Location Information System

Abstract

To provide a position information system capable of enhancing convenience in performing a rapid evacuation behavior, fire extinguishing activity and the like.SOLUTION: A position information system comprises: a portable terminal capable of transmitting originator information including identification information of an originator and self-identification information; and a server capable of transmitting, to the portable terminal, map information in order to display a map image indicating a present position of the portable terminal based on the originator information transmitted by the portable terminal. The system includes: a fire monitoring device for determining a fire occurrence position; and storage means for storing information related to facilities and apparatuses installed inside a building. The facilities include facilities related to structure of a building. The server can generate map information to allow the portable terminal to display the map image indicating the present position of the portable terminal, a fire occurrence position, and predetermined facilities and apparatuses based on fire information including fire occurrence place information, the information related to the facilities and apparatuses, and the present position of the portable terminal, and then can transmit the map information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a location information system capable of reporting the location of a mobile terminal within a facility such as a building, and in particular to a location information system capable of visually reporting fire occurrence information together with the location of a mobile terminal when a fire is detected. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, there has been known a transmitter for a location information system such as a beacon that uses a fire detector to wirelessly transmit device-specific identification information as information for location detection (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In a location information system equipped with transmitters as described above, map information associating the identification information of each of a plurality of transmitters installed at different locations with the installation locations is prepared in advance and provided to a mobile terminal. Then, when a user of the mobile terminal moves around while carrying the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal receives identification information from the transmitters installed at various locations within a building, and the mobile terminal's display unit can display the location within the building together with a map based on the received identification information and map information, allowing the owner of the mobile terminal to grasp his or her own location. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-072965 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, while conventional location information systems using transmitters such as beacons can determine the location of mobile devices within a building, if a fire breaks out within the building, the system will ring a district bell or similar, making it possible to be aware of the fire, but it cannot determine the location of the fire. If the location of the fire can be determined, appropriate evacuation and firefighting operations can be carried out, and initial fire response operations can be carried out with certainty.

[0005] Meanwhile, buildings are usually equipped with fire detection systems and disaster prevention monitoring systems that detect and alert the occurrence of fires, etc. When the fire detection system or disaster prevention monitoring system detects a fire, it may transmit fire occurrence information and fire occurrence location information to a location information system, which then transmits the fire information to a mobile device located within the building, causing the occurrence of the fire to be displayed on a display unit or the location of the fire to be displayed on a map.

[0006] However, since map information is not particularly urgent, it is common for location information systems to transmit map information to mobile devices every few minutes to tens of seconds. On the other hand, fire information is highly urgent. Therefore, if fire information were to be transmitted when periodically transmitting map information, there is a risk that the notification of a fire to mobile device owners would be delayed. Furthermore, there is the issue that equipping a location information system with the ability to transmit emergency information would require significant modifications to the programs of the servers and other components of the location information system. The present invention has been made against the background described above, and its purpose is to provide a location information system that can improve convenience when carrying out rapid evacuation actions, firefighting activities, etc. Another object of the present invention is to provide a location information system that can display fire information appropriate for each mobile terminal owner depending on their attributes (authority, qualifications, etc.). [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides: A location information system for reporting the location of a mobile terminal within a building, a mobile terminal capable of receiving a signal from a transmitter installed in a predetermined area and transmitting transmitter information including identification information of the transmitter and its own identification information; Based on the transmitter information transmitted by the mobile terminal, the current location of the mobile terminal is grasped, and map information for displaying a map image showing the current location of the mobile terminal on the mobile terminal is generated. , regardless of whether or not fire information is received. a server capable of transmitting to the mobile terminal; a fire monitoring device that transmits information on the location of a fire to the server based on fire information including information on the location of a fire transmitted by a receiver capable of receiving a fire detection signal from a fire detector installed in a predetermined area; and a facility and equipment information storage means for storing information on facilities and equipment installed in the building that are not shown on the map image in normal times when no fire has occurred but are shown on the map image in the event of a fire, The server, based on the fire information including the information on the location of the fire transmitted from the fire monitoring device, the information on the facilities and equipment stored in the facility and equipment information storage means, and the current location of the mobile terminal, When there is no fire and the fire information is not received, map information for displaying a map image showing the current location of the mobile terminal on the mobile terminal can be created and transmitted. When there is a fire and the fire information is received, The system is configured to be able to create and transmit map information for displaying on the mobile terminal a map image showing the current location of the mobile terminal, the location of the fire, and specified facilities and equipment.

[0008] According to the location information system having the above configuration, when a fire occurs, not only the location of the mobile device but also the location of the fire can be reported, thereby improving the convenience of taking prompt evacuation actions and firefighting activities, etc. Furthermore, when a fire occurs, not only the current location of the mobile device and the location of the fire but also the locations of specified facilities and equipment (for example, firefighting-related equipment used during firefighting operations and emergency exits used during evacuation) are displayed on a map, allowing the owner of the mobile device to take appropriate action in the event of a fire.

[0009] Here, preferably, the server determines the attributes of the mobile terminal owner who owns the mobile terminal based on the identification information of the mobile terminal that sent the information by referring to a storage means that has previously stored the identification information of the mobile terminal linked to information regarding the attributes of the mobile terminal owner, and creates and is configured to transmit map information for displaying on the mobile terminal a map image showing the current location of the mobile terminal according to the attributes.

[0010] With this configuration, different map information can be displayed depending on the user's attributes (authority, qualifications, etc.), thereby improving security within buildings housing various companies and commercial facilities, or complexes where hotels, companies, residences, etc. coexist, while also increasing convenience for mobile device owners when moving around within the building.

[0011] Preferably, the location information system further includes a push notification system capable of executing a push notification to a mobile terminal, When the server receives the fire occurrence information, the server selects a mobile device to be notified of the fire occurrence based on the transmitter information and the identification information of the mobile device, and requests the push notification system to execute a push notification to the selected mobile device; The push notification system is configured to execute a push notification to notify a mobile terminal of the occurrence of a fire in response to the request from the server.

[0012] With this configuration, even when map information is periodically sent from the location information server to the mobile device at a predetermined time interval, if a fire breaks out, the push notification system immediately sends a push notification to the mobile device informing the mobile device of the occurrence of the fire, allowing the mobile device owner to be notified of the occurrence of the fire promptly. Moreover, existing push notification systems and map information distribution systems (location information systems) can be used as systems for sending push notifications to mobile devices informing the mobile device of the occurrence of a fire, and the occurrence of a fire can be promptly notified by the mobile device without making major modifications to the programs of the servers and the like that make up the location information system or adding new systems. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] The location information system according to the present invention can improve the convenience of taking prompt evacuation actions and firefighting activities, etc. It also has the effect of being able to display fire information appropriate for each mobile terminal owner according to their attributes (authority, qualifications, etc.). [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a location information system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram showing an example of a communication sequence between a location information server and a mobile terminal, and between each server, which constitute the location information system of the embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display range designation table referred to by the location information server. [Figure 4] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing examples of map images (floor plan images) displayed on a mobile terminal of a mobile phone user in normal times and in emergencies. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display / non-display table referenced by the disaster prevention control server (fire monitoring device). [Figure 6] 1A and 1B are diagrams showing examples of map images (floor plan images) displayed on mobile terminals of mobile phone users in normal times and in emergencies (fire outbreaks) in a commercial facility. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a map image (floor plan image) displayed on the mobile devices of a manager and a fire brigade member in the event of an emergency (fire outbreak). [Figure 8] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure in a mobile terminal and a disaster prevention management server that configure the location information system according to the embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure in a location information server included in the location information system according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A position information system according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the schematic configuration of the position information system according to this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the location information system of this embodiment is composed of a mobile terminal 20 capable of receiving signals (radio waves) from beacons (transmitters) 10 installed at multiple locations within a specified area inside a building, a location information server 40 that communicates data with the mobile terminal 20 via a mobile phone base station 30 and a communication network N such as the Internet, a fire receiver 60 that can receive fire detection signals from fire detectors 50 installed at multiple locations within a specified area inside the building, a disaster prevention management server 80 that communicates data with the fire receiver 60 via a gateway (repeater) 70 and the communication network N, and a push notification system 90 that can send messages directly to the mobile terminal 20 via the communication network N. The communication network N may be a network using secure lines, or a network using partially independent lines.

[0016] The push notification system 90 can be configured with a server (push notification execution server) 91 equipped with an API (application programming interface) function, a function for sending push notifications, and a management function for managing messages to be sent and transmission times, and a storage device 92 that stores programs, etc. An existing system can be used for the push notification system 90. In this case, the push notification system 90 can notify information such as earthquake alerts in response to requests from other systems, in addition to notifying of fires, which will be described later, even when the mobile device is not running an app. The location information server 40 and the push notification execution server 91 may be configured as a single support server. Similarly, the disaster prevention management server 80 may be configured as a common support server together with the location information server 40 and the push notification execution server 91.

[0017] The communication method of the beacons 10 that transmit wireless signals (unique information such as device IDs and facility information) to the mobile terminals 20 can be any known communication method, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication, wireless LAN such as WiFi conforming to the IEEE 802.11 standard, infrared communication, visible light communication, etc. The intervals at which the beacons 10 are placed are not particularly limited, but in the following description, it is assumed that the beacons 10 are placed so that the communication range of each adjacent beacon 10 covers the entire space within the building.

[0018] Specifically, since fire detectors 50 and sprinkler heads are installed at predetermined intervals within a building, it is possible to use a beacon 10 that is installed in or attached to these devices, or that is installed near these devices. The beacon 10 has a transmitter that periodically transmits information about the power source (internal battery information or external power source information) and its own identification information to the surrounding area via a wireless signal. The signal (beacon signal) that the beacon 10 transmits wirelessly only needs to include at least the identification information of the beacon 10 (device ID of the transmitter), and may further include information about the area where it is installed. Therefore, it is not necessary for the signal to include information about the power source.

[0019] The mobile terminal 20 is a device such as a smartphone that has a receiving function for receiving signals from the beacons 10 and a wireless communication function. The internal memory of the mobile terminal 20 stores an application program (location information display application) that executes the following processes: receiving beacon signals wirelessly transmitted from the beacons 10 periodically, extracting identification information (device ID) and the like contained in the beacon signals, detecting the received radio wave strength of the beacon signals, and transmitting beacon information including the identification information and the received radio wave strength, as well as identification information (terminal ID) unique to the mobile terminal itself, to the location information server 40; and displaying a floor plan image based on the floor plan information transmitted from the location information server 40 on the screen. When the mobile terminal 20 receives beacon signals transmitted from multiple beacons 10 (beacons 10 whose communication ranges overlap each other), it transmits the respective beacon information to the location information server 40.

[0020] When the fire detector 50 detects the occurrence of an abnormal phenomenon such as heat, smoke, flame, or harmful gas, 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.

[0021] When the fire receiver 60 receives a fire detection signal from the fire detector 50, it displays a fire alarm on the display unit and controls the ringing of a district bell and the interlocking of smoke control and exhaust. Furthermore, the fire receiver 60 transmits fire information, including information on the location and time of the fire, to the disaster prevention management server 80 via the gateway 70 and the communication network N. If the installation address of the fire detector 50 is added to the fire detection signal, the fire receiver 60 identifies the location of the fire based on the installation address. On the other hand, if the installation address of the fire detector 50 is not added to the fire detection signal, the fire receiver 60 identifies the location of the fire based on the detector line 51 (warning area) that transmitted the fire detection signal.

[0022] The location information server 40 includes a database 41 that stores map information (floor plan) of each floor of a building managed by the location information server 40, identification information (terminal ID) specific to each mobile terminal, and a display range designation table linked to information (mobile terminal owner attribute information) on the attributes such as the authority and qualifications of the mobile terminal owner (mobile terminal owner) or mobile terminal owner type information. The map information (floor plan information) of each floor includes the device ID and installation location information of the beacons 10 installed on each floor.

[0023] When the location information server 40 receives the device ID and terminal ID of the beacon 10 from the mobile terminal 20, it calculates the current location of the mobile terminal 20 based on the device ID of the received beacon and the information stored in the database 41. Then, it reads map information of the floor on which the mobile terminal 20 is located from the database 41, generates floor display information by adding a mark (icon) indicating the current location of the mobile terminal 20 to the read floor plan, and executes a process of transmitting the generated floor display information to the mobile terminal 20 that sent the terminal ID. As a result, a floor plan image indicating the current location of the mobile terminal 20 is displayed on the mobile terminal 20.

[0024] Next, an outline of the communication sequence between the location information server 40 and the mobile terminal 20 and between each server 40, 80 and the push notification system 90 in the location information system of the above embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In normal circumstances where there is no fire, when a mobile terminal 20 launches a general-purpose map application within a specified area, the mobile terminal 20 receives a device ID from a nearby beacon 10 and transmits the received device ID and its own terminal ID to the location information server 40 (#1).

[0025] The location information server 40 then determines the location of the mobile terminal 20 that transmitted the ID from the received beacon device ID, reads map information from the database 41, creates map data in which an icon or the like is added to the location of the terminal on the map, and transmits the map data to the mobile terminal 20 (#2). The mobile terminal 20 periodically (e.g., every minute) transmits the beacon device ID to the location information server 40, and the location information server 40 periodically transmits the map data in response. If there are multiple mobile terminals 20 that have launched a general-purpose map app within a specified area, the location information server 40 transmits the map data to all mobile terminals 20 within the area. Note that the location information server 40 may be configured to periodically transmit map information to mobile terminals within a specified area (e.g., every minute) without receiving an ID from the mobile terminal 20.

[0026] When a fire breaks out and fire receiver 60 detects it, it transmits fire information including the occurrence and location of the fire to disaster prevention management server 80 (#3). Disaster prevention management server 80 then transmits information about the occurrence and location of the fire to location information server 40 (#4). Then, based on the terminal IDs of the mobile terminals 20 within the area that the location information server 40 has already identified, it refers to a table in the database 41 to determine the attributes or type of the mobile terminal owner, selects the mobile terminals to be notified of the fire outbreak, and requests the push notification system 90 to send a push notification of the fire outbreak to the selected mobile terminals (#5).

[0027] Upon receiving the request, the push notification system 90 immediately (for example, within one second) sends a push notification to the selected mobile terminal informing it of the occurrence of a fire (#6). In response, the mobile terminal 20 that received the push notification activates its speaker and displays a message informing it of the occurrence of a fire on its display (#7). This allows the mobile terminal owner to quickly learn of the occurrence of a fire. Thereafter, at the time of regular transmission, location information server 40 creates map data with an icon indicating the current location of mobile terminal 20 and an icon indicating a fire at the location where the fire has occurred, and transmits this data to mobile terminal 20 (#8). This allows the mobile terminal owner to know his / her own location and the location where the fire has occurred.

[0028] In addition, when the location information server 40 creates map data with an icon indicating a fire or the like at the location where a fire has occurred, it may refer to the display range designation table in the database 41 based on the device ID and terminal ID of the transmitter sent from the mobile terminal 20, read information on the equipment to be displayed according to the attributes or type of the mobile terminal owner, and generate and transmit display data for the mobile terminal. Here, the display range designation table is information regarding whether or not items such as equipment provided on each floor of a building are to be displayed on the floor plan, and an example of this is shown in FIG.

[0029] As shown in Figure 3, the display range specification table registers, for each facility such as a hotel, residential area, office, hospital, or commercial facility (store), the range of facilities (such as corridors, common areas, etc.) to be displayed on the floor plan displayed on the mobile devices of mobile phone holders with different attributes, such as users (visitors), staff, and managers (responsible persons), divided into normal times and emergency situations. Incidentally, the display range specification table shown in FIG. 3 is created based on the idea shown in Table 1 below, for example.

[0030] [Table 1] Also, Fig. 4 shows examples of floor plans in normal times and in emergency situations that are displayed on the mobile device of a user (visitor) according to the display range specification table in Fig. 3. In Fig. 4, (a) is an example of a floor plan that is displayed in normal times, and (b) is an example of a floor plan that is displayed in emergency situations such as a fire. Therefore, according to the location information system of this embodiment, different map information can be displayed depending on the attributes (authority, qualification, etc.) of the mobile phone owner.

[0031] Furthermore, when the location information server 40 of this embodiment receives fire information (information including information about the location of the fire), information about items that must be displayed in the event of a fire, and information about items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire from the disaster prevention management server 80, it is configured to execute a process of generating floor plan display information that reflects this information and transmitting it to the mobile terminal 20 via the communication network N and the mobile phone base station 30. As a result, a floor plan that reflects the fire information, information about items that must be displayed in the event of a fire, and information about items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire is displayed on the mobile terminal 20, together with a mark (icon) that indicates the current location of the terminal. Therefore, according to the location information system of this embodiment, map information showing different items in normal times and in emergencies can be displayed on the display unit of the mobile terminal.

[0032] 1, the disaster prevention management server 80 has a database 81 that stores facility and equipment information and the like for each building managed by the disaster prevention management server 80. Here, the facility and equipment information of a building is information including a display / hide table that determines whether or not items such as facility and equipment installed on each floor of the building are to be displayed on a floor plan, and installation location information for the items such as facility and equipment installed on each floor of the building. The display / hide table and installation location information for facility and equipment may be stored in a database 41 connected to the location information server 40.

[0033] As shown in Figure 5, the display / hide table stores information (flags) about whether items such as partitions, room names, entrances / exits, doors, various inter-floor transportation facilities (e.g., stairs, elevators, escalators), and various disaster prevention facilities and equipment (e.g., emergency exits, fire alarm equipment (e.g., district bells and other transmitters), fire extinguishing equipment (e.g., fire extinguishers, fire hydrants), emergency telephones, and smoke control and ventilation equipment (e.g., fire doors, fire shutters, smoke vents)) are displayed during normal times (when there is no fire), whether they are displayed when there is a fire on the same floor, and whether they are displayed when there is a fire on another floor. The transmitter shown in Figure 5 is a fire transmitter with a built-in push button switch that generates a signal to notify the fire receiver of the occurrence of a fire.

[0034] When the disaster prevention control server 80 receives fire information from the fire detector 50, the disaster prevention control server 80 can execute a process of transmitting the fire information to the location information server 40 via the communication network N. Furthermore, the disaster prevention management server 80 identifies the building where the fire has occurred based on the fire information, and acquires facility and equipment information of the identified building from the database 81. Then, based on the acquired facility and equipment information, it is possible to generate information on items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire, which specifies items that are displayed normally but not displayed in the event of a fire, and information on items that need to be displayed in the event of a fire, which specifies items that are not displayed normally but displayed in the event of a fire, and to execute a process of transmitting these generated information to the location information server 40 via the communication network N.

[0035] Figure 6(a) shows an example of a floor plan that is displayed on the mobile device of a user (visitor) in normal times when the building is a commercial facility, while Figure 6(b) shows an example of a floor plan that is displayed on the mobile device of a user (visitor) in the event of an emergency (fire outbreak). As can be seen by comparing Figures 6(a) and (b), in the event of an emergency, the location of the emergency stairs and the location of the fire, which are unnecessary information in normal times, are displayed in addition to the user's current location, allowing the user to take appropriate evacuation action quickly.

[0036] Also, Figure 7 shows an example of a floor plan that will be displayed on the mobile device of a manager or a private fire brigade member in the event of an emergency (fire) if the building is a commercial facility. As can be seen from Figure 7, in the event of an emergency, the manager's or private fire brigade member's mobile device will display their current location as well as the locations of fire hydrants and emergency telephones and the location of the fire, enabling them to quickly carry out firefighting activities and report the fire to the fire department or other relevant departments.

[0037] Furthermore, when a portion of the screen of the mobile terminal 20 displaying the floor plan where a symbol or the like (for example, a highlighted symbol or the like) indicating operable facilities or equipment is displayed is touched, information about the operable facilities or equipment (for example, device information and operation methods for the operable facilities or equipment) may be displayed. This allows even a mobile phone owner who is not familiar with how to use the operable facilities or equipment to carry out appropriate fire-fighting operations, thereby making it possible to prevent the spread of fire.

[0038] Next, the processing procedures performed by the mobile terminal 20, disaster prevention management server 80, and location information server 40 that constitute the location information system of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 8(a), for example, the mobile terminal 20 first determines whether or not it has received a beacon signal transmitted from the beacon 10 (step S11). If it has received a beacon signal (step S11; Yes), it transmits beacon information including the identification information (device ID) of the beacon 10 included in the beacon signal and the received radio wave intensity of the beacon signal to the location information server 40 via the mobile phone base station 30 and the communication network N (step S12).

[0039] Next, it is determined whether floor plan information transmitted from the location information server 40 has been received (step S13). If floor plan information has been 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 the first step S14 after the location information display app is launched, the latest floor plan image is displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal 20, and in the second and subsequent step S14s after the location information display app is launched, the floor plan image being displayed on the screen is updated to the latest floor plan image.

[0040] 8(b), the disaster prevention management server 80 first determines whether or not it has received fire information (information including information on the location and time of occurrence of the fire) transmitted from the fire receiver 60 (step S21). If it has received fire information (step S21; Yes), it transmits the fire information to the location information server 40 via the communication network N (step S22).

[0041] Next, the building in which the fire has occurred is identified based on the fire information, facility and equipment information of the identified building is obtained from database 81, information on items that must be displayed in the event of a fire is generated based on the obtained facility and equipment information, and the generated information on items that must be displayed in the event of a fire is transmitted to location information server 40 via communication network N (step S23). Next, information on items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire is generated based on the obtained facility and equipment information, and the generated information on items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire is transmitted to location information server 40 via communication network N (step S24). If the building where the fire has occurred does not have any items that must be displayed in the event of a fire on the same floor or any items that must be displayed in the event of a fire on another floor, the process of step S23 is omitted. Also, if the building where the fire has occurred does not have any items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire on the same floor or any items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire on another floor, the process of step S24 is omitted.

[0042] FIG. 9 shows an example of a procedure for processing by the location information server 40. 9, the location information server 40 first determines whether fire information notifying the occurrence of a fire has been received from the disaster prevention management server 80 (step S27). If it determines that fire information has been received (Yes), it sets a fire occurrence flag (step S28) and selects mobile terminals to be notified of the occurrence of a fire by referring to a table in the database 41 (step S29). Next, it requests the push notification system 90 to execute a push notification of the occurrence of a fire to the mobile terminals selected in step S29 (step S30). If it determines in step S27 that fire information has not been received (No), it proceeds to step S31.

[0043] In step S31, location information server 40 determines whether it has received beacon information transmitted from mobile terminal 20. If it determines that it has received beacon information (Yes), it calculates the current location of mobile terminal 20 based on the received beacon information, the terminal ID, and information stored in database 41 (step S32), and determines the attributes of the mobile terminal owner by referring to database 41 using the terminal ID (step S33). Next, it determines a display range according to the attributes by referring to the table in Fig. 2 (step S34), extracts from database 41 a floor plan of the floor on which mobile terminal 20 is located, plots a mark indicating the current location of mobile terminal 20 on the extracted floor plan, and generates floor plan information that displays the facilities in the display range (step S35).

[0044] Next, the location information server 40 determines whether the fire outbreak flag is set (step S36). If it determines that the fire outbreak flag is not set (step S36; No), the process proceeds to step S44, where the floor plan information generated in step S33 is transmitted to the mobile terminal 20 via the communication network N and the mobile phone base station 30. As a result, a floor plan image such as that shown in FIG. 6(a) is displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal 20.

[0045] On the other hand, if it is determined that the occurrence flag is set (step S36; Yes), the process proceeds to step S37, where it is determined whether or not fire-related information (fire information, information on items that must be displayed in the event of a fire, information on items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire) related to the building in which the mobile terminal 20 is located has been received. If fire-related information related to the building in which the mobile terminal 20 is located has been received (step S37; Yes), the location of the fire is identified based on the fire-related information, and it is determined whether or not a fire has occurred on the floor in which the mobile terminal 20 is located (step S38).

[0046] If a fire has broken out on the floor where the mobile terminal 20 is located (step S38; Yes), the location of the fire is plotted on the floor plan on which the current location of the mobile terminal 20 is plotted (step S39), and the installation locations of items that must be displayed in the event of a fire on that floor are plotted (step S40). Next, items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire on that floor are erased from the floor plan on which the current location of the mobile terminal 20, the location of the fire, and the installation locations of items that must be displayed in the event of a fire on that floor are plotted (step S41). That is, in steps S39 to S41, floor plan information is generated using the floor plan information generated in step S35, to display a floor plan image on which symbols, etc. indicating the location of the fire and symbols, etc. indicating items that must be displayed in the event of a fire on that floor have been added and symbols, etc. indicating items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire on that floor have been erased.

[0047] Then, the floor plan information generated in steps S39 to S41 is transmitted to the mobile terminal 20 via the communication network N and the mobile phone base station 30 (step S44). As a result, a floor plan image (10th floor) such as that shown in FIG. 6(b) is displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal 20. If the fire-related information does not include information on items that must be displayed in the event of a fire, the process of step S40 is omitted. If the fire-related information does not include information on items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire, the process of step S41 is omitted.

[0048] On the other hand, if there is no fire on the floor where the mobile terminal 20 is located (step S38; No), the installation locations of items that must be displayed in the event of a fire on another floor are plotted on the floor plan on which the current location of the mobile terminal 20 is plotted (step S42). Next, items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire on another floor are erased from the floor plan on which the current location of the mobile terminal 20 and the installation locations of items that must be displayed in the event of a fire on another floor are plotted (step S43). That is, in steps S42 to S43, floor plan information for displaying a floor plan image on which symbols and the like indicating items that must be displayed in the event of a fire on another floor are added and symbols and the like indicating items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire on another floor are erased is generated using the floor plan information generated in step S35. Note that symbols and the like indicating files that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire on another floor may be grayed out on the screen without being erased from the floor plan image.

[0049] Then, the floor plan information generated in steps S42 and S43 is transmitted to the mobile terminal 20 via the communication network N and the mobile phone base station 30 (step S44). As a result, a floor plan image of another floor (for example, the ninth floor) is displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal 20. If the fire-related information does not include information on items that must be displayed in the event of a fire, the process of step S40 is omitted. If the fire-related information does not include information on items that do not need to be displayed in the event of a fire, the process of step S41 is omitted.

[0050] As described above, according to the location information system of this embodiment, even when map information is periodically transmitted from location information server 40 to mobile device 20 at predetermined time intervals, if a fire breaks out, push notification system 90 immediately issues a push notification to the mobile device informing the mobile device of the occurrence of a fire, allowing the mobile device owner to be notified of the occurrence of a fire promptly. Moreover, an existing push notification system can be used as the system for issuing push notifications to mobile devices informing the mobile device of a fire, and by simply adding information about the occurrence of a fire to the map information, the occurrence of a fire can be promptly displayed on the display unit of the mobile device without significantly modifying the programs of the servers and the like that make up the location information system or adding a new system.

[0051] Furthermore, according to the location information system of this embodiment, the location of the mobile terminal within the permitted movement range in normal times can be reported according to the attributes of the mobile terminal owner and facility / equipment information, and in the event of a fire, the location of the fire, the location of the mobile terminal, the locations of fire-fighting related equipment, the locations of emergency exits, etc. can also be reported, thereby ensuring security while enabling initial action to be taken quickly in the event of an emergency.

[0052] Although the present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiments, it has been described that a signal from a beacon is received by a mobile terminal and the received information is transmitted to a location information server via wireless communication. However, if the area to be monitored is a space such as an office, a device capable of receiving signals from a beacon may be connected to a personal computer installed on a desk in the office, and the information received by the device may be transmitted to the location information server via a LAN (local area network).

[0053] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the beacon was described as only having the function of transmitting information, but it may also have the function of receiving wireless signals from mobile terminals or other transmitters (wireless tags, terminals, etc.) and the function of transmitting the received information to a server. In addition, in the above embodiment, a system using positioning by a beacon is exemplified as the location information system, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the location information system may be a system using 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.

[0054] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the location specification process of the location information system is performed by the server, but part or all 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 (processing for identifying a position using signals from multiple beacons). Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the case where a fire is detected by a fire monitoring device is described as an example of an emergency, but the present invention may also be applied to the occurrence of other emergencies such as earthquakes and floods. [Explanation of symbols]

[0055] 10 Beacon (Transmitter) 20 Mobile devices 40 Location Information Server (Server) 41 Database (Mobile phone holder and facility information storage means) 50 Fire detector 60 Fire Receiver (Receiver) 80 Disaster prevention management server (fire monitoring device) 81 Database (facility and equipment information storage means) 90 Push Notification System 91 Push notification execution server

Claims

1. A location information system for reporting the location of a mobile terminal within a building, a mobile terminal capable of receiving a signal from a transmitter installed in a predetermined area and transmitting transmitter information including identification information of the transmitter and its own identification information; a server that can grasp the current location of the mobile terminal based on transmitter information transmitted by the mobile terminal and transmit map information to the mobile terminal to display a map image showing the current location of the mobile terminal on the mobile terminal, regardless of whether fire information has been received; a fire monitoring device that transmits information on the location of a fire to the server based on fire information including information on the location of a fire transmitted by a receiver capable of receiving a fire detection signal from fire detectors installed in a predetermined area; a facility and equipment information storage means for storing information on facilities and equipment installed in the building that are not shown on the map image when there is no fire but are shown on the map image when there is a fire, The server is capable of creating and transmitting map information for displaying on the mobile terminal a map image showing the current location of the mobile terminal when there is no fire and the server does not receive the fire information, based on the fire information including information on the location of the fire transmitted from the fire monitoring device, information on the equipment and devices stored in the equipment / device information storage means, and the current location of the mobile terminal; and is capable of creating and transmitting map information for displaying on the mobile terminal a map image showing the current location of the mobile terminal, the location of the fire, and specified equipment and devices when the server receives the fire information.

2. The location information system of claim 1, characterized in that the server is capable of determining the attributes of the mobile terminal owner based on the identification information of the mobile terminal that sent the information by referring to a storage means that has previously stored the identification information of the mobile terminal linked to information regarding the attributes of the mobile terminal owner, and creating and transmitting map information for displaying on the mobile terminal a map image showing the current location of the mobile terminal according to the attributes.

3. the location information system further includes a push notification system capable of executing a push notification to the mobile terminal; When the server receives the fire occurrence information, the server selects a mobile device to be notified of the fire occurrence based on the transmitter information and the identification information of the mobile device, and requests the push notification system to execute a push notification to the selected mobile device; The location information system according to claim 1 , wherein the push notification system executes a push notification to notify the mobile terminal of an occurrence of a fire in response to the request from the server.

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