Communication terminal, communication system, and event monitoring method

Abstract

This communication terminal is portable and comprises: a reception unit that receives a first radio wave including position information indicating an area and a second radio wave including event detection information indicating that an event related to a mobile body or a person carrying the communication terminal has occurred; a storage unit that holds the position information and the event detection information; and a transmission unit that transmits a third radio wave which includes at least one of the position information and the event detection information in association with identification information indicating the person or the mobile body and which has a narrower communication range than the first radio wave and the second radio wave.

Description

Communication terminal, communication system, and event monitoring method

[0001] This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-144180 filed on September 6, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Patent document 1 discloses a technology in which, when a change in the state of a mounting base on which a container of cleaning fluid or the like is placed is detected, an activation signal for the container is wirelessly transmitted from the mounting base to a mobile terminal of a medical worker, and hand hygiene implementation information is wirelessly transmitted to a server together with identification information that identifies the mobile terminal or the medical worker, and the hand hygiene implementation information and the identification information are associated with each other and recorded in a database.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2018-067082

[0004] In the technology disclosed in Patent Literature 1, a mobile terminal transmits information to a server via wireless communication, so if communications from the mobile terminal to the server are concentrated, the server may not be able to properly receive data transmitted from the mobile terminal. Furthermore, the technology disclosed in Patent Literature 1 requires the construction of a network that enables communication between the mobile terminal and the server. Therefore, an object of one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a communication terminal, a communication system, and an event monitoring method that can improve the reliability of data transmission along a data transmission path.

[0005] A communication terminal according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is portable and includes a receiving unit that receives first radio waves including location information indicating an area and second radio waves including event detection information indicating that an event has occurred involving a person or mobile object carrying the communication terminal; a memory unit that stores the location information and the event detection information; and a transmitting unit that transmits third radio waves that include at least one of the location information and the event detection information in association with identification information indicating the person or the mobile object and have a narrower communication range than the first radio waves and the second radio waves.

[0006] A communication system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes the communication terminal, a location information transmission device that transmits the first radio wave, an event detection device that transmits the second radio wave when it detects that the event has occurred, a receiver capable of receiving the third radio wave, and a server device, and the transmission unit transmits the third radio wave to the server device via the receiver.

[0007] An event monitoring method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes the steps of receiving a first radio wave including location information indicating an area and a second radio wave including event detection information indicating that an event has occurred involving a person or mobile object carrying the communication terminal, retaining the location information and the event detection information, and transmitting a third radio wave having a narrower communication range than the first radio wave and the second radio wave, the third radio wave including at least one of the location information and the event detection information associated with identification information indicating the person or the mobile object.

[0008] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the communication system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the communication system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the communication system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the communication system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the communication system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the communication system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the communication system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the communication system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the communication system according to the second embodiment. FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the communication system according to the second embodiment.

[0009] First Embodiment A first embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 9. Note that in the drawings, the same or similar elements are given the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0010] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication system 100. The communication system 100 includes a location information transmission device 101, an event detection device 102, a communication terminal 103, a receiver 104, and a server device 105. The location information transmission device 101 is installed in each area, and the event detection device 102 may be carried by a person carrying the communication terminal 103 or may be installed in each area.

[0011] The location information transmission device 101 transmits a first radio wave 111. The first radio wave 111 includes location information. The location information indicates an area to which the location information transmission device 101 belongs.

[0012] When the event detection device 102 detects the occurrence of an event performed by a person carrying the communication terminal 103, the event detection device 102 transmits a second radio wave 112. The second radio wave 112 includes event detection information. The event detection information includes event identification information that is unique for each event. Furthermore, the event detection information may indicate information that identifies the event detection device 102. For example, the second radio wave 112 is transmitted by Bluetooth (registered trademark) LE communication.

[0013] The communication terminal 103 is a portable wireless gateway device, and may be, for example, a smart watch, a card-type device, a ring-type device, an eyeglass-type device, or a clothing-type device.

[0014] Communication terminal 103 and receiving terminal 104 are capable of two-way communication. When communication terminal 103 receives at least one of first radio wave 111 and second radio wave 112, it transmits third radio wave 113 to receiver 104. Receiver 104 is capable of receiving third radio wave 113. Third radio wave 113 includes at least one of location information and event detection information, and identification information indicating a person carrying communication terminal 103 associated with at least one of the location information and the event detection information, and has a narrower communication range than first radio wave 111 and second radio wave 112.

[0015] Furthermore, communication terminal 103 measures the clock count using a clock set for each communication terminal. The clock count measured by communication terminal 103 does not indicate absolute time. Furthermore, communication terminal 103 does not acquire absolute time. In this document, absolute time refers to a point in time expressed in year, month, day, hour, minute, and second.

[0016] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the location information transmission device 101. The location information transmission device 101 includes a transmission unit 201.

[0017] The transmitting unit 201 transmits the first radio wave 111 at predetermined time intervals. The transmitting unit 201 may be capable of controlling the azimuth directivity of the transmission of the first radio wave 111.

[0018] 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the event detection device 102. The event detection device 102 includes an event detection unit 301 and a transmission unit 302.

[0019] The event detection unit 301 detects the occurrence of an event. Here, the term "event" is not limited to an event initiated by a person or a mobile object, but may also be an event involving a person or a mobile object, and may also be applied to an event in which the event detection device 102 detects the behavior or state of a person or a mobile object. As a specific example, take the example of a hand sanitizer dispenser. An "event" may be a person pressing the nozzle of a dispenser container, or the dispenser detecting a person's hand. Furthermore, the event detection device 102 may be carried by a person or a mobile object.

[0020] When the occurrence of an event is detected, the transmitting unit 302 transmits the second radio wave 112 .

[0021] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the communication terminal 103 and the receiver 104 according to this embodiment.

[0022] The communication terminal 103 includes a receiving unit 401, a storage unit 402, a clock unit 403, a control unit 404, a short-range wireless detection unit 405, and a transmission unit 406. The receiver 104 includes a short-range wireless detection unit 421 and a communication unit 422.

[0023] The short-range wireless detection unit 421 transmits the radio wave 115. The radio wave 115 has a narrower communication range than the first radio wave 111 and the second radio wave 112. The communication unit 422 receives the third radio wave 113 transmitted from the transmission unit 406 and transmits the received third radio wave 113 to the server device 105.

[0024] The receiving unit 401 receives the first radio wave 111 and the second radio wave 112 .

[0025] Storage unit 402 is a recording medium capable of recording various data, programs, and the like. For example, storage unit 402 is configured with a semiconductor memory or the like. Storage unit 402 holds location information included in first radio wave 111 and event detection information included in second radio wave 112. Specifically, storage unit 402 holds the location information included in first radio wave 111 and the event detection information included in second radio wave 112 by storing reception information 411 (see FIG. 5 ) in which the location information included in first radio wave 111 and the event detection information included in second radio wave 112 are registered. Furthermore, storage unit 402 stores identification information indicating a person carrying communication terminal 103.

[0026] The clock unit 403 updates the clock count at predetermined time intervals.

[0027] The control unit 404 executes various processes in accordance with the programs and data stored in the storage unit 402. For example, the control unit 404 is configured by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0028] The control unit 404 assigns a first clock count, which is a clock count indicating the time when the first radio wave 111 was received, and causes the storage unit 402 to store the location information included in the first radio wave 111. The control unit 404 also assigns a second clock count, which is a clock count indicating the time when the second radio wave 112 was received, and causes the storage unit 402 to store the event detection information included in the second radio wave 112.

[0029] The short-range wireless detection unit 405 determines whether communication with the receiver 104 is possible. Specifically, when the short-range wireless detection unit 405 receives radio waves 115 transmitted from the short-range wireless detection unit 421 of the receiver 104, the short-range wireless detection unit 405 determines that communication with the receiver 104 is possible. The radio waves 115 are transmitted by near field communication (NFC). Note that, instead of NFC, Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) may also be used, and the short-range wireless detection unit 405 may transmit an optical signal (not shown) instead of the radio waves 115. In this case, Li-Fi may be used for a certain period of time after the receiver 104 and the communication terminal 103 are fixed. The certain period of time may be a period during which the short-range wireless communication unit 405 determines that communication with the receiver 104 is possible.

[0030] When communication terminal 103 and receiver 104 are able to communicate with each other, transmitting unit 406 transmits third radio wave 113. Specifically, transmitting unit 406 transmits third radio wave 113 to server device 105 via receiver 104. The location information included in third radio wave 113 is assigned a first clock count, and the event detection information included in third radio wave 113 is assigned a second clock count.

[0031] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the reception information 411. In the reception information 411, a clock count, a reception intensity, a data type, position information, and event detection information are registered in association with each other. The type of data type indicated as "position" indicates that the data is associated with position information. The type of data type indicated as "event" indicates that the data is associated with event detection information.

[0032] In the reception information 411, when the data type indicates a type that is a location, it indicates that the clock count linked to the data type is the first clock count, and that the reception strength linked to the data type is the reception strength of the first radio wave 111. Furthermore, in the reception information 411, when the data type indicates a type that is a location, the data type is linked to location information.

[0033] On the other hand, when the data type in the reception information 411 indicates an event type, the clock count associated with the data type is the second clock count, and the reception strength associated with the data type is the reception strength of the second radio wave 112. Furthermore, when the data type in the reception information 411 indicates an event type, event detection information is associated with the data type.

[0034] For example, suppose that the receiving unit 401 receives the first radio wave 111 including location information indicating a CCC location at a reception strength of −80 dBm at a time point indicating a clock count of 86725. In this case, the first clock count of 86725, the reception strength of −80 dBm, the data type indicating the type of location, and the location information indicating the CCC location are registered in association with each other in the reception information 411.

[0035] Furthermore, for example, suppose that the receiving unit 401 receives the second radio wave 112 including the event detection information at a reception strength of −60 dBm at a time point indicating a clock count of 86756. The event detection information included in the received second radio wave 112 includes event identification information indicating AABBCC. In this case, the second clock count of 86756, the reception strength of −60 dBm, the data type indicating the event type, and the event detection information including the event identification information indicating AABBCC are registered in association with each other in the reception information 411.

[0036] 6 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server device 105. The server device 105 includes a server storage unit 501, a communication unit 502, and a control unit 503.

[0037] The server storage unit 501 is a recording medium capable of recording various data, programs, etc. Furthermore, the server storage unit 501 stores management information 511 (see FIG. 7 ). For example, the server storage unit 501 is configured by a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), a semiconductor memory, etc.

[0038] The communication unit 502 is an interface that receives the third radio wave 113 .

[0039] The control unit 503 executes various processes in accordance with the programs and data stored in the server storage unit 501. For example, the control unit 503 is configured by a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The control unit 503 includes a management unit 504.

[0040] The management unit 504 associates the person or moving object indicated by the event detection information with the area indicated by the location information.

[0041] 7 is a diagram showing an example of the management information 511. In the management information 511, a person or a moving object, a clock count, and location information are registered in association with each other.

[0042] For example, suppose that communication unit 502 receives third radio wave 113 transmitted from communication terminal 103 carried by a person who is AAAA, and includes identification information indicating the person who is AAAA and location information indicating an area that is CCC and has a first clock count of 76725. Furthermore, suppose that communication unit 502 receives third radio wave 113 transmitted from communication terminal 103 carried by the person who is AAAA, and includes, in association with each other, identification information indicating the person who is AAAA and event detection information and has a second clock count of 86756. In this case, as illustrated in FIG. 7 , the person who is AAAA, the clock counts that are the first and second clock counts, and the location information indicating the area that is CCC are registered in association with each other in management information 511. This associates the person, the area, the clock count, and the area.

[0043] 8 and 9 are flowcharts showing an example of the operation of the communication system 100 according to this embodiment.

[0044] In step S801, the transmitting unit 201 transmits the first radio wave 111. The first radio wave 111 has a wavelength whose communication range is within the area in which the location information transmission device 101 is installed. For example, the first radio wave 111 is transmitted by Bluetooth (registered trademark) LE communication. Then, in step S802, the receiving unit 401 receives the first radio wave 111.

[0045] In step S803, the control unit 404 assigns a first clock count and stores the location information included in the first radio wave 111 in the storage unit 402. Specifically, the control unit 404 associates the first clock count, the reception strength of the first radio wave 111, a data type indicating the type of location information, and the location information included in the first radio wave 111, and registers them in the reception information 411. The first clock count is a clock count updated by the clock unit 403 that indicates the time when the first radio wave 111 received in step S802 was received.

[0046] In step S804, when the event detection unit 301 detects that an event has occurred, the transmission unit 302 transmits the second radio wave 112. The second radio wave 112 is transmitted, for example, by Bluetooth (registered trademark) LE communication. Then, in step S805, the reception unit 401 receives the second radio wave 112.

[0047] In step S806, the control unit 404 assigns a second clock count to the event detection information included in the second radio wave 112 and stores it in the storage unit 402. The second clock count is a clock count updated by the clock unit 403 that indicates the time when the second radio wave 112 was received. Specifically, the control unit 404 associates the second clock count, a data type indicating an event, the reception strength of the second radio wave 112, and the event detection information, and registers them in the reception information 411. Note that the order in which the first radio wave 111 and the second radio wave 112 are received is not particularly important.

[0048] Next, the operation of the communication system 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 9. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the communication system 100 according to this embodiment, following Fig. 8.

[0049] In step S901, the short-range wireless detection unit 405 determines whether communication with the receiver 104 is possible. Specifically, when the short-range wireless detection unit 405 receives radio waves 115 transmitted from the short-range wireless detection unit 421 of the receiver 104, the short-range wireless detection unit 405 determines that communication with the receiver 104 is possible. On the other hand, when the short-range wireless detection unit 405 does not receive radio waves 115, the short-range wireless detection unit 405 determines that communication with the receiver 104 is not possible.

[0050] If the short-range wireless detection unit 405 is not able to communicate with the receiver 104 in step S901, the control unit 404 in the communication system 100 waits until the receiving unit 401 receives the first radio wave 111 or the second radio wave 112.

[0051] On the other hand, if the short-range wireless detection unit 405 is able to communicate with the receiver 104 in step S901, the transmitting unit 406 in step S902 transmits a third radio wave 113 that associates the location information stored in the storage unit 402, the event detection information stored in the storage unit 402, and identification information indicating the person carrying the communication terminal 103. Specifically, the transmitting unit 406 transmits the third radio wave 113 that includes the location information linked to at least one first clock count registered in the reception information 411, the event detection information linked to at least one second clock count registered in the reception information 411, and the identification information indicating the person carrying the communication terminal 103. In other words, the communication terminal 103 retains the event detection information and the location information in the storage unit 402 until it becomes able to communicate with the receiver 104 via short-range wireless communication.

[0052] In step S903, the communication unit 422 receives the third radio wave 113 and transmits the received third radio wave 113 to the server device 105. Then, in step S904, the communication unit 502 receives the third radio wave 113.

[0053] In the communication system 100 according to this embodiment, the processing of steps S901 to S904 allows the communication terminal 103 carried by a person or a mobile object to notify the server device 105 of the event detection information and the location information in a lump via short-range wireless communication and via the receiver 104. This reduces the number of communications between the communication terminal 103 and the server device 105 in the communication system 100 according to this embodiment, and prevents the concentration of communications from the communication terminal 103 to the server device 105. As a result, the communication system 100 according to this embodiment can improve the reliability of data transmission along the data transmission path.

[0054] In step S905, the management unit 504 associates and registers the person indicated by the identification information included in the third radio wave 113, the clock count, and the area indicated by the location information included in the third radio wave 113. As a result, in the communication system 100 according to this embodiment, the server device 105 can collectively register the person indicated by the identification information included in the third radio wave 113 and the area indicated by the location information included in the third radio wave 113, associating them with each other.

[0055] Second Embodiment A second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 10 to 15. In the drawings, identical or similar elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted. Configurations and processes having substantially the same functions as those of other embodiments will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and explanations will be omitted, and differences from other embodiments will be described.

[0056] Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a communication terminal 103 according to this embodiment. The difference between the communication terminal 103 shown in Fig. 10 and the communication terminal 103 shown in Fig. 2 is that the communication terminal 103 shown in Fig. 10 includes a movement determination unit 1001.

[0057] Movement determination unit 1001 determines whether communication terminal 103 has moved out of the area to which it belongs, based on a change in the reception strength of first radio waves 111. Movement determination unit 1001 determines that the area to which communication terminal 103 belongs is the area indicated by location information included in first radio waves 111 received with the greatest reception strength among multiple first radio waves 111 received within a predetermined time. After determining the area to which communication terminal 103 belongs, movement determination unit 1001 determines that communication terminal 103 has moved out of the area to which it belongs if the reception strength of first radio waves 111 including location information indicating an area different from the area to which communication terminal 103 has been determined to belong is the greatest among multiple first radio waves 111 received within the predetermined time.

[0058] When it is determined that communication terminal 103 has moved to a different area, control unit 404 according to the present embodiment assigns a first clock count to location information included in first radio wave 111 received before the area change and location information included in first radio wave received after the area change, and stores the information in storage unit 402. When the reception strength of second radio wave 112 satisfies a first condition, control unit 404 according to the present embodiment assigns a second clock count to event detection information and stores the information in storage unit 402.

[0059] When the first clock count and the second clock count satisfy the second condition, the transmitting unit 406 according to this embodiment transmits the third radio wave 113. The location information included in the third radio wave 113 is assigned the first clock count, and the event detection information included in the third radio wave 113 is assigned the second clock count.

[0060] 11 to 13 are flowcharts showing an example of the operation of the communication system 100 according to this embodiment. The processing in steps S1101 to S1102 is the same as the processing in steps S801 to S802 shown in FIG. 8, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0061] If the receiving unit 401 receives the first radio wave 111 in step S1102, the movement determination unit 1001 determines in step S1103 whether the communication terminal 103 has moved out of the area to which it belongs. For example, the movement determination unit 1001 identifies the area indicated by the location information included in the first radio wave 111 having the greatest reception strength among the multiple first radio waves 111 received within a predetermined time period. For example, the predetermined time period is one second. If the identified area does not change, the movement determination unit 1001 determines that the communication terminal 103 has not moved out of the area to which it belongs. On the other hand, if the identified area has changed, the movement determination unit 1001 determines that the communication terminal 103 has moved out of the area to which it belongs.

[0062] If it is determined in step S1103 that the communication terminal 103 has not moved from the area to which it belongs, the control unit 404 waits until the receiving unit 401 receives the first radio wave 111 or the second radio wave 112 .

[0063] On the other hand, if it is determined in step S1103 that the communication terminal 103 has moved out of the area to which it belongs, in step S1104 the control unit 404 assigns a first clock count to the location information contained in the first radio wave 111 received before the area change and the location information contained in the first radio wave received after the area change, and stores them in the memory unit 402.

[0064] That is, when it is determined that communication terminal 103 has moved out of the area to which it belongs, control unit 404 assigns a clock count indicating the time point at which first radio wave 111 was received before the area change, and causes storage unit 402 to store the location information included in first radio wave 111 received before the area change. Furthermore, control unit 404 assigns a clock count indicating the time point at which first radio wave 111 was received after the area change, and causes storage unit 402 to store the location information included in first radio wave 111 received after the area change.

[0065] Specifically, control unit 404 associates a clock count indicating the time when first radio wave 111 was received before the area change, a data type indicating the type of location information, location information included in first radio wave 111 received before the area change, and the reception strength of first radio wave 111 received before the area change, and registers these in reception information 411. Furthermore, control unit 404 associates a clock count indicating the time when first radio wave 111 was received after the area change, a data type indicating the type of location, location information included in first radio wave 111 received after the area change, and the reception strength of first radio wave 111 received after the area change, and registers these in reception information 411. Therefore, by communication terminal 103 executing the processes of steps S1103 to S1104, the first clock count is added to reception information 411 and the location information is registered only when communication terminal 103 moves out of the area to which it belongs. This allows the communication terminal 103 according to this embodiment to prevent multiple pieces of location information indicating the area to which the communication terminal 103 belongs from being stored in the storage unit 402 when the communication terminal 103 is not moving within the area to which the communication terminal 103 belongs.

[0066] Next, the operation of the communication system 100 according to this embodiment will be further described with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the communication system 100 according to this embodiment, following Fig. 11. The processing of steps S1201 to S1202 is the same as the processing of steps S803 to S804 illustrated in Fig. 8, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0067] In step S1203, the control unit 404 determines whether the reception strength of the second radio wave 112 received in step S1202 satisfies a first condition. For example, the first condition is that the reception strength of the second radio wave 112 is equal to or greater than a predetermined strength.

[0068] If the reception strength of the second radio wave 112 does not satisfy the first condition in step S1203, the control unit 404 waits until the receiving unit 401 receives the first radio wave 111 or the second radio wave 112. On the other hand, if the reception strength of the second radio wave 112 satisfies the first condition in step S1203, the control unit 404 provides a second clock count in step S1204 and causes the storage unit 402 to store the location information included in the second radio wave 112 received in step S1202. The second clock count is a clock count updated by the clock unit 403 and indicates the time when the second radio wave 112 was received in step S1202. The processing of step S1204 is similar to the processing of step S806 illustrated in FIG. 8 , and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0069] When the communication terminal 103 executes the processing of steps S1203 to S1204, a second clock count is added to the reception information 411 and event detection information is registered only when the reception strength of the second radio wave 112 satisfies the first condition.

[0070] For example, when the occurrence of an event is detected by the event detection unit 301, a person who is not participating in the event is in a position where the person can receive the second radio wave 112 transmitted from the event detection device 102 that detected the occurrence of the event. In this case, the receiving unit 401 of the communication terminal 103 carried by the person who is not participating in the event receives the second radio wave 112 transmitted from the same event detection device 102.

[0071] Here, the event is disinfection, and the event detection device 102 is attached to a device that sprays disinfectant. In this case, when the event detection unit 301 detects that an event has occurred, the person who disinfected may be closer to the event detection device 102 than a person who did not disinfect. Therefore, the second radio wave 112a received by the receiving unit 401a of the communication terminal 103a carried by the person who disinfected has a higher reception strength than the second radio wave 112b received by the receiving unit 401b of the communication terminal 103b carried by the person who did not disinfect.

[0072] For example, suppose the reception strength of second radio wave 112a satisfies the first condition, but the reception strength of second radio wave 112b does not satisfy the first condition. The first condition is that the reception strength of second radio waves 112a and 112b is equal to or greater than a predetermined strength. In this case, control unit 404a of communication terminal 103a carried by a person who has performed disinfection stores event detection information in storage unit 402a. Meanwhile, control unit 404b of communication terminal 103b carried by a person who is not holding an event does not store event detection information in storage unit 402b. This allows communication terminal 103 according to this embodiment to prevent event detection information from being stored in storage unit 402 of communication terminal 103 carried by a person who is not holding an event.

[0073] Next, the operation of the communication system 100 according to this embodiment will be further described with reference to Fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation of the communication system 100 according to this embodiment, following Fig. 12. The process of step S1301 is the same as the process of step S901 illustrated in Fig. 9, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0074] If the short-range wireless detection unit 405 is able to communicate with the receiver 104 in step S1301, the transmitting unit 406 determines in step S1302 whether the first clock count and the second clock count satisfy a second condition. For example, the second condition is that the difference between the first clock count and the second clock count is equal to or less than a predetermined count.

[0075] If the first clock count and the second clock count satisfy the second condition in step S1302, in step S1303, transmitting unit 406 transmits third radio wave 113 that associates the location information stored in storage unit 402, the event detection information stored in storage unit 402, and identification information indicating the person carrying communication terminal 103. The processes of steps S1303 to S1306 are similar to the processes of steps S902 to S905 illustrated in FIG. 9 , and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0076] 11 , control unit 404 assigns a first clock count to the location information included in first radio wave 111 received before the area change and the location information included in first radio wave 111 received after the area change, and stores the resulting data in storage unit 402. Therefore, the difference between the first clock count and the second clock count being equal to or less than a predetermined count indicates that an event was detected within a time period equal to or less than the predetermined count after communication terminal 103 moved from the area to which it belongs. Therefore, by transmitting unit 406 performing the process of step S1303, the event detection information included in third radio wave 113 indicates that an event was detected within a time period equal to or less than the predetermined count after communication terminal 103 moved from the area to which it belongs.

[0077] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of the reception intensity of the second radio wave 112 and the event identification information included in the event detection information to which the second clock count is added.

[0078] For example, suppose the first condition is that the reception strength of the second radio wave 112 is -65 dBm or greater. In this case, for the second radio wave 112 including the event detection information illustrated in FIG. 14 , the reception strengths of the second radio wave 112 received at the times indicated by the second clock counts of 86935, 86952, and 87226 are -98 dBm, -65 dBm, and -75 dBm, respectively. Therefore, the reception strengths of the second radio wave 112 received at the times indicated by the second clock counts of 86935, 86952, and 87226 do not satisfy the first condition. Therefore, the control unit 404 assigns a second clock count and causes the storage unit 402 to store the event detection information included in the second radio wave 112 received at the times indicated by the second clock counts of 86935, 86952, and 87226.

[0079] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of position information to which a first clock count is added and event detection information to which a second clock count is added.

[0080] The clock counts of 86860, 86950, 87165, and 87225 associated with the position information illustrated in Fig. 15 are first clock counts. The clock counts of 86890, 86925, and 87230 associated with the event detection information illustrated in Fig. 15 are second clock counts.

[0081] For example, the second condition is that the difference between the first clock count and the second clock count is equal to or less than 20. In this case, the difference between the first clock count of 86,860 and the second clock count of 86,890 is 30. Therefore, the transmitting unit 406 does not transmit the third radio wave 113 including the event detection information with the second clock count of 86,890 attached.

[0082] As described above, in the communication system 100 according to the present embodiment, the communication terminal 103 limits the location information and event detection information stored in the storage unit 402. As a result, in the communication system 100 according to the present embodiment, the communication terminal 103 can store useful information in the storage unit 402 while reducing power consumption. In the communication system 100 according to the present embodiment, the communication terminal 103 limits the location information and event detection information included in the third radio wave 113. As a result, in the communication system 100 according to the present embodiment, the communication terminal 103 can notify the server device 105 of useful information while reducing power consumption.

[0083] (Third Embodiment) A third embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 16 and 17. In the drawings, the same or similar elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted. Configurations and processes having substantially the same functions as those of other embodiments will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and explanations will be omitted, and differences from the other embodiments will be described.

[0084] Fig. 16 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server device 105 according to this embodiment. The server device 105 shown in Fig. 16 differs from the server device 105 shown in Fig. 6 in that the server device 105 shown in Fig. 16 includes an event implementation determination unit 1601.

[0085] When a plurality of third radio waves 113 including the same event detection information are transmitted from a plurality of communication terminals 103, the event implementation determination unit 1601 according to the present embodiment identifies a person or a mobile object, among the people or mobile objects indicated by the identification information included in the plurality of third radio waves 113, based on a third condition registered in advance for the second radio waves 112. For example, identifying a person or a mobile object based on the third condition means identifying a person or a mobile object, among the people or mobile objects indicated by the identification information included in the third radio waves 113 including the same event detection information, that is, a person or a mobile object indicated by the identification information included in the third radio waves 113 that shows the greatest reception strength for the second radio waves 112.

[0086] When a plurality of third radio waves 113 including the same event detection information are transmitted from a plurality of communication terminals 103, the management unit 504 according to this embodiment associates a person or mobile object identified by the event implementation determination unit 1601 with an area indicated by location information included in the third radio waves 113. In other words, the management unit 504 associates, among the people or mobile objects indicated by identification information included in the plurality of third radio waves 113 including event detection information including the same event identification information, a person or mobile object identified by the third condition for the second radio waves 112 with an area indicated by the location information.

[0087] 17 is a diagram showing an example of management information 511 according to the present embodiment. The management information 511 shown in FIG. 17 indicates that the communication terminal 103 having the identification information of terminal X and the communication terminal 103 having the identification information of terminal Y have transmitted the third radio wave 113 including the event detection information including the event identification information of AABBCC.

[0088] For example, suppose a person who is not holding an event is in a position where second radio waves 112 can be received. In this case, transmitting unit 406 of communication terminal 103 carried by the person who held the event and transmitting unit 406 of communication terminal 103 carried by a person who is not holding the event each transmit a plurality of third radio waves 113 including event detection information that includes the same event identification information.

[0089] Here, when a plurality of third radio waves 113 including the same event detection information are transmitted from a plurality of communication terminals 103, the event implementation determination unit 1601 identifies a person or a moving object based on a third condition registered in advance for the second radio waves 112. Furthermore, identifying a person or a moving object based on the third condition means identifying a person or a moving object indicated by identification information included in the third radio wave 113 that shows the greatest reception strength for the second radio waves 112, among the people or moving objects indicated by identification information included in the plurality of third radio waves 113 including the same event detection information.

[0090] 17 , the reception strength of the second radio wave 112 for the third radio wave transmitted by the communication terminal 103 having the identification information of terminal X is −58 dBm. On the other hand, the reception strength of the second radio wave 112 for the third radio wave transmitted by the communication terminal 103 having the identification information of terminal Y is −87 dBm. Therefore, the management unit 504 associates the communication terminal having the identification information of terminal X with the area indicated by the location information included in the third radio wave 113 transmitted by the communication terminal having the identification information of terminal X. As a result, in the communication system 100 according to this embodiment, the server device 105 can prevent identification information indicating an incorrect person or moving object from being associated with and registered as an area indicated by the location information included in the third radio wave 113.

[0091] (Fourth embodiment) A fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 18 to 20. In the drawings, the same or similar elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted. Configurations and processes having substantially the same functions as those of the other embodiments will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and explanations will be omitted, and only differences from the other embodiments will be described.

[0092] Fig. 18 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the server device 105 according to this embodiment. The server device 105 shown in Fig. 18 differs from the server device 105 shown in Fig. 5 in that time information 1801 is stored in the server storage unit 501 of the server device 105 shown in Fig. 18, and management information 1802 is stored instead of management information 511.

[0093] The third radio wave 113 according to this embodiment further includes a third clock count that indicates the time point at which the communication terminal 103 transmits the third radio wave 113 .

[0094] The management unit 504 in this embodiment links the third clock count contained in the third radio wave 113 with the absolute time at which the third radio wave 113 was received and registers it in the time information 1801 (see Figure 18).

[0095] Furthermore, the management unit 504 according to this embodiment calculates the absolute time of the first clock count attached to the location information included in the third radio wave 113 using equation (1). Furthermore, the management unit 504 calculates the absolute time of the second clock count attached to the event detection information included in the third radio wave 113 using equation (1).

[0096] C ｉ is the third clock count included in the third radio wave 113 received by the communication unit 502 at the ith time (i is a natural number). ｉ is C ｉ is the absolute time indicating the time when the third radio wave 113 including the third clock count, C, is received. C is the first clock count or the second clock count. T indicates the absolute time, which is the time indicated by the first clock count or the second clock count, C.

[0097] The first clock count added to the location information included in the third radio wave 113 received by the communication unit 502 for the n+1th time indicates the time when the receiving unit 401 received the first radio wave 111 before the transmitting unit 406 transmitted the third radio wave 113. Therefore, the management unit 504 calculates the absolute time T ｎ and absolute time T ｎ＋１ From this, the absolute time T of the first clock count attached to the location information included in the third radio wave 113 received at the (n+1)th time is calculated. The calculated absolute time T is T ｎ <T<T ｎ＋１ Indicates the time.

[0098] In the management information 1802, a person or a moving object, an absolute time, and an area are registered in association with each other.

[0099] Fig. 19 is a diagram showing an example of time information 1801. The time information 1801 shown in Fig. 19 indicates that the third radio wave 113 received by the communication unit 502 at 9:46:55 on Mar. 26, 2023 includes a third clock count of 86,650. Furthermore, the time information 1801 shown in Fig. 19 indicates that the third radio wave 113 received by the communication unit 502 at 11:07:24 on Mar. 27, 2023 includes a third clock count of 92,315.

[0100] Here, for example, it is assumed that the third radio wave 113 including the third clock count of 92315 includes event detection information with the second clock count C, where C is 86650<C<92315. In this case, the management unit 504 ｎ = 86650, T ｎ = 9:46:55 on March 26, 2023, C ｎ＋１ = 98315, T ｎ＋１ = 11:07:24, March 27, 2023, and the second clock count C are substituted into equation (1) to calculate absolute time T, which is the point in time indicated by the second clock count C. Then, the management unit 504 associates the calculated absolute time T with the person or moving object indicated by the identification information associated with the second clock count C, and registers the association in the management information 1802.

[0101] 20 is a diagram showing an example of the management information 1802. In the management information 1802, person identification information, absolute time, and area are registered in association with each other.

[0102] As described above, in communication system 100 according to this embodiment, server device 105 calculates absolute time without communication terminal 103 acquiring absolute time. As a result, communication system 100 according to this embodiment can manage the person who performed an event, the absolute time when the event occurred, and the area where the event occurred in association with each other without communication terminal 103 acquiring absolute time.

[0103] The communication terminal 103 of the present disclosure does not necessarily have to be limited to an implementation carried by a person. For example, it can be applied to a mobile object such as an autonomous navigation robot, instead of a person. When the communication terminal 103 is applied to a mobile object, the mobile object may be provided with functional blocks of the communication terminal 103, such as a storage unit 402, a receiving unit 401, and a transmitting unit 406, as components thereof, or the communication terminal 103 may be externally attached to the mobile object.

[0104] The processes performed in the above embodiments are not limited to the processing modes exemplified in the above embodiments. The above-described functional blocks may be realized using either a logic circuit (hardware) formed in an integrated circuit or the like, or software using a CPU. The processes performed in the above embodiments may be executed by multiple computers. For example, some of the processes performed by the functional blocks of the location information transmission device 101, the event detection device 102, the communication terminal 103, the receiver 104, and the server device 105 may be executed by another computer, or all of the processes may be shared and executed by multiple computers.

[0105] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be replaced with a configuration that is substantially the same as the configuration shown in the above-described embodiments, a configuration that achieves the same effect, or a configuration that can achieve the same purpose. The present disclosure also includes within its technical scope embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments. Furthermore, new technical features can be formed by combining the technical means disclosed in each embodiment.

Claims

1. A portable communications terminal comprising: a receiving unit that receives a first radio wave including location information indicating an area, and a second radio wave including event detection information indicating the occurrence of an event involving a person or mobile object carrying the communications terminal; a memory unit that retains the location information and the event detection information; and a transmitting unit that transmits a third radio wave having a narrower communication range than the first radio wave and the second radio wave, the third radio wave including at least one of the location information and the event detection information associated with identification information indicating the person or mobile object.

2. The communication terminal according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting unit transmits the third radio wave when the communication terminal and a receiver capable of receiving the third radio wave are capable of communicating with each other.

3. The communication terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first radio wave and the second radio wave are transmitted by Bluetooth (registered trademark) LE communication, and the third radio wave is transmitted by NFC.

4. A communications terminal as described in claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a clock unit that updates a clock count at a predetermined time interval; and a control unit that causes the location information to be stored in the memory unit by adding a first clock count, which is a clock count indicating the time when the first radio wave was received, and that causes the event detection information to be stored in the memory unit by adding a second clock count, which is a clock count indicating the time when the second radio wave was received.

5. A communication terminal as described in claim 4, further comprising a movement determination unit which determines whether or not the communication terminal has moved to an area to which it belongs based on a change in the reception strength of the first radio wave, wherein the receiving unit receives the first radio wave, and when it is determined that the communication terminal has moved to a different area, the control unit adds the first clock count to location information contained in the first radio wave received before the area move and location information contained in the first radio wave received after the area move, and stores the information in the memory unit.

6. The communications terminal according to claim 4, wherein the control unit, when the reception strength of the second radio wave satisfies a first condition, provides the second clock count and causes the memory unit to store the event detection information.

7. A communications terminal as described in claim 4, wherein the transmitter transmits the third radio wave when the first clock count and the second clock count satisfy a second condition, and the location information contained in the third radio wave is marked with the first clock count, and the event detection information contained in the third radio wave is marked with the second clock count.

8. A communication system comprising: a communication terminal as described in claim 1; a location information transmission device that transmits the first radio wave; an event detection device that transmits the second radio wave when it detects that the event has occurred; a receiver capable of receiving the third radio wave; and a server device, wherein the transmission unit transmits the third radio wave to the server device via the receiver.

9. The communication system of claim 8, wherein the server device is provided with a management unit that links a person or moving object indicated by the event detection information with an area indicated by the location information when a first clock count assigned to the location information and a second clock count assigned to the event detection information satisfy a second condition.

10. The communication system described in claim 8, wherein the event detection information includes event identification information that is unique for each of the events, and the management unit links a person or mobile object identified by a third condition for the second radio waves, among the people or mobile objects identified by identification information contained in multiple third radio waves that include event detection information containing the same event identification information, with the area indicated by the location information.

11. The communication terminal according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the event is to perform disinfection.

12. An event monitoring method comprising the steps of: receiving a first radio wave including location information indicating an area, and a second radio wave including event detection information indicating the occurrence of an event involving a person or mobile object carrying the communication terminal; retaining the location information and the event detection information; and transmitting a third radio wave having a narrower communication range than the first radio wave and the second radio wave, the third radio wave including at least one of the location information and the event detection information associated with identification information indicating the person or the mobile object.

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