Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus that makes it possible to identify an appropriate holding position of an object for short-range wireless communication.SOLUTION: In an information processing system, an information processing apparatus 11 includes a communication unit 15 that performs short-range wireless communication with a communication object held for an own apparatus, and an operation processing unit 12 that determines that a holding position of the communication object is appropriate when a communication state satisfies a certain condition based on the communication state of the communication unit with the communication object.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present technology relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program, and more particularly to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program that can specify an appropriate holding position of an object for performing short-range wireless communication.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for displaying the position of the holding position (antenna) of an object for short-range wireless communication captured by a camera on a screen and guiding the object to an appropriate holding position.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] An appropriate holding position in short-range wireless communication may not be able to be specified from the position of the antenna of the communication target.

[0005] The present technology has been made in view of such a situation, and enables the specification of an appropriate holding position of an object for performing short-range wireless communication.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The information processing apparatus or program according to the first aspect of the present technology includes a communication unit that performs short-range wireless communication with a communication target held against the own apparatus, and a processing unit that determines that the holding position of the communication target when the communication state satisfies a certain condition is appropriate based on the communication state between the communication unit and the communication target. a display unit that displays a holding position presentation image that presents the holding position indicated by the holding position information to the user based on the holding position information obtained from an external device. and has The processing unit then transmits the position information, which identifies the position at which the communication target is held when it has determined that the position is appropriate, to the external device, thereby updating the position information registered in the database of the external device. An information processing apparatus, or a program for causing a computer to function as such an information processing apparatus.

[0007] The first aspect of this technology is an information processing method comprising a communication unit and a processing unit. The communication unit of the information processing device performs short-range wireless communication with a communication target held over itself, and the processing unit determines, based on the communication state between the communication unit and the communication target, that the position where the communication target is held over is appropriate when the communication state satisfies certain conditions. The display unit then displays a position indication image that shows the user the position indicated by the position information obtained from the external device, and the processing unit transmits position information that identifies the position when it determines that the position of the communication target is appropriate to the external device, thereby updating the position information registered in the database of the external device. It is an information processing method.

[0008] In the first aspect of this technology, the information processing device and program determine, based on the communication state in short-range wireless communication with the communication target being held, that the position where the communication target is held is appropriate when the communication state satisfies certain conditions. Based on the position information obtained from the external device, a position indication image is displayed that shows the user the position indicated by the position information. Then, position information that identifies the position when it is determined that the position of the communication target is appropriate is transmitted to the external device, and the position information registered in the database of the external device is updated.

[0009] The second aspect of this technology is the information processing device, Terminal device For each model, the above Terminal device The communication target for which short-range wireless communication is performed is the aforementioned Terminal device A database containing location information that identifies the location where the device should be held, The terminal device In contrast, the above Terminal device The above-mentioned position information corresponding to the model Terminal device A transmitting unit that sends data, The aforementioned terminal device, As a result of presenting the user with the position indicated by the aforementioned position information, the position information that identifies the position of the communication target when the short-range wireless communication was actually performed is then presented. Terminal device A receiving unit that receives from, and the aforementioned Terminal device This information processing apparatus includes a processing unit that updates the aforementioned position information registered in the database based on the aforementioned position information obtained from the device.

[0010] In the information processing device of the second aspect of this technology, Terminal device For each model, the above Terminal device The communication target for which short-range wireless communication is performed is the aforementioned Terminal device Position information is registered to identify the location where the device should be held. The terminal device The above-mentioned position information corresponding to the model Terminal devicesent to the The terminal device, As a result of presenting the pointing position indicated by the pointing position information from the Terminal device to the user, pointing position information for identifying the pointing position of the communication target when the short-range wireless communication is actually performed is received from the Terminal device and the pointing position information registered in the database is updated based on the pointing position information from the

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011] [Figure 1] It is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an information processing system according to an embodiment to which the present technology is applied. [Figure 2] It is a sequence diagram showing the processing flow of the information processing device (smartphone), server, and card in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing the state of creating a database of pointing position information. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing an example of displaying pointing position information. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing an example of displaying pointing position information. [Figure 6] It is a diagram illustrating a pointing position guidance image. [Figure 7] It is a diagram illustrating a pointing position guidance image. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing an example of success or failure in receiving a polling response to a polling command. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing an example of displaying the number of consecutive receptions of a polling response. [Figure 10] It is a diagram illustrating a feedback input screen.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present technology will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0013] <<Information Processing System According to the Present Embodiment>> Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment to which this technology is applied. The information processing system 1 includes an information processing device 11 (first information processing device), a server 21 (second information processing device), and a card 31. The information processing device 11 and the server 21 communicate, for example, via a network. The network can include, for example, a wired communication network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or WAN (Wide Area Network), a wireless communication network such as a mobile communication network or wireless LAN (WLAN: Wireless Local Area Network), or a composite communication network. The network can also include the Internet using a communication protocol such as TCP / IP (Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol).

[0014] The information processing device 11 and the contactless IC card 31 (hereinafter also referred to as IC card 31 or card 31) communicate via near-field communication (NFC). In NFC, communication is performed using a magnetic field (carrier wave) of a predetermined frequency, such as 13.56 MHz.

[0015] In this embodiment, the information processing system 1 includes any number of information processing devices 11 that communicate individually with the server 21, but Figure 1 shows only one of these information processing devices 11. Furthermore, the communication target that the information processing device 11 connects to via NFC is not necessarily limited to a contactless IC card, but in this embodiment, it is assumed to be a contactless IC card.

[0016] The information processing device 11 is, for example, a terminal device such as a smartphone, and a series of processes as the information processing device 11 of the information processing system 1 are performed by executing a program included in the installed software (application). However, some or all of the series of processes of the information processing device 11 may be performed by hardware. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the information processing device 11 is mainly a smartphone, but the information processing device 11 may be any device that has the function of performing short-range wireless communication with a communication target such as a contactless IC card, and may be a device such as a POS (Point of Sales) terminal. Also, the information processing device 11 may be a single integrated device or a device consisting of multiple separate devices. The information processing device 11 has an arithmetic processing unit 12, a display unit 13, an input unit 14, a communication unit 15, a storage unit 16, a CLF (Contactless Front End) 17, an antenna 18, and an SE (Secure Element) 19.

[0017] The arithmetic processing unit 12 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), and reads various data such as programs stored in the memory unit 16 and executes various processes. The display unit 13 displays various information supplied from the arithmetic processing unit 12 on a display such as a liquid crystal or organic EL (Electro-Luminescence). The input unit 14 detects user operations using input devices such as touch panels, buttons, keys, and dials installed on the display, and supplies the detected user operations to the arithmetic processing unit 12. The communication unit 15 controls communication with external devices such as a server 21 via a network and transmits and receives various data between the arithmetic processing unit 12 and external devices. The memory unit 16 stores various data such as programs and calculation parameters used by the arithmetic processing unit 12. All memory that the arithmetic processing unit 12 can write or read data from is collectively represented as the memory unit 16. The memory included in the storage unit 16 may be any type of memory, such as ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), EEPROM (Electronically Erasable and Programmable ROM), or a magnetic recording medium. CLF17 is a contactless communication device (module) that controls contactless communication with the card 31. CLF17 is a communication unit that controls contactless communication with an IC card 31, such as one that conforms to NFC (NFC Forum specification), a standard for short-range wireless communication, and conforms to ISO / IEC 14443 Type A / B or FeliCa® technology, which are standards for contactless IC cards. In this specification, short-range wireless communication conforming to the NFC Forum specification is referred to as NFC. However, this technology can be applied when the information processing device 11 and a contactless IC card (communication target) perform contactless short-range wireless communication, regardless of whether or not they conform to the NFC Forum specification.

[0018] Furthermore, the CLF17 controls NFC in three modes, for example. The modes include Reader / Writer mode, Peer-to-Peer (P2P) mode, and Card Emulation mode. Reader / Writer mode is a mode for reading and writing data contained in a communication target (card 31) such as a contactless IC card, P2P mode is a mode for communication between devices with NFC functionality, and Card Emulation mode is a mode for realizing the functions of an IC card using a device other than the IC card (information processing device 11). In this technology, the CLF17 may only control NFC in Reader / Writer mode, and in the following description, the CLF17 will be described only when connected to the card 31 in NFC Reader / Writer mode. The antenna 18 transmits and receives wireless signals for NFC with the card 31 placed nearby. SE19 is an IC chip that incorporates memory for securely storing data and encryption logic circuits. SE19 acts as an SE mounted on the IC card when the information processing device 11 functions as an IC card, in the case when the CLF17 is in Card Emulation mode. In this technology, it is not required that the CLF17 controls NFC in Card Emulation mode, so the information processing device 11 does not need to have SE19, and a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0019] Server 21 is, for example, a general-purpose computer, and a series of processes as Server 21 of the information processing system 1 are performed by executing programs included in the installed software. However, some or all of the processes of Server 21 may be performed by hardware. Server 21 has an arithmetic processing unit 22, a display unit 23, an input unit 24, a communication unit 25, and a storage unit 26.

[0020] The arithmetic processing unit 22 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and reads various data, such as programs, stored in the memory unit 26 and executes various processes. The display unit 23 displays various information supplied from the arithmetic processing unit 22 on a display such as a liquid crystal or organic EL (Electro-Luminescence). The input unit 24 detects user operations using input devices such as a keyboard or a touch panel installed on the display and supplies the detected user operations to the arithmetic processing unit 22. The communication unit 25 controls communication with external devices such as the information processing device 11 via a network and transmits and receives various data between the arithmetic processing unit 22 and external devices. The memory unit 26 stores various data such as programs and calculation parameters used by the arithmetic processing unit 22. All memories that the arithmetic processing unit 22 can write to or read from are collectively represented as the memory unit 26. The memory included in the memory unit 26 may be any type of memory, such as ROM (Read Only Memory), RAM (Random Access Memory), EEPROM (Electronically Erasable and Programmable ROM), or magnetic recording media.

[0021] <Processing by Information Processing System 1> (Creating a database) Figure 2 is a sequence diagram showing the processing flow of a smartphone (a form of information processing device 11), a server 21, and a card 31 in the information processing system 1 of Figure 1. The following explanation of this technology will follow the sequence diagram in Figure 2. In the following explanation, the information processing device 11 will be assumed to be a smartphone, and one smartphone of interest will be represented as smartphone 11. However, the information processing device 11 is not limited to a smartphone, but may be any device or system having the components of the information processing device 11 of Figure 1.

[0022] In Figure 2, the server 21 creates a database containing the contact position information for each smartphone model. The created database is stored in the storage unit 26 (step S1). The contact position represents the position of the card 31 relative to the smartphone 11 when the user brings the card 31 close to the smartphone 11 when using NFC (the relative position between the smartphone 11 and the card 31). The position of the NFC antenna 18 mounted on the smartphone 11 differs depending on the model. Therefore, the appropriate contact position (hereinafter simply referred to as the appropriate contact position) for the smartphone 11 and the card 31 to connect properly via NFC differs depending on the smartphone 11 model. The database created by the server 21 consists of contact position information for each smartphone model, and the contact position information includes information to identify the appropriate contact position and to present the appropriate contact position to the user. The contact position information for each smartphone model is entered into the server 21, for example, by the work of the database creator. The appropriate holding position refers to the position where the NFC communication between the smartphone 11 and the card 31 is in a good state, meeting predetermined conditions (certain conditions). The holding position information registered in the database on the server 21 presents the user with a holding position where the card 31 should be held as a candidate for an appropriate holding position, and is not necessarily the appropriate holding position, but the holding position in the holding position information registered in the database will be referred to as the appropriate holding position.

[0023] Figure 3 illustrates the creation of a database of scanning location information. In Figure 3(A), the database creator obtains, for example, the instruction manual 51 corresponding to the smartphone model to be registered in the database from a website on the internet, using the server 21 or a terminal device that can connect to the server 21. The database creator obtains the scanning location information by referring to the obtained instruction manual 51 and registers it in the database of the server 21. The content of the scanning location information to be registered in the database includes the model image (exterior image) of the front side of the smartphone, the aspect ratio of the appropriate scanning location to the size (external dimensions) of the smartphone (hereinafter also referred to as scanning location identification information), and information on the scanning surface (scanning surface information) indicating whether the side of the smartphone on which the card 31 is appropriately held (scanning surface) is the front side or the back side.

[0024] Regarding smartphone model images, actual photos of the smartphone taken with a camera may be input to server 21, and are not limited to being obtained from the instruction manual 51. Furthermore, the scanning position information may be obtained directly from the smartphone manufacturer, etc., and is not limited to being obtained by a specific method. For example, the database creator may use an actual device of the model whose scanning position information is to be registered in the database to measure the appropriate scanning position and create the database.

[0025] (Images 61A and 61B showing the position to hold the device over) Figures 3(B) and (C) illustrate the content of the scanning location information for two different smartphone models, A and B, respectively, obtained from their respective instruction manuals 51, etc.

[0026] In the position information for model A shown in Figure 3(B), the position display image 61A is an image composed of a model image 62A and a position mark 63A. The model image 62A is the front side image of model A and is the model image of model A registered in the database. The position mark 63A is an image of an "X" mark superimposed on the model image 62A. The position mark 63A represents the position identified by the position identification information for model A registered in the database. For example, if the position identification information registered is that the vertical ratio is 1:16 and the horizontal ratio is 1:9, then the position mark 63A will be superimposed on the model image 62A at a position where the distance from the top to the bottom is divided in a 1:16 ratio, and the distance from the left to the right is divided in a 1:9 ratio. In Figure 3(B), the information that the surface information registered in the database as position information indicates that it is the front side is indicated by the information "Front". Furthermore, the position indication image 61A is generated as the final image presented to the user based on the model image of model A registered in the database as position information and the position identification information. Therefore, the position indication image 61A may be generated in advance as position information and registered in the database. In addition, the position identification information may be coordinates indicating the appropriate position in the coordinate system set on the smartphone model image, or any information that identifies the appropriate position.

[0027] In the position information for model B shown in Figure 3(C), similar to model A, a position display image 61B is shown, which consists of a model image 62B and a position mark 63B of model B registered in the database as position information, as well as the position information (back side). The position mark 63B represents the case where information with a vertical ratio of 1:1 and a horizontal ratio of 1:1 is registered as position identification information, and is superimposed in the center of the model image 62B.

[0028] Here, the appropriate holding position is determined based on, for example, the location where the NFC antenna 18 is installed, or the location specified by the manufacturer in the instruction manual. On the other hand, since the antenna used for NFC on the card 31 is generally arranged in a ring along the periphery of the card 31, it is thought that NFC will function properly (the NFC communication state will be good) when the center of the card 31 is held facing the appropriate holding position on the smartphone 11. In other words, the appropriate holding position is the position where the center of the card 31 is facing the smartphone 11 when using NFC by holding the card 31 over it. However, if the appropriate holding position registered in the database as holding position identification information is incorrect (including cases where the location where the antenna 18 is installed is not the appropriate holding position), or if the antenna on the card 31 is not located on the periphery of the card 31, then NFC may not function properly even when the center of the card 31 is facing the appropriate holding position. In such cases, the position of the smartphone 11 corresponding to the center of the card 31 when NFC is functioning properly is corrected as the appropriate holding position through the process described later.

[0029] As described above, in step S1 of Figure 2, the server 21 creates a database in which the scanning position information for various models is registered and stored in the storage unit 26.

[0030] In a smartphone 11 owned by a designated user, the arithmetic processing unit 12 launches a designated application that uses NFC (hereinafter referred to as "the app") in accordance with the user's input operation to the input unit 14 (step S2). At this time, the arithmetic processing unit 12 determines whether or not the smartphone 11 supports NFC (step S3). If it is determined that the smartphone 11 does not support NFC, the arithmetic processing unit 12 displays a message to that effect on the display unit 13 and notifies the user that NFC cannot be used. The processing when the smartphone 11 does not support NFC is not limited to specific processing content, and a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0031] If the smartphone 11 is determined to be NFC compatible, the processing unit 12 determines whether to turn NFC on or off (enable or disable) (step S4). If it is determined that NFC is not turned on, a guidance screen to switch NFC on is displayed on the display unit 13, prompting the user to turn on NFC. The processing when NFC is not turned on is not limited to specific processing content, and a detailed explanation is omitted.

[0032] If it is determined that NFC is turned on, the arithmetic processing unit 12 checks whether the user has already saved the location information in the storage unit 16 of the smartphone 11 (step S5). If it is confirmed that the location information has been saved, steps S6 to S9 are skipped and the process proceeds to step S10. If it is confirmed that the location information has not been saved, the arithmetic processing unit 12 sends model information that identifies the model of its own device to the server 21 via the communication unit 15 (step S6). On the server 21, the arithmetic processing unit 22 receives the model information from the smartphone 11 via the communication unit 25, recognizes the model of the smartphone 11, and searches the database of location information for the smartphone 11 model (step S7). As a result of the search, the arithmetic processing unit 22 sends the location information for the smartphone 11 model to the smartphone 11 via the communication unit 25 (step S8). If no location information for the smartphone 11 is detected, the arithmetic processing unit 22 sends a message to the smartphone 11 via the communication unit 25 indicating that no location information exists. The arithmetic processing unit 22 of the server 21 may also store the model information as query history information in the storage unit 26 when model information is sent from a smartphone of any model to acquire location information (for querying location information), as in step S6. In this case, for example, the administrator of the server 21 can use the query history information as an indicator when adding new location information to the location information database. Specifically, when the administrator of the server 21 adds new location information to the location information database, the arithmetic processing unit 22 can refer to the query history information and prompt the administrator to prioritize adding location information to the database for models that have a high number of queries for location information among models whose location information is not yet registered in the database.

[0033] In the smartphone 11, if the arithmetic processing unit 12 receives a notification from the server 21 via the communication unit 15 that no location information exists, it displays on the display unit 13 that the location information is not registered in the server 21's database and notifies the user (step S9). In this case, the process skips steps S10 and S11 and proceeds to step S12.

[0034] On the other hand, when the arithmetic processing unit 12 receives the scanning position information from the server 21 via the communication unit 15, it displays the scanning position information on the display unit 13 (step S10) and starts displaying the scanning position information as an animation (step S11). Also, in step S5, if the arithmetic processing unit 12 confirms that the scanning position information has already been saved, it displays the scanning position information stored in the storage unit 16 on the display unit 13 without acquiring the scanning position information from the server 21 (step S10) and starts displaying the scanning position information as an animation (step S11).

[0035] (Example of display of location information when holding the device over a sensor) Figures 4 and 5 show examples of the display of location information. Figure 4 shows the case where smartphone 11 is model A as shown in Figure 3(B), and smartphone 11 is represented as smartphone 71A. Figure 5 shows the case where smartphone 11 is model B as shown in Figure 3(C), and smartphone 11 is represented as smartphone 71B.

[0036] In Figure 4, the screen 72A (display unit 13) of the smartphone 71A of model A displays the screen of the application launched in step S2 of Figure 2, and the location guidance image 81A is displayed on the screen 72A as location information. The screen 72A on which the location guidance image 81A is displayed as location information varies depending on the type of application and the usage of the card 31, and the screen in Figure 4 is just one example. The screen 72A in Figure 4 is, for example, a login screen where the user enters a username and password to use the application. The login screen includes an input field area (top of the screen) for the user to manually enter the username and password from the input unit 14 of the smartphone 71A (11). The login screen also includes an area (bottom of the screen) that notifies the user that instead of manually entering a username and password to log in, it is possible to log in by reading the user's identification information stored on the card 31 using NFC. The location guidance image 81A as location information is displayed in the latter area. The image 81A, which provides guidance on where to hold the device, will be described later.

[0037] In Figure 5, the screen 72B (display unit 13) of smartphone model B 71B also displays the location guidance image 81B as location information, similar to Figure 4. The screen 72B on which the location guidance image 81B is displayed is the same as the login screen in Figure 4, so its explanation is omitted. The location guidance image 81B will be described later.

[0038] Figure 6 is an example of a holding position guidance image 81A as holding position information displayed on the screen 72A of smartphone 71A of model A in Figure 4. In Figure 6, the holding position guidance image 81A has a holding position indication image 61A shown in Figure 3(B) and a card image 91 representing card 31. The holding position indication image 61A consists of a model image 62A, which is an external view image of the front side of model A, and a holding position mark 63A, which is an "x" mark indicating the appropriate holding position. Note that the holding position mark 63A indicating the appropriate holding position is not limited to an "x" mark, but may be a mark of another shape, or the holding position mark 63A itself may not be drawn. The holding position indication image 61A is generated based on the model image and holding position identification information from the holding position information acquired from the server 21, or from the model image, holding position identification information, and holding surface information included in the holding position information stored in the storage unit 16. The position indication image 61A may be generated by the server 21 based on the model image and position identification information and supplied to the smartphone 71A as position information, or it may be generated by the smartphone 71A. When saving the position information on the smartphone 71A, the position indication image 61A may be saved as the position information.

[0039] Furthermore, in order to facilitate the generation of the holding position indication image 61A by the arithmetic processing unit 12, the server 21 may send the pixel ratio of the model image 62A and the usable screen range, which are specific to each model, to the smartphone 11 as holding position information registered in the database.

[0040] The card image 91 is drawn at a position where its center coincides with the position mark 63A, and is drawn superimposed on the position indication image 61A either in front (closer side) or behind (further away from) it, based on the position information of the position information. That is, if the position information is the front side, the card image 91 is drawn superimposed on the front side of the position indication image 61A, indicating that the appropriate position for holding the card 31 is the front side of the smartphone 71A. In this case, the card image 91 is drawn semi-transparently, and the area of ​​the position indication image 61A that overlaps with the card image 91 is drawn superimposed on the semi-transparent card image 91. If the position information is the back side, the card image 91 is drawn superimposed on the back side of the position indication image 61A, indicating that the appropriate position for holding the card 31 is the back side of the smartphone 71A. Furthermore, the drawing form of the card image 91 on the position indication image 61A, depending on whether the surface being held is the front or back, is not limited to a specific form. For example, in the former case, instead of a semi-transparent card image 91, an opaque card image 91 may be drawn in front of the position indication image 61A, or it may take any other form. The position guidance image 81A in Figure 6 represents the case where the surface being held for model A is the front, and the card image 91 is drawn superimposed in front of the position indication image 61A, indicating that the appropriate position is the front side of the smartphone 71A.

[0041] Furthermore, in the animation display of the holding position information in step S11, the card image 91 moves vertically and horizontally around the reference position, with the center of the card image 91 coinciding with the holding position mark 63A as the reference position. For example, the card image 91 moves vertically and horizontally within the range where the image area of ​​the card image 91 overlaps with the holding position mark 63A.

[0042] According to the position guidance image 91A, the user can easily visually recognize the appropriate position for holding the card 31, which is connected to the smartphone 71A via NFC. Furthermore, by displaying an animation of moving the card image 91 relative to the position indication image 61A, it is possible to suggest to the user that the appropriate position is not necessarily the reference position (the position where the center of the card 31 is facing the position mark 63A), but rather around the reference position, thereby guiding the user to move the card 31 around the reference position.

[0043] Figure 7 is an example of a hold-position guidance image 81B as hold-position information displayed on the screen 72B of the smartphone 71B of model B shown in Figure 5. The hold-position guidance image 81B has substantially the same configuration as the hold-position guidance image 81A in model A shown in Figure 6, so the explanation will be omitted as appropriate. In Figure 7, the hold-position guidance image 81B has a hold-position indication image 61B shown in Figure 3(C) and a card image 91 representing card 31. The hold-position indication image 61B consists of a model image 62B, which is an external view image of the front side of model B, and an × mark hold-position mark 63B. Note that the hold-position mark 63B indicating the appropriate hold-position is not limited to an × mark, but may be a mark of other shape, or the hold-position mark 63B itself may not be drawn. The scanning position display image 61B is generated based on the scanning position information acquired from the server 21, or on the scanning position information stored in the storage unit 16, specifically on the model image and scanning position identification information.

[0044] The card image 91 is drawn at a position where its center coincides with the tapping position mark 63A, and is drawn superimposed on the front or back of the tapping position indication image 61B based on the tapping surface information of the tapping position information. The tapping position guidance image 81B in Figure 7 represents the case where the tapping surface information for model B is the back side, and the card image 91 is drawn superimposed on the back of the tapping position indication image 61B, indicating that the appropriate tapping position is the back side of the smartphone 71B.

[0045] Furthermore, in the animation display of the holding position information in step S11, the card image 91 moves vertically and horizontally around the reference position, with the center of the card image 91 coinciding with the holding position mark 63B as the reference position, similar to the holding position guidance image 81A of model A in Figure 6.

[0046] According to the position guidance image 91B, the user can easily visually recognize the appropriate position for holding the card 31, which is connected to the smartphone 71B via NFC. Furthermore, by displaying an animation of moving the card image 91 relative to the position indication image 61B, it is possible to suggest to the user that the appropriate position is not necessarily the reference position (the position where the center of the card 31 is facing the position mark 63B), but rather around the reference position, thereby guiding the user to move the card 31 around the reference position.

[0047] (Evaluation of the appropriateness of the position where the device is held) In Figure 2, the arithmetic processing unit 12 of the smartphone 11, in steps S10 and S11, starts displaying the position information on the display unit 13 and animating the position information, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, and instructs the CLF 17 to turn on (transmit) a polling command (step S12). The CLF 17 starts transmitting a polling command via NFC through the antenna 18 (step S13). The polling command is a command for capturing and identifying a contactless IC card that is close to the antenna 18. The polling command is transmitted repeatedly and periodically.

[0048] When card 31 is brought close to smartphone 11 and receives a polling command, card 31 sends a polling response via NFC (step S14). The polling response includes information that identifies the IC card that received the polling command, such as IDm (Manufacture ID), which consists of the manufacturer code and card identification number, and PMm (Manufacture Parameter), which identifies the type and performance of the IC chip. While the transmission of polling commands from smartphone 11 to card 31 is repeated, the arithmetic processing unit 12 of smartphone 11 counts the number of times CLF17 has consecutively received the polling response that card 31 sends each time it receives a polling command (consecutive reception count). For example, as shown in Figure 8, if smartphone 11 (CLF17) correctly receives the polling response sent from card 31 in response to a polling command sent from smartphone 11 (CLF17), it is considered a success, and if smartphone 11 (CLF17) fails to correctly receive the polling response, it is considered a failure. The arithmetic processing unit 12 increments the count value by 1 when it detects a success and resets the count value to 0 when it detects a failure. In this way, the arithmetic processing unit 12 obtains the number of consecutive successes (the number of consecutive polling responses received) using the count value. In the example in Figure 8, each time a polling command is sent from the smartphone 11 to the card 31, the reception of the polling response sent from the card 31 is detected in the order of failure, failure, success, failure, success, success, success. In this case, the number of consecutive polling responses received changes in the order of 0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 1, 2, 3. The number of consecutive receptions detected in this way represents the NFC communication state and is a value used to evaluate the appropriateness of the current position of the card 31 based on the communication state. Whether or not the current position of the card 31 is an appropriate position can be determined by whether or not the NFC communication state is good, and this can be determined using the number of consecutive receptions. In other words, the higher the number of consecutive receptions achieved, the better the NFC communication status and the more appropriate the position of the device when holding it over the sensor.Therefore, an appropriate holding position can be defined as the holding position that satisfies the communication state condition that the number of consecutive receptions is equal to or greater than a predetermined number.

[0049] In Figure 2, when the arithmetic processing unit 12 detects successful reception of a polling response, it stops the animation display of the holding position information (step S16). At this time, the arithmetic processing unit 12 displays the card images 91 of the holding position guidance images 81A and 81B, which are examples of holding position information as shown in Figures 6 and 7, in a stationary state at the position where success was detected. This notifies the user that successful reception of the polling response has been detected, that is, that there is a high probability that the current holding position of the card 31 is the appropriate holding position, and prompts the user to keep the card 31 stationary at the current holding position. When the arithmetic processing unit 12 detects failure to receive a polling response, it restarts the animation display of the holding position information (step S16) and prompts the user to move the card 31.

[0050] Furthermore, the evaluation of the appropriateness of the holding position (evaluation of the NFC communication status) is not limited to the number of consecutive polling responses received. For example, the appropriateness of the holding position may be evaluated based on the ratio of successful polling responses (response success rate) for the most recent predetermined number of polling commands (relative to the number of times a polling response can be received), or based on a moving average of the response success rate. The appropriateness of the holding position may also be evaluated using a magnetic field impedance detection function (Low Power Polling) based on the impedance value when the card 31 is held over the sensor.

[0051] (Displays the appropriateness of the positioning) Furthermore, the arithmetic processing unit 12 displays the number of consecutive polling responses on the display unit 13 (step S17). The display of the number of consecutive responses may be a numerical value such as the number of consecutive responses itself or the ratio of the number of consecutive responses to a specified number (response rate), or it may be an image such as a gauge (indicator), and is not limited to a specific display format.

[0052] Figure 9 shows an example of displaying the number of consecutive polling responses received. Figure 9 shows the screen 72A of smartphone 71A of model A shown in Figure 4. The entire screen 72A is used as a gauge frame, and as the number of consecutive receptions increases, the upper edge of the area 73A (indicator) with a background color different from the original background color (first background color) (second background color) rises from the lower edge to the upper edge of the screen 72A. When the number of consecutive receptions reaches a predetermined number, the upper edge of area 73A reaches the upper edge of the screen 72A, and the background color of almost the entire screen 72A becomes the second background color. This allows the user to easily visually recognize the appropriateness of the current position of the card 31.

[0053] In addition to visually displaying the number of consecutive polling responses as shown in Figure 9, the number of consecutive responses may also be presented to the user using sound or vibration. For example, the volume of the sound output from the smartphone 11 or the magnitude of the vibration generated in the smartphone 11 may be changed according to the number of consecutive responses itself or the ratio of the number of consecutive responses to a predetermined number (response rate). This also allows the user to easily recognize the appropriateness of the current position where the card 31 is held.

[0054] Furthermore, in addition to displaying the latest consecutive reception count of polling responses, a moving average of the past consecutive reception counts may be displayed, or the latest value of the ratio of successful receptions to the number of possible polling responses (a predetermined number) may be displayed. When determining the appropriate holding position as described below, the appropriate holding position may be determined based on these values ​​rather than the latest consecutive reception count of polling responses. In this embodiment, since TYPE-F, a FeliCa® communication technology compliant with NFC (NFC Forum specification), is assumed as the short-range wireless communication between the smartphone 11 and the card 31, the appropriateness of the holding position is evaluated and displayed using the polling command from the smartphone 11 to the card 31 and the polling response from the card 31 to the smartphone 11, which is the response to the polling command. This technology is applicable without restriction to the short-range wireless communication method (standard) between the smartphone 11 and the card 31. In this case, any type of request signal from the smartphone 11 to the card 31 can be considered as a polling command, and the response signal to that request signal can be considered as a polling response from the card 31 to the smartphone 11, allowing for evaluation and display of the appropriateness of the holding position in the same manner as in this embodiment. In other words, in this embodiment, any type of request signal from the smartphone 11 to the card 31 may be referred to as a polling command, and the response signal from the card 31 to the smartphone 11 to that request signal may be referred to as a polling response.

[0055] (Determining the correct position for holding the device) In Figure 2, the arithmetic processing unit 12 compares the number of consecutive polling responses received with a predetermined number of responses (step S18). For example, the number of times a polling response can be received per second may be set to several times (e.g., 2 times). The number of times a polling response can be received corresponds to the number of times a polling command is sent. In this case, the predetermined number of responses can be set to about 10 times. However, the predetermined number of responses is not limited to this. If it is determined that the number of consecutive receptions is less than the predetermined number, the arithmetic processing unit 12 determines that the position of the card 31 is not appropriate and repeats the processing in steps S15 to S18. If it is determined that the number of consecutive receptions is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, the arithmetic processing unit 12 determines that the position of the card 31 at that time is the appropriate position. The user may be explicitly notified that the position is appropriate. Furthermore, if the appropriateness of the holding position (evaluation of the NFC communication status) is performed based on a method other than the number of consecutive polling responses received, the evaluation value indicating the evaluation result is compared with a predetermined value, and if it is determined that the evaluation value is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the holding position of the card 31 at that time is confirmed as the appropriate holding position. Once the appropriate holding position is confirmed, the arithmetic processing unit 12 instructs the CLF 17 to turn off the polling command (step S19), and ends the counting of the number of consecutive polling responses received and the display of the number of consecutive polling responses received.

[0056] After the polling command is turned off, the arithmetic processing unit 12 starts a service sequence according to the program of the application launched in step S2 (step S20). The application launched in step S2 is an application that relies on the use of NFC, so the details are omitted, but various commands are sent from the smartphone 11 to the card 31 via NFC (step S21), and various responses corresponding to these commands are sent from the card 31 to the smartphone 11 (step S22).

[0057] (Feedback on the location information when holding the device over) When the arithmetic processing unit 12 completes login and authentication to the service provided by the application launched in step S2, or to the site (server) used by the application (step S23), it displays a feedback input screen on the smartphone 11's display (screen) (step S24). The feedback input screen is a screen where the user inputs location identification information and surface information. The user inputs location information (location identification information and surface information) on the feedback input screen (step S25). The location identification information and surface information entered by the user on the feedback input screen are used to modify location information registered in the server 21's database, or location information stored in the storage unit 16.

[0058] Figure 10 is an example of a feedback input screen. In Figure 10, smartphone 71A of model A is shown as an example of smartphone 11. Note that the feedback input screen for any smartphone model is the same as in Figure 10, so only the feedback input screen for smartphone 71A of model A will be explained. As shown in Figure 10(A), a card image 91 is displayed on screen 72A of smartphone 71A as the feedback input screen. An "x" mark is drawn on the card image 91 to indicate the center. The user moves the position of the card image 91 on screen 72A by dragging, etc., and enlarges or reduces the card image 91 by pinching, etc. As a result, as shown in Figure 10(B), the user adjusts the size of the card image 91 to match the card 31 that was actually used, and adjusts the position of the card image 91 to match the position where the card 31 was held when it was determined in step S18 of Figure 2 that the number of consecutive polling responses received was equal to or greater than the specified number. The arithmetic processing unit 12 identifies the position on the smartphone 71A corresponding to the center of the card image 91 based on the position and size of the card image 91 manipulated by the user. Even if the center of the card image 91 is outside the range of the screen 72A, the position on the smartphone 71A corresponding to the center of the card image 91 can be identified from the card image 91 within the range of the screen 72A. The arithmetic processing unit 12 uses the identified position as the user-inputted position identification information.

[0059] Furthermore, once the position and size of the card image 91 are determined, as shown in Figure 10(B), a selection section is displayed on the feedback input screen to allow the user to select whether the surface being scanned (card position) is the front or back side of the smartphone 71A. The user selects either the front or back side in this selection section. The processing unit 12 acquires the selected front or back information as the surface being scanned information entered by the user.

[0060] In Figure 2, when the tapping location information (tapping location identification information and tapping surface information) is input in step S25, the arithmetic processing unit 12 transmits the tapping location information input by the user to the server 21 via the communication unit 15 (step S26). In addition, the arithmetic processing unit 12 may also transmit the smartphone model information of the smartphone 11 to the server 21 along with the tapping location information, separate from the transmission of the smartphone model information of the smartphone 11 in step S6. Furthermore, the arithmetic processing unit 12 may also transmit the type of card 31 to the server 21 along with the tapping location information. When the server 21 generates tapping location information not only for each smartphone (information processing device 11) model as a database, but also for each type of communication target such as an IC card, the information on the type of card 31 from the smartphone 11 can be effectively utilized.

[0061] Server 21 updates (corrects) the registered location information in the database (registered location information) based on the location information received from the smartphone 11 (user-input location information). For example, the arithmetic processing unit 22 of Server 21 compares the user-input location information (location identification information and surface information) received from various users and various models of smartphones with the registered location information for each model. Based on the number of user-input location information entries that are determined to have a large discrepancy with the registered location information, the distribution of the user-input location information, etc., if the arithmetic processing unit 22 determines that the user-input location information is reliable, it updates the location information in the database for that model.

[0062] A specific example of when a discrepancy is determined to be large compared to registered scanning location information is when the distance between the scanning location identified by registered scanning location information and the scanning location identified by user-input scanning location information exceeds a predetermined threshold. If there are a certain number of user-input scanning location information entries that are determined to be large discrepancies, and the distribution of the scanning locations identified by these entries is concentrated around a single location, the user-input scanning location information is determined to be reliable. In this case, the scanning location information in the database is updated with the appropriate scanning location, which is the location where the scanning locations identified by user-input scanning location information are concentrated (for example, the average location or a location estimated to be a peak in the distribution).

[0063] Another specific example of a large discrepancy being detected with respect to registered scanning position information is when the user-inputted scanning surface differs from the registered scanning surface information (front or back). If a certain number of user-inputted scanning surface information entries (front or back) are found to have a large discrepancy, the system determines that the user-inputted scanning surface information is reliable and updates the scanning surface information in the database.

[0064] The method by which server 21 updates (corrects) the registered location information (registered location information) in the database based on user input location information received from smartphone 11 is not limited to the case described above. For example, server 21 may use machine learning or AI (Artificial Intelligence) to estimate location identification information (appropriate location) and surface information for user input location information received from smartphones 11 of various users, and update the database to improve the accuracy of the location information.

[0065] Furthermore, the system may intentionally send a different location (a location shifted by a predetermined distance) as the appropriate location to the smartphone 11, and display the location markers 63A and 63B in the smartphone 11 as location guidance images 81A and 81B (see Figures 6 and 7) as location information, at a different location than the location identification information registered in the database. Even if the smartphone 11 is the same model, different smartphones 11 used by different users will each receive different location information. In this case, the smartphone 11 records information such as the time required to receive a predetermined number of consecutive polling responses and the number of times it failed to receive polling responses, and sends this information to the server 21. Based on this information received from various users' smartphones 11, the server 21 can correct the location identification information registered in the database to a location that improves communication conditions and thus improve accuracy. Furthermore, it becomes unnecessary to send user-inputted location information from the smartphone 11 to the server 21.

[0066] Furthermore, the arithmetic processing unit 12 of the smartphone 11 stores the user-inputted position information (position identification information and surface information) entered by the user in step S25 in the storage unit 16 (step S27). If position information is already stored in the storage unit 16, the position information in the storage unit 16 is updated with the user-inputted position information entered by the user in step S25. If the model image is not stored in the storage unit 16, the model image obtained from the server 21 is stored as position information. The position information stored in the storage unit 16 is used as saved position information to generate position guidance images 81A and 81B when the application is run again.

[0067] When the processing in step S27 is completed, the arithmetic processing unit 12 displays the screen of the service provided by the application launched in step S2 on the display unit 13 (step S28), and thereafter performs processing according to the service.

[0068] In the sequence diagram shown in Figure 2 above, it is necessary to incorporate location-related processing (programs) into the application launched in step S2, such as processing to display the location information, evaluating the appropriateness of the location, and feeding back the location information to the server 21. However, when processing that uses NFC is executed in the launched application, it may be possible to automatically switch to location-related processing and not incorporate location-related processing into the application.

[0069] <Examples of configuration combinations> Furthermore, this technology can also be configured as follows. (1) A communication unit that performs short-range wireless communication with a communication target held in front of the device, A processing unit determines, based on the communication status of the communication unit with the communication target, that the position in which the communication target is held is appropriate when the communication status satisfies certain conditions. An information processing device having (2) The processing unit transmits a request signal from the communication unit to the communication target and detects the communication status based on the detection results of success or failure in receiving a response signal from the communication target to the communication unit in response to the request signal. The information processing device described in (1) above. (3) The communication unit transmits a polling command as the request signal and receives a polling response as the response signal. The information processing device described in (2) above. (4) The processing unit repeatedly transmits the request signal from the communication unit to the communication target and detects the communication status based on the number of consecutive successful receptions of the response signal. The information processing apparatus described in (2) or (3) above. (5) The processing unit determines that the position in which the communication target is held is appropriate when the number of consecutive successes exceeds a predetermined number. The information processing device described in (4) above. (6) It has a display unit, The processing unit displays a gauge on the display unit that changes visually according to the number of consecutive successes. The information processing apparatus described in (4) or (5) above. (7) The processing unit generates presentation information that presents the communication status to the user. The information processing device described in any of (1) to (6) above. (8) The processing unit generates information to inform the user that it has determined the position where the communication target is being held is appropriate. An information processing device according to any one of (1) to (7) above. (9) It has a display unit, The processing unit, acting as the first information processing device, displays a position-presenting image on the display unit, based on the position-presenting information acquired from the second information processing device, indicating the position to be held to the user. An information processing device according to any one of (1) to (8) above. (10) The processing unit displays on the display unit an image as the holding position indication image, which includes an external image of the first information processing device and a mark indicating the holding position indicated by the holding position information relative to the external image. The information processing device described in (9) above. (11) The processing unit causes the mark to be displayed at a position opposite the center of the communication target. The information processing device described in (10) above. (12) The processing unit displays on the display unit a position guidance image in which the appearance image of the communication target is superimposed on the appearance image of the first information processing device in the position indication image at the position indicated by the position information. The information processing apparatus described in any of (9) to (11) above. (13) The processing unit displays on the display unit an animated image, which is the external image of the communication target moved around the position indicated by the position information, as the position guidance image. The information processing device described in (12) above. (14) The processing unit repeatedly transmits a request signal from the communication unit to the communication target, and detects the communication status based on the detection results of success or failure in receiving a response signal from the communication target to the communication unit in response to the request signal. When it is detected that the reception of the response signal has been successful, the movement of the external image of the communication target in the position guidance image is stopped. The information processing device described in (13) above. (15) The processing unit transmits the holding position information, which identifies the holding position when it determines that the holding position of the communication target is appropriate, to the second information processing device. The information processing apparatus described in any of (9) to (14) above. (16) The communication target is a contactless IC card. An information processing device according to any of (1) to (15) above. (17) For each model of information processing device, a database is registered containing holding position information that specifies the holding position where the communication target for short-range wireless communication should be held in front of the information processing device. The device itself acts as a second information processing device and includes a transmission unit that transmits the scanning position information corresponding to the model of the first information processing device to the first information processing device, As a result of the first information processing device presenting the user with the position indicated by the position information from the second information processing device, a receiving unit receives position information from the first information processing device that identifies the position of the communication target when the short-range wireless communication was actually performed, A processing unit that updates the scanning position information registered in the database based on the scanning position information from the first information processing device, and An information processing device having (18) Communications Department and, Processing section and Information processing device having The aforementioned communication unit performs short-range wireless communication with the communication target held in front of its device. The processing unit determines, based on the communication status with the communication target of the communication unit, that the position in which the communication target is held is appropriate when the communication status satisfies certain conditions. Information processing methods. (19) Computer A communication unit that performs short-range wireless communication with a communication target held in front of the device, A processing unit determines, based on the communication status of the communication unit with the communication target, that the position in which the communication target is held is appropriate when the communication status satisfies certain conditions. A program designed to function as such.

[0070] It should be noted that this embodiment is not limited to the embodiment described above, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. Furthermore, the effects described herein are merely illustrative and not limiting, and other effects may also exist. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0071] 1 Information processing system, 11 Information processing device, 12 Arithmetic processing unit, 13 Display unit, 14 Input unit, 15 Communication unit, 16 Storage unit, 18 Antenna, 21 Server, 22 Arithmetic processing unit, 23 Display unit, 24 Input unit, 25 Communication unit, 26 Storage unit, 31 Contactless IC card

Claims

1. A communication unit that performs short-range wireless communication with a communication target held in front of the device, A processing unit that determines, based on the communication status of the communication unit with the communication target, that the position in which the communication target is held is appropriate when the communication status satisfies certain conditions, A display unit that displays a holding position presentation image that presents the holding position indicated by the holding position information to the user, based on the holding position information obtained from an external device. It has, The processing unit determines that the position where the communication target is being held is appropriate and transmits the holding position information, which identifies the holding position, to the external device to update the holding position information registered in the external device's database. Information processing device.

2. The processing unit transmits a request signal from the communication unit to the communication target and detects the communication status based on the detection results of success or failure in receiving a response signal from the communication target to the communication unit in response to the request signal. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The communication unit transmits a polling command as the request signal and receives a polling response as the response signal. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

4. The processing unit repeatedly transmits the request signal from the communication unit to the communication target and detects the communication status based on the number of consecutive successful receptions of the response signal. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2.

5. The processing unit determines that the position in which the communication target is held is appropriate when the number of consecutive successes exceeds a predetermined number. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4.

6. The processing unit displays a gauge on the display unit that changes visually according to the number of consecutive successes. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4.

7. The processing unit generates presentation information that presents the communication status to the user. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

8. The processing unit generates information to inform the user that it has determined the position where the communication target is being held is appropriate. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

9. The processing unit displays on the display unit an image as the pointing position indication image, which includes an image of the external appearance of the information processing device and a mark indicating the pointing position indicated by the pointing position information relative to the external appearance image. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8.

10. The processing unit causes the mark to be displayed at a position opposite the center of the communication target. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9.

11. The processing unit displays on the display unit a position guidance image in which the appearance image of the communication target is superimposed on the appearance image of the information processing device in the position indication image at the position indicated by the position information. The information processing apparatus according to claim 8.

12. The processing unit displays on the display unit an animated image, which is the external image of the communication target moved around the position indicated by the position information, as the position guidance image. The information processing apparatus according to claim 11.

13. The processing unit repeatedly transmits a request signal from the communication unit to the communication target, and detects the communication status based on the detection results of success or failure in receiving a response signal from the communication target to the communication unit in response to the request signal. When it is detected that the reception of the response signal has been successful, the movement of the external image of the communication target in the position guidance image is stopped. The information processing apparatus according to claim 12.

14. The holding position information that identifies the holding position when it is determined that the holding position of the communication target transmitted to the external device is appropriate is input by the user using the feedback input screen displayed on the display unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

15. The position of the image of the communication target displayed on the feedback input screen is moved, enlarged, or reduced by the user, thereby inputting position information that identifies the position at which the communication target is held when it is determined to be appropriate. The information processing apparatus according to claim 14.

16. The communication target is a contactless IC card. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

17. A database in which, for each model of terminal device, position information is registered that specifies the position in which the terminal device should hold a communication target for short-range wireless communication to the terminal device, A transmitting unit that transmits the contact position information corresponding to the model of the terminal device to the terminal device, The terminal device presents the user with the position indicated by the position information it provides, and as a result, a receiving unit receives position information from the terminal device that identifies the position of the communication target when the short-range wireless communication was actually performed. A processing unit updates the contact position information registered in the database based on the contact position information from the terminal device. An information processing device having

18. Communications Department and, Processing section and Display unit and Information processing device having The aforementioned communication unit performs short-range wireless communication with the communication target held in front of its device. The processing unit determines, based on the communication status with the communication target of the communication unit, that the position in which the communication target is held is appropriate when the communication status satisfies certain conditions. The display unit displays a position indication image that presents the position indicated by the position information obtained from an external device to the user. The processing unit determines that the position where the communication target is being held is appropriate and transmits the holding position information, which identifies the holding position, to the external device to update the holding position information registered in the external device's database. Information processing methods.

19. Computer A communication unit that performs short-range wireless communication with a communication target held in front of the device, A processing unit determines, based on the communication status of the communication unit with the communication target, that the position in which the communication target is held is appropriate when the communication status satisfies certain conditions. A display unit that displays a holding position presentation image that presents the holding position indicated by the holding position information to the user, based on the holding position information obtained from an external device. To make it function as, The processing unit determines that the position where the communication target is being held is appropriate and transmits the holding position information, which identifies the holding position, to the external device to update the holding position information registered in the external device's database. A program for that purpose.

Images