Lost child search system, recording medium, and lost child search method

• US 9,691,251 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2015
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Megachips Corporation
• Original Assignee: Megachips Corporation
• Inventors: Yamaoka, Takio
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Toan N
• Application Number:
  US14/857,482
• Publication Number:
  US 20160005287A1
• Time in Patent Office: 649 Days
• Field of Search: 34053913, 34053915, 34053911, 3405731
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0247 System arrangements wherein the alarm criteria uses signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0255 System arrangements wherein the parent unit emits, i.e. the parent unit incorporates the emitter
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0272 System arrangements wherein the object is to detect exact location of child or item using triangulation other than GPS
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

In a lost child search system including a parent terminal and a child terminal, the child terminal is provided with: a gyro sensor that measures the angular velocity for identifying the posture of that child terminal; an acceleration sensor that measures the acceleration of that child terminal; a positioning control unit that performs relative positioning of that child terminal based on the identified posture and the measured acceleration; a communication unit that performs data communication via near-field wireless communication using radio waves; an intensity detection unit that detects the radio wave intensity in the near-field wireless communication with the parent terminal; and an intensity decision unit that decides whether or not search for the child terminal is necessary in accordance with the detected intensity information. The acceleration sensor is made to start measuring the acceleration in accordance with the decision result (decision information) by the intensity decision unit.

Claims

1. A lost child search system comprising:

two or more portable terminal devices, each including

a posture identification element configured to identify a posture of its own device,

an acceleration sensor configured to measure an acceleration of its own device, and

a positioning element configured to perform relative positioning of its own device based on the posture identified by the posture identification element and the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor;

a communication element configured to perform data communication by near-field wireless communication using radio waves between one of the two or more portable terminal devices and another one of the two or more portable terminal devices;

an intensity detection element configured to detect a radio wave intensity in the near-field wireless communication between the one portable terminal device and the other portable terminal device;

a decision element configured to decide, in accordance with the radio wave intensity detected by the intensity detection element, whether or not search for the other portable terminal device performing the near-field wireless communication at the detected radio wave intensity is required;

a relative position calculation element configured to obtain a relative positional relationship between the one portable terminal device and the other portable terminal device based on a positioning result by the positioning element of the one portable terminal device and a positioning result by the positioning element of the other portable terminal device for which it has been decided that the search is necessary by the decision element;

an information creation element configured to create search information based on the positional relationship obtained by the relative position calculation element; and

a search information output element configured to output the search information created by the information creation element, wherein

each of the two or more portable terminal devices further includes a control element configured to make the acceleration sensor of its own device start measuring the acceleration in accordance with the decision result by the decision element.

2. The lost child search system according to claim 1, further comprising

a correction element configured to calculate a correction value for the positional relationship obtained by the relative position calculation element in accordance with the radio wave intensity detected by the intensity detection element, wherein

the information creation element creates the search information based on the correction value obtained by the correction element.

3. The lost child search system according to claim 1, wherein

the decision element decides whether or not the search is necessary by comparing a difference between a radio wave intensity at an initial state and a radio wave intensity at a time of the measurement with a threshold value.

4. The lost child search system according to claim 1, wherein

the posture identification element includes a magnetic sensor configured to detect geomagnetism, and

the control element make the posture identification element of its own device start measuring an angular velocity in accordance with the decision result by the decision element.

5. The lost child search system according to claim 1, wherein

the search information output element outputs the decision result by the decision element.

6. The lost child search system according to claim 1, wherein the other portable terminal device further includes:

a motion detection element configured to detect a motion equal to or larger than a threshold value based on the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor of its own device, after it is decided that the search for its own device is necessary by the decision element; and

a warning output element configured to output a warning in response to detection of the motion equal to or larger than the threshold value by the motion detection element.

7. The lost child search system according to claim 6, wherein

the motion detection element decides whether or not the detected motion equal to or larger than the threshold value is a motion towards the one of the portable terminal device, and

the warning output element outputs the warning in accordance with the decision result by the motion detection unit.

8. The lost child search system according to claim 1, wherein

the information creation element creates the search information in accordance with the detection result by the intensity detection element.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a computer connected to an external portable terminal device, cause the computer to perform a lost child search method, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a test signal via near-field wireless communication using radio waves to the external portable terminal device;

receiving a result of decision whether or not search for the external portable terminal device is necessary in accordance with a radio wave intensity of the test signal, and a result of relative positioning of the external portable terminal device from the external portable terminal device;

identifying a posture of the computer;

measuring an acceleration of the computer by an acceleration sensor in accordance with the received decision result;

performing relative positioning of the computer in accordance with the identified posture of the computer and the acceleration of the computer measured by the acceleration sensor;

obtaining a relative positional relationship between the computer and the external portable terminal device based on the result of the relative positioning of the computer and the received result of the relative positioning of the external portable terminal device;

creating search information based on the obtained positional relationship; and

outputting the created search information.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a computer connected to an external portable terminal device, cause the computer to perform a lost child search method, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a test signal transmitted from the external portable terminal device via near-field wireless communication using radio waves;

detecting a radio wave intensity when the test signal has been received;

deciding whether or not search for the computer is necessary in accordance with the detected radio wave intensity;

identifying a posture of the computer;

measuring an acceleration of the computer by an acceleration sensor in accordance with the decision result;

performing relative positioning of the computer in accordance with the identified posture of the computer and the acceleration of the computer measured by the acceleration sensor; and

transmitting a result of the relative positioning to the external portable terminal device.

11. A lost child search method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a test signal via near-field wireless communication using radio waves from one portable terminal device to another portable terminal device different from the one portable terminal device;

detecting a radio wave intensity when the test signal has been received in the other portable terminal device;

deciding whether or not search for the other portable terminal device is necessary in accordance with the detected radio wave intensity;

identifying a posture of the one portable terminal device;

identifying a posture of the other portable terminal device;

measuring an acceleration of the one portable terminal device after the search for the other portable terminal device is decided as being necessary;

measuring an acceleration of the other portable terminal device after the search for the other portable terminal device is decided as being necessary;

obtaining a relative position of the one portable terminal device in accordance with the identified posture of the one portable terminal device and the measured acceleration of the one portable terminal device;

obtaining a relative position of the other portable terminal device in accordance with the identified posture of the other portable terminal device and the measured acceleration of the other portable terminal device;

obtaining a relative positional relationship between the one portable terminal device and the other portable terminal device in accordance with the relative position of the one portable terminal device and the relative position of the other portable terminal device;

creating search information based on the relative positional relationship; and

outputting the created search information.