Information processing device, organizational analysis system, computer readable medium and method

• US 20080129489A1
• Filed: 06/08/2007
• Published: 06/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Ito, Atsushi, Ueno, Yuichi, Fujimoto, Masakazu, Ueda, Manabu, Yamasaki, Nobuhiro, Nemoto, Keiichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,652,570 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1427 with transmitter-receiver for distance detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 29/02 Monitoring continuously signalling or alarm systems

Abstract

An information processing device includes: a detecting unit that detects the electric field intensity of information received from a portable transmission device that transmits information through radio waves; and a determining unit that determines whether the transmission device is being carried, based on a change in the electric field intensity detected by the detecting unit.

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising:

a detecting unit that detects an electric field intensity of information received from a portable transmission device that transmits information through radio waves; and

a determining unit that determines whether the transmission device is being carried, based on a change in the electric field intensity detected by the detecting unit.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein:

the information contains location information; and

the information processing device further comprises;

a recording unit that records an activity history of a person who holds the transmission device, based on a result of the detection by the detecting unit; and

a correcting unit that corrects information as to a period of time in which the transmission device is determined to be not being carried, based on a result of the determination by the determining unit.

3. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the correcting unit performs the correction by deleting the information as to the period of time in which the transmission device is determined to be not being carried.

4. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the history contains identification information as to the transmission device, the location information, the electric field intensity, and the result of the determination by the determining unit.

5. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein the determining unit determines whether the transmission device is being carried, also based on a change in the location information.

6. The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein

the transmission device is formed with a plurality of transmission devices;

the detecting unit is provided for each of the transmission devices;

the recording unit records a history of organizational activities; and

the information processing device further comprises

an analyzing unit that analyzes the organizational activities recorded by the recording unit.

7. The information processing device according to claim 6, wherein the analyzing unit calculates an operating rate with respect to the organizational activities, based on the number of transmission devices being carried, the number of transmission devices not being carried, and the number of transmission devices from which the electric field intensity is not detected.

8. The information processing device according to claim 7, wherein the analyzing unit calculates the operating rate with respect to the organizational activities, based on a value obtained by subtracting the number of transmission devices not being carried from the total number of transmission devices, and the number of transmission devices being carried.

9. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission device is a wireless device that includes an active RFID and a portable telephone device.

10. The information processing device according to claim 1, further comprising

a notifying unit that notifies at least one of the transmission device and a terminal device that the transmission device must be carried, based on a result of the determination by the determining unit, the terminal device belonging to a person who must carry the transmission device.

11. The information processing device according to claim 10, wherein at least one of the transmission device and the terminal device belonging to the person who must carry the transmission device comprises:

a deciding unit that determines a control mode for at least one of the transmission device and the terminal device, based on information sent from the notifying unit to notify that the transmission device must be carried; and

an executing unit that controls a warning for at least one of the transmission device and the terminal device, based on the control mode determined by the deciding unit.

12. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein:

a terminal device belonging to a person who must carry the transmission device includes a vibrating unit that vibrates the terminal device, an output unit that outputs a sound, and a receiving unit that receives the result of the determination by the determining unit; and

when the receiving unit receives a determination result indicating that the transmission device is not being carried, the output unit outputs a sound or the vibrating unit vibrates the terminal device.

13. The information processing device according to claim 12, wherein:

the transmission device and the terminal device belonging to the person who must carry the transmission device are integrally formed with the same device;

when the receiving unit receives a determination result indicating that the transmission device is being carried, the vibrating unit vibrates the terminal device; and

when the receiving unit receives a determination result indicating that the transmission device is not being carried, the output unit outputs a sound.

14. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the detecting unit comprises a first circuit that retrieves a signal in a desired frequency band from the radio waves of the information transmitted from the portable transmission device, a second circuit that converts the signal transmitted from the first circuit into at least one of a DC current or a DC voltage, and a third circuit that quantizes at least one of the DC current and the DC voltage converted by the second circuit, and measures the electric field intensity.

15. An organizational analysis system comprising:

a plurality of portable transmission devices each having a transmitting unit that transmits information through radio waves; and

an information processing device that comprises;

a detecting unit that detects an electric field intensity of information received from each of the portable transmission devices;

a determining unit that determines whether each of the transmission devices is being carried, based on a change in the electric field intensity detected by the detecting unit;

a recording unit that records a history of organizational activities of persons who hold the portable transmission devices, the history including a results of determinations by the determining unit; and

an analyzing unit that analyzes the organizational activities recorded by the recording unit.

16. The organizational analysis system according to claim 15, further comprising

a correcting unit that corrects information as to each period of time in which the transmission devices are determined to be not being carried, based on results of the determinations by the determining unit.

17. The organizational analysis system according to claim 15, wherein:

the information processing device further comprises a notifying unit that notifies at least one of the transmission devices and terminal devices that the transmission device must be carried, based on a result of the determinations by the determining unit, the terminal devices belonging to the persons who must carry the transmission device; and

at least one of the transmission devices and the terminal devices belonging to the persons who must carry the transmission devices comprise;

a deciding unit that determines a control mode for at least one of the transmission devices and the terminal devices, based on information sent from the notifying unit to notify that the transmission device must be carried; and

an executing unit that controls a warning for at least one of the transmission devices and the terminal devices in accordance with the control mode determined by the deciding unit.

18. The organizational analysis system according to claim 15, wherein:

each of the portable transmission devices further comprises a power source and a storing unit that stores identification information as to the transmission device; and

the transmitting unit that comprises a generating unit that generates a signal forming the radio waves at a predetermined frequency, a modulating unit that modulates the generated signal with the identification information held by the storing unit, and an amplifying unit that amplifies the modulated signal.

19. A computer readable medium storing a program causing a computer to execute a process for information processing, the process comprising:

detecting an electric field intensity of information received from a portable transmission device that transmits information through radio waves; and

determining whether the transmission device is being carried, based on a change in the electric field intensity detected.

20. An information processing method comprising:

detecting an electric field intensity of information received from a portable transmission device that transmits information through radio waves; and

determining whether the transmission device is being carried, based on a change in the electric field intensity detected.