Communication device, information processing system, and information processing method

Abstract

To provide a system capable of repeatedly urging an information processing device to execute a process by using a beacon signal.SOLUTION: A communication device 2 receives status information 35 including a status value related to whether a beacon signal has been received. The status is associated with each of the identification information 25_1 to 25_n. When the communication device 2 receives the status information 35 after transmitting a beacon signal, the communication device 2 selects, on the basis of the status information 35, another identification information 25 different from the identification information 25 of the immediately preceding beacon signal, and transmits a beacon signal including the selected identification information 25 in place of the immediately preceding beacon signal.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[[Technical Field]]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device, an information processing system, and an information processing method, and for example, relates to a communication device, an information processing system, and an information processing method that use communication via beacons. [[Background Art]]

[0002] In recent years, services using beacon devices that periodically transmit signals including identification information such as UUID, Major, and Minor (hereinafter also referred to as "beacon signals") via short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) have been increasing.

[0003] For example, a service is known in which a beacon device is placed at a predetermined location indoors or outdoors, and when a user carrying a mobile terminal enters an area where a beacon signal transmitted from the beacon device can reach (hereinafter also referred to as a "beacon area"), the mobile terminal communicates with a server triggered by reception of the beacon signal, whereby the mobile terminal receives information related to the area from the server and presents the information to the user (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0004] Generally, in a service using a beacon device, an information processing device serving as a mobile terminal that receives a beacon signal manages a status related to whether the beacon signal is received (detected) (hereinafter also simply referred to as "status"), and executes various types of processing (such as data processing) triggered by a switching of the status. Here, it can also be said that the status related to whether a beacon signal is received represents the entry / exit status of the mobile terminal to / from the beacon area. The status is set to either "received (entered)" or "not received (exited)".

[0005] For example, when the information processing device receives a beacon signal, it sets the status to "received (entered)". On the other hand, when the information processing device stops receiving a beacon signal, it sets the status to "not received (exited)".

[0006] In this way, the aforementioned services are realized by the information processing device executing various processes triggered by a change in status regarding whether or not a beacon signal has been received. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-208409 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] Prior to this application, the inventors of the present invention considered developing a system that uses beacon signals to repeatedly prompt an information processing device from a beacon device to execute a process (occur an event). This consideration revealed the following problems.

[0009] If the information processing device remains within the beacon area of ​​the beacon signal after receiving it, the reception (entry) state is maintained and no status change occurs.

[0010] Furthermore, in the status managed by the information processing device, the switch from not receiving (exit) to receiving (entering) occurs immediately upon detection of a beacon signal by the information processing device, while the switch from receiving (entering) to not receiving (exit) is performed based on the determination that a beacon signal has not been received for a certain period of time. Therefore, even if the information processing device is moved outside the beacon area, it will take a certain amount of time for the status to switch. In addition, in order to detect that a beacon signal has not been received for a certain period of time, the information processing device measures the time during which no beacon signal has been received, but if a beacon signal is detected even once during the measurement period, the measurement time is reset. Therefore, the time lag from receiving (entering) to not receiving (exiting) may become even longer.

[0011] Thus, with conventional methods using beacon devices, once an information processing device receives a beacon signal, the status will not change unless the information processing device moves away from the beacon area for a certain period of time. Therefore, it is not easy to repeatedly prompt the information processing device to execute a process (generate an event) using beacon signals.

[0012] The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a system that can repeatedly prompt an information processing device to perform processing using beacon signals. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] A communication device according to a typical embodiment of the present invention comprises: a first communication unit that transmits a beacon signal including identification information; a second communication unit that communicates with an external information processing device; a first storage unit that stores a plurality of different identification pieces of information; and a first control unit that selects one identification piece of information from the plurality of identification pieces of information and instructs the first communication unit to transmit a beacon signal including the selected identification piece of information. The second communication unit receives status information including a status value indicating whether or not the beacon signal has been received, and the status is associated with each piece of identification information. The first control unit, upon receiving the status information from the second communication unit after the first communication unit has transmitted the beacon signal, selects another identification piece of information different from the identification piece of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before, based on the status information, and instructs the first communication unit to transmit the beacon signal including the selected identification piece of information in place of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to one aspect of the present invention, a system can be realized in which an information processing device is repeatedly prompted to perform processing by a beacon signal. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1] This figure shows the configuration of an information processing system equipped with a communication device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of status information. [Figure 3] This is a sequence diagram illustrating the communication between a communication device and an information processing device. [Figure 4] This flowchart shows the detailed flow of processing by the communication device. [Figure 5] This flowchart shows an example of how a communication device determines the next beacon signal (identification information) to be transmitted. [Figure 6] This is a flowchart showing the detailed processing flow by the information processing device. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0016] 1. Overview of the Embodiment First, a general overview of a typical embodiment of the invention disclosed in this application will be provided. In the following description, as an example, reference numerals on the drawings corresponding to the components of the invention are indicated in parentheses.

[0017] (1) A communication device (2) according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention comprises: a first communication unit (21) that transmits a beacon signal including identification information (25); a second communication unit (22) that communicates with an external information processing device (3); a first storage unit (24) that stores a plurality of pieces of identification information (25_1 to 25_n) different from each other; and a first control unit (23) that selects one piece of identification information (25) from the plurality of pieces of identification information and instructs the first communication unit to transmit a beacon signal including the selected identification information, wherein the second communication unit receives status information (35) including a status value related to whether the beacon signal has been received, the status is associated with each piece of identification information, and when the status information is received by the second communication unit after the first communication unit transmits the beacon signal, the first control unit selects another piece of identification information different from the identification information of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before based on the status information, and instructs the first communication unit to transmit the beacon signal including the selected identification information in place of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before.

[0018] (2) In the communication device according to (1) above, a first value (received (entry)) or a second value (not received (exit)) different from the first value is set as the status value, and in the received status information, when the status corresponding to the identification information (25) included in the beacon signal transmitted immediately before is set to the first value, and the status corresponding to the other identification information is set to the second value, the first control unit may instruct the first communication unit to transmit the beacon signal including the other identification information whose status is set to the second value in place of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before.

[0019] [3] In the communication apparatus according to [2] above, in the received status information, when the status corresponding to the identification information of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before is set to the first value, and the status corresponding to the other identification information is set to the first value, the first control unit may select the identification information of the beacon signal that has elapsed the longest time since transmission was stopped, and instruct the first communication unit to transmit the beacon signal including the selected identification information instead of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before.

[0020] [4] In the communication apparatus according to [2] above, when the received status information includes new identification information not stored in the first storage unit and the status value corresponding to the new identification information, the first control unit may store the new identification information in the first storage unit.

[0021] [5] In the communication apparatus according to any one of [1] to [4] above, when the second communication unit receives a response indicating that the information processing apparatus has received the beacon signal after the first communication unit transmits the beacon signal, the first control unit may instruct the second communication unit to transmit data (26) to the information processing apparatus.

[0022] [6] An information processing system (1) according to a typical embodiment of the present invention comprises a communication device (2) and an information processing device (3), wherein the communication device includes a first communication unit (21) that transmits a beacon signal including identification information (25), a second communication unit (22) that communicates with the information processing device, a first storage unit (24) that stores a plurality of different identification pieces of information (25_1 to 25_n), and a first control unit (23) that selects one identification piece of information (25) from the plurality of identification pieces of information and instructs the first communication unit to transmit the beacon signal including the selected identification piece of information, wherein the information processing device includes a third communication unit (31) that receives the beacon signal, a fourth communication unit (32) that communicates with the communication device, a second storage unit (34) that stores status information (35) for each identification piece of information, including a status value regarding whether or not the beacon signal has been received for each identification piece of information, and updates the status information in response to the reception of the beacon signal and instructs the fourth communication unit to transmit the status information The system includes a second control unit (33) that gives instructions, wherein the status is associated with each piece of identification information, and in the communication device, when the first communication unit transmits the beacon signal and the third communication unit receives the beacon signal in the information processing device, the second control unit updates the value of the status corresponding to the identification information of the beacon signal received by the third communication unit from the status information stored in the second storage unit and instructs the fourth communication unit to transmit the updated status information to the communication device, and in the communication device, when the second communication unit receives the status information after the first communication unit has transmitted the beacon signal, the first control unit selects other identification information different from the identification information contained in the beacon signal transmitted immediately before, based on the status information, and instructs the first communication unit to transmit the beacon signal containing the selected identification information in place of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before.

[0023] [7] In the information processing system described in [6] above, the second control unit in the information processing device sets the status corresponding to the identification information of the received beacon signal to a first value (received (entry)) when the third communication unit has received the beacon signal, and sets the status corresponding to the identification information of the unreceived beacon signal to a second value (not received (exit)) when the third communication unit has not received the beacon signal, and the first control unit in the communication device may select the identification information whose status is set to the second value in the received status information from among the plurality of identification information, and instruct the first communication unit to transmit a beacon signal containing the selected identification information in place of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before.

[0024] [8] In the information processing system described in [7] above, if the status of the received status information corresponding to the identification information of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before is set to the first value, and the status of the other identification information corresponding to the first value is set to the first value, the first control unit may select the identification information of the beacon signal for which the longest time has elapsed since transmission stopped, and instruct the first communication unit to transmit the beacon signal containing the selected identification information in place of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before.

[0025] [9] In the information processing system described in [7] above, the second control unit in the information processing device, when transmitting the status information, generates new identification information if all of the statuses included in the status information are set to the first value, sets the status corresponding to the new identification information as the second value, generates new status information by adding the new identification information and the value of the status corresponding to the new identification information, and instructs the fourth communication unit to transmit the new status information. The first control unit in the communication device may store the new identification information in the first storage unit if the status information received by the second communication unit includes new identification information that is not stored in the first storage unit and the value of the status corresponding to the new identification information.

[0026]

[10] In the information processing system described in any of [6] to [9] above, the second control unit in the information processing device may, when the third communication unit receives the beacon signal, transmit a response to the communication device indicating that the beacon signal has been received, and when the second communication unit in the communication device receives the response, the first control unit may instruct the second communication unit to transmit data (26) to the information processing device.

[0027]

[11] A typical embodiment of the present invention is an information processing method using an information processing system (1) comprising a communication device (2) that stores a plurality of different identification pieces of information (25_1 to 25_n) and transmits a beacon signal including one of the identification pieces of information (25) selected from the plurality of identification pieces of information, and an information processing device (3) that stores status information (35) including a status value regarding whether or not the beacon signal has been received. In this method, the status is associated with each of the identification pieces of information. The present method is characterized by comprising: a first step (S1) in which the communication device transmits the beacon signal; a second step (S2) in which the information processing device receives the beacon signal; a third step (S3) in which the information processing device updates the status value corresponding to the identification information of the beacon signal received in the second step, which is included in the status information; a fourth step (S4, S66) in which the information processing device transmits the status information updated in the third step to the communication device; and a fifth step (S7, S48) in which, upon receiving the status information, the communication device selects other identification information different from the identification information included in the beacon signal transmitted immediately before, based on the status information, and transmits the beacon signal including the selected identification information in place of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before.

[0028]

[12] In the information processing method described in

[11] above, the third step includes a sixth step (S61-S64) in which the information processing device, when it has received the beacon signal, sets the status corresponding to the identification information of the received beacon signal to a first value (received (entry)), and a seventh step (S13) in which the information processing device, when it has not received the beacon signal, sets the status corresponding to the identification information of the unreceived beacon signal to a second value; the fifth step may also include an eighth step (S48) in which the communication device selects the identification information whose status is set to the second value in the received status information from among the plurality of identification information, and a ninth step (S7) in which the communication device transmits the beacon signal containing the identification information selected in the eighth step in place of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before.

[0029] 2. Specific Examples of Embodiments Hereinafter, specific examples of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the figures.

[0030] <Embodiment> Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an information processing system equipped with a communication device according to an embodiment.

[0031] The information processing system 1 shown in Figure 1 comprises a communication device 2 and an information processing device 3. The information processing system 1 is a system that enables data transmission and reception between the information processing device 3 and the communication device 2 by having the information processing device 3 perform various processes triggered by a change in status regarding whether or not a beacon signal transmitted from the communication device 2 has been received.

[0032] Communication device 2 is a device capable of transmitting beacon signals. In addition to the function of transmitting beacon signals, communication device 2 has at least the function of sending and receiving data by communicating with external devices and the function of performing program processing.

[0033] The communication device 2 is a program processing unit that has a configuration in which a processor such as a CPU, various storage devices such as RAM, ROM, and flash memory, and peripheral circuits such as a counter (timer), communication circuit, A / D conversion circuit, D / A conversion circuit, clock generation circuit, and input / output interface circuit are connected to each other via a bus or dedicated line, and is capable of wireless communication with external devices.

[0034] Communication device 2 transmits a beacon signal based on a predetermined communication standard. For example, communication device 2 transmits a beacon signal in accordance with the Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) standard. However, communication device 2 may also transmit a beacon signal using another communication standard such as the Wi-Fi® standard, and the communication standard for the beacon signal is not particularly limited.

[0035] Communication device 2 stores multiple distinct identification pieces 25_1 to 25_n (where n is an integer greater than or equal to 2) and transmits a beacon signal containing one of the identification pieces selected from among the multiple identification pieces 25_1 to 25_n. If the identification pieces 25_1 to 25_n are not distinguished from each other, they are simply referred to as "identification piece 25".

[0036] Here, the identification information 25 is information for identifying the beacon signal. The identification information 25 includes, for example, at least a UUID, Major, and Minor.

[0037] A UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) ​​is, for example, a 128-bit universal unique identifier. Major and Minor are, for example, 16-bit identifiers each. The identification information 25 may also include the received signal strength index (RSSI), etc.

[0038] The identification information 25_1 to 25_n have different values ​​from each other. For example, at least one identifier of UUID, Major, and Minor differs between the identification information 25_1 to 25_n. In this embodiment, as an example, it is assumed that the identification information 25_1 to 25_n have different UUIDs, Majors, and Minor values ​​from each other.

[0039] The communication device 2 determines the next beacon signal to be transmitted in the identification information 25 based on status information 35, which includes a status value indicating whether or not a beacon signal has been received from an external device. The specific configuration and operation of the communication device 2 will be described later.

[0040] The information processing device 3 is a device that performs predetermined processing when the status regarding whether or not a beacon signal transmitted from the communication device 2 has been received changes. In this embodiment, as an example, the predetermined processing is that the information processing device 3 sends and receives data with the communication device 2 and performs some calculation (data processing) using the received data.

[0041] The information processing device 3 is a program processing device that has a configuration in which a processor such as a CPU, various storage devices such as RAM, ROM, and flash memory, and peripheral circuits such as a counter (timer), communication circuit, A / D conversion circuit, D / A conversion circuit, clock generation circuit, and input / output interface circuit are all connected to each other via a bus or dedicated line, and is capable of wireless communication with external devices. More specifically, the information processing device 3 may be a stationary terminal such as a personal computer or server, or a portable terminal such as a tablet or smartphone.

[0042] The information processing device 3 stores status information 35, which includes a status value indicating whether or not a beacon signal has been received.

[0043] Figure 2 shows an example of status information 35.

[0044] Status information 35 is information in which a status value regarding whether or not a beacon signal has been received is set for each different beacon signal of the identification information 25_1 to 25_n. As shown in Figure 2, status information 35 stores the status regarding whether or not a beacon signal has been received, associated with the identification information 25_1 to 25_n of the beacon signal. Here, either a first value or a second value different from the first value is set as the status.

[0045] The first value indicates, for example, that the information processing device 3 is receiving a beacon signal, in other words, that the information processing device 3 has entered the beacon area of ​​the beacon signal. The second value indicates, for example, that the information processing device 3 is not receiving a beacon signal, in other words, that the information processing device 3 has left the beacon area of ​​the beacon signal.

[0046] Status information 35 is set to the status of the beacon signal of the identification information 25 that is being monitored by the information processing device 3. For example, Figure 2 shows an example of status information 35 when the beacon signal being monitored by the information processing device 3 is the beacon signal of identification information 25_1 to 25_n. Also, Figure 2 shows the case where, in status information 35, the status of the beacon signal of identification information 25_1 (ID_A) is set to "Received (Enter)" as the first value, the status of the beacon signal of identification information 25_2 (ID_B) is set to "Received (Enter)" as the first value, the status of the beacon signal of identification information 25_3 (ID_C) is set to "Not Received (Exit)" as the second value, and the status of the beacon signal of identification information 25_n (ID_x) is set to "Not Received (Exit)" as the second value.

[0047] The information processing device 3 monitors whether a beacon signal has been received or not for each piece of identification information 25 (beacon signal) to be monitored, and updates the status information 35 by switching the status value according to the reception status of the beacon signal for each piece of identification information.

[0048] The information processing device 3 transmits status information 35 to the communication device 2. Based on the status information 35 received from the information processing device 3, the communication device 2 switches the identification information of the beacon signal to be transmitted.

[0049] The following describes the specific configurations of the communication device 2 and the information processing device 3. As shown in Figure 1, the communication device 2 has a first communication unit 21, a second communication unit 22, a first control unit 23, and a first storage unit 24 as functional blocks. These functional blocks are realized, for example, through the cooperation of the program (software) of the program processing unit constituting the communication device 2 and the hardware.

[0050] Specifically, the processor constituting the communication device 2 described above performs various calculations according to the program stored in memory and controls peripheral circuits such as the memory and communication circuits within the communication device 2, thereby realizing the first communication unit 21, the second communication unit 22, the first control unit 23, and the first storage unit 24.

[0051] The first communication unit 21 transmits a beacon signal containing identification information 25. The first communication unit 21 transmits a beacon signal containing the specified identification information 25 in accordance with the communication standard described above, in response to instructions from the first control unit 23.

[0052] The second communication unit 22 communicates with the external information processing device 3. For example, the second communication unit 22 transmits and receives data by wirelessly communicating with the information processing device 3 using Bluetooth. Note that the communication standard for wireless communication between the second communication unit 22 and the information processing device 3 is not limited to Bluetooth, but may be another communication standard such as Wi-Fi.

[0053] The second communication unit 22 receives status information 35, which includes a status value indicating whether or not a beacon signal has been received. The second communication unit 22 stores the received status information 35 in the first storage unit 24. The second communication unit 22 transmits the specified data (action data 26) to the information processing device 3 in response to instructions from the first control unit 23.

[0054] The first storage unit 24 stores data such as parameters necessary to realize the function of the communication device 2. For example, the first storage unit 24 stores the identification information 25_1 to 25_n mentioned above. The first storage unit 24 also stores data (action data 26) to be transmitted to the information processing device 3.

[0055] The first control unit 23 comprehensively controls each functional unit that constitutes the communication device 2. Specifically, the first control unit 23 selects one identification information 25 from among a plurality of identification information 25_1 to 25_n and instructs the first communication unit 21 to transmit a beacon signal containing the selected identification information 25.

[0056] The first control unit 23 controls the first communication unit 21 to transmit beacon signals while sequentially switching the identification information 25. Specifically, when the second communication unit 22 receives status information 35 after the first communication unit 21 has transmitted a beacon signal, the first control unit 23 instructs the first communication unit 21 to select another identification information 25 that is different from the identification information 25 of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before, based on the received status information 35, and to transmit a beacon signal containing the selected identification information 25 in place of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before.

[0057] For example, if the received status information 35 shows that the status corresponding to the identification information 25 included in the beacon signal transmitted immediately before is set to a first value ("received (enter)") and the status corresponding to the other identification information 25 is set to a second value ("not received (exit)"), the first control unit 23 instructs the first communication unit 21 to transmit a beacon signal containing the other identification information 25 whose status is set to the second value, in place of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before.

[0058] Furthermore, for example, if the status of the received status information 35 is set to a first value ("received (entered)") for the identification information 25 of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before, and the status of the other identification information 25 is also set to a first value ("received (entered)"), the first control unit 23 selects the identification information 25 of the beacon signal that has been transmitted the longest since it stopped, and instructs the first communication unit 21 to transmit the beacon signal containing the selected identification information 25.

[0059] When data communication becomes possible between the second communication unit 22 and the information processing device 3, the first control unit 23 instructs the second communication unit 22 to transmit the action data 26 stored in the first storage unit 24 to the information processing device 3.

[0060] Specifically, after the first communication unit 21 transmits a beacon signal, if the second communication unit 22 receives a response indicating that the information processing device 3 has received the beacon signal, the first control unit 23 determines that a data communication connection has been established between the second communication unit 22 and the information processing device 3, and instructs the second communication unit 22 to transmit action data 26 to the information processing device 3.

[0061] As shown in Figure 1, the information processing device 3 has a third communication unit 31, a fourth communication unit 32, a second control unit 33, and a second storage unit 34 as functional blocks. These functional blocks are realized, for example, through the cooperation of the program (software) of the program processing unit constituting the information processing device 3 and the hardware. Specifically, the processor constituting the information processing device 3 described above performs various calculations according to the program stored in memory and controls peripheral circuits such as memory and communication circuits within the information processing device 3, thereby realizing the third communication unit 31, the fourth communication unit 32, the second control unit 33, and the second storage unit 34.

[0062] The third communication unit 31 receives a beacon signal. For example, the third communication unit 31 receives a beacon signal transmitted from the communication device 2, notifies the second control unit 33 that it has received the beacon signal, and provides the second control unit 33 with the identification information contained in the received beacon signal.

[0063] The fourth communication unit 32 communicates with the communication device 2. For example, the fourth communication unit 32 transmits and receives data by performing wireless communication via Bluetooth with the second communication unit 22 of the communication device 2. As mentioned above, the communication standard for wireless communication between the fourth communication unit 32 and the communication device 2 is not limited to Bluetooth, but may be another communication standard such as Wi-Fi.

[0064] When the fourth communication unit 32 receives action data 26 from the communication device 2 via data communication with the communication device 2, it stores the received action data 26 in the second storage unit 34 and notifies the second control unit 33 that it has received the action data 26.

[0065] The second storage unit 34 stores status information 35 (see Figure 2), which includes status values ​​regarding whether or not a beacon signal has been received for each identification information 25_1 to 25_n. The status information 35 stored in the second storage unit 34 is updated by the second control unit 33.

[0066] The second control unit 33 comprehensively controls each functional unit that constitutes the information processing device 3. Specifically, the second control unit 33 updates the status information 35 according to the status of beacon signal reception and instructs the fourth communication unit 32 to transmit the status information 35.

[0067] For example, when the third communication unit 31 receives a beacon signal, the second control unit 33 updates the status value of the status information 35 stored in the second storage unit 34 that corresponds to the identification information 25 of the beacon signal received by the third communication unit 31, and instructs the fourth communication unit 32 to transmit the updated status information 35 to the communication device 2.

[0068] Status information 35 is updated as follows:

[0069] When the third communication unit 31 receives a beacon signal, the second control unit 33 sets the status corresponding to the identification information 25 of the received beacon signal to a first value ("received (entered)").

[0070] On the other hand, if the third communication unit 31 has not received a beacon signal, the second control unit 33 sets the status corresponding to the identification information 25 of the unreceived beacon signal to the second value ("Not received (exit)").

[0071] For example, consider the case where beacon signal ID_A of identification information 25_1 (ID_A) and beacon signal ID_B of identification information 25_2 (ID_B) are to be monitored. When the information processing device 3 receives beacon signal ID_A, it sets the status of beacon signal ID_A from the second value ("Not received (exit)") to the first value ("Received (enter)").

[0072] On the other hand, if beacon signal ID_B is not received, in other words, if the period during which beacon signal ID_B has not been received exceeds a predetermined threshold, the information processing device 3 sets the status of beacon signal ID_B from the first value ("received (entry)") to the second value ("not received (exit)").

[0073] When the third communication unit 31 receives a beacon signal, the second control unit 33 instructs the fourth communication unit 32 to send a response to the communication device 2 indicating that it has received a beacon signal. In response to the instruction from the second control unit 33, the fourth communication unit 32 establishes the above-described data communication connection (e.g., Bluetooth connection) with the communication device 2 by sending a response to the communication device 2 indicating that it has received a beacon signal.

[0074] When the fourth communication unit 32 receives action data 26 via data communication with the communication device 2, the second control unit 33 performs predetermined data processing using the action data 26.

[0075] Next, we will explain the communication flow between the communication device 2 and the information processing device 3.

[0076] Figure 3 is a sequence diagram showing an overview of the communication flow between the communication device 2 and the information processing device 3.

[0077] Figure 3 shows that two identification pieces, ID_A and ID_B, are set as the identification information 25 to be monitored by the information processing device 3, and the communication device 2 switches between outputting beacon signal ID_A containing identification information ID_A and beacon signal ID_B containing identification information ID_B. Furthermore, the initial status values ​​of identification information ID_A and ID_B included in the status information 35 are assumed to be the second value ("Not received (exit)").

[0078] For example, first, communication device 2 transmits beacon signal ID_A containing identification information ID_A (step S1). Next, information processing device 3 detects (receives) the beacon signal ID_A transmitted in step S1 (step S2). Information processing device 3 switches the status of beacon signal ID_A received in step S2, which is included in status information 35, from the second value ("not received (exit)") to the first value ("received (enter)") (step S3). At this time, in status information 35, the status of beacon signal ID_A is the first value ("received (enter)"), and the status of beacon signal ID_B is the second value ("not received (exit)").

[0079] Next, the information processing device 3 sends a response indicating that it has received the beacon signal ID_A, thereby establishing a data communication connection between the information processing device 3 and the communication device 2 (step S4). The information processing device 3 then transmits the status information 35 updated in step S3 to the communication device 2 via data communication.

[0080] When communication device 2 receives a response from information processing device 3 indicating that it has received beacon signal ID_A, it stops transmitting beacon signal ID_A (step S5). Also, when communication device 2 receives status information 35, it sends a response to information processing device 3 indicating that it has received status information 35. When information processing device 3 receives a response indicating that it has received status information 35, it disconnects the data communication connection with communication device 2 (step S6).

[0081] Next, the communication device 2 refers to the status information 35 received through data communication with the information processing device 3 to determine the identification information 25 to be transmitted next, and transmits a beacon signal containing the determined identification information 25 (step S7). In the example above, in the status information 35 received by the communication device 2, the status of beacon signal ID_A is the first value ("received (enter)") and the status of beacon signal ID_B is the second value ("not received (exit)"). Therefore, the communication device 2 transmits beacon signal ID_B containing identification information ID_B whose status is the second value ("not received (exit)").

[0082] Next, the information processing device 3 detects (receives) the beacon signal ID_B transmitted in step S7 (step S8). The information processing device 3 switches the status of the beacon signal ID_B received in step S8, which is included in the status information 35, from the second value ("Not received (exit)") to the first value ("Received (enter)") (step S9). At this time, in the status information 35, the status of beacon signal ID_A is the first value ("Received (enter)") and the status of beacon signal ID_B is the first value ("Received (enter)").

[0083] Next, the information processing device 3 sends a response indicating that it has received the beacon signal ID_B, thereby establishing a data communication connection between the information processing device 3 and the communication device 2. The information processing device 3 then transmits the status information 35 updated in step S9 to the communication device 2 via data communication (step S10).

[0084] When communication device 2 receives a response from information processing device 3 indicating that it has received beacon signal ID_B, it stops transmitting beacon signal ID_B (step S11). Also, when communication device 2 receives status information 35, it sends a response to information processing device 3 indicating that it has received status information 35. When information processing device 3 receives a response indicating that it has received status information 35, it disconnects the data communication connection with communication device 2 (step S12).

[0085] On the other hand, if the information processing device 3 has not received beacon signal ID_A for a predetermined period of time, the information processing device 3 switches the status of beacon signal ID_A, which is included in the status information 35, from the first value ("received (enter)") to the second value ("not received (exit)") (step S13). At this time, in the status information 35, the status of beacon signal ID_A is the second value ("not received (exit)"), and the status of beacon signal ID_B is the first value ("received (enter)").

[0086] Next, the communication device 2 refers to the status information 35 received in step S10 to determine which identification information 25 to transmit next, and transmits a beacon signal containing the determined identification information 25 (step S14). In the example above, the status information 35 received indicates that the status of beacon signal ID_A is "received (entered)" and the status of beacon signal ID_B is "received (entered)". Therefore, the communication device 2 selects the identification information 25 of the beacon signal that has been transmitted the longest since it stopped, and transmits a beacon signal containing the selected identification information 25. In the example above, comparing beacon signal ID_A and beacon signal ID_B, since more time has passed since beacon signal ID_A stopped transmitting, in step S15, the communication device 2 transmits beacon signal ID_A.

[0087] Next, the information processing device 3 detects (receives) the beacon signal ID_A transmitted in step S14 (step S15). The information processing device 3 switches the status of the beacon signal ID_A received in step S15, which is included in the status information 35, from the second value ("Not received (exit)") to the first value ("Received (enter)") (step S16). At this time, in the status information 35, the status of beacon signal ID_A is the first value ("Received (enter)"), and the status of beacon signal ID_B is the second 1 The value is ("receive (entry)").

[0088] Next, the information processing device 3 sends a response indicating that it has received the beacon signal ID_A, thereby establishing a data communication connection between the information processing device 3 and the communication device 2 (step S17). The information processing device 3 then transmits the status information 35 updated in step S16 to the communication device 2 via data communication.

[0089] When communication device 2 receives a response from information processing device 3 indicating that it has received beacon signal ID_A, it stops transmitting beacon signal ID_A (step S18). Also, when communication device 2 receives status information 35, it sends a response to information processing device 3 indicating that it has received status information 35. When information processing device 3 receives a response indicating that it has received status information 35, it disconnects the data communication connection with communication device 2 (step S19).

[0090] On the other hand, if the information processing device 3 has not received the beacon signal ID_B for a predetermined period of time, the information processing device 3 switches the status of the beacon signal ID_B included in the status information 35 from "received (entered)" to "not received (exited)" (step S20).

[0091] By following the above procedure, the communication device 2 receives status information 35 managed by the information processing device 3, and repeatedly transmits a beacon signal while switching the identification information 25 based on the status information 35, thereby enabling the information processing device 3 to repeatedly execute processing triggered by the reception of the beacon signal.

[0092] Next, we will explain the detailed flow of processing performed by communication device 2.

[0093] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the detailed flow of processing by communication device 2.

[0094] When the communication device 2 needs to transmit action data 26, for example, due to instructions from a timer or an external device, it prepares the action data 26 to be transmitted (step S41). For example, the first control unit 23 reads the action data 26 to be transmitted from the first storage unit 24.

[0095] Next, the communication device 2 transmits a beacon signal (step S42). Specifically, as described above, the first control unit 23 selects one identification information 25 from among the multiple identification information 25_1 to 25_n stored in the first storage unit 24, and instructs the first communication unit 21 to transmit a beacon signal containing the selected identification information 25, thereby causing the first communication unit 21 to transmit a beacon signal.

[0096] Next, a data communication connection is established between the communication device 2 and the information processing device 3, which received the beacon signal transmitted in step S42 (step S43). For example, when the information processing device 3 sends a response indicating that it has received the beacon signal, and the communication device 2 receives that response, a data communication connection is established between the second communication unit 22 of the communication device 2 and the fourth communication unit 32 of the information processing device 3.

[0097] Next, the communication device 2 stops transmitting the beacon signal that was started in step S42 (step S44). Specifically, the first control unit 23 instructs the first communication unit 21 to stop transmitting the beacon signal, causing the first communication unit 21 to stop transmitting the beacon signal.

[0098] Next, the communication device 2 transmits the action data 26 prepared in step S41 to the information processing device 3 (step S45). Specifically, the first control unit 23 instructs the second communication unit 22 to transmit the action data 26 read from the first storage unit 24 in step S41, and the second communication unit 22 transmits the action data 26 to the information processing device 3.

[0099] Next, the communication device 2 receives status information 35 from the information processing device 3 (step S46). Specifically, the second communication unit 22 receives the status information 35 transmitted from the fourth communication unit 32 of the information processing device 3 in the data communication connection established in step S43, and stores the received status information 35 in the first storage unit 24.

[0100] Next, the data communication connection between the communication device 2 and the information processing device 3 is terminated (step S47). For example, if the second communication unit 22 sends a response to the information processing device 3 indicating that it has received status information 35, and the information processing device 3 receives that response, the information processing device 3 terminates the data communication connection.

[0101] Next, the communication device 2 determines the beacon signal (identification information) to be transmitted next (step S48).

[0102] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of how the communication device 2 determines the next beacon signal (identification information) to be transmitted.

[0103] In step S48 of Figure 4, first, the first control unit 23 of the communication device 2 reads the status information 35 received in step S46 from the first storage unit 24 (step S481). The first control unit 23 determines whether or not there is identification information 25 in the read status information 35 whose status is set to the second value ("Not received (exit)") (step S482).

[0104] If there is an identification information 25 whose status is set to the second value ("Not received (left)") (step S482: YES), the first control unit 23 determines whether there are multiple identification information 25 whose status is set to the second value (step S483).

[0105] If there is only one identification information 25 whose status is set to the second value ("Not received (left)") (Step S483: NO ) The first control unit 23 selects an identification information 25 from the first storage unit 24 whose status is set to the second value ("Not received (exit)") (step S484). Then, the first control unit 23 determines that the beacon signal of the identification information 25 selected in step S484 is the next beacon signal to be transmitted (step S486). This completes the process in step S48.

[0106] On the other hand, if there is no identification information 25 whose status is set to the second value ("Not received (exited)") (step S482: NO), or if there are multiple identification information 25 whose status is set to the second value ("Not received (exited)") (step S483: YES), the first control unit 23 selects the identification information 25 of the beacon signal that has been transmitted for the longest time (step S485).

[0107] For example, consider a case where there are three identification information IDs, IDs, and IDs, and first the beacon signal ID_A for identification information ID_A is transmitted, then the beacon signal ID_B for identification information ID_B is transmitted, and then the beacon signal ID_C for identification information ID_C is transmitted, and the status of all beacon signals IDs, IDs, and IDs is value 1 ("received (entered)").

[0108] In this case, the first control unit 23 selects beacon signal (identification information) ID_A, which is the beacon signal (identification information) among the three beacon signals ID_A, ID_B, and ID_C that has been transmitted the longest since it last stopped, as the beacon signal to be transmitted after beacon signal ID_C.

[0109] Then, the first control unit 23 determines that the beacon signal of the identification information 25 selected in step S485 is the next beacon signal to be transmitted (step S486). This completes the process in step S48.

[0110] Next, we will explain the detailed flow of processing performed by the information processing device 3.

[0111] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the detailed processing flow by the information processing device 3.

[0112] Here, as an example, we assume that the beacon signal ID_A of identification information 25_1 (ID_A) and the beacon signal ID_B of identification information 25_2 (ID_B) are beacon signals that are monitored by the information processing device 3.

[0113] For example, after startup, the information processing device 3 enters a state of waiting for beacon signals. If the second control unit 33 does not receive a monitored beacon signal for a certain period of time while in the waiting state, it sets the status corresponding to the identification information 25 of the unreceived beacon signal among the status information 35 stored in the second storage unit 34 to a second value ("Not received (exit)").

[0114] When the information processing device 3 receives a beacon signal while in standby mode, it starts a predetermined process. In the predetermined process, first, the information processing device 3 determines the identification information 25 of the received beacon signal (step S61). Specifically, when the third communication unit 31 receives a beacon signal, the second control unit 33 refers to the identification information contained in the received beacon signal and determines whether or not it is a beacon signal to be monitored.

[0115] If the identification information of the beacon signal received in step S61 does not match any of the identification information of the monitored targets, the information processing device 3 terminates the predetermined processing and returns to the beacon signal waiting state.

[0116] In step S61, if the received beacon signal is the beacon signal of the monitored identification information 25 and is beacon signal ID_A, the information processing device 3 determines the status of beacon signal ID_A (step S62). Specifically, the second control unit 33 refers to the status information 35 stored in the second storage unit 34 and determines the status value of beacon signal ID_A.

[0117] In step S62, if the status of beacon signal ID_A included in the status information 35 is the first value ("received (entered)"), the second control unit 33 terminates the predetermined processing without updating the status information 35 and transitions to a beacon signal waiting state.

[0118] In step S62, if the status of beacon signal ID_A included in the status information 35 is the second value ("Not received (exit)"), the second control unit 33 updates the status information 35 stored in the second storage unit 34 by changing the status of beacon signal ID_A from the second value ("Not received (exit)") to the first value ("Received (enter)") (step S64).

[0119] In step S61, if the received beacon signal is the beacon signal of the monitored identification information 25 and is beacon signal ID_B, the information processing device 3 determines the status of beacon signal ID_B (step S63). Specifically, the second control unit 33 refers to the status information 35 stored in the second storage unit 34 and determines the status value of beacon signal ID_B.

[0120] In step S63, if the status of beacon signal ID_B included in the status information 35 is the first value ("received (entered)"), the second control unit 33 terminates the predetermined processing without updating the status information 35 and transitions to a beacon signal waiting state.

[0121] In step S63, if the status of beacon signal ID_B included in the status information 35 is the second value ("Not received (exit)"), the second control unit 33 updates the status information 35 stored in the second storage unit 34 by changing the status of beacon signal ID_B from the second value ("Not received (exit)") to the first value ("Received (enter)") (step S64).

[0122] After updating the status information 35 in step S64, the information processing device 3 establishes a data communication connection with the communication device 2 (step S65). Specifically, the second control unit 33 instructs the fourth communication unit 32 to send a response indicating that a beacon signal has been received, and the fourth communication unit 32 transmits the above response to the communication device 2, thereby establishing a data communication connection with the communication device 2.

[0123] Next, the information processing device 3 transmits status information 35 to the communication device 2 with which a data communication connection has been established (step S66). Specifically, the second control unit 33 reads the status information 35 from the second storage unit 34, instructs the fourth communication unit 32 to transmit the read status information 35, and the fourth communication unit 32 transmits the status information 35 to the communication device 2.

[0124] Next, the information processing device 3 receives the action data 26 transmitted from the communication device 2 (step S67). Specifically, the fourth communication unit 32 receives the action data 26 transmitted from the communication device 2 and stores it in the second storage unit 34, and also notifies the second control unit 33 that the action data 26 has been received.

[0125] Next, the information processing device 3 disconnects the data communication connection with the communication device 2 (step S68). Specifically, when the communication device 2 sends a response indicating that it has received status information 35, and the fourth communication unit 32 receives that response, the second control unit 33 disconnects the data communication connection between the information processing device 3 and the communication device 2.

[0126] Subsequently, the information processing device 3 performs data processing using the action data 26 received in step S67 (step S69).

[0127] In the information processing system 1 according to the embodiment described above, when the information processing device 3, which is the beacon signal receiver, receives a beacon signal, it updates the status information 35 by changing the status value associated with the identification information 25 of the received beacon signal, and transmits the status information 35 to the communication device 2, which is the beacon signal transmitter. When the communication device 2 receives the status information 35 after transmitting the beacon signal, it selects a different identification information 25 from the identification information 25 contained in the beacon signal transmitted immediately before, based on the status information 35, and transmits a beacon signal containing the selected identification information 25 in place of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before.

[0128] According to this, the communication device 2 checks the reception status of the beacon signal in the information processing device 3, and then transmits a beacon signal containing different identification information 25 from the identification information 25 contained in the beacon signal transmitted immediately before, in place of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before. Therefore, even if the status of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before was "received (entered)", the status of the new beacon signal can be changed from "not received (exited)" to "received (entered)". Also, since the transmission of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before has stopped, the status of the new beacon signal can be changed from "received (entered)" to "received (entered)" after the status of the new beacon signal has changed from "not received (exited)" to "received (entered)".

[0129] Thus, according to the information processing system 1, the information processing device 3 can repeatedly generate status changes a number of times corresponding to the type of beacon signal (identification information 25). This makes it possible to repeatedly prompt the information processing device 3 to execute processing (generate events) triggered by status changes regarding the reception of beacon signals, without having to move the information processing device 3 outside the beacon area.

[0130] Specifically, as described above, when the information processing device 3 receives a beacon signal, it sets the status corresponding to the identification information 25 of the received beacon signal to a first value ("Received (Entry)"), and when it does not receive a beacon signal, it sets the status corresponding to the identification information 25 of the unreceived beacon signal to a second value ("Not Received (Exit)"). On the other hand, as described above, the communication device 2 selects the identification information 25 whose status is set to the second value in the received status information 35 from among a plurality of identification information 25_1 to 25_n, and transmits a beacon signal containing the selected identification information 25 in place of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before.

[0131] According to this, the communication device 2 prioritizes transmitting beacon signals that have the status "not received (exited)" on the information processing device 3 side, making it possible to more reliably trigger a status switch regarding whether or not the beacon signal has been received on the information processing device 3.

[0132] Furthermore, as described above, in the status information 35, if the status corresponding to the identification information 25 of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before is set to the first value ("received (entered)"), and the status corresponding to another identification information 25 is also set to the first value ("received (entered)"), the communication device 2 selects the identification information 25 of the beacon signal that has been transmitted the longest since it stopped, and transmits the beacon signal containing the selected identification information 25 in place of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before.

[0133] According to this, even if there are no beacon signals (identification information 25) on the information processing device 3 side whose status is "not received (exited)" at the time status information 35 is transmitted, the communication device 2 will prioritize transmitting the beacon signal of the identification information that is most likely to later change in status to "not received (exited)". This makes it possible to increase the probability of the information processing device 3 switching its status regarding whether or not it has received a beacon signal.

[0134] <<Extension of the Embodiment>> Although the present invention has been specifically described above based on embodiments, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited thereto and can be modified in various ways without departing from its essence.

[0135] In the above embodiment, when all statuses included in the status information 35 are set to the first value ("received (entered)"), the communication device 2 selects the identification information 25 of the beacon signal that has been transmitted the longest since it stopped transmitting, and transmits the beacon signal of the selected identification information 25 in place of the beacon signal that was transmitted immediately before. However, the embodiment is not limited to this.

[0136] For example, when the information processing device 3 transmits status information 35, if all statuses included in the status information 35 are set to a first value ("received (enter)"), the second control unit 33 generates new identification information 25 and sets the status corresponding to the new identification information 25 to a second value ("not received (exit)"). The second control unit 33 may then instruct the fourth communication unit 32 to generate new status information 35 by adding the new identification information 25 and the status value corresponding to the new identification information 25, and transmit the new status information 35.

[0137] On the other hand, in the communication device 2, if the status information 35 received by the second communication unit 22 includes new identification information 25 that is not stored in the first storage unit 24 and a status value corresponding to the new identification information 25, the first control unit 23 may store the new identification information 25 in the first storage unit 24.

[0138] For example, consider a case where the beacon signals monitored by the information processing device 3 are beacon signals ID_A, ID_B, and ID_C corresponding to three types of identification information ID_A, ID_B, and ID_C, and when the status information 35 is transmitted, the status of each beacon signal ID_A, ID_B, and ID_C included in the status information 35 is set to the first value ("received (entered)").

[0139] In this case, in the information processing device 3, the second control unit 33 generates a new identification information ID_D, sets the status of identification information ID_D to a second value ("Not received (exited)"), generates new status information 35 by adding the status of identification information ID_D (second value) to the existing status information 35, and instructs the fourth communication unit 32 to transmit the new status information 35 to the communication device 2.

[0140] Meanwhile, in the communication device 2, the first control unit 23 refers to the newly received status information 35, adds the new identification information ID_D included in the status information 35 to the first storage unit 24, and instructs the first communication unit 21 to transmit the beacon signal of identification information ID_D, whose status is set to the second value ("Not received (exit)"), in place of the beacon signal that was transmitted immediately before.

[0141] According to this, even if there are no beacon signals (identification information 25) with a status of the second value ("not received (exited)") on the information processing device 3 side, the communication device 2 can transmit a new beacon signal with identification information 25, making it possible to more reliably trigger a status change regarding whether or not a beacon signal has been received on the information processing device 3.

[0142] Furthermore, the flowchart described above is merely an example and is not limited to these steps. For example, other processes may be inserted between each step, or the processes may be parallelized. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0143] 1... Information processing system, 2... Communication device, 3... Information processing device, 21... First communication unit, 22... Second communication unit, 24... First storage unit, 25, 25_1~25_n... Identification information, 26... Action data, 31... Third communication unit, 32... Fourth communication unit, 33... Second control unit, 34... Second storage unit, 35... Status information.

Claims

1. A first communication unit that transmits a beacon signal containing identification information, A second communication unit that communicates with an external information processing device, A first storage unit that stores multiple different identification pieces of information, The system includes a first control unit that selects one identification piece from the plurality of identification pieces and instructs the first communication unit to transmit a beacon signal containing the selected identification piece, The second communication unit receives status information including a status value indicating whether or not the beacon signal has been received, The aforementioned status is associated with each of the aforementioned identification pieces of information. If the first control unit receives the status information from the second communication unit after the first communication unit has transmitted the beacon signal, it instructs the first communication unit to select other identification information different from the identification information of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before, based on the status information, and to transmit the beacon signal containing the selected identification information in place of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before. Communication device.

2. In the communication device described in claim 1, The value of the aforementioned status is set to either a first value or a second value different from the first value. The first control unit, upon receiving the status information, instructs the first communication unit to transmit the beacon signal containing the other identification information whose status is set to the second value, in place of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before, if the status corresponding to the identification information contained in the beacon signal transmitted immediately before is set to a first value and the status corresponding to the other identification information is set to a second value. Communication device.

3. In the communication device described in claim 2, If, in the received status information, the status corresponding to the identification information of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before is set to the first value, and the status corresponding to the other identification information is also set to the first value, the first control unit selects the identification information of the beacon signal that has been transmitted the longest since transmission stopped, and instructs the first communication unit to transmit the beacon signal containing the selected identification information in place of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before. Communication device.

4. In the communication device described in claim 2, The first control unit stores the new identification information in the first storage unit if the received status information includes new identification information not stored in the first storage unit and the status value corresponding to the new identification information. Communication device.

5. In the communication device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, If the second communication unit receives a response indicating that the information processing device has received the beacon signal after the first communication unit has transmitted the beacon signal, the first control unit instructs the second communication unit to transmit data to the information processing device. Communication device.

6. An information processing system comprising a communication device and an information processing device, The communication device comprises a first communication unit that transmits a beacon signal containing identification information, a second communication unit that communicates with the information processing device, a first storage unit that stores a plurality of different identification pieces of information, and a first control unit that selects one identification piece of information from the plurality of identification pieces of information and instructs the first communication unit to transmit the beacon signal containing the selected identification piece of information. The information processing device includes a third communication unit that receives the beacon signal, a fourth communication unit that communicates with the communication device, a second storage unit that stores status information for each identification information, including a status value indicating whether or not the beacon signal has been received for each identification information, and a second control unit that updates the status information in response to the reception of the beacon signal and instructs the fourth communication unit to transmit the status information. The aforementioned status is associated with each of the aforementioned identification pieces of information. In the communication device, the first communication unit transmits the beacon signal. In the information processing apparatus, when the third communication unit receives the beacon signal, the second control unit updates the status value of the status information stored in the second storage unit that corresponds to the identification information of the beacon signal received by the third communication unit, and instructs the fourth communication unit to transmit the updated status information to the communication device. In the communication device, if the second communication unit receives the status information after the first communication unit has transmitted the beacon signal, the first control unit, based on the status information, selects other identification information different from the identification information contained in the beacon signal transmitted immediately before, and instructs the first communication unit to transmit the beacon signal containing the selected identification information in place of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before. Information processing system.

7. In the information processing system described in claim 6, In the information processing apparatus, the second control unit sets the status corresponding to the identification information of the received beacon signal as a first value when the third communication unit has received the beacon signal, and sets the status corresponding to the identification information of the unreceived beacon signal as a second value when the third communication unit has not received the beacon signal. In the communication device, the first control unit selects the identification information whose status is set to the second value in the received status information from among the plurality of identification information, and instructs the first communication unit to transmit a beacon signal containing the selected identification information in place of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before. Information processing system.

8. In the information processing system described in claim 7, If, in the received status information, the status corresponding to the identification information of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before is set to the first value, and the status corresponding to the other identification information is also set to the first value, the first control unit selects the identification information of the beacon signal that has been transmitted the longest since transmission stopped, and instructs the first communication unit to transmit the beacon signal containing the selected identification information in place of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before. Information processing system.

9. In the information processing system described in claim 7, In the information processing apparatus, when the second control unit transmits the status information, if all the statuses included in the status information are set to the first value, it generates new identification information, sets the status corresponding to the new identification information as the second value, generates new status information by adding the new identification information and the value of the status corresponding to the new identification information, and instructs the fourth communication unit to transmit the new status information. In the communication device, the first control unit stores the new identification information in the first storage unit if the status information received by the second communication unit includes new identification information not stored in the first storage unit and the status value corresponding to the new identification information. Information processing system.

10. In the information processing system according to any one of claims 6 to 9, In the information processing apparatus, when the third communication unit receives the beacon signal, the second control unit transmits a response to the communication device indicating that the beacon signal has been received. In the communication device, when the second communication unit receives the response, the first control unit instructs the second communication unit to transmit the data to the information processing device. Information processing system.

11. An information processing method by an information processing system comprising: a communication device that stores multiple different identification pieces of information and transmits a beacon signal containing one of the identification pieces of information selected from among the multiple identification pieces of information; and an information processing device that stores status information including a status value regarding whether or not the beacon signal has been received, The aforementioned status is associated with each of the aforementioned identification pieces of information. The first step is that the communication device transmits the beacon signal, The information processing device performs a second step of receiving the beacon signal, The information processing device performs a third step of updating the status value, which is included in the status information and corresponds to the identification information of the beacon signal received in the second step. The information processing device transmits the status information updated in the third step to the communication device in a fourth step, The fifth step includes, when the communication device receives the status information, selecting other identification information different from the identification information contained in the beacon signal transmitted immediately before based on the status information, and transmitting the beacon signal containing the selected identification information in place of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before. Information processing methods.

12. In the information processing method described in claim 11, The third step includes a sixth step in which, if the information processing device has received the beacon signal, the status corresponding to the identification information of the received beacon signal is set to a first value, and a seventh step in which, if the information processing device has not received the beacon signal, the status corresponding to the identification information of the unreceived beacon signal is set to a second value. The fifth step includes an eighth step in which the communication device selects from among the plurality of identification pieces of information the identification piece in the received status information in which the status is set to the second value, and a ninth step in which the communication device transmits the beacon signal containing the identification piece selected in the eighth step in place of the beacon signal transmitted immediately before. Information processing methods.

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