Location search system and location search method

Abstract

To enable the number of downtown communication terminals that discover a tag to be increased and tag discovery probability improved while reducing the processing burden of a search cooperator.SOLUTION: A location search system 1 includes a communication terminal 30 for receiving a tag signal that is transmitted by a tag 10. The communication terminal 30 comprises: a detection unit for executing a detection process of detecting the location of the communication terminal 30 when the holder of the communication terminal 30 leaves home; a reception unit for performing a reception process of receiving a tag signal transmitted from the tag 10; a notification unit for notifying a server 40 about the tag ID that is included in the tag signal received from the tag 10 and the location information of the communication terminal 30 at the time the tag signal was received; and a control unit for causing the reception unit to start a reception process and the notification unit to start a notification process when a detection process by the detection unit begins, and causing the reception unit to start a reception process and the notification unit to terminate the notification process when the detection process by the detection unit is terminated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a location search system and a location search method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, location search systems have been developed that use tags that emit signals using standards such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) to estimate the location of pets, children, elderly people, and valuables.

[0003] For example, in this location search system, a tag that emits a Bluetooth-compliant signal is attached to a child or a pet. This location search system then utilizes a communication terminal, such as a smartphone, of a third party, separate from the child's guardian or the pet's owner, as a sensor to receive the signal from the tag. Specifically, in this location search system, the nearby third party's communication terminal receives the signal from the tag attached to the child or pet and notifies a server of the location information received from the tag, thereby providing the child's guardian or the pet's owner with the location of the lost child or pet.

[0004] In the case of the location search system described above, the tag only needs to have a communication function based on the Bluetooth (and Bluetooth Low Energy, a variant of Bluetooth), which is more energy-efficient than mobile communication networks, and does not need to be equipped with a large-capacity battery. As a result, the tag can be used for a long time with a small size, making it easy for children to carry or attach to pets, and the tag does not need to be charged frequently. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-250171 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] As described above, in the location search system, managing location information using tags that use communication standards such as Bluetooth makes it possible to miniaturize terminals and enable long-term use, making it extremely convenient. It is becoming increasingly popular for purposes such as determining the location of children or pets that go missing outdoors.

[0007] However, with the location search system described above, if a missing person is missing, the location information cannot be obtained unless a sensor (communication terminal) that transmits the tag's location information is located near the tag. For this reason, conventional methods have involved using budgets from local governments to place communication terminals that transmit location information throughout the city, or asking citizens to volunteer by installing and launching a dedicated smartphone application.

[0008] Among these, when communication terminals that transmit location information are placed throughout a city using the budget of a local government or the like, there is a problem in that the installation and maintenance costs of the communication terminals are high.

[0009] Furthermore, if volunteer citizens (search collaborators) are asked to install and launch a dedicated location search application on their communication devices, this will eliminate the burden on local governments, but a different problem will arise.

[0010] When a location search application is launched, the citizen's communication device needs to acquire GPS (Global Positioning System) information. Operating this GPS function consumes a lot of power, which increases the current consumption of the mobile device and can cause the battery to drain quickly, which is a problem. For this reason, it is difficult to get volunteer citizens to keep the application running all the time, and as a result, it is often difficult to get volunteer cooperation.

[0011] Therefore, in order to reduce battery consumption on communication devices, it is possible to have citizens launch a dedicated application only when they are out and walking, and to have them close the application when they return home. Because people are often moving when they are out, the probability that their communication device will pick up a tag signal increases. As a result, it is expected that the possibility of citizens' communication devices receiving signals from tags located outdoors will also increase.

[0012] However, the process of starting a dedicated application only when going out and closing it when returning home was cumbersome for volunteers, and as a result, volunteers often forgot to start and close the application, so the method of having volunteers start a dedicated application only when walking outside did not catch on.

[0013] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a location search system and a location search method that can improve the probability of finding tags by increasing the number of communication terminals in town that can find tags while reducing the processing burden on search partners. [Means for solving the problem]

[0014] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the location search system of the present invention is a location search system having a tag that transmits a tag signal including identification information, a first communication terminal that receives the tag signal, a server that collects information from the first communication terminal that has received the tag signal, and a second communication terminal that acquires the tag location information transmitted from the server, wherein the first communication terminal has a detection unit that performs detection processing to detect the location of the first communication terminal when the owner of the first communication terminal goes out, a reception unit that performs reception processing to receive the tag signal transmitted from the tag, and tag identification information included in the tag signal received from the tag, and a control unit that, when the detection unit starts the detection process, causes the receiving unit to start the reception process and the notification unit to start the notification process, and, when the detection unit ends the detection process, causes the receiving unit to end the reception process and the notification unit to end the notification process.The server is characterized by having a collection unit that collects tag identification information and location information from the first communication terminal, an identification unit that identifies the location of the tag using the location information collected by the collection unit, and an output unit that outputs information related to the location of the tag identified by the identification unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the probability of finding a tag by increasing the number of communication terminals in town that can find the tag while reducing the processing burden on search partners. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a position search system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a tag according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a communication terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a communication terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5]FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a table stored in the position information storage unit. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the communication terminal. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an object to which a tag is attached. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an application example of the position search system. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the processing procedure of the position search process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a communication terminal according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram showing a processing procedure of the position search process according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a computer that executes a location search program. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, embodiments of a position search system and a position search method according to the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the position search system and the position search method according to the present application are not limited to these embodiments.

[0018] [Embodiment 1] First, a description will be given of a first embodiment. In recent years, location recording applications have been provided that utilize the GPS (Global Positioning System) function of a communication terminal to record the location information of the communication terminal when the user is out. Specifically, these applications include an application that records the route of a person carrying the communication terminal when walking, running, cycling, etc., an application that records the walking route of a pet, and a location recording application with a car navigation function.

[0019] These location recording applications do not normally obtain location information via GPS even when they are running. When the owner goes out and begins an activity, the owner operates a start button or the like of the location recording application, which causes the location recording application to start the GPS of the communication terminal and record the measured location information. When the owner wants to end the location recording, the owner operates an end button or the like of the location recording application, which causes the location recording application to end its position measurement function.

[0020] The position search system 1 according to the first embodiment links these position recording applications with the position search application provided by the position search system 1.

[0021] First, in the location search system according to the first embodiment, the location recording application of the carrier's communication terminal is given the function of, when receiving a signal from a tag, notifying the server of the location search system via the network of the tag ID (identification information) (tag ID) contained in the signal and the location information of the carrier's communication terminal.

[0022] In the first embodiment, the communication terminal functioning as a city sensor also operates a function to notify the server of the ID information from the tag and the location information of the communication terminal itself when the location recording application starts measuring location information. That is, when the owner of this communication terminal (search collaborator) operates a start button or the like of the location recording application while out and about, the communication terminal automatically starts the tag ID reception process of the location search application and the notification process of the tag ID and location information.

[0023] In the embodiment, when the location recording application of the communication terminal functioning as a street sensor finishes measuring location information, the communication terminal also terminates the function of notifying the ID information from the tag and the location information of the mobile terminal of the terminal. When the owner of this communication terminal (search collaborator) presses the end button of the location recording application at the end of their outing, the communication terminal automatically terminates the tag ID reception process of the location search application and the notification process of the tag ID and location information.

[0024] [Configuration of location search system 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the overall configuration of a location search system according to embodiment 1. The location search system 1 according to embodiment 1 includes a tag 10 that transmits a signal including identification information (e.g., an ID), communication terminals 20 and 30 that receive the signal from the tag 10, and a server 40 that collects information from each communication terminal 30.

[0025] The plurality of communication terminals 20, 30 and the server 40 are connected to each other via a network N, and are capable of performing data communication with other devices. Note that the configuration shown in Fig. 1 is merely an example, and the specific configuration and the number of each device are not particularly limited. Also, the number of communication terminals 30 in Fig. 1 is merely an example.

[0026] The tag 10 is a terminal that transmits a wireless signal (tag signal) including the ID of the tag 10 (hereinafter, tag ID) using, for example, Bluetooth standards. For example, the tag 10 searches for a pet, a child, an elderly person, or a specific object (for example, a bicycle, valuables, etc.), moves along with the movement of the search object, and transmits a signal, for example, periodically. In the first embodiment, for example, the tag 10 moves along with the search object by being attached to a pet.

[0027] The communication terminal 20 (second communication terminal) is a communication terminal carried by a user who manages the tag 10 (for example, a pet owner, a child guardian, or the owner of a specific object to which the tag 10 is attached). The communication terminal 20 is, for example, a communication terminal such as a smartphone, tablet, or mobile phone. The communication terminal 20 is a communication terminal that acquires location information of the tag 10 transmitted from the server 40. In addition to acquiring location information of the tag 10 transmitted from the server 40, the communication terminal 20 may also receive signals transmitted from the tag 10. Furthermore, the communication terminal 20 may be paired with the tag 10.

[0028] The communication terminal 30 (first communication terminal) is, for example, a terminal carried by a search collaborator such as a city volunteer. Such a communication terminal 30 may also be carried by a delivery person of a delivery company that delivers to various locations. In addition, a location search application for searching the location of the tag 10 is downloaded to the communication terminal 30, for example, and the process of receiving and searching for the location of the tag 10 is executed under the control of the location search application.

[0029] A location recording application is downloaded to the communication terminal 30. Under the control of the location recording application, the communication terminal 30 executes a location detection process using a location detection function (for example, a GPS function) of the communication terminal 30 and a process of recording location information detected in the location detection process. As described above, the location recording application records the movement route of the communication terminal 30 as a walking route or running route of the user of the communication terminal 30 based on location information periodically detected by the GPS function. The location recording application also has a location search application function that, when a signal is received from the tag 10, notifies the server 40 via the network N of the tag ID included in the signal and the location information of the communication terminal 30 itself.

[0030] The communication terminal 30 links the location recording application with the location search application, and when the carrier of the communication terminal 30 goes out, the carrier can automatically launch the location search application function simply by operating the location recording application. When the location recording application starts measuring location information, the communication terminal 30 also activates a function to notify the server 40 of the ID information from the tag and the location information of the communication terminal itself. When the location recording application finishes measuring location information, the communication terminal 30 also terminates the function to notify the server 40 of the ID information from the tag and the location information of the mobile terminal of the communication terminal 30.

[0031] The server 40 collects location information from a plurality of communication terminals 30 that have received signals transmitted from the tag 10, identifies the location of the tag 10 using the collected location information, and outputs information relating to the identified location of the tag 10. The server 40 may collect location information, etc. from the communication terminals 20 in addition to the communication terminals 30.

[0032] In the event of a disappearance of a pet, child, etc. with a tag 10 attached, in addition to the communication terminal 20, the communication terminal 30 carried by a search collaborator such as a volunteer who is out and about will also act as a sensor that receives the signal from the tag 10, thereby expanding the search range for the tag 10.

[0033] For example, the communication terminal 30 receives a signal from the tag 10 of a missing pet or child, and notifies the server 40 of the tag ID of the tag 10 and the location information of the communication terminal 30 at the time of reception, thereby enabling the server 40 to identify the location information of the tag 10. The server 40 notifies the identified location information of the tag 10 to the communication terminal 20 carried by, for example, the pet owner or the child's guardian.

[0034] [Tag 10 Configuration] Next, the configuration of the tag 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the tag 10 in the first embodiment. The tag 10 has an electronic circuit and an internal memory for storing programs that define various processing procedures and control data. The tag 10 also performs various processes by running various programs. As shown in Fig. 2, the tag 10 has a transmitter 11 that emits a signal including a tag ID.

[0035] In addition, when tag 10 detects its own movement, it may transmit a signal with at least one of the transmission power and transmission frequency increased in accordance with the distance traveled by tag 10, compared to the standard signal, along with an ID indicating the type of signal.

[0036] [Configuration of communication terminal 20] Next, the configuration of the communication terminal 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the communication terminal according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the communication terminal 20 has a communication processing unit 21, a control unit 22, and a storage unit 23. The processing of each unit of the communication terminal 20 will be described below. The configuration shown in Fig. 3 corresponds to the case where the communication terminal 20 has a function of receiving a signal transmitted from the tag 10.

[0037] The communication processing unit 21 controls communication related to various information. For example, the communication processing unit 21 performs wireless communication and receives a signal transmitted from the tag 10.

[0038] The storage unit 23 stores data and programs necessary for various processes performed by the control unit 22. For example, the storage unit 23 is a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk.

[0039] The control unit 22 has an internal memory for storing necessary data and programs that define various processing procedures, and executes various processes using these, but it also has an acceptance unit 22a, a receiving unit 22b, and a notification unit 22c that are particularly closely related to the present invention. Here, the control unit 22 is an electronic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), or an integrated circuit such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) or an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array).

[0040] The reception unit 22a receives a request to start an application for searching for the position of the tag 10 (hereinafter referred to as a position search application) from the server 40. The position search application may be started by a user who confirms the start request, or may be started automatically in response to a start request from the server 40. The position search application may be always running. Furthermore, the reception unit 22a may receive a tag ID that identifies the tag 10 to be searched for along with the request to start the position search application.

[0041] When a location search application is launched, the receiver 22b receives a signal transmitted from the tag 10. For example, when the search application is launched, the receiver 22b starts a process of receiving a signal transmitted from the tag 10, and when the distance between the tag 10 and the communication terminal 20 becomes short and the receiver 22b receives a signal from the tag 10, the receiver 22b notifies the notification unit 22c of the reception of the signal.

[0042] In addition, when the acceptance unit 22a accepts the tag ID to be searched for, the receiving unit 22b may determine whether the tag ID included in the received signal matches the tag ID to be searched for, and notify the notification unit 22c of the reception of the signal only if they match.

[0043] For example, if the signal transmitted from the tag 10 contains an ID indicating the type of the signal, the receiving unit 22b may determine the type of the signal from this ID. Alternatively, as a method for determining the type of the received signal, the receiving unit 22b may determine the type of the signal from the number of signals received from the same tag 10 within a certain period of time, for example.

[0044] When a signal is received by the receiving unit 22b, the notifying unit 22c notifies the server 40 of the location information of the communication terminal 20 at the time the signal was received. For example, when a signal is received by the receiving unit 22b, the notifying unit 22c notifies the server 40 of the location information of the communication terminal 20 together with the tag ID of the tag 10 included in the signal. Furthermore, the notifying unit 22c may estimate the distance between the tag 10 and the own device according to the type of signal received by the receiving unit 22b, and notify the server 40 of information related to the location of the tag 10. Note that the location information may be, for example, information indicating the coordinates (latitude and longitude) of the communication terminal 20 identified using GPS, or information indicating a rough area identified by a base station to which the communication terminal 20 is connected.

[0045] [Configuration of communication terminal 30] Next, the configuration of communication terminal 30 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of communication terminal 30 according to embodiment 1. As shown in Fig. 4, communication terminal 30 has a communication processing unit 31, a control unit 32, and a storage unit 33. The processing of each unit of communication terminal 30 will be described below.

[0046] The communication processing unit 31 controls communication related to various information. For example, the communication processing unit 31 performs wireless communication and receives signals transmitted from the tag 10.

[0047] The storage unit 33 stores data and programs necessary for various processes performed by the control unit 32. For example, the storage unit 33 is a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. The storage unit 33 stores the position information 33a of the communication terminal 30 detected by the position detection unit 32c.

[0048] The control unit 32 has an internal memory for storing programs that define various processing procedures and required data, and executes various processes using these. The control unit 32 has a reception unit 32a (control unit), an application control unit 32b, a position detection unit 32c (detection unit), a receiving unit 32d, and a notification unit 32e. Here, the control unit 32 is an electronic circuit such as a CPU or MPU, or an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA.

[0049] The reception unit 32a receives input of instructions to start and end the position recording application. The reception unit 32a receives input of first instruction information instructing the position recording application to start recording position information and second instruction information instructing the application to end recording position information from the owner of the communication terminal 30. The reception unit 32a receives input of the first instruction information and the second instruction information via a wearable device worn by the owner of the communication terminal 30.

[0050] The application control unit 32b controls the operation of detecting the position of the communication terminal 30 and the operation of recording the detected position in the position recording application downloaded to the communication terminal 30. The application control unit 32b also controls the operation of a position search application that notifies the server 40 of the tag ID and the position information of the communication terminal 30, which are assigned to the position recording application.

[0051] When the detection process by the position detection unit 32c starts, the application control unit 32b starts the reception process by the reception unit 32d and the notification process by the notification unit 32e. When the detection process by the position detection unit 32c ends, the application control unit 32b ends the reception process by the reception unit 32d and the notification process by the notification unit 32e.

[0052] Specifically, a case will be described where the receiving unit 32a receives input of first instruction information. In this case, the application control unit 32b causes the position detection unit 32c to start a detection process for detecting the position of the communication terminal 30. At the same time, the application control unit 32b starts a recording process for recording the position information of the communication terminal 30 detected by the position detection unit 32c, and starts a position recording process of the position recording application. Then, the application control unit 32b causes the receiving unit 32d to start a receiving process for receiving a signal (tag signal) from the tag 10. Furthermore, the application control unit 32b causes the notifying unit 32e to start a notification process for notifying the server 40 of the tag ID of the tag 10 included in the tag signal received from the tag 10 and the position information of the communication terminal 30 at the time the tag signal was received.

[0053] Next, a case where the accepting unit 32a accepts input of second instruction information will be described. In this case, the application control unit 32b causes the position detection unit 32c to end the detection process and ends the recording process of the position information detected by the position detection unit 32c. At the same time, the application control unit 32b causes the receiving unit 32d to end the reception process and causes the notifying unit 32e to end the notification process. In this way, the application control unit 32b controls the operation process of the position search application to be linked to the operation process of the position recording application.

[0054] The position detection unit 32c executes a detection process to detect the position of the communication terminal 30. The position detection unit 32c has, for example, a GPS function. The position detection unit 32c executes the detection process in accordance with the control of the application control unit 32b, thereby executing the detection process to detect the position of the communication terminal 30 only when the position recording application is running.

[0055] The receiving unit 32d receives the tag signal transmitted from the tag 10 in accordance with the control of the application control unit 32b. When the receiving unit 32d is instructed by the application control unit 32b to start the tag signal reception process, it starts the reception process to receive the tag signal transmitted from the tag 10. The receiving unit 32d executes the reception process in accordance with the control of the application control unit 32b, and thereby executes the reception process only when the location recording application is operating. When the receiving unit 32d receives a signal from the tag 10 because the distance between the tag 10 and the communication terminal 30 has become short, it notifies the notifying unit 32e of the reception of the signal.

[0056] In addition, when the communication terminal 30 has accepted the tag ID to be searched for, the receiving unit 32d may determine whether the tag ID included in the received tag signal matches the tag ID to be searched for, and notify the notifying unit 32e of the receipt of the tag signal only if they match.

[0057] For example, if the tag signal transmitted from the tag 10 includes an ID indicating the type of the signal, the receiving unit 32d may determine the type of the tag signal from this ID. Alternatively, as a method for determining the type of the received tag signal, the receiving unit 32d may determine the type of the tag signal from, for example, the number of tag signals received from the same tag 10 within a certain period of time.

[0058] When the tag signal is received by the receiving unit 32d, the notifying unit 32e performs a notification process to notify the server 40 of the tag ID of the tag signal and the location information of the communication terminal 30 at the time of receiving the tag signal, in accordance with the control of the application control unit 32b. By performing the notification process in accordance with the control of the application control unit 32b, the notifying unit 32e performs the notification process only when the location recording application is operating.

[0059] Furthermore, the notification unit 32e may estimate the distance between the tag 10 and the communication terminal 30 itself according to the type of tag signal received by the receiving unit 32d, and may notify the server 40 of information relating to the location of the tag 10. The location information is, for example, information indicating the coordinates (latitude and longitude) of the communication terminal 30 itself specified using GPS. Alternatively, the location information may be information indicating a rough area specified by a base station to which the communication terminal 30 itself is connected.

[0060] [Server Configuration] Next, the configuration of server 40 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of a server according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 5, server 40 has a communication processing unit 41, a control unit 42, and a storage unit 43. The processing of each unit of server 40 will be described below. Note that the configuration shown in Fig. 5 corresponds to a case where server 40 has a function of receiving tag ID and location information of tag 10 from communication terminal 20 in addition to communication terminal 30.

[0061] The communication processing unit 41 controls communication regarding various information exchanged between the communication terminals 20 and 30. For example, the communication processing unit 41 receives the tag ID and location information of the tag 10 from the communication terminals 20 and 30.

[0062] The storage unit 43 stores data and programs necessary for various processes by the control unit 42, and includes a position information storage unit 43a that is particularly closely related to the present invention. For example, the storage unit 43 is a semiconductor memory element such as RAM or flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or optical disk.

[0063] The location information storage unit 43a stores information for searching for the location of the tag 10 collected from each communication terminal 20. For example, as illustrated in Fig. 6, the location information storage unit 43a stores a "tag ID" that uniquely identifies the tag 10 in association with "location information" that indicates the location of the communication terminal 20 when a signal transmitted from the tag 10 is received. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a table stored in the location information storage unit.

[0064] To explain this using the example of FIG. 6, for example, the location information storage unit 43a stores a tag ID "A" and location information "location A" in association with each other. This means that the communication terminals 20 and 30 received a signal transmitted by the tag 10 with the tag ID "A" at "location A." Note that in the example of FIG. 6, the location information is simply described as location A and location B, but in reality, the location information storage unit 43b stores, for example, information specifying longitude and latitude as location information.

[0065] The control unit 42 has an internal memory for storing necessary data and programs that define various processing procedures, and executes various processes using these, but it also has a collection unit 42a, an identification unit 42b, and an output unit 42c that are particularly closely related to the present invention. Here, the control unit 42 is an electronic circuit such as a CPU or MPU, or an integrated circuit such as an ASIC or FPGA.

[0066] The collection unit 42a collects location information from a plurality of communication terminals 20, 30. For example, the collection unit 42a collects location information by transmitting, at predetermined time intervals, a notification instruction to each communication terminal 20 that has launched a location search application and each communication terminal 30 that is executing a recording process of a location recording application to notify them of information. The collection unit 42a may transmit the notification instruction when a predetermined operation is performed by the user, or may collect location information by receiving information transmitted by each communication terminal 20, 30 at its own timing without transmitting a notification instruction.

[0067] The identification unit 42b uses the location information collected by the collection unit 42a to identify the location of the tag 10. For example, the identification unit 42b identifies the location of the tag 10 by sequentially narrowing down the location of the tag 10 every time location information is collected by the collection unit 42a.

[0068] The output unit 42c outputs information relating to the position of the tag 10 identified by the identification unit 42b. For example, the output unit 42c may display an image of a map corresponding to the position of the tag 10 identified by the identification unit 42b, with a circle indicating the range in which the tag 10 is estimated to exist.

[0069] Here, an example of a screen displayed on the communication terminal 20 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed on the communication terminal 20. As illustrated in Fig. 7, for example, when the server 40 identifies that the tag 10 is present within a 50 m radius from a point marked with an "X" on the map, it displays an image on the map of the location corresponding to the position of the tag 10, in which a circle with a radius of 50 m centered on the point marked with an "X" and a size that matches the scale of the map has been added.

[0070] The output unit 42c outputs information about the location of the tag 10 only to the communication terminals 20 of the pet owner, the child's guardian, and the owner of the specific object to which the tag 10 is attached. In other words, the server 40 does not output the location of the tag 10 to all communication terminals 20, but rather outputs the location of the tag 10 only to the communication terminals 20 of specific users, thereby making it possible to prevent personal information from being made known to an unspecified number of people.

[0071] [Example of location search processing] Next, an application example of the position search system 1 will be described. Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating an object to which the tag 10 is attached. Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating an application example of the position search system. As shown in Fig. 8, for example, the tag 10 is attached to the collar of a pet D1.

[0072] As shown in Figure 9, when volunteer search collaborators H1 and H2 start walking their pets, they start the pet walking application downloaded to their communication terminals 30-1 and 30-2, causing the communication terminals 30-1 and 30-2 to start location detection ((1-1) and (1-2) in Figure 9).

[0073] This walking application is also endowed with the function of a location search application that, when a tag signal is received from the tag 10, notifies the server 40 of the tag ID contained in the tag signal and the location information of its own communication terminals 30-1 and 30-2. In the location search system 1, when the location recording application starts, it also starts a tag signal reception process and a communication process for notifying the server 40 of the ID information from the tag 10 and the location information of the mobile terminal of the communication terminal 30 ((1-1) and (1-2) in FIG. 9).

[0074] When pet D1 gets lost, a tag signal is transmitted from the tag 10 of pet D1 ((2-1) and (2-2) in FIG. 9). In this case, if search collaborators H1 and H2 are walking within the signal transmission range of the tag 10, communication terminals 30-1 and 30-2 can receive the tag signal. Upon receiving the tag signal, communication terminals 30-1 and 30-2 transmit the tag ID and location information of communication terminals 30-1 and 30-2 at the time of reception to server 40 ((3-1) and (3-2) in FIG. 9).

[0075] Based on the notification from the communication terminals 30-1 and 30-2, the server 40 identifies the location of the tag 10 and provides the location information of the pet D1 to the communication terminal 20 of the owner G1 of the pet D1 ((4) in FIG. 9). As a result, the location information of the pet D1 is displayed in map format on the communication terminal 20 ((5) in FIG. 9).

[0076] [Location search processing] Next, a description will be given of a series of processing flows in the position search system 1. Fig. 10 is a sequence diagram showing the processing steps of the position search process according to the first embodiment.

[0077] 10, communication terminal 30 determines whether to start position recording using the position recording application based on whether first instruction information has been input (step S1). If communication terminal 30 does not want to start position recording using the position recording application (step S1: No), communication terminal 30 returns to the processing of step S1.

[0078] When the communication terminal 30 starts position recording using the position recording application (step S1: Yes), the communication terminal 30 detects the position of the communication terminal 30 and records the detected position information (step S2). Then, the communication terminal 30 executes tag signal reception processing (step S3).

[0079] Next, the communication terminal 30 determines whether or not a tag signal has been received (step S4). When the communication terminal 30 receives a tag signal including a tag ID from the tag 10 (step S5) (step S4: Yes), the communication terminal 30 transmits a reception notification indicating that the tag signal has been received to the tag 10 that transmitted the tag signal (step S6). Then, the communication terminal 30 notifies the server 40 of the location information of the communication terminal 30 together with the tag ID of the tag 10 (step S7).

[0080] The server 40 identifies the location of the tag 10 based on the notification from the communication terminal 30 (step S8). The server 40 transmits information relating to the identified location of the tag 10 to the communication terminal 20 (step S9), and causes the communication terminal 20 to output the information relating to the location of the tag 10 (step S10).

[0081] If the communication terminal 30 does not receive a tag signal (step S4: No) or after processing step S7, the communication terminal 30 determines whether to end the position recording by the position recording application based on whether or not the second instruction information has been input (step S11). If the communication terminal 30 does not end the position recording by the position recording application (step S11: No), the communication terminal 30 returns to the processing of step S2.

[0082] When the communication terminal 30 ends the position recording by the position recording application (step S11: Yes), the communication terminal 30 ends the process of detecting the position of the communication terminal 30 and recording the detected position information (step S12). Then, the communication terminal 30 ends the process of receiving the tag signal (step S13).

[0083] [Effects of the First Embodiment] Thus, in the first embodiment, when the owner of communication terminal 30 (search cooperator) operates a start button or the like of the location recording application while out, communication terminal 30 starts the tag ID reception process of the location search application and the notification process of the tag ID and location information. In this way, in communication terminal 30, when the location recording application is started while out, the tag ID reception process of the location search application and the notification process of the tag ID and location information are automatically started. Therefore, the search cooperator who is the owner of communication terminal 30 does not need to start the location search application to search for the location of tag 10.

[0084] When the owner of communication terminal 30 presses an end button or the like on the location recording application at the end of going out, communication terminal 30 ends the tag ID reception process and the tag ID and location information notification process of the location search application. In this way, in communication terminal 30, when the location recording application is ended at the end of going out, the tag ID reception process and the tag ID and location information notification process of the location search application are automatically ended. Therefore, the search helper who is the owner of communication terminal 30 does not need to shut down the location search application to end the location search of tag 10.

[0085] In this way, in the first embodiment, the owner of the communication terminal 30 does not have to start or stop the location search application every time they go out. In the first embodiment, the owner simply operates the location recording application when they go out, and the location search application function is automatically started up on the owner's communication terminal. Therefore, according to the first embodiment, it is possible to increase the number of communication terminals 30 in town that can find tags 10, and improve the probability of finding tags 10, without increasing the burden on the search collaborators who are the owners of the communication terminals 30.

[0086] [Embodiment 2] In the second embodiment, a case will be described in which the communication terminal has a function for determining when the carrier leaves the home and when the carrier returns home, and the start and end of the location search application are automatically controlled in accordance with the carrier's departure and return.

[0087] Fig. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a communication terminal according to embodiment 2. The location search system according to embodiment 2 has a communication terminal 230 shown in Fig. 11 instead of communication terminal 30 shown in Fig. 1. Search collaborators such as volunteers in Volunteer Town have communication terminals 230.

[0088] The communication terminal 230 has a control unit 232 instead of the control unit 32 shown in Fig. 4. The control unit 232 has a determination unit 232a, an application control unit 232b (control unit), a position detection unit 32c, a receiving unit 32d, and a notification unit 32e.

[0089] The determination unit 232a determines whether the search cooperator, who is the owner of the communication terminal 230, has gone out or not, based on the detection result by the position detection unit 32c or the movement detection result by the movement detection function of the communication terminal 30 (for example, an acceleration sensor or the like that the communication terminal 230 has). The movement detection result includes, in addition to the position information detected by the position detection unit 32c, the number of steps taken by the owner counted from the sensor result of the acceleration sensor or the like.

[0090] For example, the determination unit 232a acquires the address of the home, workplace, or destination of the carrier of the communication terminal 230 registered in the schedule. Then, when the determination unit 232a detects movement of a predetermined distance (e.g., 10 m) or more from the acquired address, it determines that the carrier of the communication terminal 230 has gone out. Then, when the determination unit 232a detects that the carrier of the communication terminal 230 has moved out within a predetermined distance (e.g., 10 m) from the acquired address, it determines that the carrier of the communication terminal 230 has finished going out.

[0091] When the determination unit 232a determines that the carrier of the communication terminal 30 has gone out, the application control unit 32b causes the receiving unit 32d to start the reception process and the notifying unit 32e to start the notification process. When the determination unit 232a determines that the carrier of the communication terminal 30 has finished going out, the application control unit 232b causes the receiving unit 32d to end the reception process and the notifying unit 32e to end the notification process.

[0092] [Location search processing] Next, a description will be given of a series of processing steps of the position search system according to Embodiment 2. Fig. 12 is a sequence diagram showing the processing steps of the position search process according to Embodiment 2.

[0093] 12, communication terminal 230 determines whether the person carrying communication terminal 230 has gone out or not based on the position detection result or the movement detection result of communication terminal 230 (step S21). If the person carrying communication terminal 230 has not gone out (step S21: No), communication terminal 230 returns to the processing of step S21.

[0094] When the carrier of communication terminal 230 goes out (step S21: Yes), communication terminal 230 performs a process of detecting the location of communication terminal 230 (step S22). Then, communication terminal 230 performs a process of receiving a tag signal (step S23). Steps S24 to S30 shown in Fig. 12 are the same processes as steps S4 to S10 shown in Fig. 10.

[0095] If the communication terminal 230 does not receive a tag signal (step S24: No) or after the processing of step S27, the communication terminal 230 determines whether the person carrying the communication terminal 230 has left the house (step S31). If the communication terminal 230 determines that the person carrying the communication terminal 230 is out (step S31: No), the communication terminal 230 returns to the processing of step S22.

[0096] When it is determined that the user of the communication terminal 230 has left the house (step S31: Yes), the communication terminal 230 ends the process of detecting the location of the communication terminal 230 (step S32). Then, the communication terminal 230 ends the process of receiving the tag signal (step S33).

[0097] [Effects of the second embodiment] In the second embodiment, the communication terminal 230 determines whether the owner of the communication terminal 230 has gone out, and automatically and periodically starts and ends the tag signal reception process and the notification process of the tag ID and location information in response to the owner going out. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the burden on the search collaborator who is the owner of the communication terminal 230 can be further reduced, while the number of communication terminals 230 in town that can find the tag 10 can be increased, and the probability of finding the tag 10 can be improved.

[0098] In addition, not limited to embodiments 1 and 2, the communication terminals 30, 230 may be configured to control the start and end of the reception process in the receiving unit 32d and the notification process in the notification unit 32e in conjunction with the detection process that detects the location of the communication terminal 30, 230 when the owner of the communication terminal 30, 230 goes out.

[0099] [System configuration, etc.] Furthermore, the components of each device shown in the figure are conceptual functional units and do not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to that shown, and all or part of each device can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit depending on various loads and usage conditions. Furthermore, all or any part of the processing functions performed by each device can be realized by a CPU and a program analyzed and executed by the CPU, or can be realized as hardware using wired logic.

[0100] Furthermore, among the processes described in this embodiment, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically using a known method.In addition, the information including the processing procedures, control procedures, specific names, various data and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings can be changed as desired unless otherwise specified.

[0101] [program] It is also possible to create a program in which the processes executed by the communication terminals 20, 30, 230 and server 40 described in the above embodiments are written in a computer-executable language. For example, it is also possible to create a location search program in which the processes executed by the communication terminals 20, 30, 230 and server 40 according to the embodiments are written in a computer-executable language. In this case, the same effects as those of the above embodiments can be obtained by having a computer execute the location search program. Furthermore, such a location search program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the location search program recorded on the recording medium may be read into a computer and executed to realize processes similar to those of the above embodiments.

[0102] Fig. 13 is a diagram showing a computer that executes a location search program. As shown in Fig. 13, the computer 1000 includes, for example, a memory 1010, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 1020, a hard disk drive interface 1030, a disk drive interface 1040, a serial port interface 1050, a video adapter 1060, and a network interface 1070, and these components are connected by a bus 1080.

[0103] As shown in FIG. 13, the memory 1010 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 1011 and a RAM 1012. The ROM 1011 stores a boot program such as a BIOS (Basic Input Output System). The hard disk drive interface 1030 is connected to a hard disk drive 1090 as shown in FIG. 13. The disk drive interface 1040 is connected to a disk drive 1100 as shown in FIG. 13. A removable storage medium such as a magnetic disk or optical disk is inserted into the disk drive 1100. The serial port interface 1050 is connected to a mouse 1110 and a keyboard 1120 as shown in FIG. 13. The video adapter 1060 is connected to a display 1130 as shown in FIG. 13.

[0104] 13, hard disk drive 1090 stores, for example, an OS 1091, an application program 1092, a program module 1093, and program data 1094. That is, the above-mentioned location search program is stored, for example, on hard disk drive 1090 as a program module in which instructions to be executed by computer 1000 are written.

[0105] The various data described in the above embodiment are stored as program data, for example, in the memory 1010 or the hard disk drive 1090. The CPU 1020 then reads the program module 1093 and the program data 1094 stored in the memory 1010 or the hard disk drive 1090 into the RAM 1012 as needed, and executes various processing procedures.

[0106] Note that the program module 1093 and program data 1094 related to the position search program are not limited to being stored in the hard disk drive 1090, and may be stored in, for example, a removable storage medium and read by the CPU 1020 via a disk drive or the like. Alternatively, the program module 1093 and program data 1094 related to the position search program may be stored in another computer connected via a network (such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or WAN (Wide Area Network)) and read by the CPU 1020 via the network interface 1070.

[0107] The above-described embodiments and their modifications are included in the technology disclosed in this application, as well as in the scope of the invention described in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0108] 1. Location Search System 10 Tags 11. Communications Department 20, 30, 230 communication terminals 21,31 Communication processing unit 22,32,232 Control section 22a, 32a Reception 22b, 32d Receiver 22c,32e Notification section 23,33 Storage part 32b, 232b Application control section 40 servers 42a Collection Department 42b Specific part 42c Output section 232a Judgment part

Claims

1. A location search system having a tag that transmits a tag signal including identification information, a first communication terminal that receives the tag signal, a server that collects information from the first communication terminal that has received the tag signal, and a second communication terminal that acquires the location information of the tag transmitted from the server, The first communication terminal a detection unit that executes a detection process to detect a location of the first communication terminal when a user of the first communication terminal goes out; a receiving unit that performs a receiving process to receive a tag signal transmitted from the tag; a notification unit that performs a notification process to notify the server of identification information of the tag included in the tag signal received from the tag and location information of the first communication terminal at the time of receiving the tag signal; a control unit that, when the detection unit starts a detection process, causes the receiving unit to start a reception process and the notifying unit to start a notification process, and, when the detection unit ends the detection process, causes the receiving unit to end the reception process and the notifying unit to end the notification process; and The server a collection unit that collects the identification information of the tag and the location information from the first communication terminal; an identification unit that identifies the position of the tag using the position information collected by the collection unit; an output unit that outputs information related to the position of the tag identified by the identification unit; and The location search system includes: a determination unit that determines whether or not the holder of the first communication terminal has gone out based on the detection result by the detection unit or the movement detection result by the movement detection function of the first communication terminal; and The control unit, when the determination unit determines that the holder of the first communication terminal has gone out, causes the receiving unit to start a receiving process and the notification unit to start a notification process, and when the determination unit determines that the holder of the first communication terminal has finished going out, causes the receiving unit to end the receiving process and the notification unit to end the notification process.

2. the first communication terminal has installed thereon a location recording application that causes the detection unit to execute a detection process and records location information detected by the detection unit; a receiving unit configured to receive input of first instruction information instructing the position recording application to start recording the position information and second instruction information instructing the application to end recording the position information, from a user of the first communication terminal; The control unit, when the receiving unit receives input of the first instruction information, causes the detection unit to start a detection process, causes the recording process of the location information detected by the detection unit, causes the receiving unit to start a reception process, and causes the notification unit to start a notification process; and, when the receiving unit receives input of the second instruction information, causes the detection unit to end the detection process, causes the recording process of the location information detected by the detection unit, causes the receiving unit to end the reception process, and causes the notification unit to end the notification process.

3. The location search system according to claim 2, characterized in that the reception unit receives input of the first instruction information and the second instruction information via a wearable device worn by a person carrying the first communication terminal.

4. The location search system described in claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the location recording application is an application that records the movement route of the first communication terminal as a walking route or running route of the owner of the first communication terminal based on location information detected periodically by the detection unit.

5. A location search method executed by a location search system having a tag that transmits a tag signal including identification information, a first communication terminal that receives the tag signal, a server that collects information from the first communication terminal that has received the tag signal, and a second communication terminal that acquires the tag location information transmitted from the server, comprising: a step of executing a detection process by the first communication terminal to detect a position of the first communication terminal when a person carrying the first communication terminal goes out; a step of performing a receiving process by the first communication terminal to receive a tag signal transmitted from the tag; a step of performing a notification process in which the first communication terminal notifies the server of identification information of the tag included in the tag signal received from the tag and location information of the first communication terminal at the time of receiving the tag signal; a control step in which the first communication terminal starts the reception process and the notification process at the start of the detection process, and ends the reception process and the notification process at the end of the detection process; The server collects the identification information of the tag and the location information from the first communication terminal; a step of the server identifying the location of the tag using the location information collected in the collecting step; a step of the server outputting information relating to the position of the tag identified in the identifying step; a determination step in which the location search system determines whether or not the owner of the first communication terminal has gone out based on the detection result in the step of executing the detection process or the movement detection result by the movement detection function of the first communication terminal; Including, the control step, when it is determined in the determination step that the user of the first communication terminal has gone out, starts the reception process and starts the notification process; The control step terminates the reception process and the notification process when it is determined in the determination step that the user of the first communication terminal has finished going out. A location search method characterized by:

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