Position information management system

• US 6,999,779 B1
• Filed: 07/29/1997
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bhattacharya, Sam
• Application Number:
  US08/902,153
• Time in Patent Office: 3,122 Days
• Field of Search: 701/213, 701/214, 701/215, 701/216, 701/207, 701/208, 342/357, 342/385, 342/386, 342/417, 342/419, 342/357.14, 342/357.1, 342/357.12, 342/357.09, 342/357.13, 342/357.08, 455/440, 455/404, 455/456, 455/457, 370/311
• US Class Current: 455/456.2
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/13 Receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/48 by combining or switching between position solutions derived from the satellite radio beacon positioning system and position solutions derived from a further system
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/008 using a mobile telephone network
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2205/06 Emergency
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0027 of actual mobile position, i.e. position determined on mobile
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0081 Transmission between base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0284 Relative positioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel

Abstract

A position information management system in which a portable remote terminal includes a plurality of kinds of positioning means for positioning based on a GPS, positioning based on a portable-telephone or PHS base station, positioning based on a radio marker, and independent positioning based on a direction detector, so that the holder of the portable remote terminal can be navigated anywhere. The holder of the portable remote terminal can know the position of a third party similarly holding such a portable remote terminal, by inquiring of a central system, and he/she can supervise, for example, the action of an old person, a child, or a skier in a skiing area. Further, only the map data of a district which is often used by the holder is stored in the portable remote terminal. In this regard, when the holder is in a district not contained within the retained map data, he/she downloads corresponding map data from the central system and uses the downloaded map data.

Claims

1. A position information management system, comprising:

a first terminal for transmitting a location indicator to a center;

said center for managing information about a location of the first terminal; and

a second terminal for requesting from the center the location indicator of the first terminal, wherein said first terminal comprises;

an acquiring device for acquiring the location indicators each specifying the location of the first terminal itself using a position determination system of a pre-assigned type; and

a reporting device for transmitting the location indicators to the center, respectively, at times separated by a prescribed time interval or when so requested by the center,

said center comprises;

a history accumulating device for storing the location indicators the first terminal transmits to the center in a log form;

a determination device for determining a capability of the first terminal to receive a location indicator transmission request to be transmitted from the center every time when the center receives a request for transmission of the location indicator of the first terminal from the second terminal;

an advising device for transmitting the location indicator transmission request to the first terminal when the determination device has determined the first terminal is capable of receiving the location indicator transmission request and transmitting the location indicator received from the first terminal to the second terminal or composing a location indicator of the first terminal by making an estimation based on the location indicators stored in the log form when the determination device has determined the first terminal is not capable of receiving the location indicator transmission request and transmitting the location indicator composed based on the estimation to the second terminal, and

said second terminal comprising;

a request transmission device for transmitting a first-terminal'"'"'s location indicator transmission request to the center; and

a display device for displaying information corresponding to the location indicator of the first terminal the second terminal receives from the center, wherein, further,

the request transmission device constituting the second terminal transmits a monitoring area for specifying an area within which a change in location of the first terminal is monitored,

the determination device constituting the center determines if the first terminal has stationed at one location for a pre-assigned length of time based on data stored in the log form and if not, then, if the first terminal is located within the monitoring area; and

the advising device constituting the center assumes when the determination device determines the first terminal having stationed at an one location within the monitoring area for the pre-assigned length of time, as an unusual situation has happened with a holder of the first terminal and transmits a warning signal to the second terminal.

2. The position information management system according to claim 1, wherein the advising device constituting the center transmits to the second terminal an advice indicating that the first terminal is unable to receive the location indicator transmission request issued by the center together with the location indicator composed by the estimation when the determination device has determined the first terminal being not capable of receiving the location indicator transmission request.

3. The position information management system according to claim 1, wherein:

the request transmission device constituting the second terminal transmits, further, a monitoring period specifying a period in dates and hours for which the monitoring of the first terminal'"'"'s location has to be exercised;

the determination device constituting the center determines if the first terminal has stationed at one location for a pre-assigned length of time based on data Stored in the log form and, further, if it is currently within the monitoring period, and

the advising device constituting the center assumes, when the determination device determines that the first terminal has stationed at any one location for the pre-assigned length of time and that it is currently within the monitoring period, as an unusual situation has happened with a holder of the first terminal and transmits a warning signal to the second terminal.

4. The position information management system according to claim 1, wherein, further:

the request transmission device constituting the second terminal transmits to the center an immobile period with respect to the period of the first terminal having stationed at one location;

the determination device constituting the center compares length of the period of the first terminal having stationed at any one location based on data stored in the log form to the length of the immobile period; and

the advising device constituting the center, assumes, when the determination device determines the first terminal having stationed at any one location for a period equal to or longer than the Immobile period, as an unusual situation has happened with a holder of the first terminal and transmits a warning signal to the second terminal.

5. The position information management system according to claim 1, wherein:

the acquiring device constituting the first terminal is configured in such a manner that the acquiring device is capable of acquiring the location indicators using any of a plurality of pre-assigned different type position determination systems and of switching, whenever the acquiring device becomes unable to use one of the systems, automatically from the unusable system to another for acquiring the location indicator correspondent to the time of acquisition.

6. The position information management system according to claim 5, wherein:

the acquiring device constituting the first terminal finds a system usable for acquiring the location indicator among the different type position determination systems by automatically determining usability of each position determination system in the descending order of the obtained location indicator accuracy associated respectively with the position determination systems until finding a usable system when switching from one to another with respect to the position determination system to use.

7. The position information management system according to claim 5, wherein:

the acquiring device constituting the first terminal assumes the location of the most closely located base-station among PHS or mobile phone base-stations or the location of the most closely located radio-marker as a location of the first terminal.

8. A position information management apparatus, comprising:

a history accumulating device for storing the location indicators the first terminal transmits to the position information management apparatus in a log form;

a determination device for determining capability of the first terminal to receive a location indicator transmission request every time when receiving from the second terminal a request for transmission of a location indicator of the first terminal;

an advising device for transmitting a location indicator transmission request to the first terminal when the determination device has determined the first terminal is capable of receiving the location indicator transmission request and transmitting the location indicator received from the first terminal to the second terminal or composing a location indicator of the first terminal by making an estimation based on the location indicators stored in the log form when the determination device has determined the first terminal is not capable of receiving the location indicator transmission request and transmitting the location indicator composed based on the estimation to the second terminal, wherein;

the determination device determines if the first terminal has stationed at one location for a pre-assigned length of time based on data stored in the log form and if not then, if the first terminal is located within a monitoring area received from the second terminal and specifying an area within which a change in location of the first terminal is monitored; and

the advising device assumes when the determination device determines the first terminal having stationed at any one location within the monitoring area for the pre-assigned length of time as an unusual situation has happened with a holder of the first terminal and transmits a warning signal to the second terminal.

9. The position information management apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the advising device transmits to the second terminal an advice indicating that the first terminal is unable to receive the location indicator transmission request issued by the position information management apparatus together with the location indicator composed by the estimation when the determination device has determined the first terminal being not capable of receiving the location Indicator transmission request.

10. The position information management apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the determination device compares length of the period of the first terminal having stationed at any one location based on data stored in the log form to length of an immobile period received from the second terminal; and

the advising device assumes, when the determination device determines the first terminal having stationed at any one location for a period equal to or longer than the immobile period, as an unusual situation has happened with a holder of the first terminal and transmits a warning signal to the second terminal.