal information of the owner of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter is made viewable. **Claim 2** The position information system further comprises a fire monitoring device for determining the occurrence position of the fire based on fire information including the occurrence location information of the fire transmitted from a device capable of receiving a fire detection signal from a fire detector installed in a predetermined area, wherein the emergency is a case where the server receives the fire information from the fire monitoring device. **Claim 3** The server has an attribute determination means for determining the attribute of the user, and generates information for making the personal information of the owner of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter, which is grasped to be within the privacy protection area according to the determined attribute, unviewable or viewable. **Claim 4** The information transmission means, when it is determined by the area determination means that the position of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter is within the privacy protection area during normal times, does not generate an icon indicating the owner of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter, When it is determined by the area determination means during an emergency that the position of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter is within the privacy protection area, an icon indicating the owner of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter can be generated and transmitted together with the map information. The position information system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that.

5. When determining whether the position of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter is within the privacy protection area, the area determination means performs a hysteresis determination on the condition that the same state has continued for a certain period of time or more. The position information system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that.

6. The area setting means can set a plurality of privacy protection areas within the predetermined area, The server is provided with a collective display image creating means for creating an image for collectively displaying the presence information of the owners of mobile terminals or portable transmitters in a plurality of the privacy protection areas. The position information system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that.

7. The server is provided with a stay time measuring means for measuring the time that the owner of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter in the privacy protection area stays in the area, The collective display image creating means creates information for displaying the stay time together with an icon indicating the owner of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter in the privacy protection area. The position information system according to claim 6, characterized in that.

8. The predetermined area is the internal space of a building having a plurality of floors, The server is provided with an overall image creating means for creating an overall image hierarchically representing the plurality of floors of the building, The overall image creating means creates the overall image with a rectangular image linked to the image created by the collective display image creating means added as a virtual floor. The position information system according to claim 7, characterized in that.

9. The server records the position of the mobile terminal or the portable transmitter together with the information of the privacy protection area. The position information system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that.

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