Position management system, position management apparatus, and position management method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9949089-B2
Application number	US-201615140713-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 28, 2016
Priority date	May 13, 2015
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

A position management system includes a first receiving unit configured to receive a radio wave according to a predetermined wireless communication standard from a first device when the movement of a second device is detected; a second receiving unit configured to receive second position information including latitude and longitude information from an IMES transmitting device when the movement of the second device is detected; and an acquiring unit configured to measure an intensity of the received radio wave, estimate a position of the second device based on the intensity, and acquire first position information indicating the estimated position. The second receiving unit receives a radio wave from GPS when the second device moves outdoors where communication with the IMES transmitting device is not possible, and sets latitude and longitude information, which is measured based on the radio wave received from the GPS, as the second position information.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A position management system for managing position information of a second device configured to perform communication with a predetermined first device installed indoors and an indoor messaging system transmitting device, the position management system including one or more information processing apparatuses for implementing various functions of the position management system, the position management system comprising:
a plurality of processors configured to:
detect a movement of the second device;
receive a radio wave according to a predetermined wireless communication standard from the first device when the movement of the second device is detected;
receive second position information including latitude and longitude information from the indoor messaging system transmitting device when the movement of the second device is detected;
measure an intensity of the received radio wave, estimate a position of the second device based on the measured intensity of the radio wave, and acquire first position information indicating the estimated position;
store the first position information and the second position information in association with time information in a predetermined storage unit,
receive a radio wave from a global positioning system when the second device moves outdoors where the second device cannot perform communication with the indoor messaging system transmitting device, and set latitude and longitude information, which is measured based on the radio wave received from the global positioning system, as the second position information, and
provide a most recent first position information and a most recent second position information that are most recently stored in association with the time information in the predetermined storage unit upon receiving a request for the first position information and the second position information from a user.

2. The position management system according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of processors configured to:
determine whether the second device has moved outdoors, and send a report indicating that the second device has moved outdoors to a terminal device which is one of the information processing apparatuses included in the position management system according to the determination result, and
determine whether the second device has moved outdoors based on the first position information and the second position information stored in the predetermined storage unit.

3. The position management system according to claim 2 , wherein the plurality of processors configured to store the second position information in association with the time information in the predetermined storage unit without setting the first position information, when the second device has moved outdoors where the second device cannot perform communication with the first device.

4. The position management system according to claim 3 , wherein the plurality of processors configured to determine that the second device has moved outdoors when the first position information associated with newest time information is not set in the predetermined storage unit.

5. The position management system according to claim 1 , wherein the positioning management system includes a conversion device that converts the intensity of the radio wave into position information, and includes the installation area database and the prediction model database.

6. The position management system according to claim 1 , wherein, the processor is further configured to estimate the position of the second device based on installation area information that is stored in an installation area database and a prediction model that is stored in a prediction model database.

7. A position management apparatus for managing position information of a second device configured to perform communication with a predetermined first device installed indoors and an indoor messaging system transmitting device, the position management apparatus comprising:
a processor that is configured to:
receive information indicating an intensity of a radio wave received from the first device by the second device, and second position information including latitude and longitude information received from the indoor messaging system transmitting device by the second device, according to a movement of the second device;
estimate a position of the second device based on the information indicating the intensity of the received radio wave, and acquire first position information indicating the estimated position;
store the first position information and the second position information in association with time information in a predetermined storage unit, and
receive a radio wave from a global positioning system when the second device moves outdoors where the second device cannot perform communication with the indoor messaging system transmitting device, and acquires the second position information indicating latitude and longitude information that is measured based on the radio wave received from the global positioning system, and
provide a most recent first position information and a most recent second position information that are most recently stored in association with the time information in the predetermined storage unit upon receiving a request for the first position information and the second position information from a user.

8. A position management method performed in a position management system for managing position information of a second device configured to perform communication with a predetermined first device installed indoors and an indoor messaging system transmitting device, the position management system including one or more information processing apparatuses for implementing various functions of the position management system, the position management method comprising:
detecting a movement of the second device;
receiving a radio wave according to a predetermined wireless communication standard from the first device when the movement of the second device is detected at the detecting;
receiving second position information including latitude and longitude information from the indoor messaging system transmitting device when the movement of the second device is detected at the detecting;
measuring an intensity of the received radio wave, estimating a position of the second device based on the measured intensity of the radio wave, and acquiring first position information indicating the estimated position; and
storing the first position information and the second position information in association with time information in a predetermined storage unit,
wherein the receiving of the second position information includes receiving a radio wave from a global positioning system when the second device moves outdoors where the second device cannot perform communication with the indoor messaging system IMES transmitting device, and setting latitude and longitude information, which is measured based on the radio wave received from the global positioning system, as the second position information, and
wherein the position management method further comprises a step of providing a most recent first position information and a most recent second position information that are most recently stored in association with the time information in the predetermined storage unit upon receiving a request for the first position information and the second position information from a user.

9. A position management method performed in a position management apparatus for managing position information of a second device configured to perform communication with a predetermined first device installed indoors and an indoor messaging system transmitting device, the position management meth

Assignees

• Nakagawa Kenichi
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nakagawa Kenichi

Classifications

• H04W64/006

  with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination · CPC title

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title

• H04W4/33

  for indoor environments, e.g. buildings · CPC title

• H04W4/30 Primary

  Services specially adapted for particular environments, situations or purposes · CPC title

• H04W4/029 Primary

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title