System for providing guiding information for use in detecting and accessing a mobile object

• US 6,226,589 B1
• Filed: 12/28/1999
• Issued: 05/01/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Takayama, Kuniharu, Sekiguchi, Minoru, Maeda, Yoshiharu, Naito, Hirohisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ARTHUR JEANGLAUDE, GERTRUDE
• Application Number:
  US09/473,048
• Time in Patent Office: 490 Days
• Field of Search: 701/207, 701/214, 342/357.01, 342/357.07, 342/357.09, 455/39, 455/500, 455/507, 340/902, 340/988, 340/991, 340/992, 340/993, 340/425.5, 340/438
• US Class Current: 701/207
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services

Abstract

The mobile object data storage unit of the management center manages and stores the positional information and the attribute information about a number of unspecified mobile objects such as persons, creatures, objects, etc. moving outdoors, etc. Upon receipt of the detection condition of the position and the attribute of another mobile object from the terminal unit, the retrieval unit searches the mobile object data storage unit, and displays a list of corresponding mobile objects on the requesting terminal unit. The guiding information computation unit computes the guiding information to a detected mobile object selected by the requesting mobile object terminal unit depending on a predetermined privacy setting level, and transmits the guiding information to the requesting mobile object terminal unit.

Claims

1. A system having a management center and a plurality of mobile object terminal units provided in respective mobile objects and communicating with the management center through a radio communications line,

said management center comprises:

a mobile object data storage unit storing mobile object data which is information about a position and an attribute of the mobile object;

an update unit updating the mobile object data in the mobile object data storage unit;

a retrieval unit retrieving a mobile object specified by said mobile object terminal unit according to information about a detection condition of the mobile object;

a guiding information computation unit computing guiding information used for access to a mobile object detected as a result of a retrieving process performed by said retrieval unit; and

a management center side transmission and reception unit transmitting and receiving information to and from said mobile object terminal unit, wherein

said mobile object terminal unit comprises;

a measurement unit measuring a position of said mobile object terminal unit;

a notification unit notifying said management center of the position measured by said measurement unit;

an input unit obtaining an input of a detection condition for detection of a mobile object;

a terminal unit side transmission and reception unit transmitting information about a detection condition obtained by said input unit to said management center, and receiving the guiding information transmitted from the management center; and

an output unit outputting the guiding information received from said terminal unit side transmission and reception unit.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

said mobile object data contains, for each mobile object, information about an attribute of the mobile object, information about a position of the mobile object, and management information for management of each mobile object;

said detection condition contains at least one piece of the information about the position of the mobile object, the information about the attribute of the mobile object, and the information obtained by combining the information about the position of the mobile object with the information about the attribute of the mobile object.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein

said retrieval unit performs a retrieving process by moderating a detection condition of a position of a mobile object indicated by information about the position of the mobile object when the detection condition contains the information.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein:

said mobile object data contains privacy setting information indicating a limit in providing the guiding information;

said management center further comprises;

a determination unit determining according to the privacy setting information whether or not the guiding information is to be provided for said mobile object terminal unit.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein

said determination unit furthermore determines to what extent said guiding information to be provided for said mobile object terminal unit is detailed.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein

said privacy setting information contains information about a guide level indicating a detail level of the guiding information to be provided for said mobile object terminal unit.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein

said detail level of the guiding information indicated by the guide level relates to any of a distance from the mobile object, a direction of the mobile object, a distance and a direction of the mobile object, a name of a location of the mobile object, and a route to the location of the mobile object.

8. A method which provides guiding information used for access to a mobile object to be detected, and is used in a system having a management center and a plurality of mobile object terminal units provided in respective mobile objects and communicating with the management center through a radio communications line, said method performing processes of:

transmitting information about a detection condition for detection of a mobile object from the mobile object terminal unit to the management center;

retrieving a mobile object satisfying the detection condition;

transmitting and outputting a list of mobile objects detected as a result of the retrieving process from the management center to the mobile object terminal unit;

requesting permission to compute guiding information about a mobile object selected from the list;

computing the guiding information about the selected mobile object when the permission can be acquired; and

transmitting and outputting the computed guiding information from the management center to the mobile object terminal unit.

9. A management center in a system having a management center and a plurality of mobile object terminal units provided in respective mobile objects and communicating with the management center through a radio communications line, comprising:

a mobile object data storage unit storing mobile object data which is information about a position and an attribute of the mobile object;

an update unit updating the mobile object data in the mobile object data storage unit;

a retrieval unit retrieving a mobile object specified by said mobile object terminal unit according to information about a detection condition relating to a position, an attribute, or both position and attribute of the mobile object;

a guiding information computation unit computing guiding information used for access to a mobile object detected as a result of a retrieving process performed by said retrieval unit; and

a management center side transmission and reception unit transmitting and receiving information to and from said mobile object terminal unit.

10. A mobile object terminal unit in a system having a management center and a plurality of mobile object terminal units provided in respective mobile objects and communicating with the management center through a radio communications line, comprising:

a measurement unit measuring a position of said mobile object terminal unit;

a notification unit notifying said management center of the position measured by said measurement unit;

an input unit obtaining an input of a detection condition for detection of a mobile object;

a terminal unit side transmission and reception unit transmitting information about a detection condition obtained by said input unit to said management center, and receiving the guiding information transmitted from the management center, and used for access to the mobile object detected based on the detection condition; and

an output unit outputting the guiding information received from said terminal unit side transmission and reception unit.

11. A computer readable storage medium storing a program for directing a computer as a management center in a system having a management center and a plurality of mobile object terminal units provided in respective mobile objects and communicating with the management center through a radio communications line, said program directing a computer to perform the processes of:

managing mobile object data which is information about a position and an attribute of the mobile object;

receiving information about a detection condition of a position, an attribute, or both position and attribute of a mobile object transmitted from said mobile object terminal unit;

retrieving the mobile object according to the received information about the detection condition;

computing guiding information for use in accessing to a mobile object detected as a result of the retrieving process; and

transmitting the guiding information to the mobile object terminal unit.

12. A computer readable storage medium storing a program for directing a computer as a mobile object terminal unit in a system having a management center and a plurality of mobile object terminal units provided in respective mobile objects and communicating with the management center through a radio communications line, said program directing a computer to perform the processes of:

measuring a position of each position,

notifying the management center of the measured position;

obtaining an input of a detection condition for detection of a mobile object;

transmitting information about the input detection condition to the management center;

receiving guiding information transmitted from the management center and used for access to a mobile object detected under the input detection condition; and

outputting the guiding information received from the terminal unit side transmission and reception unit.

13. A system having a management center and a plurality of mobile object terminal units provided in respective mobile objects and communicating with the management center through a radio communications line,

said management center comprises:

a mobile object data management unit managing mobile object data which is information about a position and an attribute of the mobile object;

a retrieval unit retrieving a mobile object according to information about a detection condition of the mobile object transmitted from the mobile object terminal unit; and

a notification unit notifying the mobile object terminal unit of the retrieval result from the retrieval unit, wherein;

said mobile object terminal unit comprises;

a measurement unit measuring a position of said mobile object terminal unit;

a notification unit notifying said management center of the position measured by said measurement unit;

a transmission unit transmitting, to the management center, information about a detection condition of an attribute of a mobile object; and

a reception unit receiving the retrieval result notified from the management center.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein

said mobile object terminal unit further comprises:

a guiding information computation unit computing guiding information for use in accessing a mobile object detected based on the detection condition as a retrieval result and received from the reception unit.

15. A method for use in detecting a mobile object and in a system having a management center and a plurality of mobile object terminal units provided in respective mobile objects and communicating with the management center through a radio communications line, said method performing processes of:

transmitting information about a detection condition of an attribute of a mobile object for detection of the mobile object from the mobile object terminal unit to the management center;

retrieving a mobile object satisfying the detection condition; and

transmitting and outputting a list of mobile objects detected as a result of the retrieving process from the management center to the mobile object terminal unit.

16. A management center in a system having a management center and a plurality of mobile object terminal units provided in respective mobile objects and communicating with the management center through a radio communications line, comprising:

a mobile object data management unit managing mobile object data which is information about a position and an attribute of the mobile object;

a retrieval unit retrieving a mobile object according to information about a detection condition of the mobile object transmitted from the mobile object terminal unit; and

a notification unit notifying the mobile object terminal unit of the retrieval result from the retrieval unit.

17. A mobile object terminal unit in a system having a management center and a plurality of mobile object terminal units provided in respective mobile objects and communicating with the management center through a radio communications line, comprising:

a measurement unit measuring a position of said mobile object terminal unit;

a notification unit notifying said management center of the position measured by said measurement unit;

a transmission unit transmitting, to the management center, information about a detection condition of an attribute of a mobile object; and

a reception unit receiving the retrieval result notified from the management center about a mobile object retrieved based on the detection condition.

18. A computer readable storage medium storing a program for directing a computer as a management center in a system having a management center and a plurality of mobile object terminal units provided in respective mobile objects and communicating with the management center through a radio communications line, said program directing a computer to perform the processes of:

managing mobile object data which is information about a position and an attribute of the mobile object;

retrieving a mobile object according to information, transmitted from the mobile object terminal unit, about a detection condition of an attribute of the mobile object to be detected; and

notifying a retrieval result to the mobile object terminal unit.

19. A computer readable storage medium storing a program for directing a computer as a mobile object terminal unit in a system having a management center and a plurality of mobile object terminal units provided in respective mobile objects and communicating with the management center through a radio communications line, said program directing a computer to perform the processes of:

measuring a position of each position,

notifying the management center of the measured position;

transmitting information about a detection condition of an attribute of a mobile object to be detected to the management center; and

receiving a result, from the management center, of retrieving a mobile object detected under the detection condition.