NOTIFICATION SYSTEM, NOTIFICATION DEVICE, AND NOTIFICATION METHOD

• US 20100225469A1
• Filed: 04/26/2007
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intertrust Technologies Corporation (Fidelio Acquisition Co LLC)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Tajima, Takashi, Ozawa, Jun, Yoshioka, Mototaka
• Granted Patent: US 8,115,625 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.130
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0233 System arrangements with pre-alarms, e.g. when a first distance is exceeded
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0269 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect the exact location of child or item using a navigation satellite system, e.g. GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/04 with alarm systems, e.g. fire, police or burglar alarm systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

Conventional notification systems have a poor operability since a notification is transmitted every time a child moves outside a predetermined area. Provided is a notification system comprising: a first position detection unit (101) which detects a position of a first terminal (120) used by a child A; a second position detection unit (111) which detects a position of a second terminal (121) used by a parent C; a notification control area determination unit (114) which determines a notification control area based on the position detected by the second position detection unit (111), the notification control area being an area in which position information regarding the position of the child A is not notified; a first traveling route prediction unit (138) which predicts a traveling route from a current position of the child A to the notification control area; a required-for-return time period calculation unit (113) which calculates a required-for-return time period representing a time period required for arriving at the notification control area in the case where the child A travels along the predicted traveling route; and a notification control unit (106) which permits the notification in the case where the child A does not arrive at the notification control area even after the required-for-return time period elapses from the current time, and suppresses the notification while the required-for-return time period does not elapse.

Claims

1. A notification system for notifying a terminal of information regarding a position of a user having another terminal based on a traveling route of the user, said notification system comprising:

a first position detection unit operable to detect a position of a first terminal used by a first user;

a second position detection unit operable to detect a position of a second terminal used by a second user;

a notification control area determination unit operable to determine a notification control area based on the position detected by said second position detection unit, the notification control area being an area on a map and in which position information regarding the position of the first user is not notified;

a traveling route prediction unit operable to predict a traveling route from a current position to the notification control area, that is, a traveling route to be traveled by the first user from a current time onward;

a required-for-return time period calculation unit operable to calculate a required-for-return time period representing a time period required for arriving at the notification control area in the case where the first user travels along the traveling route predicted by said traveling route prediction unit; and

a notification control unit operable to permit the notification of the position information regarding the position of the first user in the case where the required-for-return time period has elapsed from the current time and the first user has not arrived at the notification control area, and to suppress the notification of the position information regarding the position of the first user in the case where the required-for-return time period has not elapsed from the current time.

2. The notification system according to claim 1,

wherein the second terminal and the second user using the second terminal both exist in a plurality,

said traveling route prediction unit is further operable to predict traveling routes to be traveled by the respective second users from the current time onward, and

said notification system further comprises:

a companion specification unit operable to specify, as a companion, a second user who is able to accompany the first user from among the second users, based on the traveling routes of the respective second users predicted by said traveling route prediction unit and required-for-return time periods required to arrive at the respective second users;

an accompanying starting position calculation unit operable to calculate an accompanying starting position at which the second user specified by said companion specification unit starts accompanying the first user; and

a notification unit operable to notify the second terminals including the specified second terminal, of information regarding the second user specified by said companion specification unit as a companion and the accompanying starting position.

3. The notification system according to claim 2, further comprising

a matching route distance calculation unit operable to calculate a matching distance representing a distance for which each of the traveling routes of the second users matches the traveling route of the first user, the traveling routes of the first user and the second users being predicted by said traveling route prediction unit,

wherein said companion specification unit is operable to specify, as a companion, a second user having a longest matching distance from the accompanying starting position, the second user being specified from among the second users.

4. The notification system according to claim 3,

wherein said accompanying starting position calculation unit includes:

a first terminal speed calculation unit operable to calculate a first speed which is a speed of the first user using the first terminal; and

a second terminal speed calculation unit operable to calculate, for each of the second terminals, a second speed which is a speed of one of the second users using one of the second terminals, and

said accompanying starting position calculation unit is operable to calculate, as the accompanying starting position, a meeting point at which the first user and at least one of the second users meet in the case where the first user and the at least one of the second users travel along the respective traveling routes at the calculated first speed and second speed, respectively, the traveling routes being predicted by said traveling route prediction unit.

5. The notification system according to claim 3,

wherein said accompanying starting position calculation unit includes:

a first terminal speed calculation unit operable to calculate a first speed which is a speed of the first user using the first terminal;

a second terminal speed calculation unit operable to calculate, for each of the second terminals, a second speed which is a speed of one of the second users using one of the second terminals; and

a maximum traveling speed calculation unit operable to calculate a maximum traveling speed at which the first user can travel towards the second users, based on the first speed calculated by said first terminal speed calculation unit, and

said accompanying starting position calculation unit is operable to calculate, as the accompanying starting position, a meeting point at which the first user and at least one of the second users meet in the case where the first user travels along the traveling route at the calculated maximum traveling speed and the at least one of the second users travels along the traveling route at the calculated second speed, the traveling routes of the first user and the at least one of the second users both being predicted by said traveling route prediction unit.

6. The notification system according to claim 3,

wherein said accompanying starting position calculation unit is operable to calculate, as the accompanying starting position, a meeting point at which traveling distances of both the first user and the second user specified as the companion become minimum, the meeting point being a point at which the first user and the second user meet and being located on the traveling routes predicted by said traveling route prediction unit.

7. The notification system according to claim 3, further comprising

a safety level calculation unit operable to calculate a safety level which indicates a level of safety of the notification control area and which increases with a density of the second users using the respective second terminals,

wherein said companion specification unit is operable to preferentially specify, as a companion, a second user who has the notification control area having a high safety level, from among the second users.

8. The notification system according to claim 3, further comprising

a safety level calculation unit operable to calculate a safety level which indicates a level of safety of the notification control area and which increases with an age of one of the second users using the respective second terminals within a predetermined age range,

wherein said companion specification unit is operable to preferentially specify, as a companion, a second user who has the notification control area having a high safety level, from among the second users.

9. The notification system according to claim 3, further comprising

a map information accumulation unit in which information regarding a safety level of a predetermined region is accumulated,

wherein said accompanying starting position calculation unit is operable to calculate, as the accompanying starting position, a point which is located on the traveling routes predicted by said traveling route prediction unit and has a high safety level.

10. The notification system according to claim 3, further comprising:

a detour degree calculation unit operable to calculate a detour degree indicating how far a second user among the second users is detouring towards a destination of the second user, based on the traveling route of the second user predicted by said traveling route prediction unit and the position information of the second user detected by said second position detection unit; and

a detour degree threshold accumulation unit in which a threshold value of the detour degree of the second user is accumulated,

wherein said matching route distance calculation unit is operable to calculate the matching distance based on a traveling route taken when the second user travels within a range of the threshold value of the detour degree accumulated in said detour degree threshold accumulation unit.

11. The notification system according to claim 10, further comprising

a departure point calculation unit operable to calculate a departure point based on the position information detected by said second position detection unit,

wherein said detour degree calculation unit is operable to calculate, based on a route cost representing a cost required for traveling from a start point to an end point of a route, the detour degree by subtracting a route cost required for traveling from the calculated departure point to a destination predicted by said traveling route prediction unit from a sum of a route cost required for traveling from the departure point to a current position and a route cost required for traveling from the current position to the destination predicted by said traveling route prediction unit.

12. The notification system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a detour degree calculation unit operable to calculate a detour degree indicating how far the first user is detouring towards a destination of the first user, based on the traveling route of the first user predicted by said traveling route prediction unit and the position information of the first user detected by said first position detection unit; and

an information notification rule accumulation unit in which an information notification rule is accumulated in accordance with the calculated detour degree, the information notification regarding either a detail of a notification transmitted to the second terminal or a party other than the second terminal to whom the notification is transmitted,

wherein said notification control unit is operable to refer to the information notification rule and change either the detail of the notification or the party to whom the notification is transmitted, in accordance with the detour degree calculated by said detour degree calculation unit.

13. The notification system according to claim 12, further comprising

a departure point calculation unit operable to calculate a departure point based on the position information detected by said first position detection unit,

wherein said detour degree calculation unit is operable to calculate, based on a route cost representing a cost required for traveling from a start point to an end point of a route, the detour degree by subtracting a route cost required for traveling from the calculated departure point to a destination predicted by said traveling route prediction unit from a sum of a route cost required for traveling from the departure point to a current position and a route cost required for traveling from the current position to the destination predicted by said traveling route prediction unit.

14. The notification system according to claim 13, further comprising

a waiting time information accumulation unit in which information regarding a predetermined point and a waiting time to wait at the predetermined point, is accumulated,

wherein said detour degree calculation unit is operable to calculate, based on the route cost represented as a time period required to travel from a start point to an end point of a route, the detour degree by subtracting the waiting time to wait at the predetermined point on the route predicted by said traveling route prediction unit from the route cost using the information regarding the waiting time.

15. The notification system according to claim 13, further comprising:

a destination arrival detection unit operable to detect that the first user has arrived at the destination of the first user, based on the position of the first terminal detected by said first position detection unit;

a detour degree accumulation unit in which the detour degree calculated by said detour degree calculation unit is accumulated in association with the destination arrived at; and

a threshold calculation unit operable to calculate a threshold value of the detour degree based on the detour degree accumulated in said detour degree accumulation unit, the threshold value being associated with the destination,

wherein the threshold value of the detour degree calculated per destination is accumulated in said information notification rule accumulation unit as the information notification rule.

16. The notification system according to claim 11, further comprising:

a destination arrival detection unit operable to detect that the second user has arrived at the destination of the second user, based on the position of the second terminal detected by said second position detection unit;

a detour degree accumulation unit in which the detour degree calculated by said detour degree calculation unit is accumulated in association with the destination arrived at;

a threshold calculation unit operable to calculate a threshold value of the detour degree based on the detour degree accumulated in said detour degree accumulation unit, the threshold value being associated with the destination,

wherein said detour degree threshold accumulation unit is operable to update the accumulated threshold value of the detour degree by replacing the threshold value with a new threshold value calculated by said threshold calculation unit, and

said matching route distance calculation unit is operable to calculate the matching distance based on a traveling route when the second user travels within a range of the threshold value of the detour degree updated by said detour degree threshold accumulation unit.

17. A notification device which notifies a terminal of information regarding a position of a user having another terminal based on a traveling route of the user, said notification device comprising:

a first position detection unit operable to detect a position of a first terminal used by a first user;

a second position detection unit operable to detect a position of a second terminal used by a second user;

a notification control area determination unit operable to determine a notification control area based on the position detected by said second position detection unit, the notification control area being an area on a map and in which position information regarding the position of the first user is not notified;

a traveling route prediction unit operable to predict a traveling route from a current position to the notification control area, that is, a traveling route to be traveled by the first user from a current time onward;

a required-for-return time period calculation unit operable to calculate a required-for-return time period representing a time period required for arriving at the notification control area in the case where the first user travels along the traveling route predicted by said traveling route prediction unit;

a notification control unit operable to permit the notification of the position information regarding the position of the first user in the case where the required-for-return time period has elapsed from the current time and the first user has not arrived at the notification control area, and to suppress the notification of the position information regarding the position of the first user in the case where the required-for-return time period has not elapsed from the current time; and

a notification unit operable to notify the position information regarding the position of the first user, in accordance with control of said notification control unit.

18. A notification method for notifying a terminal of information regarding a position of a user having another terminal based on a traveling route of the user, said notification method comprising:

a first position detection step of detecting a position of a first terminal used by a first user;

a second position detection step of detecting a position of a second terminal used by a second user;

a notification control area determination step of determining a notification control area based on the position detected in said second position detection step, the notification control area being an area on a map and in which position information regarding the position of the first user is not notified;

a traveling route prediction step of predicting a traveling route from a current position to the notification control area, that is, a traveling route to be traveled by the first user from a current time onward;

a required-for-return time period calculation step of calculating a required-for-return time period representing a time period required for arriving at the notification control area in the case where the first user travels along the traveling route predicted in said traveling route prediction step; and

a notification control step of permitting the notification of the position information regarding the position of the first user in the case where the required-for-return time period has elapsed from the current time and the first user has not arrived at the notification control area, and suppressing the notification of the position information regarding the position of the first user in the case where the required-for-return time period has not elapsed from the current time; and

a notification step of notifying the position information regarding the position of the first user in accordance with control in said notification control step.

19. A program for a notification device which notifies a terminal of information regarding a position of a user having another terminal based on a traveling route of the user, said program causing a computer to execute:

a first position detection step of detecting a position of a first terminal used by a first user;

a second position detection step of detecting a position of a second terminal used by a second user;

a notification control area determination step of determining a notification control area based on the position detected in said second position detection step, the notification control area being an area on a map and in which position information regarding the position of the first user is not notified;

a traveling route prediction step of predicting a traveling route from a current position to the notification control area, that is, a traveling route to be traveled by the first user from a current time onward;

a required-for-return time period calculation step of calculating a required-for-return time period representing a time period required for arriving at the notification control area in the case where the first user travels along the traveling route predicted in said traveling route prediction step; and

a notification control step of permitting the notification of the position information regarding the position of the first user in the case where the required-for-return time period has elapsed from the current time and the first user has not arrived at the notification control area, and suppressing the notification of the position information regarding the position of the first user in the case where the required-for-return time period has not elapsed from the current time; and

a notification step of notifying the position information regarding the position of the first user in accordance with control in said notification control step.