Information processing device, information processing method, storage medium, and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing device, an information processing method, a storage medium and a program which can suitably transmit information regarding a position of a protected person to provide a safe public place.SOLUTION: An information processing device comprises: first acquisition means for acquiring position information of a first person; transmission control means for executing transmission control for transmitting information regarding the position information of the first person to a predetermined contact address when the first person deviates from the predetermined area; determination means for determining whether or not a second person accompanying the first person exists when the first person deviates from the predetermined area; and second acquisition means for acquiring age information of the second person when the first person deviates from the predetermined area. The transmission control means switches contents of the transmission control according to the age information of the second person when it is determined that the second person exists by the determination means.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 8

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technology for distributing information related to the position information of a protected person to a protector or surrounding vehicles.

Background Art

[0002] There is a system that monitors the position information of a communication terminal used by a protected person and notifies the communication terminal of the protector when the protected person deviates from a set route or is stagnant (Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003] [[ID=2,3]]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, the situation where a protected person deviates from a set route is not necessarily a situation that requires the attention of the protector. For example, when a teacher at the school where the protected person goes to school or the parent of a friend of the protected person is traveling together, the safety of the actions of the protected person is ensured, so excessive notification to the protector about such a situation may give a cumbersome impression. Also, as a result of excessive notification, there is a possibility that a notification that truly requires attention may be overlooked.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to suitably convey information regarding the position of a protected person. reach

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to the present invention, A management system for managing information about pre-registered individuals, Among the persons whose information is managed by the aforementioned management means a first acquisition means for acquiring the position information of a first person, ​A transmission control means that performs transmission control to send information regarding the location of the first person to a predetermined contact when the first person has left a predetermined area, An information processing device comprising, If the first person has left the designated area, the second person accompanying the first person and the second person whose information is managed by the aforementioned management means A determination means for determining whether or not it exists, If the aforementioned first person has left the predetermined area, From the aforementioned management means The system comprises a second acquisition means for acquiring the age information of the second person, The transmission control means, when the determination means determines that the second person exists, switches the content of the transmission control according to the age information of the second person. An information processing device characterized by the above is provided. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, information regarding the location of the protected person can be suitably transmitted, and consequently, a safe public space can be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Overview diagram of the monitoring system. [Figure 2] A block diagram illustrating the configuration of monitoring server 100. [Figure 3] (a) A diagram illustrating user information managed in User DB110, and (b) Area information managed in Area DB120. [Figure 4] A diagram illustrating an example of area information. [Figure 5] A block diagram illustrating the configuration of communication terminal 200. [Figure 6] A diagram illustrating the overview of the transmission control in Embodiment 1. [Figure 7] Another diagram illustrating the overview of the transmission control in Embodiment 1. [Figure 8] A flowchart illustrating the transmission control process performed by the monitoring server 100 in Embodiment 1. [Figure 9] A diagram illustrating the outline of the transmission control of Modification 2. [Figure 10] Another diagram illustrating the outline of the transmission control of Modification 2. [Figure 11] A flowchart illustrating the transmission control process executed by the monitoring server 100 in Embodiment 2. [Figure 12] A diagram illustrating the outline of the transmission control in Embodiment 2. [Figure 13] Another diagram illustrating the outline of the transmission control in Embodiment 2. [Figure 14] A flowchart illustrating the transmission control process executed by the monitoring server 100 in Embodiment 3. [Figure 15] A diagram illustrating the outline of the transmission control in Embodiment 3. [Figure 16] Another diagram illustrating the outline of the transmission control in Embodiment 3. [Figure 17] Another diagram illustrating the outline of the transmission control of Modification 10. [Figure 18] A diagram illustrating the vehicle information managed by the vehicle DB 130. [Figure 19] A block diagram illustrating the configuration of the in-vehicle device 1910 [Figure 20] A diagram illustrating the outline of the transmission control in Embodiment 4. [Figure 21] Another diagram illustrating the outline of the transmission control in Embodiment 4. [Figure 22] A flowchart illustrating the transmission control process executed by the monitoring server 100 in Embodiment 4. [Mode for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0009] [Embodiment 1] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims, and not all combinations of the features described in the embodiments are essential for the invention. Two or more of the features described in the embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. Also, the same or similar configurations are given the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions are omitted.

[0010] One embodiment described below illustrates an example of applying the present invention to a monitoring server, which is an example of an information processing device, that monitors the location information of a protected person and provides information related to the location information to the contact person of the protected person's guardian. However, the present invention is applicable to any device that can acquire the location information of a first person and transmit information to a predetermined contact person when the first person has left a predetermined area.

[0011] Furthermore, in this specification, "guardian" refers to any person who is in a position to protect or supervise a specific person, or who temporarily acts as a substitute for protection or supervision, regardless of whether they have an obligation to protect or supervise, such as a parent, person with parental authority, caregiver, person with a duty of support, guardian, conservator, relative, supervisor, or leader. Whether a person is the guardian of a specific person is determined based on whether or not information to that effect is managed in the system. In contrast, "protected person" refers to a person who is protected or supervised by a guardian, regardless of whether they are related by blood, registered in the family register, or are a minor. For example, in one embodiment, the protected person may be a "child" and the guardian may be their "parent," and in another embodiment, the protected person may be a "student" and the guardian may be a "teacher." Also, for example, it may include embodiments where the protected person is a "child" and the guardian is a "community monitoring volunteer (in the child's residential area)," or where the protected person is a "resident of a specific facility" and the guardian is a "manager / staff member of a specific facility."

[0012] In the embodiments described below, the protected person, as the first person according to the present invention, is a "child," and the guardian, as the third person, is a "parent (mother, father, or both)." To facilitate understanding of the invention, in these embodiments, one parent is associated with and managed as the guardian of one protected child, but it goes without saying that the guardian associated with the protected person may be changed.

[0013] 《Configuration of the monitoring system》 Figure 1(a) is a diagram showing the configuration of a monitoring system that provides a monitoring service according to this embodiment. As shown in the figure, the monitoring system includes a communication terminal 200a used by child 211, a communication terminal 200b used by parent 212, a communication terminal 200c used by third party 213, a monitoring server 100 that acquires their location information and transmits information as needed, and a network 300 that connects these devices in a communicative manner.

[0014] In this embodiment, each of the child 211, parent 212, and third party 213 is pre-registered as a user, and their information, including the identification information of the communication terminal 200 they use, is managed by the monitoring server 100. The monitoring server 100 acquires and manages location information from the communication terminal 200 used by each user during service provision. The information managed by the monitoring server 100 includes information indicating parent-child relationships, and the parent 212 associated with each child 211 can be identified.

[0015] In this embodiment, a third party 213 refers to any person registered as a user of the monitoring service and capable of acquiring location information, excluding the child 211 and parent 212 that are the targets of monitoring. Therefore, in the monitoring service, a third party 213 for a single child 211 refers to all users excluding the child 211 and the parent 212 associated with that child 211. In other words, a third party 213 is any other user of the monitoring service with whom a parent-child relationship is not defined when a user who is a child 211 or parent 212 is identified. That is, a user associated as a parent 212 to a registered child 211 is a third party 213 to any other registered child 211. Similarly, a registered child 211 is also a third party 213 to any other child 211. Users of the monitoring service are not limited to users registered as children or parents; third parties 213 also include, for example, other relatives, acquaintances, teachers, childcare workers, and other individuals who temporarily act as guardians or supervisors.

[0016] To facilitate understanding of the invention, the following explanation will focus on a parent-child pair (child 211 and parent 212) registered with the monitoring service, and describe the flow of the present invention involving this parent-child pair and other users of the monitoring service (third party 213).

[0017] Here, the monitoring service provided by the monitoring system is a service that notifies the parent 212 if the child 211 is acting outside of the child 211's usual range of activity and a predetermined area that has been registered in advance, such as the child's usual route to school or cram school. For this reason, when the communication terminal 200a used by the child 211 is outside the predetermined area, the monitoring server 100 transmits information about the child 211's location (warning information) to the corresponding communication terminal 200b of the parent 212. The communication terminal 200b has a service provision application program (hereinafter referred to as the monitoring app) installed on it, and when it receives the warning information from the monitoring server 100, it notifies the parent 212 via the monitoring app. In this embodiment, the information about the predetermined area related to the child 211 is registered manually, for example, by an area specification operation performed in the monitoring app executed on the parent 212's communication terminal 200b. In other words, the designated area relating to child 211 corresponds to the area in which parent 212 permits child 211 to act independently (an area in which child 211 can move without notifying parent 212).

[0018] The communication terminals 200a to c may be general-purpose devices equipped with information and communication functions, such as smartphones. In this embodiment, the network 300 is described as a wide-area network such as the Internet to enable communication between the communication terminal 200 and the monitoring server 100. However, in a configuration where the service is provided in a limited location, such as a specific event venue, the network 300 may be a LAN.

[0019] The hardware configuration involved in realizing the information processing method according to the present invention will be further described below with reference to the figures.

[0020] <Hardware configuration of monitoring server 100> First, the hardware configuration of the monitoring server 100 in this embodiment will be explained with reference to the block diagram in Figure 2(a). The control unit 101 is a processor, such as a CPU, and by expanding the program recorded in the storage device 102 into the memory 103 and executing it, it realizes the operation control of each block and the various functions described later. The storage device 102 is a non-volatile storage device capable of permanent information storage, such as a ROM or HDD. Here, the program executed by the control unit 101 may be installed in the storage device 102 of the monitoring server 100 via a storage medium such as a CD-ROM. The memory 103 is a volatile storage device such as RAM, and is used not only as a program expansion area and a working area for functions, but also as a storage area for temporarily recording information output by the operation of each block. The communication I / F 104 is an interface for information communication with external devices, and in this embodiment, it communicates information with each communication terminal 200 via the network 300.

[0021] The storage device 102 includes a program executed by the control unit 101, a user database 110 that manages various information (user information) related to users of the monitoring service, and an area database 120 that manages information (area information) of a predetermined area (normal range of activity) registered for users of the protected service. In the monitoring server 100 of this embodiment, for the purpose of simplifying the explanation, the user information of each user (child 211, parent 212, and third party 213) who has been registered in advance as users of the monitoring service is updated when the corresponding communication terminals 200a to c are in a position where their location can be detected, and location information is sequentially received from the said communication terminals.

[0022] <User Information> User information managed for each user in User DB110 is structured as follows, for example as shown in Figure 3(a): each record includes User ID 301, Terminal ID 302, Current Location 303, Age 304, Protected Person Flag 305, Linked User ID 306, Contact 307, Departure Flag 308, Companion Flag 310, Companion Candidate List 309, and Companion User ID 311.

[0023] Here, User ID 301 is identification information that uniquely identifies each user. Terminal ID 302 is identification information that uniquely identifies the communication terminal used by the user, such as terminal identification information, MAC address, or IP address. Current location 303 is information indicating the user's current location. Current location 303 manages the location information measured by the communication terminal 200 used by the user as the user's current location information, and is updated sequentially as the monitoring server 100 receives the measured location information. Age 304 is information indicating the user's age.

[0024] The protected user flag 305 is information indicating whether or not the user is a protected user (child). That is, the protected user flag 305 indicates whether or not the user is subject to location information monitoring and whether or not the guardian (parent) is notified when the user leaves a predetermined area. The protected user flag 305 may be, for example, a logical type of information, and if it is "True", it indicates that the user is a protected user, and if it is "False", it indicates that the user is not a protected user. Whether or not a user is a protected user is determined and managed based on the information entered during user registration and various settings, which is performed when the monitoring application is launched on the communication terminal 200. The linked user ID 306 is identification information (the user ID of the other user) that uniquely identifies other users linked with the user. Here, "linking" means associating users with a parent-child relationship with each other, and in this embodiment, the user ID of the parent 212 is stored in the linked user ID 306 for the child 211 user, and the user ID of the child 211 is stored in the linked user ID 306 for the parent 212 user. Contact 307 includes the user ID and device information of parent 212, which is linked to child 211's user, or parent 212's email address and phone number. In other words, contact 307 is the information to which warning information is sent when child 211's user leaves a designated area.

[0025] The departure flag 308 is information indicating whether or not a user has left a predetermined area related to that user. The departure flag 308 may be, for example, a logical type of information; if it is "True," it indicates that the user has left the predetermined area, and if it is "False," it indicates that the user is still within the predetermined area. In this embodiment, since information about predetermined areas is managed only for protected users, the departure flag 308 is information that can only be true if the user is a protected user.

[0026] The companion candidate list 309 stores the user IDs of users who can be companions (companion candidates) when the user is away from a designated area. For example, companion candidates for child 211 are registered when selected from among third parties 213 in a monitoring application run on the parent's communication terminal 200b, and their user IDs are stored in the companion candidate list 309 of child 211's user information. Therefore, companion candidates may include not only the guardians of child 211's friends (other children 211) or people who temporarily act as guardians or supervisors, but also child 211's friends (other children 211). Here, "companionship" refers to moving together while being within a predetermined distance range from the user in question, and it is permissible to temporarily act separately or stop within that range. The companion flag 310 is information indicating whether or not there are companion candidates, i.e., companions, accompanying the user (child 211) when the user is away from a designated area. The companion flag 310 may be, for example, a logical type of information, and if it is "True", it indicates that there is a companion accompanying the user, and if it is "False", it indicates that there is no companion. The companion user ID 311 stores the user ID of the companion who is actually accompanying the user as a second person according to the present invention when the user has left a predetermined area. In this embodiment, the companion is identified from among the companion candidates registered in the companion candidate list 309 relating to the child 211. Therefore, the companion flag 310 and the companion user ID 311 are information that is only significant when the user has left a predetermined area.

[0027] Therefore, for example, record 321 shown in Figure 3(a) has a protected flag 305 of "True," indicating that it is user information for child 211. From the information of linked user ID 306, it can be seen that user ID 301 is linked to user "A0002" (parent 212) (associated as child 211's guardian). This user information indicates, for example, that if child 211 leaves a designated area, a warning will be sent to contact 307 "AAAAAAAAAA" related to parent 212.

[0028] Furthermore, record 321 indicates that the user has left the designated area because the departure flag 308 is "True". Record 321 also indicates that there is a companion because the companion flag 310 is "True", and from the information of companion user ID 311, it can be seen that the user is traveling with user ID 301, who is "B0001", from the companion candidate list 309. The user information for user ID 301, "B0001", is in record 322, and from the age 304 in that user information, it can be seen that the companion is 28 years old.

[0029] <Area Information> The area information managed in Area DB 120 manages information about a predetermined area registered for each protected user (child 211). The area information managed for each user in Area DB 120 is structured so that each record includes a user ID 331 and an area 332, as shown in Figure 3(b), for example. Here, user ID 331 is identification information that uniquely identifies the protected person. Area 332 is information that identifies a predetermined area registered for the user. In this embodiment, identification information (area ID) is set for areas defined by dividing map information into predetermined sizes, and area 332 stores the area ID of the area corresponding to the predetermined area registered for child 211. For example, if the area shown with hatching in Figure 4 is registered as a predetermined area for a user (child 211) with user ID "A0002", then area 332 of record 341 in Figure 3(b), which shows the area information for that user, stores the area ID associated with that area (corresponding to areas 401 to 415).

[0030] In this embodiment, area information is described as being pre-stored in the storage device 102 (area DB 120) of the monitoring server 100, but area information may be acquired sequentially from an external server or the like.

[0031] <Hardware configuration of communication terminal 200> Next, the hardware configuration of the communication terminal 200 in this embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram in Figure 5(a). The control unit 201 is a processor, such as a CPU, which executes programs recorded in the storage device 202 by loading them into the memory 203, thereby controlling the operation of each block and realizing various functions described later. The storage device 202 is a non-volatile storage device capable of permanent information storage, such as a ROM or HDD. The memory 203 is a volatile storage device, such as RAM, and is used not only as a program loading area and a working area for functions, but also as a storage area for temporarily recording information output by the operation of each block. The communication I / F 204 is an interface for information communication with external devices, and in this embodiment, it communicates information with the monitoring server 100 via the network 300. The GPS receiver 205 receives GPS signals related to the Global Positioning System (GPS) and outputs location information indicating the current location of the communication terminal 200. The display device 206 is a display device provided by the communication terminal 200, such as an LCD.

[0032] The storage device 202 stores the program for the monitoring application in addition to the program related to the operating system of the communication terminal 200. The monitoring application program runs in the background and includes a function to acquire location information output by the GPS receiver 205 and transmit it to the monitoring server 100 when the communication terminal 200 is able to communicate. The monitoring application program also displays a display related to warning information on the display device 206 when it receives warning information.

[0033] Overview of the monitoring service The following describes an overview of the functions provided by the monitoring service of this embodiment.

[0034] As described above, the monitoring application program is installed on the communication terminal 200 of each user of the monitoring service. The control unit 201 of the communication terminal 200 transmits location information acquired by the GPS receiver 205 to the monitoring server 100 via the communication interface 204 at predetermined time intervals, for example. When the control unit 101 of the monitoring server 100 receives location information from each communication terminal 200, it updates the current location information 303 of the corresponding user information. For this reason, the location information transmitted from the communication terminal 200 is accompanied by at least one of the user ID and the terminal ID.

[0035] In this embodiment, when location information (location information of child 211) is received from the communication terminal 200a used by child 211, the communication terminal 200 determines whether the location indicated by the location information is outside a predetermined area registered for child 211. Situations in which child 211 is outside a predetermined area include, for example, situations in which child 211 has gone to an irregular destination, child 211 is lost, or child 211 has gone with someone unknown to parent 212, and include situations in which parent 212 cannot determine whether child 211's safety is guaranteed.

[0036] Therefore, if child 211 leaves the designated area, a warning about the child's location is sent to the contact information of parent 212 linked to child 211. The warning may include, for example, information indicating that the child has left the designated area and information about child 211's current location. When the transmitted warning is received by parent 212's communication terminal 200b, a notification is sent from the monitoring app, and the contents can be confirmed via the display device 206 of the communication terminal 200b. In other words, the monitoring app can inform parent 212 of child 211's situation based on the received warning. This allows parent 212 to understand that child 211 is in a situation that requires attention.

[0037] On the other hand, if child 211 is accompanied by one of the pre-registered companion candidates, the companion can alert child 211 to their actions, and safety is considered to be ensured, so there may be little need for notification by the monitoring app. For example, if child 211 has left the designated area while accompanied by a pre-registered teacher, it is presumed that the teacher is supervising the child, so there is no need to specifically notify parent 212. In particular, repeated unnecessary notifications could lead to truly important notifications being overlooked. However, even if there is a companion, if that companion is a friend of child 211 of the same grade, there is a possibility that the companion may not adequately alert child 211, so notification by the monitoring app is highly necessary. Therefore, the control unit 101 of the monitoring server 100 determines, based on the age information of the companion, whether the situation in which child 211 has left the designated area truly requires attention, and switches the operation related to sending warning information according to the result of that determination. In this embodiment, the age group of accompanying persons who can appropriately alert the child 211 (first age group) is defined as the age group corresponding to adulthood, and the control unit 101 switches the operation related to the transmission of warning information. More specifically, as shown in Figure 6, when the child 211 has left a predetermined area, if an accompanying person is present but the accompanying person is a minor, the control unit 101 transmits warning information to the contact person related to the parent 212, while as shown in Figure 7, if the accompanying person is an adult, the control unit 101 controls not to transmit warning information to the contact person related to the parent 212.

[0038] Therefore, after the control unit 101 of the monitoring server 100 determines, for example, that child 211 has left a predetermined area (while the departure flag 308 is set to "True"), it determines whether or not there are users included in the companion candidate list 309 within a predetermined range from child 211. The control unit 101 then refers to the location information of the identified user and child 211, determines whether or not they are traveling together, and updates the companion flag 310 in the user information. More specifically, after the control unit 101 sets the departure flag 308 of child 211 to "True", it derives the distance between users from the current location 303 of child 211 and the current location 303 of each companion candidate of child 211, based on the user information stored in the user DB 110. If the distance to any companion candidate is smaller than a predetermined distance threshold for companion determination, it determines that they are traveling together and updates the companion flag 310 in the user information of child 211 to True. The control unit 101 also stores the user ID of a potential companion (companion) whose distance is less than the distance threshold in the companion user ID 311 of the child 211's user information. On the other hand, if the distance between child 211 and the potential companion is greater than the distance threshold, it is determined that they are not traveling together, and the companion flag 310 in child 211's user information is updated to False. The control unit 101 also updates the companion user ID 311 in child 211's user information to null (the initial value indicating that no companions exist).

[0039] Transmission control processing Hereinafter, the transmission control processing performed in the monitoring server 100 of this embodiment for transmitting warning information will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart in Figure 8. The processing corresponding to the flowchart can be realized by the control unit 101 reading the corresponding processing program recorded in the storage device 102, for example, loading it into the memory 103 and executing it. This transmission control processing will be described as being started when it is determined that the location information received from the communication terminal 200a of any child 211 has left a predetermined area, that is, when it is determined that the child 211 is outside the predetermined area. In the following description of the transmission control processing, the child 211 that is determined to be in the predetermined area will be referred to as the "target child user," and the parent 212 linked to the child 211 (the user indicated in the linked user ID 306 of the target child user's user information) will be referred to as the "target parent user."

[0040] In S801, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the target child user has a companion. Specifically, the control unit 101 refers to the companion flag 310 in the target child user's user information and determines that a companion exists if the value is True, and that no companion exists if the value is False. For example, if the target child user's user information is record 321 in Figure 3(a), the value of the companion flag 310 is True, so the control unit 101 determines that the target child user has a companion. On the other hand, for example, if the target child user's user information is record 323 in Figure 3(a), the value of the companion flag 310 is False, so the control unit 101 determines that the target child user does not have a companion. If the control unit 101 determines that the target child user has a companion, it moves the process to S802; if it determines that no companion exists, it moves the process to S806.

[0041] In S802, the control unit 101 determines whether the companion of the target child user falls within the adult age group. Specifically, the control unit 101 further refers to the companion's user information based on the companion user ID 311 of the target child user's user information. The control unit 101 then determines whether the age 304 of the companion's user information falls within the adult age group. For example, if the companion's user information is record 322 in Figure 3(a), the age 304 is 28, so the control unit 101 determines that the companion falls within the adult age group. On the other hand, for example, if the companion's user information is record 325 in Figure 3(a), the age 304 is 17, so the control unit 101 determines that the companion does not fall within the adult age group. If the control unit 101 determines that the companion falls within the adult age group, it moves the process to S803; otherwise, it moves the process to S804.

[0042] In S803, the control unit 101 controls the system so as not to send warning information about a target child user who has left a predetermined area to the contact person related to the target parent user, and completes this transmission control process. For example, if the user information of the target child user is record 321 in Figure 3(a), the control unit 101 controls the system so as not to send warning information to contact person 307, "AAAAAAAAAA".

[0043] On the other hand, if S802 determines that the accompanying person of the target child user is not in the adult age group, the control unit 101 configures caution information related to the target child user in S804.

[0044] In S805, the control unit 101 transmits the warning information configured in S804 to the communication I / F 104 and sends it to the contact person related to the target parent user, completing the transmission control process. Here, the contact person related to the target parent user is stored in the contact person 307 of the target child user's user information, and in this embodiment, it is assumed to be the target parent user's communication terminal 200b. For example, if the target child user's user information is record 324 in Figure 3(a), the control unit 101 controls the transmission of the warning information configured in S804 to the contact person 307, which is "CCCCCCCCCC".

[0045] On the other hand, if S801 determines that there are no companions for the target child user, the control unit 101 configures warning information related to the target child user in S806. The warning information configured in this step may be the same as the warning information configured in S804.

[0046] In S807, the control unit 101 transmits the warning information configured in S806 to the communication interface 104 and sends it to the contact person related to the target parent user, completing the transmission control process. For example, if the user information of the target child user is record 323 in Figure 3(a), the control unit 101 controls the transmission of the warning information configured in S806 to the contact person 307, "BBBBBBBBBB".

[0047] In this way, the information processing device of this embodiment can suitably transmit information regarding the location of the protected person to the guardian, and consequently, provide a public space that can be used safely by both the protected person and the guardian. More specifically, if the protected person has left a designated area and is accompanied by an adult, a warning message indicating this fact is not sent to the guardian's communication terminal, thus avoiding the generation of low-priority notifications on the communication terminal. On the other hand, if the protected person is not accompanied by an adult, or if the accompanying adult is a minor, a warning message is sent to the guardian's communication terminal, thus accurately conveying the protected person's situation to the guardian.

[0048] In this embodiment, we have described a method in which it is determined that a warning should be sent when the location information of the child 211 has moved away from a predetermined area. However, for example, it may also be determined that a warning should be sent when it is predicted that the child 211 has moved away from a predetermined area based on its location history.

[0049] [Example 1] In the embodiments described above, a mode was described in which, when the child 211 has left the designated area and is accompanied by an adult, warning information is not sent to the contact person related to the parent 212. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this mode. The present invention only needs to suppress the frequent sending of low-priority notifications to the parent 212, and this may be achieved by reducing the frequency of sending warning information compared to when an adult companion is present. In this way, when the child 211 has left the designated area and is accompanied by an adult companion, it is possible to avoid excessive notification to the parent 212 that the child 211 has left the designated area.

[0050] [Differentiation 2] In the modified example described above, when child 211 has left the designated area and is accompanied by an adult companion, the frequency of sending warning information to the contact person related to parent 212 is reduced compared to when a minor companion is present, thereby achieving a difference in the notification manner to parent 212. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention may also achieve a difference in the notification manner to parent 212 by sending warning information with different levels of alert depending on whether an adult companion or a minor companion is present. More specifically, the present invention may change the warning information sent to the contact person related to parent 212 to a lower level of alert than when a minor companion is present, when child 211 has left the designated area and is accompanied by an adult companion. This is because, when child 211 has left the designated area and is accompanied by an adult companion, appropriate warnings to child 211 by the companion can be expected, and the need for alertness for parent 212 is lower than when a minor companion is present.

[0051] Here, the alert level is a parameter that evaluates the degree to which alert should be requested when an alert is displayed based on the transmitted alert information, and the higher the alert level, the higher the degree to which alert should be requested. The difference in the alert level is reflected, for example, in the difference in the alert display shown on the display device 206 in the communication terminal 200b that receives the alert information, and in the difference in the notification manner when the information is received, and the alert information with a high alert level (attention information) is configured to attract the attention of the parent 212 more easily than the alert information with a low alert level (minor alert information). In one embodiment, attention information and minor alert information may be distinguished by, for example, the display color of the alert display on the screen of the monitoring app, with a "red" alert display that is more likely to attract the attention of the parent 212 being shown when the former information is received, and a "green" alert display that is less likely to attract the attention of the parent 212 being shown when the latter information is received. In another embodiment, the notification method for receiving information on the communication terminal 200b may be such that, for example, when the former information is received, it is notified on the lock screen and displayed as a banner on the unlock screen, while when the latter information is received, it is displayed as a banner on the unlock screen or an update to the display of the number of received items attached to the monitoring app icon. Alternatively, the presentation of warning information according to the alert level is not limited to the display device 206, but may be realized by audio output from the speaker or vibration output from the vibration motor.

[0052] Therefore, in this modified example, when the child 211 is away from the designated area, the control unit 101 controls the system to send a mild warning to the contact person related to the parent 212, as shown in Figure 9, if an adult companion is accompanying the child, while sending a warning to the contact person related to the parent 212, as shown in Figure 10, if a minor companion is accompanying the child. In other words, when the child 211 is away from the designated area, the control unit 101 performs transmission control processing to send a mild warning to the contact person related to the parent 212, so as not to attract the attention of the parent 212, if an adult companion is accompanying the child, and to send a warning to the contact person related to the parent 212, so as not to attract the attention of the parent 212.

[0053] Similarly, when child 211 is away from a designated area, the alert level of the warning information transmitted may differ depending on whether or not there is an adult companion. In the embodiment described above, the warning information composed of S804 and S806 was described as being the same, but since the situation in which 211 should be more vigilant is when there is no companion, the system may be controlled to transmit warning information with a higher alert level than when there is an adult companion.

[0054] [Difference 3] In the embodiments and modifications described above, the method of transmitting warning information was explained differently when the child 211 is away from a predetermined area and the accompanying person is in the adult age group. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the age group of accompanying persons to which control is applied—not transmitting warning information, reducing the frequency of transmitting warning information, or transmitting warning information of a low alert level—is not limited to the adult age group. It goes without saying that it may be changed to any age higher than the first age (the age at which appropriate warnings can be given to the child 211), such as the age group of university students or older, or the age group of 25 years or older. Furthermore, an upper limit may be set for the age group, for example, the age group of adults who are 60 years of age or younger.

[0055] [Embodiment 2] The embodiments and modifications described above describe a method of controlling the transmission of cautionary information according to the age group of the accompanying person when the child 211 has left a predetermined area, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, when child 211 goes to a friend's house outside the predetermined area, it is preferable for an adult accompanying the child, such as the friend's guardian, to accompany them to the friend's house, but the safety of child 211 is considered to be guaranteed even if the friend's guardian is absent during the stay at the friend's house. More specifically, if child 211 is at a friend's house with the friend, a certain level of safety is guaranteed even if the friend is a minor, so it is not a situation that requires attention from parent 212.

[0056] Accordingly, the monitoring system of this embodiment is configured to allow additional permitted areas to be set if a companion is present outside the predetermined area for each child 211. Information on permitted areas may be added to and managed in the area information managed in the area DB 120 based on area specification operations on the monitoring app by the parent 212. Here, in the area information, information on permitted areas is managed in a way that makes it distinguishable from the information on predetermined areas. Furthermore, when a child 211 is outside the predetermined area and is present in a permitted area with any companion, the system is configured to control the manner in which warning information is transmitted, regardless of the age information of the companion.

[0057] Transmission control processing Hereinafter, the transmission control processing related to the transmission of warning information in the monitoring server 100 of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart in Figure 11. The processing corresponding to the flowchart can be realized by the control unit 101 reading the corresponding processing program recorded in the storage device 102, for example, loading it into the memory 103 and executing it. This transmission control processing will be described as being started when it is determined that the location information received from the communication terminal 200a of any child 211 has left a predetermined area, that is, when it is determined that the child 211 is outside the predetermined area.

[0058] In the following description of the transmission control process, a child 211 determined to be in a predetermined area will be referred to as the "target child user," and a parent 212 linked to that child 211 (the user indicated by the linked user ID 306 in the user information of the target child user) will be referred to as the "target parent user." Steps that perform the same processing as the transmission control process in Embodiment 1 will be given the same reference number and their descriptions will be omitted.

[0059] If the control unit 101 determines in S801 that there is an accompanying person for the target child user, it determines in S1101 whether the target child user is in the permitted area. This determination is based on whether the target child user's current location is included in the permitted area set for that target child user. If the control unit 101 determines that the target child user is in the permitted area, it moves the process to S1102; otherwise, it moves the process to S802.

[0060] In S1102, the control unit 101 controls the system so as not to send warning information regarding a target child user who has left a designated area to the contact person of the target parent user, regardless of the age of the accompanying person of the target child user, and completes this transmission control process.

[0061] Thus, if the target child user is in an acceptable area such as a friend's house or a children's center with a companion, the requirement that the companion be an adult is not required, and unnecessary notifications can be prevented from being sent to the target parent user. More specifically, if the child 211 is in an area outside the designated acceptable area with a companion, as shown in Figure 12, the control unit 101 controls the transmission of warning information to the parent 212's contacts according to the age of the companion. If the child 211 is in an acceptable area with a companion, as shown in Figure 13, the control unit 101 performs transmission control processing so as not to send warning information to the parent 212's contacts.

[0062] [Differentiation Example 4] In the above-described embodiment 2, the permissible area for each child 211 was described as being configurable by the parent 212 of the child 211 through area specification operations on the monitoring application. However, it may be difficult for the parent 212 to check the destination of the child 211 and set the permissible area each time. For this reason, the permissible area may be set based on information of a predetermined area registered for the user who is accompanying the child 211 when that accompanying person is identified. That is, if the accompanying person of the child 211 is a protected user also registered in the monitoring service, a predetermined area is set, so the control unit 101 may reuse the information of the predetermined area related to the accompanying person to set the permissible area for the child 211. In this case, the control unit 101 may set all of the predetermined areas related to the accompanying person as permissible areas, or it may set only the area including the accompanying person's home as permissible areas. In this way, even if the parent 212 does not perform an operation to specify the permissible area, the area in which safety can be ensured can be adaptively set as the permissible area according to the accompanying person. Furthermore, since it is preferable that parent 212 consents to the setting of permissible areas, for example, when a companion is identified while child 211 is away from a designated area, the parent 212 may be notified via the monitoring app whether or not to set a permissible area based on pre-set area information for that companion, and the parent may determine whether or not to consent based on their selection operation in response to the notification.

[0063] Similarly, the setting of a predetermined area for child 211 may also be configured to be set based on the child 211's activity history. This allows friend's houses and other places that child 211 frequently visits to be set as predetermined areas according to the activity history, eliminating the need for parent 212 to perform area designation operations to set them as acceptable areas, and accurately notifying parent 212 of situations that should truly be set as acceptable areas.

[0064] [Difference 5] In Embodiment 2 and Modification 4 described above, it was explained that once the information of the permissible area is added to the area information, it is managed thereafter in the area DB 120. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. Due to its characteristics, the permissible area is information that is appropriately determined according to the behavior status and planned behavior of the child 211 and does not need to be permanently retained. Furthermore, if a previously set permissible area is continuously retained, a situation may arise in which the safety of the child 211 cannot be adequately guaranteed. For this reason, after the setting of the permissible area is accepted, the measurement of an effective time, such as 12 hours, may be started, and the control unit 101 may be configured to delete the information of the permissible area from the area information based on the elapsed time of the effective time.

[0065] [Modification 6] In Embodiment 2, Modifications 4 and 5 described above, the system was described as controlling the transmission of warning information to the contact person of the parent 212 of the child 211 when the child 211 is in an acceptable area with a companion. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. As described in Modifications 1 and 2, the notification method to the parent 212 may be changed by reducing the frequency of transmission of warning information compared to when the child is not in an acceptable area, or by transmitting warning information with a lower alert level than when the child is not in an acceptable area.

[0066] [Embodiment 3] In the embodiments and modifications described above, a method was described in which the transmission of warning information is controlled according to the age information of the accompanying person when the child 211 has left a predetermined area, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the child 211 is of junior high school age or older, it can be judged that they have a certain degree of ability to judge the situation and deal with it on their own, and furthermore, if an accompanying person is present, it can be expected that the accompanying person will also give a warning, so it is considered safer than when the child 211 is acting alone. Accordingly, the monitoring system of this embodiment is configured so that when the child 211 has left a predetermined area and an accompanying person is present, the transmission method of warning information is controlled according to whether or not the child 211 is in the age group corresponding to secondary education (junior high school and high school). Here, the monitoring service of this embodiment will be described as a service for children (child 211) who are under the protection of children before secondary education (preschool, elementary education and secondary education).

[0067] Transmission control processing Hereinafter, the transmission control processing related to the transmission of warning information in the monitoring server 100 of this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart in Figure 14. The processing corresponding to the flowchart can be realized by the control unit 101 reading the corresponding processing program recorded in the storage device 102, for example, loading it into the memory 103 and executing it. This transmission control processing will be described as being started when it is determined that the location information received from the communication terminal 200a of any child 211 has left a predetermined area, that is, when it is determined that the child 211 is outside the predetermined area.

[0068] In the following description of the transmission control process, a child 211 determined to be in a predetermined area will be referred to as the "target child user," and a parent 212 linked to that child 211 (the user indicated by the linked user ID 306 in the user information of the target child user) will be referred to as the "target parent user." Steps that perform the same processing as the transmission control process in Embodiment 1 will be given the same reference number and their descriptions will be omitted.

[0069] In S801, if it is determined that the target child user has a companion, the control unit 101 determines in S1401 whether the target child user is in the age group corresponding to secondary education. Specifically, the control unit 101 determines whether the age 304 in the target child user's user information is within the age group corresponding to secondary education (12 to 18 years old). This step may also involve referring to the target child user's date of birth information (not shown) and determining whether the user is in secondary education based on their year of birth. If the control unit 101 determines that the target child user is in the age group corresponding to secondary education, it moves the process to S1402; otherwise, it moves the process to S802.

[0070] In S1402, the control unit 101 controls the system so as not to send warning information regarding a target child user who has left a designated area to the contact person of the target parent user, regardless of the age of the accompanying person of the target child user, and completes this transmission control process.

[0071] Thus, if the target child user is, for example, a child (young adult) in secondary education who has a certain degree of ability to judge and deal with situations on their own, then, if they are with a companion, it is not required that the companion be an adult, and unnecessary notifications can be prevented from being sent to the target parent user. More specifically, when the target child user has left the designated area and is with a companion, and the target child user is not in the age group corresponding to secondary education (i.e., is an elementary school student), as shown in Figure 15, the control unit 101 controls the transmission of warning information to the contacts related to the parent 212 according to the age of the companion. If the target child user is in the age group corresponding to secondary education (i.e., is a junior high school student), as shown in Figure 16, the control unit 101 performs transmission control processing so as not to send warning information to the contacts related to the parent 212.

[0072] In this embodiment, when the target child user has left a predetermined area and is accompanied by others, and the target child user is in the age group corresponding to secondary education, the system is described as controlling the transmission of warning information to the contacts related to the target parent user, regardless of the age of the accompanying person. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, such control may be performed on the condition that all target child users and accompanying persons are in the age group corresponding to secondary education.

[0073] [Difference 7] In the above-described embodiment 3, the transmission control processing of caution information is performed when the child 211 has left a predetermined area and is accompanied by someone, depending on whether or not the child 211 is in the age group corresponding to secondary education. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. Such control that restricts the transmission of caution information based on the age information of the child 211 may be performed on the condition that the child 211's age falls within an age group determined based on a predetermined age (second age) that is lower than the age of the accompanying person (first age) for whom transmission of caution information is deemed unnecessary, such as the child 211 being in the age group corresponding to upper secondary education (high school) or being 14 years of age or older for which criminal liability arises. In particular, in embodiments where registration is possible on the condition that the protected person is a minor, the age group of the child 211 for which transmission of caution information is restricted is not limited to the age group corresponding to any educational course, but may be an age group higher than the second age.

[0074] [Differentiation 8] In Embodiment 3 and Modification 7 described above, if the child 211 is in an age group higher than the second age, and has left the designated area and is accompanied by someone, the system is controlled not to send warning information to the contact person of the child 211's parent 212. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. As described in Modifications 1 and 2, the notification method to the parent 212 may be changed by reducing the frequency of sending warning information compared to when the child 211 is in an age group lower than the second age, or by sending warning information with a lower alert level than when the child 211 is in an age group lower than the second age.

[0075] [Modification 9] In the embodiments and modifications described above, it was explained that accompanying candidates are specified in the accompanying candidate list 309 for each child 211, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the accompanying candidates for each child 211 may be all users (third parties) of the monitoring service, excluding the child 211 and the parent 212 who is the guardian of the child 211.

[0076] [Example 10] In the embodiments and modifications described above, the monitoring server 100 identifies whether or not a companion candidate is accompanying child 211 based on the distance between users derived by the control unit 101 based on the location information of child 211 and the location information of each companion candidate of child 211. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. Depending on the specifications of the GPS receiver, it may not be possible to obtain the difference in height (vertical direction). Therefore, even if the two-dimensional distance derived based on the location information is smaller than the distance threshold, it is possible that child 211 and a companion candidate are not actually accompanying each other (or were accompanying each other but have since separated), for example, if child 211 and a companion candidate are on different floors of a building.

[0077] In this modified version of the monitoring system, in order to more accurately determine whether or not the device is accompanying the user, the communication terminal 200 is further equipped with a short-range communication I / F 221, which is an interface for communicating information with an external device located at close range using a short-range wireless communication method, as shown in Figure 5(b). Here, the short-range wireless communication method is described as ad-hoc communication such as Bluetooth®, UWB, or ZigBee®, but it is not limited to these and any method that wirelessly connects devices located at close range may be used.

[0078] At least two communication terminals 200a and 200c can communicate and send / receive information when they are within the communication range of the short-range communication interface 221. More specifically, the monitoring application program executed on the communication terminal 200a used by the child 211 attempts, for example, at predetermined time intervals, to establish a communication connection with the communication terminal 200c used by the companion (third party 213) via the short-range communication interface 221. Once a communication connection is established, the program maintains the connection until the communication terminal 200 goes out of range. Therefore, information on the connection status of short-range wireless communication on each communication terminal 200a (information on whether a communication connection is established, or in addition to the signal strength from the communication partner) is transmitted to the monitoring server 100, similar to location information. The control unit 101 then determines whether or not the child 211 has a companion based on this connection status information and updates the user information.

[0079] This allows for a more accurate determination of whether or not the protected person has a companion, enabling precise control of information transmission according to the situation. Furthermore, according to this embodiment, since it is not necessary to acquire the location information of the communication terminal 200c to determine whether or not the child 211 has a companion, by acquiring the age information of the companion via short-range wireless communication in addition to the connection status information of the short-range wireless communication on the communication terminal 200a and transmitting it to the monitoring server 100, it is possible to treat a person not registered in the monitoring service as a companion. In other words, even a person who does not wish for the location information of the communication terminal 200 to be acquired can be set as a companion if they allow short-range wireless communication connection and input of age information, thus enabling a wider deployment of monitoring services that provide appropriate notifications to guardians.

[0080] More specifically, as shown in Figure 17, in a case where child 211 visits a friend's house outside a designated area, child 211 (or child 211's parent 212) can request a guardian or other person 1701 of the friend to accompany them (Figure 17(a)), and by establishing a short-range wireless communication connection between the two parties' communication terminals 200 via the monitoring app and having the age range of the accompanying person entered (Figure 17(b)), the transmission of warning information to the parent's contacts is controlled when child 211 leaves the designated area to move to a friend's house, etc. (Figure 17(c)), thus avoiding unnecessary notifications being sent to the parent 212.

[0081] [Embodiment 4] In the embodiments and modifications described above, a manner in which warning information regarding the departure of child 211 from a predetermined area is transmitted to a contact related to parent 212 linked to child 211 has been described, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, if child 211 enters a busy intersection or the like outside the predetermined area, warning information can be transmitted to vehicles (surrounding vehicles) traveling around child 211 or near the intersection to inform drivers that child 211, which is not permitted to travel alone, is passing nearby, thereby preventing traffic accidents. In this embodiment, a manner in which warning information is transmitted to a contact related to surrounding vehicles located around child 211 when child 211 has left a predetermined area will be described.

[0082] 《Configuration of the monitoring system》 Figure 1(b) is a diagram showing the configuration of a monitoring system that provides monitoring services according to this embodiment. As shown in the figure, the monitoring system is composed of a communication terminal 200a used by child 211, a communication terminal 200b used by parent 212, a communication terminal 200c used by third party 213, an in-vehicle device 1910 mounted on vehicle 1900, a monitoring server 100 that acquires their location information and transmits information as needed, and a network 300 that connects these devices in a communicative manner.

[0083] Each vehicle 1900 is registered in advance, and its information, including the identification information of the installed on-board device 1910, is managed by the monitoring server 100. Accordingly, the monitoring server 100 acquires and manages location information from each on-board device 1910 while providing the service. The service provided by the monitoring system of this embodiment notifies surrounding vehicles of a protected user, child 211, if the child 211 is, for example, in a predetermined area.

[0084] The hardware configuration involved in realizing the information processing method according to the present invention will be further described below with reference to the figures.

[0085] <Hardware configuration of monitoring server 100> The hardware configuration of the monitoring server 100 in this embodiment may be the same as that of Embodiment 1 described above, but it differs in that, as shown in Figure 2(b), the storage device 102 further includes a vehicle DB 130 that manages various information (vehicle information) related to the vehicle 1900 corresponding to the monitoring service. The vehicle information for each vehicle 1900 is updated when the corresponding in-vehicle device 1910 is in a state where its location can be detected, and location information is sequentially received from the in-vehicle device. The vehicle information managed for each vehicle 1900 in the vehicle DB 130 is configured such that each record includes a vehicle ID 1801, current location 1802, and contact information 1803, as shown in Figure 18, for example. Here, the vehicle ID 1801 is identification information that uniquely identifies each vehicle 1900. The current location 1802 is information indicating the current location of the vehicle 1900. The contact information 1803, unlike the contact information 307 of the user information, is information indicating the contact used when transmitting information to the in-vehicle device 1910 of the vehicle 1900. In other words, when a warning is sent to contact 1803, the relevant vehicle 1900 will be notified of the warning, and the driver of vehicle 1900 will be informed that there is a child 211 in the vicinity who is not permitted to travel alone.

[0086] <Hardware configuration of the in-vehicle device 1910> Next, the hardware configuration of the on-board device 1910 mounted on the vehicle 1900 of this embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram in Figure 19. The control unit 1911 is responsible for controlling the various units provided by the vehicle 1900. The control unit 1911 includes a processor, such as a CPU, storage devices such as semiconductor memory, and input / output interfaces or communication interfaces with external devices. The storage devices store programs executed by the processor and data used by the processor for processing. The control unit 1911 may include multiple sets of processors, storage devices, and interfaces corresponding to each function of the vehicle 1900.

[0087] The communication interface 1912 is an interface for communicating information with external devices, and in this embodiment, it communicates information with the monitoring server 100 via the network 300. The GPS receiver 1913 receives GPS signals and outputs location information indicating the current position of the vehicle 1900. The output location information is transmitted to the monitoring server 100 via the communication interface 1912. The display device 1914 is a display device provided in the vehicle 1900, such as an LCD. In this embodiment, for the sake of simplicity, the display of the display device 1914 is described as being controlled by the in-vehicle device 1910, but the display control of the display device 1914 may be performed via a dedicated ECU.

[0088] Overview of the monitoring service The following describes the unique functions provided by the monitoring service of this embodiment.

[0089] If child 211 has left the designated area, a warning about the location information of child 211 is transmitted to the contact person for the surrounding vehicle located near child 211. The warning information in this embodiment may include, for example, information about the current location of child 211 (such as which side of the road child 211 is located on when viewed in the direction of travel of vehicle 1900). In addition, the warning information may include information about the direction of travel of child 211 estimated from the location information history of child 211, and information about driving precautions in the area in question. When the transmitted warning information is received by the communication I / F 1912 of the in-vehicle device 1910, the control unit 1911 identifies it and displays a corresponding warning on the display device 1914. That is, based on the received warning information, vehicle 1900 can notify the driver of vehicle 1900 of the presence of child 211 in the vicinity. This allows the driver to recognize the presence of child 211, which requires attention, and take precautionary actions to prevent accidents, such as slowing down or honking the horn.

[0090] On the other hand, if child 211 is accompanied by an adult, the adult can directly keep an eye on the child, making it less likely that the child will run into the road or take other similar actions, thus reducing the need for the driver to be vigilant. In other words, when child 211 is accompanied by an adult, the risk is lower than when child 211 is acting alone or accompanied by a minor, and there is no need to provide the driver with the same level of alert as in the latter two cases. In particular, repeated unnecessary alerts can make it difficult for the driver to concentrate on driving, potentially hindering a comfortable driving experience.

[0091] Therefore, when child 211 is away from a predetermined area, the control unit 101 of the monitoring server 100 determines whether or not there is a companion of child 211, and switches the type of warning information to send to the contact person for the surrounding vehicle according to the age information of the companion. More specifically, when child 211 is away from a predetermined area, the control unit 101 controls the system to send a minor warning to the contact person for the surrounding vehicle if an adult companion is with child 211, as shown in Figure 20, while sending a serious warning to the contact person for the surrounding vehicle if a minor companion is with child 211, as shown in Figure 21.

[0092] In this embodiment, considering the importance of informing the driver of vehicle 1900 of the presence of pedestrians requiring attention, the control unit 101 is described as controlling the transmission of warning information (light warning information or warning information) regardless of the presence or age of any accompanying persons when child 211 has left a predetermined area. In other words, in the monitoring service of this embodiment, when child 211 has left a predetermined area, warning information is transmitted to surrounding vehicles regardless of whether or not an accompanying person is present. However, the manner of the warning display shown on the display device 1914 of the surrounding vehicles based on that warning information differs in terms of the degree of caution required. In other words, warning information and light warning information have different warning displays based on the reception of the information, and for example, the warning display for the former information is configured to attract the driver's attention more easily. In this embodiment, the warning display for warning information and the warning display for light warning information are described as having different display colors. For example, in the former case, the notification is accompanied by a "red" warning indicator that is more likely to attract the driver's attention, while in the latter case, the notification is accompanied by a "green" warning indicator that is less likely to attract the driver's attention. The difference between information requiring attention and information requiring only attention may be made distinguishable, for example, by information on the warning level.

[0093] Transmission control processing Hereinafter, the specific transmission control processing performed in the monitoring server 100 of this embodiment for transmitting warning information to the on-board devices 1910 of surrounding vehicles will be described with reference to the flowchart in Figure 22. The processing corresponding to the flowchart can be realized by the control unit 101 reading the corresponding processing program recorded in the storage device 102, for example, loading it into the memory 103 and executing it. This transmission control processing will be described as being started when it is determined that the location information received from the communication terminal 200a of any child 211 has left a predetermined area, that is, when it is determined that the child 211 is outside the predetermined area.

[0094] In the following description of the transmission control process, a child 211 determined to be located in a predetermined area will be referred to as the "target child user," and a parent 212 linked to that child 211 (the user indicated by the linked user ID 306 in the user information of the target child user) will be referred to as the "target parent user."

[0095] In S2201, the control unit 101 identifies surrounding vehicles located around the target child user. Specifically, the control unit 101 identifies an area to be considered the surroundings based on the current location 303 of the target child user's user information, extracts vehicle information indicating the current location 1802 included in that area from the vehicle information stored in the vehicle DB 130, and identifies surrounding vehicles. The area to be considered the surroundings may be, for example, a rectangular area defining a predetermined range of longitude and latitude centered on the current location of the target child user, and vehicles 1900 whose current location's latitude and longitude both fall within that range of longitude and latitude are identified as surrounding vehicles.

[0096] In S2202, the control unit 101 determines whether or not the target child user has a companion. Specifically, the control unit 101 refers to the companion flag 310 in the target child user's user information and determines that a companion exists if the value is True, and that no companion exists if the value is False. If the control unit 101 determines that a companion exists for the target child user, it moves the process to S2203; if it determines that no companion exists, it moves the process to S2205.

[0097] In S2203, the control unit 101 determines whether the companion of the target child user falls within the adult age group. Specifically, the control unit 101 further refers to the companion's user information based on the companion's user ID 311 in the target child user's user information. The control unit 101 then determines whether the age 304 in the companion's user information falls within the adult age group. If the control unit 101 determines that the companion falls within the adult age group, it moves the process to S2204; otherwise, it moves the process to S2205.

[0098] In S2204, the control unit 101 configures minor caution information relating to the target child user.

[0099] On the other hand, if it is determined in S2202 that there are no companions for the target child user, or if it is determined in S2203 that the companions for the target child user are not in the adult age group, the control unit 101 configures cautionary information regarding the target child user in S2205.

[0100] In S2206, the control unit 101 transmits the configured warning information (minor warning information or warning information) to the communication I / F 104 and sends it to the contacts related to the surrounding vehicles to complete the transmission control process. More specifically, the control unit 101 controls the transmission of warning information to each of the vehicle information contacts 1803 related to the surrounding vehicles identified in S2201.

[0101] In this way, the information processing device of this embodiment can suitably transmit information regarding the location of the protected person to the driver, and in turn, provide a public space that can be used safely by the protected person and their guardian. More specifically, when a protected person has left a designated area and there is a companion present, the notification given to drivers of surrounding vehicles can be made in a manner that is less likely to attract the driver's attention when the companion is an adult compared to when the companion is a minor. This allows for accurate communication of the protected person's situation, which truly requires attention, to the driver, and encourages them to pay attention. Furthermore, when a driver visually observes a protected person, the notification can inform them of the protected person's condition through the notification method.

[0102] In this embodiment, we have described a method of selectively transmitting either mild caution information or caution information depending on whether the accompanying person is an adult, thereby differentiating the display color of the warning indicators displayed in surrounding vehicles and informing the driver of the level of alert. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. The notification to the driver of surrounding vehicles based on the caution information and mild caution information may vary depending on the age information of the accompanying person, and this method may include differences in display position, display elements, etc., in addition to differences in display color. Furthermore, the notification in surrounding vehicles is not limited to the display device 1914, and may be realized, for example, by sound output from a speaker or vibration output from a seat.

[0103] In this embodiment, the contact information for surrounding vehicles was described as being provided by an in-vehicle device 1910 installed in the surrounding vehicle. However, in configurations where a communication terminal such as a smartphone used by the driver is used as a car navigation system, the communication terminal associated with the driver may be selected as the contact information.

[0104] Furthermore, in the transmission control process of this embodiment, the control unit 101 has been described as controlling the transmission of caution information when it is determined that there is no accompanying person when the child 211 has left a predetermined area, or when it is determined that there is an accompanying person but the accompanying person is a minor. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. Since the safety of the child 211's actions may differ depending on whether or not an accompanying person is present, the system may be configured to transmit caution information with different levels of vigilance in each case.

[0105] [Example 11] In Embodiment 4 described above, when the child 211 has left a predetermined area, if the accompanying person is an adult, a lower level of warning information is sent to the contact person for the vehicle surrounding the child 211 than when the accompanying person is a minor. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. As described in Embodiment 1 and Modification 1, the manner of notification to the drivers of surrounding vehicles may be different by sending warning information in the latter case while not sending warning information in the former case, or by reducing the frequency of sending warning information in the former case compared to the latter case.

[0106] [Example 12] In the embodiments and modifications described above, it was explained that the child 211, parent 212, and third party 213 carry a communication terminal 200, and the monitoring server 100 acquires location information obtained by the GPS receiver 205 equipped in the communication terminal 200. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the communication terminal 200 used by the child 211 may not have a GPS receiver 205, but may be a device that has the function of estimating the current location by analyzing images captured by a camera. Alternatively, location information may be acquired from a device not carried by the subject, for example, by identifying the current location of the child 211, the presence or absence of companions, and the age of companions based on the person recognition results of images captured by a surveillance camera installed on the street.

[0107] [Embodiment 5] In the embodiment described above, the monitoring server 100 is described as performing the transmission control processing. However, the transmission control processing may also be performed, for example, on an information and communication terminal used by the event organizer at the event venue. Furthermore, the system may be configured to send warning information to the guardian's contact information, etc., according to the age information of the accompanying person, for a protected person who has left a predetermined area within the event venue. In this case, the selection processing is performed by a CPU (not shown) built into the information and communication terminal, which loads the selection processing program recorded on a storage device such as an HDD into RAM, etc. The selection processing program executed by the CPU may be installed on the storage device of the information and communication terminal via a storage medium such as a CD-ROM.

[0108] Although the present invention has been described above in terms of multiple embodiments and modifications, the configurations of these embodiments and modifications may be applied in combination.

[0109] <Summary of Embodiments> The above embodiments disclose at least the following information processing device, information processing method, storage medium, and program.

[0110] 1. The information processing device of the above embodiment is: A first acquisition means for acquiring location information of a first person, Transmission control means (S802, S803, S805, S807, S1102, S1402, S2206) that executes transmission control to send information regarding the location of the first person to a predetermined contact when the first person has left a predetermined area, An information processing device comprising, A determination means (S801) for determining whether or not there is a second person accompanying the first person when the first person has left the predetermined area, The system includes a second acquisition means for acquiring the age information of a second person when the first person has left the predetermined area, When the determination means determines that the second person exists, the transmission control means switches the content of the transmission control according to the age information of the second person. According to this embodiment, depending on the age information of the companion of the first person, it is possible to switch the notification sent to a predetermined contact when the first person leaves a predetermined area.

[0111] 2. The information processing device of the above embodiment is: The transmission control means reduces the frequency of transmission of location information of the first person to the predetermined contact when the age of the second person falls within a first age group that is higher than the age of the first person, compared to when the age of the second person does not fall within the first age group. According to this embodiment, provided that the accompanying person is a person of the first age group, it is possible to avoid excessive notification to a predetermined contact when the first person leaves a predetermined area.

[0112] 3. The information processing device of the above embodiment is: The transmission control means (S803, S805) does not transmit information regarding the location of the first person to the predetermined contact if the age of the second person falls within the first age group, but transmits information regarding the location of the first person to the predetermined contact if the age of the second person does not fall within the first age group. According to this embodiment, if the accompanying person is a person of the first age group, notification to the designated contact person will not be made if the first person leaves the designated area, whereas otherwise, notification will be made even if there is an accompanying person.

[0113] 4. The information processing device of the above embodiment is: If the age of the second person falls within a first age group that is higher than the age of the first person, the transmission control means causes the predetermined contact to transmit location information of the first person with a lower alert level than the information transmitted when the age of the second person does not fall within the first age group. According to this embodiment, if the accompanying person is a person of the first age group, the notification sent to a designated contact when the first person leaves a designated area can be made at a lower alert level than the notification sent when the person is not of the first age group, making it easier to determine whether or not the situation truly warrants alert.

[0114] 5. The information processing device of the above embodiment is: The first age group mentioned above is the age group that corresponds to adulthood. According to this embodiment, it is possible to evaluate whether the safety of the first person can be ensured depending on whether the accompanying person is an adult or a minor, and to differentiate the manner in which a designated contact person is notified when the first person leaves a designated area.

[0115] 6. The information processing device of the above embodiment is: When the determination means determines that the second person exists, and both the first person and the second person are located in an permitted area outside the predetermined area, the transmission control means reduces the frequency of transmission of location information of the first person to the predetermined contact, regardless of the age information of the second person, compared to when neither the first person nor the second person are located in an permitted area outside the predetermined area. According to this embodiment, even if the first person has left the designated area, if they are with a companion in an acceptable area outside the designated area, such as a friend's house, it is possible to avoid excessive notification to the designated contact person, regardless of the companion's age.

[0116] 7. The information processing device of the above embodiment is: When the determination means determines that the second person exists, the transmission control means (S1102) does not transmit information regarding the location of the first person to the predetermined contact if both the first person and the second person are in the permitted area, but transmits information regarding the location of the first person to the predetermined contact if the first person is not in the permitted area. According to this embodiment, even if the first person has left the designated area, if they are with a companion in an acceptable area outside the designated area, such as a friend's house, for example, a notification will not be sent to the designated contact person, while otherwise a notification will be sent.

[0117] 8. The information processing device of the above embodiment is: When the determination means determines that the second person exists, and both the first person and the second person are in an permitted area outside the predetermined area, the transmission control means causes the predetermined contact to transmit location information of the first person, which has a lower alert level than the information transmitted when neither the first person nor the second person are in the permitted area outside the predetermined area. According to this embodiment, even if the first person has left the designated area, if they are with a companion in an acceptable area outside the designated area, such as a friend's house, the notification to the designated contact can be made at a lower alert level than if they were not in an acceptable area, making it easier to determine whether or not the situation truly warrants alert.

[0118] 9. The information processing device of the above embodiment is: A first setting means for setting a predetermined area based on the behavioral history of the first person, The system further includes a second setting means for receiving the setting of the aforementioned allowable area. According to this embodiment, in addition to a predetermined area that serves as the basis for determining notification based on the behavioral history of the first person, it is also possible to set an acceptable area outside the predetermined area in which the notification method may differ. Therefore, an exceptional area in which the notification method may differ can be appropriately set in situations where the first person moves outside of their behavioral history.

[0119] 10. The information processing device of the above embodiment is When the setting of the permitted area is accepted, the second setting means sets the permitted area based on the area information set in advance for the second person whose existence has been determined by the determination means. According to this embodiment, when the companions of the first person are known, instead of setting an acceptable area that will result in a different notification method each time, an area that has been pre-set for those companions can be reused as the acceptable area.

[0120] 11. The information processing device of the above embodiment is The second setting means cancels the setting of the allowable area after a predetermined time has elapsed since the setting of the allowable area was accepted. According to this embodiment, the setting of an allowable area that causes different notification patterns can be temporarily disabled, thereby avoiding situations where notification is unintentionally mitigated.

[0121] 12. The information processing device of the above embodiment is The system further comprises a third acquisition means for acquiring the age information of the first person, When the determination means determines that the second person exists, and the age of the first person falls into a second age group that is higher than the age of the second person, the transmission control means reduces the frequency of transmission of location information of the first person to the predetermined contacts compared to when the age of the first person falls into the second age group, regardless of the age information of the second person. According to this embodiment, if the first person is a person of the second age group, and provided that a companion is present, it is possible to avoid excessive notification to a predetermined contact when the first person leaves a predetermined area.

[0122] 13. The information processing device of the above embodiment is When the determination means determines that the second person exists, the transmission control means (S1402) does not transmit information regarding the location of the first person to the predetermined contact if the age of the first person falls within the second age range, but transmits information regarding the location of the first person to the predetermined contact if the age of the first person falls within the second age range. According to this embodiment, if there is a companion, and the first person is a person of the second age group, then a notification to a predetermined contact will not be made when the first person leaves the predetermined area, whereas if the first person is not a person of the second age group, then a notification will be made.

[0123] 14. The information processing device of the above embodiment is The system further comprises a third acquisition means for acquiring the age information of the first person, When the determination means determines that the second person exists, and the age of the first person and the age of the second person both fall within a second age group higher than the second person's age, the transmission control means causes the predetermined contact to transmit information regarding the location of the first person, which has a lower alert level than the information transmitted when at least one of the ages of the first person and the second person does not fall within the second age group. According to this embodiment, when a companion is present, if the first person belongs to the second age group, the notification sent to a designated contact when the first person leaves a designated area can be made at a lower alert level than the notification sent when the first person does not belong to the second age group, making it easier to determine whether or not the situation truly warrants alert.

[0124] 15. The information processing device of the above embodiment is The aforementioned second age is lower than the aforementioned first age. The second age group mentioned above corresponds to the age group that is enrolled in secondary education. According to this embodiment, the manner in which a designated contact is notified when the first person leaves a designated area can be made different depending on whether the first person is a person in secondary education or below.

[0125] 16. The information processing device of the above embodiment is The system further comprises a fourth acquisition means for acquiring information about a person registered as a user of the service provided by the aforementioned information processing device, The determination means determines that a second person exists if the first person has left the predetermined area, provided that a person registered as a user exists within a predetermined range from the first person. According to this embodiment, it is possible to determine whether or not there are accompanying persons, but only for individuals who are registered as users of the service.

[0126] 17. The information processing device of the above embodiment is: The aforementioned designated contact information includes the contact information relating to a third person associated with the first person, The information processing device further includes registration means for receiving registration of the second person from the third person, The determination means (S801) determines that a second person exists if the first person has left the predetermined area, provided that a person whose registration has been accepted by the registration means exists within a predetermined range from the first person. According to this embodiment, it is possible to determine whether or not there are companions, but only for persons registered by the third person to whom information regarding the location of the first person is transmitted.

[0127] 18. The information processing device of the above embodiment is The aforementioned first person is a protected person, The aforementioned third person is the guardian of the aforementioned first person. According to this embodiment, in a service that transmits location information of a protected person who has left a predetermined area to a guardian, it is possible to determine whether or not there are accompanying persons, but only for individuals registered by the guardian.

[0128] 19. The information processing device of the above embodiment is: The system further includes a fifth acquisition means for acquiring information on the connection status of short-range wireless communication between the communication terminal relating to the first person and the communication terminal relating to the second person, The transmission control means determines whether or not the second person is within the predetermined range from the first person, based on the information on the connection status of the short-range wireless communication acquired by the fifth acquisition means. According to this embodiment, it is possible to easily determine whether or not a second person is accompanying the other party without obtaining location information of the communication terminal relating to the second person.

[0129] 20. The information processing device of the above embodiment is The system further includes a sixth acquisition means for acquiring location information of a communication terminal relating to the first person and location information of a communication terminal relating to the second person, The transmission control means determines whether or not the second person is within the predetermined range from the first person, based on the location information of the communication terminal relating to the first person and the location information of the communication terminal relating to the second person, which are acquired by the sixth acquisition means. According to this embodiment, since a person whose location information can be tracked can be treated as a companion, it is possible to control the transmission of information to a predetermined contact while keeping track of the movement status of the first person and the second person.

[0130] 21. The information processing method of the above embodiment is: Information processing method, Information processing device, A first acquisition step involves obtaining the location information of a first person, A determination step to determine whether or not there is a second person accompanying the first person when the first person has left a predetermined area, If the first person has left the designated area, a second acquisition step is to acquire the age information of the second person, The system includes a transmission control step (S802, S803, S805, S807, S1102, S1402, S2206) which performs transmission control to send information regarding the location of the first person to a predetermined contact when the first person has left the predetermined area, If the determination step determines that the second person exists, the content of the transmission control in the transmission control step is switched according to the age information of the second person. According to this embodiment, depending on the age information of the companion of the first person, it is possible to switch the notification sent to a predetermined contact when the first person leaves a predetermined area.

[0131] 22. The recording medium of the above embodiment is On the computer, A first acquisition process to obtain the location information of the first person, A determination process to determine whether or not there is a second person accompanying the first person when the first person has left the designated area, If the first person has left the designated area, a second acquisition process is performed to acquire the age information of the second person, If the first person has left the predetermined area, a transmission control process (S802, S803, S805, S807, S1102, S1402, S2206) is performed to execute a transmission control to send information regarding the location of the first person to a predetermined contact, A computer-readable storage medium that stores a program to execute, If the determination process determines that the second person exists, the content of the transmission control in the transmission control process is switched according to the age information of the second person. According to this embodiment, depending on the age information of the companion of the first person, it is possible to switch the notification sent to a predetermined contact when the first person leaves a predetermined area.

[0132] 23. The program of the above embodiment is On the computer, A first acquisition process to obtain the location information of the first person, A determination process to determine whether or not there is a second person accompanying the first person when the first person has left the designated area, If the first person has left the designated area, a second acquisition process is performed to acquire the age information of the second person, If the first person has left the predetermined area, a transmission control process (S802, S803, S805, S807, S1102, S1402, S2206) is performed to execute a transmission control to send information regarding the location of the first person to a predetermined contact, A program that executes, If the determination process determines that the second person exists, the content of the transmission control in the transmission control process is switched according to the age information of the second person. According to this embodiment, depending on the age information of the companion of the first person, it is possible to switch the notification sent to a predetermined contact when the first person leaves a predetermined area.

[0133] Although embodiments of the invention have been described above, the invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0134] 100: Monitoring server, 101: Control unit, 102: Storage device, 103: Memory, 104: Communication interface, 110: User database, 120: Area database, 130: Vehicle database

Claims

1. A management means for managing information about a person who has been registered in advance, The management means includes a first acquisition means for acquiring location information of a first person among those whose information is managed by the management means, A transmission control means that performs transmission control to transmit information regarding the location of the first person to a predetermined contact when the first person has left a predetermined area, An information processing device comprising, A determination means for determining whether there is a second person accompanying the first person when the first person has left the predetermined area, and whose information is managed by the management means, The system includes a second acquisition means for acquiring age information of the second person from the management means when the first person has left the predetermined area, The transmission control means, when the determination means determines that the second person exists, switches the content of the transmission control according to the age information of the second person. An information processing device characterized by the following:

2. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, The transmission control means reduces the frequency of transmission of location information of the first person to the predetermined contact when the age of the second person falls within a first age group that is higher than the age of the first person, compared to when the age of the second person does not fall within the first age group. An information processing device characterized by the following:

3. An information processing apparatus according to claim 2, The transmission control means, if the age of the second person falls within the first age group, does not allow the transmission of information regarding the location of the first person to the predetermined contact, while if the age of the second person does not fall within the first age group, it allows the transmission of information regarding the location of the first person to the predetermined contact. An information processing device characterized by the following:

4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1, The transmission control means, if the age of the second person falls within a first age group that is higher than the age of the first person, causes the predetermined contact to transmit location information of the first person with a lower alert level than the information transmitted when the age of the second person does not fall within the first age group. An information processing device characterized by the following:

5. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, The first age group mentioned above is the age group that corresponds to adulthood. An information processing device characterized by the following:

6. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, When the determination means determines that the second person exists, and both the first person and the second person are located in an permitted area outside the predetermined area, the transmission control means reduces the frequency of transmission of location information of the first person to the predetermined contact, regardless of the age information of the second person, compared to when neither the first person nor the second person are located in an permitted area outside the predetermined area. An information processing device characterized by the following:

7. An information processing apparatus according to claim 6, When the determination means determines that the second person exists, the transmission control means does not transmit information regarding the location of the first person to the predetermined contact if both the first person and the second person are in the permitted area, but transmits information regarding the location of the first person to the predetermined contact if the first person is not in the permitted area. An information processing device characterized by the following:

8. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 5, When the determination means determines that the second person exists, and both the first person and the second person are in an permitted area outside the predetermined area, the transmission control means causes the predetermined contact to transmit information regarding the location of the first person, which has a lower alert level than the information transmitted when neither the first person nor the second person are in the permitted area outside the predetermined area. An information processing device characterized by the following:

9. An information processing device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, A first setting means for setting a predetermined area based on the behavioral history of the first person, The system further comprises a second setting means for receiving the setting of the aforementioned allowable area, An information processing device characterized by the following:

10. An information processing apparatus according to claim 9, The second setting means, when the setting of the allowable area is accepted, sets the allowable area based on the area information set in advance for the second person whose existence has been determined by the determination means. An information processing device characterized by the following:

11. An information processing apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, The second setting means cancels the setting of the allowable area after a predetermined time has elapsed since the setting of the allowable area was accepted. An information processing device characterized by the following:

12. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 11, The system further comprises a third acquisition means for acquiring the age information of the first person, When the determination means determines that the second person exists, and the age of the first person falls within a second age group that is higher than the age of the second person, the transmission control means reduces the frequency of transmission of location information of the first person to the predetermined contacts compared to when the age of the first person falls within the second age group, regardless of the age information of the second person. An information processing device characterized by the following:

13. An information processing apparatus according to claim 12, When the determination means determines that the second person exists, if the age of the first person falls within the second age group, the transmission control means does not transmit information regarding the location of the first person to the predetermined contact, while if the age of the first person falls within the second age group, it transmits information regarding the location of the first person to the predetermined contact. An information processing device characterized by the following:

14. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 11, The system further comprises a third acquisition means for acquiring the age information of the first person from the management means, When the determination means determines that the second person exists, and the age of the first person and the age of the second person both fall within a second age group higher than the second age, the transmission control means causes the predetermined contact to transmit location information of the first person, which has a lower alert level than the information transmitted when at least one of the ages of the first person and the second person does not fall within the second age group. An information processing device characterized by the following:

15. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 14, The second age is lower than the first age. The second age group mentioned above is the age group corresponding to the secondary education curriculum. An information processing device characterized by the following:

16. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 15, The system further comprises a fourth acquisition means for acquiring information about persons managed by the aforementioned management means, The determination means determines that a second person exists if the first person has left the predetermined area, provided that a person whose information is managed by the management means exists within a predetermined range from the first person. An information processing device characterized by the following:

17. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 15, The aforementioned designated contact information includes contact information relating to a third person whose information is managed in the management means in association with the first person, The information processing device further includes registration means for receiving registration of the second person from the third person, The determination means determines that a second person exists if the first person has left the predetermined area, provided that a person whose registration has been accepted by the registration means exists within a predetermined range from the first person. An information processing device characterized by the following:

18. An information processing apparatus according to claim 17, The aforementioned first person is a protected person, The aforementioned third person is the guardian of the aforementioned first person. An information processing device characterized by the following:

19. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 16 to 18, The system further includes a fifth acquisition means for acquiring information on the connection status of short-range wireless communication between the communication terminal relating to the first person and the communication terminal relating to the second person, The transmission control means determines whether or not a second person is within a predetermined range from the first person, based on the connection status information of the short-range wireless communication acquired by the fifth acquisition means. An information processing device characterized by the following:

20. An information processing apparatus according to any one of claims 16 to 18, The system further includes a sixth acquisition means for acquiring location information of a communication terminal relating to the first person and location information of a communication terminal relating to the second person, The transmission control means determines whether or not the second person is within the predetermined range from the first person, based on the location information of the communication terminal relating to the first person and the location information of the communication terminal relating to the second person obtained by the sixth acquisition means. An information processing device characterized by the following:

21. Information processing method, An information processing device having a management means for managing information about a person who has been registered in advance, A first acquisition step of acquiring location information of a first person among the persons whose information is managed by the aforementioned management means, A determination step to determine whether there is a second person accompanying the first person when the first person has left the designated area, and whose information is managed by the management means; A second acquisition step is to acquire the age information of the second person from the management means when the first person has left the designated area, The system includes a transmission control step which, when the first person has left the predetermined area, performs a transmission control to transmit information regarding the location of the first person to a predetermined contact, If the determination step determines that the second person exists, the content of the transmission control in the transmission control step is switched according to the age information of the second person. An information processing method characterized by the following:

22. A computer having management means for managing information about a person who has been registered in advance, A first acquisition process for acquiring location information of a first person among those whose information is managed by the aforementioned management means, A determination process to determine whether there is a second person accompanying the first person when the first person has left the designated area, and whose information is managed by the management means, If the first person has left the designated area, a second acquisition process is performed to acquire the age information of the second person from the management means, A transmission control process that performs a transmission control to send information regarding the location of the first person to a predetermined contact when the first person has left the predetermined area, A computer-readable storage medium that stores a program to execute, If the determination process determines that the second person exists, the content of the transmission control in the transmission control process is switched according to the age information of the second person. A storage medium characterized by the following features.

23. A computer having management means for managing information about a person who has been registered in advance, A first acquisition process for acquiring location information of a first person among those whose information is managed by the aforementioned management means, A determination process to determine whether there is a second person accompanying the first person when the first person has left the designated area, and whose information is managed by the management means, If the first person has left the designated area, a second acquisition process is performed to acquire the age information of the second person from the management means, A transmission control process that performs a transmission control to send information regarding the location of the first person to a predetermined contact when the first person has left the predetermined area, A program that executes, If the determination process determines that the second person exists, the content of the transmission control in the transmission control process is switched according to the age information of the second person. A program characterized by the following features.

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