Mobile Terminal Location-Specific Information Provision

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing systems struggle to provide information to users based on their specific location within an area, such as a guest room in an accommodation facility, leading to difficulties in determining whether a user is within the associated area.

Innovation Solution

A mobile terminal and information providing system that associates a user's mobile device with a specific area terminal using short-range wireless communication, allowing the system to determine if the user is within the associated area and adjust the information and control options accordingly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If common area-based information distribution is used, then information can be distributed to users in a general area, but it becomes difficult to provide location-specific information when users are in individually associated areas such as guest rooms

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelocation-specific information provisionVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system divides the service area into multiple independently controllable zones (e.g., guest rooms, conference rooms) and associates each zone with specific users. This segmentation allows the system to provide tailored information to users based on their specific location within the divided zones, rather than treating the entire area as a single unit.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The mobile terminal acts as an intermediary device that receives zone identification information from area terminals and mediates between the user and the information provision system. It determines whether the user is in an associated zone and controls the display of information accordingly, simplifying the overall system architecture while enabling location-specific services.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If the system determines user location continuously, then accurate location-based information can be provided, but power consumption and processing load increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelocation detection accuracyVSAvoidmobile terminal power consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of continuous location monitoring, the system uses periodic detection where the mobile terminal determines zone association at specific intervals or trigger events (e.g., when entering or leaving a zone). This periodic approach maintains sufficient location accuracy for information provision while significantly reducing power consumption and processing requirements compared to continuous monitoring.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentEP3764629B1Mobile terminal and information provision system
Publication Date: 2023.08.23 MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORP
  • EP3764629B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3764629B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3764629B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

A mobile terminal (2) capable of obtaining information provided from a server includes: a communication unit capable of communicating with, via a first communication path, an associated terminal in one of a plurality of areas (A1 to An), the associated terminal being placed in the one of the plurality of areas (A1 to An), being a terminal associated with the mobile terminal, and being one of a plurality of area terminals (4-1 to 4-n) placed in corresponding ones of the plurality of areas (A1 to An); and a display unit capable of displaying service information provided from the server, the service information including first information and second information different from the first information. The display unit displays the first information when the communication unit is able to communicate with the associated terminal, or displays the second information when the communication unit is unable to communicate with the associated terminal.