COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, COMMUNICATION METHOD, PROGRAM, INFORMATION MANAGEMENT APPARATUS AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20110006909A1
• Filed: 12/14/2009
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Rekimoto, Junichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,339,242 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.49
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0236 Assistance data, e.g. base station almanac
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/04 using triggered events
• 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 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

Provided is a communication apparatus 40 including a positioning unit 421 that obtains position information of a local apparatus by measuring a position of the local apparatus based on signals received from satellites via a communication unit 410, a base station detection unit 422 that obtains base station identification information to identify a base station from the signal received from the base station via the communication unit 410, a history information registration unit 430 that registers first history information containing the position information obtained by the positioning unit 421 with a history information storage unit 440 and also registers second history information containing the base station identification information obtained by the base station detection unit 422 with the history information storage unit 440, and a transmission control unit 450 that transmits the first history information registered with the history information storage unit 440 to an information management apparatus 20 via the communication unit and also transmits the second history information registered with the history information storage unit 440 to the information management apparatus 20 via the communication unit 410.

Claims

1-7. -7. (canceled)

8. An information management apparatus, comprising:

a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving a signal;

a storage unit that stores a threshold;

a history information registration unit that, when first history information containing position information indicating a position of another apparatus at a predetermined time and first time information indicating the predetermined time being associated is received via the communication unit, registers the first history information with the storage unit and, when second history information containing base station identification information and second time information indicating a time at which the base station identification information is acquired being associated is received via the communication unit, registers the second history information with the storage unit;

a registration determination unit that calculates a difference value between the first time information and the second time information to determine whether the difference value is less than the threshold stored in the storage unit; and

a base station information registration unit that, when the registration determination unit determines that the difference value is less than the threshold, registers information obtained by the position information contained in the first history information registered with the storage unit and the base station identification information contained in the second history information registered with the storage unit being associated as base station information with the storage unit.

9. The communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the storage unit

stores the threshold for each piece of transportation device identification information to identify a transportation device of the other apparatus and

the registration determination unit

acquires the threshold corresponding to the transportation device identification information from the storage unit when the transportation device identification information is contained in the first history information to determine whether the difference value is less than the threshold.

10. An information management method of an information management apparatus having a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving a signal, a storage unit that stores a threshold, a history information registration unit, and a registration determination unit, comprising the steps of:

when first history information containing position information indicating a position of another apparatus at a predetermined time and first time information indicating the predetermined time being associated is received via the communication unit, registering by the history information registration unit the first history information with the storage unit and, when second history information containing base station identification information and second time information indicating a time at which the base station identification information is acquired being associated is received via the communication unit, registering the second history information with the storage unit;

calculating by the registration determination unit a difference value between the first time information and the second time information to determine whether the difference value is less than the threshold stored in the storage unit; and

when the registration determination unit determines that the difference value is less than the threshold, registering by the base station information registration unit information obtained by the position information contained in the first history information registered with the storage unit and the base station identification information contained in the second history information registered with the storage unit being associated as base station information with the storage unit.

11. A program causing a computer to function as an information management apparatus, comprising:

a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving a signal;

a storage unit that stores a threshold;

a history information registration unit that, when first history information containing position information indicating a position of another apparatus at a predetermined time and first time information indicating the predetermined time being associated is received via the communication unit, registers the first history information with the storage unit and, when second history information containing base station identification information and second time information indicating a time at which the base station identification information is acquired being associated is received via the communication unit, registers the second history information with the storage unit;

a registration determination unit that calculates a difference value between the first time information and the second time information to determine whether the difference value is less than the threshold stored in the storage unit; and

a base station information registration unit that, when the registration determination unit determines that the difference value is less than the threshold, registers information obtained by the position information contained in the first history information registered with the storage unit and the base station identification information contained in the second history information registered with the storage unit being associated as base station information with the storage unit.

12. A communication system having a communication apparatus and an information management apparatus, wherein

the communication apparatus includes:

a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving a signal;

a history information storage unit;

a base station detection unit that obtains base station identification information to identify a base station from the signal received from the base station via the communication unit;

a history information registration unit that acquires position information indicating a position of a local apparatus at a predetermined time and first time information indicating the predetermined time and associates the position information and the first time information to register the associated information with the history information storage unit as first history information and also associates the base station identification information obtained by the base station detection unit and second time information indicating the time at which the base station identification information is obtained to register the associated information with the history information storage unit as second history information; and

a transmission control unit that transmits the first history information registered with the history information storage unit to the information management apparatus via the communication unit and also transmits the second history information registered with the history information storage unit to the information storage apparatus via the communication unit and

the information management apparatus includes;

a communication unit capable of transmitting and receiving a signal;

a storage unit that stores a threshold;

a history information registration unit that, when first history information containing position information indicating a position of another apparatus at a predetermined time and first time information indicating the predetermined time being associated is received via the communication unit, registers the first history information with the storage unit and, when second history information containing base station identification information and second time information indicating a time at which the base station identification information is acquired being associated is received via the communication unit, registers the second history information with the storage unit;

a registration determination unit that calculates a difference value between the first time information and the second time information to determine whether the difference value is less than the threshold stored in the storage unit; and

a base station information registration unit that, when the registration determination unit determines that the difference value is less than the threshold, registers information obtained by the position information contained in the first history information registered with the storage unit and the base station identification information contained in the second history information registered with the storage unit being associated as base station information with the storage unit.