Processing execution system using beacon

Abstract

In the present invention, a portable terminal efficiently and reliably receives beacon information items from a large number of reception target beacons and execute prescribed processing while suppressing the number of retaining registration information items for receiving the beacon information items. A portable terminal 2 which executes prescribed processing upon receiving beacon information items from a plurality of beacons 1 determined as reception targets in advance comprises: a processing unit that executes the prescribed processing; a first storage unit that stores one or more registration information items; and a command unit that, when it has been determined that any of the registration information items stored in the first storage unit exactly matches or partially matches (hereinafter, referred to as "match") a received beacon information item, commands the processing unit to execute the prescribed processing. In addition to executing the prescribed processing, the processing unit acquires one or more other beacon information items associated with the registration information item matching the received beacon information item, and adds or updates and stores the other beacon information items in the first storage unit as new registration information items.

Description

Processing Execution System Using Beacons

[0001] The present invention relates to a processing execution system that receives beacon information transmitted from a beacon by a mobile terminal and executes a predetermined process such as unlocking a door.

[0002] The mobile terminal has a function that enables it to effectively receive only the signals of some target beacons to be received among the signals transmitted from various beacons. This function utilizes the fact that the signal transmitted from each beacon contains unique beacon information for identifying the beacon. Specifically, the beacon information transmitted by the target beacon to be received is registered in the mobile terminal, and when the received beacon information matches the registered information (hereinafter also referred to as registered information), it is recognized as a signal from the target beacon to be received, and the mobile terminal executes a predetermined process set by the reception.

[0003] Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2023 - 137266

[0004] However, when the number of target beacons to be received increases, it becomes necessary for the mobile terminal to hold the same number of registered information, and a corresponding amount of resources must be allocated. There may also be cases where an unexpected amount of time is required for reception processing such as matching the received beacon information with the registered information. In particular, when such a reception processing function is installed in the OS, the degree of freedom in using resources may be restricted, and the above-mentioned problems become prominent. As an example, there may be a limit to the number of registered information that can be held. In this case, it may occur that a large number of target beacons exceeding the limit number cannot be registered.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object to be solved is to enable the mobile terminal to efficiently and reliably receive signals from a large number of target beacons while suppressing the number of registered information held in the mobile terminal.

[0006] In other words, the present invention has the following configuration: [1] A processing execution system comprising a plurality of beacons predetermined as receiving targets, and a mobile terminal that performs predetermined processing when it receives beacon information from the beacons, wherein the mobile terminal comprises: a processing unit that performs the predetermined processing; a first storage unit that stores one or more registered information; and a command unit that, when it determines that any of the registered information stored in the first storage unit is a complete or partial match (hereinafter referred to as "match") with the received beacon information, commands the processing unit to perform the predetermined processing, wherein the processing unit, in addition to the predetermined processing, acquires one or more other beacon information associated with the registered information that matches the received beacon information, and adds or updates and stores these other beacon information as new registered information in the first storage unit.

[0007] (Effects) With this configuration, by simply storing some registration information in the first storage unit of a mobile terminal, when beacon information matching any of the registration information is received, other beacon information associated with it is added or updated in the first storage unit as new registration information. From then on, predetermined processing can be executed by receiving beacon information that matches the newly registered information. In other words, since the registration information in the first storage unit can be dynamically changed, even if there are many beacon information items to be received, it is not necessary to store a corresponding number of registration information items in the first storage unit at once, and the capacity of the first storage unit can be reduced as much as possible. Furthermore, the resources and processing required for this are eliminated, and the reception of beacon information and the execution of predetermined processing can be performed efficiently. In addition, since the first storage unit can be located in main memory or cache memory, which have high access speeds but limited capacity, the reception of beacon information and the execution of predetermined processing can be accelerated in this respect as well. Moreover, if the other beacon information can be derived from the initially registered registration information using a predetermined relational expression (rule), it becomes unnecessary to even store this other beacon information, further reducing resources.

[0008] [2] The processing execution system according to [1], characterized in that the processing unit adds the acquired other beacon information to the surplus area provided in the first storage unit as new registration information.

[0009] (Effect) With this configuration, for example, even if the maximum number of registered information items that can be stored in the first storage unit is n (where n is an integer greater than or equal to 2), if m (where m is an integer less than n and greater than or equal to 2) is set as the number of registered information items that will be stored initially, and the number of new registered information items that can be stored in the remaining surplus area is set as k (where k is an integer greater than or equal to 2), then the actual number of registered information items that can be stored in this first storage unit becomes m × k, which is a dramatic increase from n.

[0010] [3] The processing unit updates and stores the acquired other beacon information together with the beacon information that matches the registration information as new registration information in the first storage unit, while saving the initially stored registration information to a predetermined third storage unit, and when it is no longer necessary to receive beacon information that matches the new registration information, such as after the predetermined processing is completed, it restores the registration information saved to the third storage unit to the first storage unit, as described in [1].

[0011] (Effect) With this configuration, for example, even if the maximum number of registered information items that can be stored in the first storage unit is n (where n is an integer of 2 or more) in terms of capacity, the actual number of registered information items that can be stored in this first storage unit becomes n × n, which can be increased dramatically beyond n.

[0012] [4] The processing execution system according to any one of [1] to [3], further comprising a second storage unit that stores the beacon information transmitted by each beacon divided into groups, wherein the beacon information belonging to each group has a common part unique to that group, the first storage unit stores the common part of each group as initial registration information, the command unit determines a match when it receives beacon information having a part that matches the common part of the registration information, and the processing unit obtains other beacon information of the group to which the received beacon information belongs by referring to the second storage unit.

[0013] (Effects) With this approach, matching can be determined at high speed, and the algorithms that constitute the processing unit can be simplified.

[0014] [5] A processing execution system according to any one of [1] to [3], further comprising a second storage unit that stores the beacon information of each beacon in groups, wherein for each group, one beacon information from among the beacon information belonging to that group is stored in the first storage unit as initial registration information, and the processing unit refers to the second storage unit to obtain other beacon information of the group to which the received beacon information belongs. (Effect) A more specific embodiment.

[0015] [6] A mobile terminal that performs a predetermined process when it receives beacon information from a plurality of beacons predetermined as receiving targets, comprising: a processing unit that performs the predetermined process; a first storage unit that stores one or more registered information; and a command unit that, when it is determined that any of the registered information stored in the first storage unit is a complete or partial match (hereinafter referred to as "match") with the received beacon information, commands the processing unit to perform the predetermined process, wherein the processing unit, in addition to the predetermined process, acquires one or more other beacon information associated with the registered information that matches the received beacon information, and adds or updates and stores these other beacon information as new registered information in the first storage unit. (Effect) Even with such a device, the same effect as in [1] can be achieved.

[0016] [7] A program installed in a mobile terminal that performs a predetermined process when it receives beacon information from a plurality of beacons predetermined as receiving targets, comprising: a processing unit that performs the predetermined process; a first storage unit that stores one or more registered information; and a command unit that functions to command the processing unit to perform the predetermined process when it is determined that any of the registered information stored in the first storage unit is a complete or partial match (hereinafter referred to as "match") with the received beacon information, wherein the processing unit is configured to acquire one or more other beacon information associated with the registered information that matches the received beacon information, in addition to the predetermined process, and to add or update and store these other beacon information as new registered information in the first storage unit. (Effect) Even such a program can produce the same effect as [1].

[0017] According to the present invention configured in this way, it is possible to efficiently and reliably receive beacon information from a large number of target beacons and perform predetermined processing while suppressing the number of registration information items to be stored in a mobile terminal for receiving beacon information.

[0018] This is a schematic overall diagram of a processing execution system according to one embodiment of the present invention. This is a schematic diagram showing beacon information in the same embodiment. This is a functional block diagram of a mobile terminal in the same embodiment. This is a flowchart of the OS operation of the mobile terminal in the same embodiment. This is a diagram showing initial registration information stored in the first storage unit of the same embodiment. This is a diagram showing the beacon information to be received stored in the second storage unit of the same embodiment. This is a flowchart of the operation of the processing unit of the mobile terminal in the same embodiment. This is a flowchart of the operation of the processing unit of a mobile terminal in another embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] The following describes an embodiment of the processing execution system according to the present invention with reference to the drawings. 1. Overview As shown in Figure 1, the processing execution system 100 comprises a plurality of predetermined beacons 1 (hereinafter also referred to as "receiving target beacons 1") and a portable terminal 2 that performs predetermined processing when it receives beacon information emitted by the beacons. The beacons 1 here are installed near or attached to doors or gates that many people enter and exit, such as in apartment buildings, factories, hospitals, and concert venues, and the portable terminal 2 is carried by people (residents or contractors) who enter and exit the doors, etc. The predetermined processing performed by the portable terminal 2 is to transmit an unlocking signal wirelessly to an unlocking device installed on the door, etc., when it enters a certain range from the door, etc., causing it to unlock automatically.

[0020] 2. Beacon 1 First, let's briefly explain Beacon 1. Beacon 1 here is a well-known device that emits a radio signal at regular time intervals (for example, every few seconds), and consists of basic components such as a microcontroller, a signal transmitter (BLE chip in this case), a battery, an antenna, and a housing. The radio signal contains beacon information to identify each Beacon 1, as shown in Figure 2. The beacon information here includes a main identifier, a first sub-identifier, and a second sub-identifier.

[0021] 3. Mobile Terminal 2 Next, the mobile terminal 2 will be described. This mobile terminal 2 is a portable terminal device, such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop computer, and in terms of hardware, it is equipped with a CPU, memory, communication device, display, touch panel, etc. Furthermore, in terms of software, as shown in Figure 3, this mobile terminal 2 is equipped with functions such as a receiving unit that receives the beacon information, a first storage unit that stores one or more registration information, a second storage unit that stores the beacon information of each target beacon 1, a processing unit that executes the predetermined processing, and a command unit that commands the processing unit to execute the predetermined processing. Of these units, the receiving unit, the first storage unit, and the command unit are part of the OS and are always in operation as long as the mobile terminal 2 is powered on. On the other hand, the processing unit is an application installed on the OS and can take two states: an execution state in which processing is performed and a stopped state in which operation is stopped. The execution states include a state in which processing is performed in the foreground, where it is displayed on the screen and user input is possible, and a state in which processing is performed in the background, where it is not displayed on the screen. The stopped states include a state in which the application is running but in the background and has stopped operating, and a killed state in which the application is not running.

[0022] 4. Description of each part of the mobile terminal 2 (1) Receiving unit The receiving unit receives beacon information transmitted wirelessly (Figure 4: step S1), measures its reception strength, and stores these in a predetermined area of ​​the memory.

[0023] (2) First Storage Unit The first storage unit is set in a predetermined area of ​​the memory of the mobile terminal 2, for example, the main memory or cache memory with a high access speed, and stores one or more registration information that can be compared with the beacon information. In this embodiment, the beacon information transmitted by each target beacon 1 is divided into several groups. In addition, one beacon information from each group or information extracted from the common parts of the group (these will also be referred to as representative beacon information below) is stored in the initial registration area of ​​the first storage unit as initial registration information, as shown in Figure 5. There is an upper limit (for example, 20) to the number of registration information that can be stored in the first storage unit, and in this case, a part of that area is set as the initial registration area, and the rest is considered surplus area.

[0024] (3) The beacon information of all receiving target beacons 1, i.e., the beacon information including the representative beacon information, is stored in the second storage unit, which is provided in a memory area that has no limit on the number of registrations, i.e., a memory area that can be set by the application, as shown in Figure 6, and is linked to the representative beacon information of each group. It is preferable that all information is specified in the beacon information stored in this second storage unit, without using wildcard characters. The aforementioned linking methods include, as shown in Figure 6(a), simply linking the representative beacon information of a group with other beacon information by a group number, etc., or, as shown in Figure 6(b), storing a calculation formula for calculating other beacon information from the representative beacon information and calculating it from this formula. In Figure 6(b), an example is shown in which the values ​​obtained by adding 1 to 4 to some of the values ​​of the representative beacon information become the other beacon information.

[0025] (4) Command Unit As shown in steps S2 to S5 of Figure 4, the command unit acquires the beacon information received by the receiving unit and searches for registered information that matches the beacon information among the registered information stored in the first storage unit. If a matching registered information is found, the command unit forces the processing unit to run, even if it is in a stopped state, and has it execute the predetermined process. Furthermore, if a certain period of time elapses since the reception of the beacon information, the command unit stops the processing unit from the run state (Figure 4: step S6). This certain period of time is not extended even if beacon information matching the same registered information is received during that time. However, if the command unit determines that it has received another beacon information that matches a different registered information within the given period of time, it extends the run state of the processing unit for a further certain period of time from the time of that reception.

[0026] In this context, "match" refers to either a partial match or an exact match, and the user or administrator can specify which one. For example, when specifying a partial match, one or more bits in the registration information can be set to a wildcard character such as "*", and the system will determine a match based on the remaining parts. Here, as illustrated in Figure 5, the wildcard character "*" can be used for the first sub-identifier and the second sub-identifier. In other words, the command unit searches using the condition of a partial match if the registration information contains a wildcard character, and an exact match if it does not.

[0027] (5) Processing Unit As described above, when the processing unit receives any of the representative beacon information stored in the first storage unit as initial registration information, it enters an execution state in accordance with the command from the command unit. At this time, the processing unit executes the predetermined processing (Figure 7: step S11), but also operates as follows. That is, it obtains all beacon information from the second storage unit to which the beacon information determined to match the registration information belongs, i.e., the received beacon information and other beacon information associated with it (Figure 7: step S12). Then, it adds and stores this beacon information in the surplus area of ​​the first storage unit as new registration information (Figure 7: step S13). Furthermore, if beacon information from another group is received after this (Figure 7: step S14), it obtains all beacon information from the second storage unit to which the beacon information belongs, and updates the beacon information of the group that was previously registered in the surplus area with this beacon information.

[0028] 5. Specific Operation Example Here, we will explain using the example of a delivery company delivering packages to multiple different apartment buildings. The premise is as follows: ・Each apartment building has multiple doors equipped with unlocking devices, as shown in Figure 1. ・Each door has a beacon 1 installed. The beacon information transmitted by each beacon 1 in one apartment building is stored in the second storage unit as one group. ・Each beacon in one group has a common main identifier, but the first sub-identifier and the second sub-identifier are set to be different. ・The beacon information for different apartment buildings is set to have different main identifiers.

[0029] Under the above premise, the delivery person operates the mobile terminal 2 to read, for example, the beacon information transmitted by the beacons 1 installed on all doors necessary for entry and exit in each apartment building to be delivered to, from the barcode attached to the delivery slip or the server device at the time of departure. At this time, since the processing unit is in an execution state due to the operation of the delivery person, the processing unit stores all the read beacon information in the second storage unit and stores the main identifier of each apartment building as initial registration information in the first storage unit.

[0030] When a delivery person arrives at the first apartment building and approaches the door with the package, the receiving unit receives beacon information from the beacon 1 on the door. The command unit then first compares the received beacon information with the registration information stored in the surplus area of ​​the first storage unit. Since nothing is initially registered in the surplus area, the command unit determines that there is no match, and then determines whether the received beacon information matches any of the initial registration information. If the main identifier, which is part of the beacon information, matches any of the main identifiers of the initial registration information stored in the first storage unit, the command unit determines that there is a match and puts the processing unit into an execution state.

[0031] The processing unit, once in operation, acquires the unlock signal for the door, wirelessly transmits the unlock signal to the unlocking device, and unlocks the door. The value of this unlock signal may be pre-stored in the storage device of the mobile terminal 2 at the time of departure, linked to each door or beacon information, and retrieved by the processing unit. Alternatively, it may be retrieved by communicating via the internet or other means with a server device such as a cloud that holds the unlock signal linked to the beacon information. This allows the delivery person to enter the apartment building through the door hands-free and perform delivery duties.

[0032] On the other hand, as described above, this processing unit acquires all beacon information from the second storage unit for the group to which the beacon information determined to match the initial registration information belongs. Then, it adds and stores this beacon information as new registration information in the surplus area of ​​the first storage unit. When a delivery person goes to other doors in the apartment building to perform delivery work, the same operation as described above is performed. Furthermore, when the delivery person then performs work at another apartment building, the processing unit erases the beacon information of the previous apartment building stored in the surplus area and updates and stores the beacon information of the new apartment building as new registration information in the surplus area.

[0033] 6. Other Embodiments The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, when the processing unit receives any of the representative beacon information stored as initial registration information in the first storage unit, it may move and store the initial registration information, i.e., the representative beacon information, registered in the first storage unit in a third storage unit provided in the same area as the second storage unit (Figure 8: Step S21). At this time, the processing unit acquires all beacon information of the group to which the received representative beacon information belongs from the second storage unit (Figure 8: Step S22), and updates and stores this beacon information in the first storage unit as new registration information (Figure 8: Step S23).

[0034] Then, this processing unit executes a predetermined process (Figure 8: Step S24). On the other hand, unlike the above embodiment, unless the registration information in the first storage unit is returned to the initial registration information, even if beacon information from a different group is received, the command unit cannot determine that it is a match, and the processing unit cannot execute the predetermined process. Therefore, in this case, if the period during which no beacon information is received continues for a predetermined period of time or longer, or in the example of delivery to an apartment building, the user inputs that the delivery work to the apartment building has been completed, or no beacon signal is received from the target beacon, or the GPS signal determines that the user has moved away from the apartment building, and in other cases where it is no longer necessary to receive beacon information that matches the new registration information (Figure 8: Step S25), the initial registration information that has been saved in the third storage unit by the processing unit should be returned to the first storage unit.

[0035] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the beacon information belonging to the same group each had a common part called a main identifier, but they may be separate and have no common part. Moreover, the present invention is applicable to information radio transmitters other than beacons.

[0036] This allows for efficient and reliable reception of signals from a large number of target beacons while limiting the amount of registered information that can be stored on a mobile device.

[0037] 100... Processing execution system 1... Beacon 2... Mobile terminal

Claims

1. A processing execution system comprising a plurality of beacons predetermined as receiving targets, and a mobile terminal that performs predetermined processing upon receiving beacon information from the beacons, wherein the mobile terminal comprises a processing unit that performs the predetermined processing, a first storage unit that stores one or more registered information, and a command unit that, when it determines that any of the registered information stored in the first storage unit completely or partially matches (hereinafter referred to as "match") the received beacon information, commands the processing unit to perform the predetermined processing, wherein the processing unit, in addition to the predetermined processing, acquires one or more other beacon information associated with the registered information that matches the received beacon information, and adds or updates and stores these other beacon information as new registered information in the first storage unit.

2. The processing execution system according to claim 1, characterized in that the processing unit adds the acquired other beacon information to the surplus area provided in the first storage unit as new registration information.

3. The processing unit updates and stores the acquired other beacon information together with the beacon information matching the registration information in the first storage unit as new registration information, while simultaneously saving the initially stored registration information to a predetermined third storage unit, and, under conditions where it is no longer necessary to receive beacon information matching the new registration information, such as after the predetermined processing is completed, it restores the registration information saved in the third storage unit to the first storage unit, characterized in that it is the processing execution system according to claim 1.

4. The processing execution system according to claim 1, further comprising a third storage unit that stores the beacon information transmitted by each beacon in groups, wherein the beacon information belonging to each group has a common part unique to that group, the first storage unit stores the common part of each group as initial registration information, the command unit determines a match when it receives beacon information having a part that matches the common part of the registration information, and the processing unit obtains other beacon information of the group to which the received beacon information belongs by referring to the third storage unit.

5. The processing execution system according to claim 1, further comprising a second storage unit that stores the beacon information of each beacon in groups, wherein for each group, one beacon information from among the beacon information belonging to that group is stored in the first storage unit as initial registration information, and the processing unit refers to the second storage unit to obtain other beacon information of the group to which the received beacon information belongs.

6. A mobile terminal that performs a predetermined process when it receives beacon information from a plurality of beacons predetermined as receiving targets, comprising: a processing unit that performs the predetermined process; a first storage unit that stores one or more registered information; and a command unit that, when it is determined that any of the registered information stored in the first storage unit completely or partially matches (hereinafter referred to as "match") the received beacon information, commands the processing unit to perform the predetermined process, wherein the processing unit, in addition to the predetermined process, acquires one or more other beacon information associated with the registered information that matches the received beacon information, and adds or updates and stores these other beacon information as new registered information in the first storage unit.

7. A program installed in a mobile terminal that executes a predetermined process when it receives beacon information from a plurality of beacons predetermined as receiving targets, comprising: a processing unit that executes the predetermined process; a first storage unit that stores one or more registered information; and a command unit that functions to instruct the processing unit to execute the predetermined process when it is determined that any of the registered information stored in the first storage unit completely or partially matches (hereinafter referred to as "match") the received beacon information, wherein the processing unit functions to acquire one or more other beacon information associated with the registered information that matches the received beacon information, in addition to the predetermined process, and to add or update and store these other beacon information as new registered information in the first storage unit.

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