JP5990387B2 - Remote monitoring device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a remote monitoring device that performs wireless communication between a parent device possessed by a user and a child device attached to or possessed by the user's monitoring target, and notifies when it is determined that the parent device is separated from the child device. About.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a remote monitoring device is known for preventing a bag containing important items from being misplaced or taken away, or a child lost or taken away.
In such a device, a child device is attached or possessed to a monitoring target such as a bag or a child, and the parent device for monitoring the child device is owned by a user such as a bag owner or a guardian of the child. It is determined that the two devices are separated based on the strength of the signal received when wireless communication is performed with the slave unit, and notification is made to the user, the monitoring center, or the like.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that radio waves are transmitted and received between a first device and a second device at a predetermined communication interval, and an alarm is issued when radio waves are not received for a predetermined time by either one of the devices. .

JP 2006-65499 A

  However, if communication is always performed between the master unit and the slave unit at a predetermined communication interval as in Patent Document 1, communication processing is performed at the same intervals as in other situations, even in situations where no removal or misplacement actually occurs. Since this is done, power is consumed more than necessary.

  For example, in a situation where the monitored luggage is placed on the floor and this owner is sitting nearby, the luggage and the owner are gradually moving away due to actual removal or misplacement Not. In such a case, it is more than necessary to communicate at a communication interval that is set so that it can be detected that the master unit and the slave unit are separated in situations where removal or misplacement is actually occurring. In particular, in the distance monitoring device driven by the built-in battery, the driving time is greatly adversely affected.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a remote monitoring device capable of setting an appropriate communication interval according to the situation of a parent device and a child device.

  In order to achieve the above object, the remote monitoring apparatus according to the present invention performs wireless communication processing between a parent device possessed by a user and a child device attached to or possessed by the user's monitoring target, A remote control device for notifying when it is determined that the handset is separated, and performing communication processing at a predetermined communication interval and detecting a reception level indicating a strength of a received signal in the communication processing An abnormality determining means for determining the separation based on the reception level, a sensor for detecting movement provided in each of the master unit and the slave unit, and an exercise state of the master unit from an output of the sensor of the master unit State determining means for determining the movement state of the child device from the output of the sensor of the child device, combination determination means for determining a combination of the movement state of the parent device and the movement state of the child device, set It is characterized by and a communication interval setting means for setting the predetermined communication distance based on the allowed.

According to such a configuration, the separation monitoring device determines the movement state of each device from the sensors provided in the parent device and the child device, and sets the communication interval from the combination of the movement states of the parent device and the child device. Works.
This makes it possible to set the communication interval longer than usual when situations such as taking away or misplacement are not actually occurring, and appropriate communication depending on the status of the master and slave units. The interval can be set dynamically to achieve low power consumption.

  In the distance monitoring apparatus according to the present invention, the communication control unit executes the communication process at a first communication interval as the predetermined communication interval, and the state determination unit is configured such that the parent device is carried by a person. And whether or not the child device is being carried by a person, and the combination determination means determines whether the movement state of the parent device and the movement state of the child device are both portable combinations. When the combination determination unit determines that both the parent device and the child device are carried, the communication interval setting unit sets a communication interval longer than the first communication interval. The communication interval is changed to 2.

According to such a configuration, the separation monitoring device determines whether the movement state of each device is carried from the sensors provided in the parent device and the child device, and the movement state of the parent device and the child device is determined. If the combination is determined to be carried together, the communication interval is changed to be longer.
As a result, when the monitoring target is a bag, the user is carrying a bag, or when the monitoring target is a child, the parent device and the child device are carried by the user and the child, That is, in a situation where it is assumed that the user and the child are moving together, the communication interval is set longer than usual, so that low power consumption can be realized.

  In the separation monitoring device of the present invention, the state determination means determines whether the parent device is stationary and whether the child device is stationary, and the combination determination means is the parent determination device. It is determined whether the movement state of the machine and the movement state of the child machine are both stationary combinations, and the communication interval setting means determines that both the parent machine and the child machines are stationary by the combination determination means. If determined, the communication interval is changed to a third communication interval longer than the second communication interval.

According to such a configuration, in the case of a combination in which the movement state of both the parent machine and the child machine is carried rather than in the case of the combination in which the movement state of both the parent machine and the child machine are stationary, It works to change to a shorter communication interval.
In a combination in which the movement state of both the main unit and the child unit is stationary, the distance between the user and the monitoring target does not change, but the movement state of both the main unit and the child unit is carried. In the combination, although it is assumed that the user and the monitoring target are moving together, there is a possibility that the user and the monitoring target will gradually move away from each other. There is a high possibility that the distance between the two will fluctuate. Therefore, in the combination of carrying together, it is possible to quickly determine the separation in such a possibility while realizing low power consumption by performing communication at shorter intervals than the combination of both stationary.

  In the distance monitoring apparatus according to the present invention, the communication control unit executes the communication process at a first communication interval as the predetermined communication interval, and the state determination unit determines whether the master unit is stationary. And whether or not the slave unit is stationary, the combination determination means determines whether both the motion state of the master unit and the motion state of the slave unit are stationary combinations, and the communication The interval setting unit changes the communication interval to a fourth communication interval longer than the first communication interval when the combination determination unit determines that both the parent device and the child device are stationary.

According to such a configuration, the distance monitoring device determines whether the movement state of each device is stationary from the sensors provided in the parent device and the child device, and both the movement states of the parent device and the child device are If it is determined that the combination is stationary, the communication interval is changed longer.
Thus, in a situation where the luggage to be monitored is placed on the floor and the owner of the luggage is sitting nearby, the communication interval is set longer than usual, so that low power consumption can be realized.

  Furthermore, in the separation monitoring device of the present invention, the communication interval setting means sets the communication interval to the fourth communication when the combination determination means determines that both the parent device and the child device are stationary. When the determination by the combination determination unit continues even after the change, the communication interval is changed to a fifth communication interval longer than the fourth communication interval.

According to such a configuration, when it is determined that both the parent device and the child device are stationary, the separation monitoring device first changes to the fourth communication interval longer than the first communication interval, and thereafter both In the case where it is continuously determined that the object is stationary, the fifth communication interval is changed to be longer than the fourth communication interval.
As a result, when the user and the monitoring target are stationary while realizing low power consumption, the user and the monitoring target are stationary because they are not immediately changed to the fifth communication interval with the longest communication interval. Even when one or both of them move a little, it is possible to quickly determine the separation.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to dynamically set an appropriate communication interval according to the status of the parent device and the child device, and to realize low power consumption.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the separation monitoring apparatus (Example 1) which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the control part (a main | base station and a subunit | mobile_unit) of the separation monitoring apparatus (Example 1, Example 2) which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the communication control means (a main | base station and a subunit | mobile_unit) of the separation monitoring apparatus (Example 1, Example 2) which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the abnormality determination means (master | base_unit) of the separation monitoring apparatus (Example 1, Example 2) which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the combination determination means (master | base_unit) of the separation monitoring apparatus (Example 1) which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the communication space | interval setting means (master | base_unit) of the separation monitoring apparatus (Example 1) which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the state determination means (a main | base station and a subunit | mobile_unit) of the separation monitoring apparatus (Example 1) which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the separation monitoring apparatus (Example 2) which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the time change of the acceleration in the "carrying" state which the separation monitoring apparatus (Example 2) which concerns on this invention determines. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the combination determination means (master | base_unit) of the separation monitoring apparatus (Example 2) which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of the communication space | interval setting means (master | base_unit) of the separation monitoring apparatus (Example 2) which concerns on this invention. It is a flowchart (1) which shows operation | movement of the state determination means (a main | base station and a subunit | mobile_unit) of the separation monitoring apparatus (Example 2) based on this invention. It is a flowchart (2) which shows operation | movement of the state determination means (a main | base station and a subunit | mobile_unit) of the separation monitoring apparatus (Example 2) which concerns on this invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a separation monitoring apparatus according to the present invention.
The remote monitoring device 1 includes a child device 3 attached to or possessed by a monitored object such as a bag or a child, and a parent device 2 possessed by a user such as a bag owner or a guardian of the child in order to monitor the monitored object. It consists of.
For example, base unit 2 is placed in the user's breast pocket. When the handset 3 is attached to the bag, the handset 3 is attached to the handle portion of the bag so as not to be easily removed by an attachment means (not shown) such as a wire provided in the handset 3. Is done.

The remote monitoring device 1 performs wireless communication between the parent device 2 and the child device 3 at a predetermined communication interval, detects the strength (reception level) of a reception signal in the wireless communication, and uses the reception level to detect the parent device 2. And the slave unit 3 are determined to be separated from each other and notified to a user, a monitoring center, or the like.
In particular, in the present invention, the movement state of the parent device 2 and the child device 3 is detected by a sensor that detects movement, and is actually taken away or misplaced from the combination of the movement state of the parent device 2 and the movement state of the child device 3. It is determined whether or not such an action is occurring, and if it is determined that such an action is not occurring, the communication interval is set longer.

In the present invention, the separation means that the user (master unit 2) and the monitoring target (slave unit 3) are separated to an abnormal interval that is not considered a normal interval.
Here, the normal interval between the user and the monitoring target is assumed when, for example, the monitoring target is an item such as a bag, and the user is holding or placing the item on the side. If the monitoring target is a person such as a child, it is assumed that the user can monitor the person and protect the person from danger It is the interval between the user and the person. In the present invention, in consideration of the normal interval described above, such an abnormal interval that is not a normal interval is determined as a separation using the reception level in the wireless communication between the parent device 2 and the child device 3. It is.

Hereinafter, the structure with which the main | base station 2 and the subunit | mobile_unit 3 of the separation monitoring apparatus 1 of Example 1 are provided is explained in full detail.
<Master unit>
The master unit 2 mainly includes an acceleration sensor 22 that detects acceleration as a sensor that detects motion, a communication unit 21 that performs wireless communication with the slave unit 3, a storage unit 24 that includes a memory, and a counting unit. An informing means 25 for informing the user of the distance between the stationary counter 23 and the slave unit 3 by sound or light, a control unit 20 configured by an MPU or a microcomputer and controlling each unit, and a drive power source for the master unit 2 And the battery 26.

  The acceleration sensor 22 is a three-axis acceleration sensor that measures acceleration in three directions, and outputs the measured acceleration signal of each axis to the control unit 20.

  The communication means 21 includes an antenna and is a means for transmitting and receiving a radio signal to and from the child device 3. The communication device 21 sends a request signal for requesting predetermined information and information on the communication interval between the parent device 2 and the child device 3. And a communication process for receiving the information transmitted from the slave unit 3 in response to the request signal at a predetermined communication interval.

  Specifically, the communication means 21 receives a request signal for requesting received signal strength indication (RSSI) information indicating the strength of the signal when the signal is received and information on the motion state of the slave unit 3; The communication interval information is transmitted to the slave unit 3. The subunit | mobile_unit 3 detects the received signal strength at the time of receiving this request signal, and returns the detected received signal strength information and the information on the exercise state detected by itself to the parent device 2 and Set the communication interval sent from.

The communication means 21 is set with its own identification code and the identification code of the slave unit 3 as a communication partner in advance. And when the communication means 21 transmits a signal to the subunit | mobile_unit 3, it transmits by including a self-identification code as a transmission source and the identification code of the subunit | mobile_unit 3 used as a transmission destination in a transmission signal. Process.
When the communication unit 21 receives a signal including its own identification code from the slave unit 3, the communication unit 21 performs signal recognition processing as a signal addressed to itself.

The communication unit 21 includes a signal strength detection unit 211 that detects a received signal strength when receiving a reply from the slave unit 3.
Then, the communication means 21 controls the received signal strength and the handling state information received from the slave unit 3 and the received signal strength detected by itself (the master unit 2) obtained by the above-described communication processing. Output to.

The storage unit 24 stores a reception level indicating the strength of a received signal in wireless communication, a threshold for determining a separation, a communication interval with the slave unit 3, and the like. Details and usage of information stored in the storage unit 24 will be described later.
In this embodiment, the communication interval with the handset 3 is set and stored as 2 seconds as an initial value (first communication interval).

  The control unit 20 includes a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like and peripheral circuits thereof, and controls each unit of the parent device 2 described above. The control unit 20 includes a state determination unit 201, a communication control unit 202, an abnormality determination unit 203, a combination determination unit 204, and functional modules realized by the microcomputer and a computer program executed on the microcomputer. And communication interval setting means 205.

The state determination unit 201 is a unit that determines the motion state of the parent device 2 based on the acceleration signal from the acceleration sensor 22. Specifically, the state determination unit 201 samples the acceleration signal of each axis of the acceleration sensor 22 a plurality of times during a predetermined sampling period (for example, 2 seconds). Then, a composite value (triaxial composite value) of the sampling values (x, y, z) obtained for each axis is calculated by the following equation to obtain a plurality of triaxial composite values.
Triaxial composite value = √ (x ² + y ² + z ² )
Next, a variance value of the plurality of three-axis composite values is calculated, and it is determined whether the variance value is equal to or less than a threshold value. Here, when the variance value is equal to or smaller than the threshold value, the motion state of the parent device 2 is determined to be a “still” state in which the acceleration applied to the parent device 2 has not changed. If the variance value is not less than or equal to the threshold value, it is determined that the state is “non-stationary”.

  The threshold value to be compared with the variance value can be obtained experimentally. For example, a variance value calculated between a state where the person is sitting on a chair with the parent device 2 and a state where the person is moving may be examined, and a threshold value for separating these states may be set as appropriate.

The communication control unit 202 executes control of communication processing by the communication unit 21 described above at every predetermined communication interval stored in the storage unit 24 and detects the reception level.
For detection of the reception level, one of the reception signal strength of the slave unit 3 and the reception signal strength of the master unit 2 output from the communication means 21 is selected as a reception level indicating the strength of the reception signal in the communication processing described above. And stored in the storage means 24.

  Specifically, the communication control unit 202 refers to the reception level in the previous communication process stored in the storage unit 24, and among the received signal strength of the slave unit 3 and the own received signal strength in the current communication process. The reception signal strength closer to the previous reception level is selected and stored as the current reception level.

  If the previous reception level is not stored in the storage means 24 immediately after the power is turned on, the reception level may be appropriately determined by the following method. For example, the received signal strength of the slave unit 3 in the current communication process in which the received radio wave intensity when the master unit 2 and the slave unit 3 are sufficiently close is stored in advance as an initial value, There are methods such as setting an average value of strength and own received signal strength as a reception level, and setting a reception radio wave strength of the base unit 2 as a reception level.

The abnormality determination unit 203 is a unit that determines the separation between the parent device 2 and the child device 3 based on the reception level. Specifically, when the communication control unit 202 detects the reception level, the abnormality determination unit 203 compares the reception level detected this time with the reception level detected last time stored in the storage unit 24. Then, if there is a decrease in the reception level of a predetermined amount or more between the previous reception level and the current reception level, a predetermined value (for example, 1) is added to an abnormality determination counter (not shown). On the other hand, if there is an increase in the reception level of a predetermined amount or more between the previous reception level and the current reception level, a predetermined value (for example, 1) is subtracted from the abnormality determination counter.
When the value of the abnormality determination counter is 0, the abnormality determination unit 203 does not subtract the abnormality determination counter even if there is an increase of the reception level by a predetermined amount or more between this time and the previous time.

And the abnormality determination means 203 determines with the main | base station 2 and the subunit | mobile_unit 3 having left | separated, when the following conditions (a) and (b) are satisfy | filled.
(A) Abnormality judgment counter value ≧ predetermined number of times (for example, 3 times)
(A) Current reception level value ≦ Reception level value at the start of the latest abnormality determination counter addition−predetermined value

  The specific determination process of the above condition (A) is performed as follows. First, the reception level in the immediately preceding communication process when the abnormality determination counter value is changed from 0 to 1 is overwritten and stored in the storage means 24 as the reception level value at the start of addition of the abnormality determination counter. When determining the condition (A), the reception level is read by referring to the storage means 24, and it is determined whether or not the current reception level is smaller than a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined value from the reception level.

  In addition, after determining that the master unit 2 and the slave unit 3 are separated from each other, the abnormality determination unit 203 is in a state in which the master unit 2 and the slave unit 3 approach each other and approach from the separated state when the reception level becomes a predetermined value or more. It is determined that it has recovered. If there is a determination of restoration, the abnormality determination unit 203 clears the abnormality determination counter to zero.

When it is determined that the parent device 2 and the child device 3 are separated from each other, the abnormality determination unit 203 performs an abnormality process for operating the notification unit 25 to notify the user that there is a separation.
Further, when the abnormality determination unit 203 determines that the separated state has been restored, the abnormality determination unit 203 stops the operation of the notification unit 25.
The abnormality processing by the abnormality determination unit 203 is not limited to the above-described processing. For example, a reporting unit for reporting to the monitoring center via a wireless communication line is further provided in the base unit 2, and this reporting unit is used. Notification may be performed by executing processing for reporting to the monitoring center.

The combination determination unit 204 is a unit that determines a combination of the movement state of the parent device 2 determined by the state determination unit 201 and the movement state of the child device 3 received from the child device 3.
Specifically, the combination determination unit 204 determines whether or not both the movement state of the parent device 2 and the movement state of the child device 3 are “still”.
When both are “still”, 1 is added to the stationary counter 23, and when both are not “still”, the stationary counter 23 is cleared to zero.

  The communication interval setting means 205 sets the communication interval between the parent device 2 and the child device 3 from the value of the stationary counter 23 that is added / cleared based on the combination of the movement state of the parent device 2 and the movement state of the child device 3. Means. The communication interval setting means 205 determines whether or not the stationary counter 23 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, and if it is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, sets the communication interval longer than the initial value (first communication interval). In this embodiment, the initial value is 2 seconds, so 4 seconds longer than this is set.

<Slave unit>
The slave unit 3 mainly includes an acceleration sensor 32 that detects acceleration as a sensor for detecting motion, a communication unit 31 that performs wireless communication with the master unit 2, a storage unit 33 that includes a memory, an MPU, a microcomputer, and the like. The control unit 30 configured to control the communication unit 31 and the battery 34 serving as a driving power source for the slave unit 3 are configured.

  The acceleration sensor 32 is a triaxial acceleration sensor that measures acceleration in three directions, and outputs the measured acceleration signal of each axis to the control unit 30.

The communication unit 31 is a unit that transmits and receives a radio signal to and from the base unit 2.
When the communication means 31 stores its own identification code and receives a request signal including its own identification code from the parent device 2, information corresponding to this request signal is sent to the parent of the transmission source included in the request signal. This is a means for replying to the machine 2.

Similarly to the communication unit 21 of the base unit 2, the communication unit 31 includes a signal strength detection unit 311 that detects a received signal strength when a request signal from the base unit 2 is received.
When the communication unit 31 receives the request signal from the base unit 2, the signal strength detection unit 311 detects the received signal strength when the signal is received, and transmits information on the detected received signal strength to the base unit 2. . At this time, the information including the information on the fate state detected by the handset 3 is returned to the base unit 2.
When receiving the communication interval information from the parent device 2, the communication unit 31 outputs this information to the control unit 30.

  The storage unit 33 stores a communication interval with the parent device 2 and the like. In this embodiment, the communication interval with the base unit 2 is set and stored as 2 seconds as an initial value (first communication interval).

  The control unit 30 includes a microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like and peripheral circuits thereof, and controls each unit of the slave unit 3 described above. The control unit 30 includes a state determination unit 301, a communication control unit 302, and a communication interval setting unit 303 as functional modules realized by the microcomputer and a computer program executed on the microcomputer.

  The state determination unit 301 is a unit that determines the motion state of the child device 3 based on the acceleration signal from the acceleration sensor 32. Since the specific configuration is the same as that of the state determination unit 201 of the parent device 2, the description thereof is omitted.

  The communication control unit 302 executes the above-described control of communication processing by the communication unit 31 at predetermined communication intervals stored in the storage unit 33.

  When communication interval information is output from the communication unit 31, the communication interval setting unit 303 stores the communication interval in the storage unit 33.

<Description of operation>
The operation of the separation monitoring device 1 configured as described above will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the program executed by the control units (20, 30) of the parent device 2 and the child device 3. This flow is a program that is repeatedly executed after both the parent device 2 and the child device 3 are powered on and the parent device 2 and the child device 3 perform communication synchronization processing. That is, the program of the master unit 2 and the program of the slave unit 3 are started simultaneously and repeatedly executed.

First, operation | movement of the control part 20 of the main | base station 2 is demonstrated.
When the program is started, the control unit 20 of the parent device 2 starts time measurement by the time measuring means and determines whether or not the communication interval stored in the storage means 24 has elapsed (ST01). If the communication interval has not elapsed (ST01-No), the process returns to the beginning of the program and waits until the communication interval elapses.

  When the communication interval elapses (ST01-Yes), the control unit 20 performs communication processing by the communication control unit 202 (ST02), abnormality determination processing by the abnormality determination unit 203 (ST03), and combination determination processing by the combination determination unit 204 (ST04). Then, the communication interval setting process (ST05) by the communication interval setting means 205 is executed. Then, it returns to the beginning of the program and waits again until the communication interval elapses.

Next, operation | movement of the control part 30 of the subunit | mobile_unit 3 is demonstrated.
When the program is started, the control unit 30 of the child device 3 starts time measurement by the time measuring means and determines whether or not the communication interval stored in the storage means 33 has elapsed (ST11). If the communication interval has not elapsed (ST11-No), the process returns to the beginning of the program and waits until the communication interval elapses.

  When the communication interval elapses (ST11-Yes), the control unit 30 executes the communication process (ST12) by the communication control unit 302, and executes the communication interval setting process (ST05) by the communication interval setting unit 303. Then, it returns to the beginning of the program and waits again until the communication interval elapses.

  In the above description of the operation, the slave unit 3 also determines whether or not the communication interval elapses in the same manner as the master unit 2. However, without making this determination, the slave unit 3 transmits a signal. It is possible to always stand by in a receivable state and proceed to processing after ST12 after confirming reception of the request signal from the parent device 2.

Next, communication processing between the parent device 2 and the child device 3 shown in ST02 and ST12 of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the program executed by the communication control means (202, 302) of the parent device 2 and the child device 3.

  First, the communication control unit 202 of the base unit 2 controls the communication unit 21 to transmit the request signal and information on the communication interval stored in the storage unit 24 to the handset 3 (ST21). The communication means 21 transmits a signal using a preset identification code of the slave unit 3 as a transmission destination.

Upon receiving this signal (ST31), the communication control means 302 of the child device 3 outputs the received communication interval information to the communication interval setting means 303. Upon receiving this output, the communication interval setting means 303 stores it as a new communication interval in the storage means 33 (this corresponds to the communication interval setting process of ST13 in FIG. 2).
Further, the communication control means 302 of the handset 3 causes the signal strength detection means 311 of the communication means 31 to detect the received signal strength when the signal is received from the base unit 2 at ST31 (ST32).
And the communication control means 302 of the subunit | mobile_unit 3 transmits the received signal intensity | strength detected and the information of the exercise state detected by the state determination means 301 to the main | base station 2 (ST33).

The communication control means 202 of the parent device 2 is waiting for a reply addressed to itself from the child device 3, and receives the received signal strength and exercise state information detected on the child device 3 side (ST22).
Next, the communication control means 202 of the parent device 2 causes the signal strength detection means 211 of the communication means 21 to detect the received signal strength when this reply is received from the child device 3 (ST23).
After that, the communication control unit 202 of the base unit 2 acquires the received signal strength of the received handset 3 and the detected received signal strength of the own unit through the communication unit 21 and determines the reception level from these two received signal strengths. It detects and memorize | stores in the memory | storage means 24 (ST24). Further, the information on the movement state of the slave unit 3 received from the slave unit 3 is output to the combination determination unit 204, and the process is terminated.

Next, the abnormality determination process of base unit 2 shown in ST03 of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of the program executed by the abnormality determination unit 203 of the parent device 2.

The abnormality determination unit 203 of the base unit 2 reads the previous reception level with reference to the storage unit 24, and subtracts the read previous reception level from the reception level detected this time (ST41).
Next, the abnormality determination unit 203 compares the subtraction value in ST41 with the threshold values (TH1, TH2) stored in the storage unit 24, and adds / subtracts the abnormality determination counter.
Specifically, when determining that the subtraction value is equal to or less than TH1 (ST42-Yes), the abnormality determination unit 203 adds (for example, adds 1) to the abnormality determination counter (ST43). When it is not determined in ST42 that the subtraction value is equal to or less than TH1 (ST42-No), the abnormality determination unit 203 subtracts the abnormality determination counter (for example, 1) when it is determined that the subtraction value is equal to or greater than TH2 (ST44-Yes). (ST45).
If the subtraction value is not equal to or less than TH1 and not equal to or greater than TH2, the abnormality determination unit 203 skips the abnormality determination counter addition or subtraction processing (ST44-No).

  Then, the abnormality determination unit 203 compares the value of the abnormality determination counter with the threshold value stored in the storage unit 24, and determines whether or not the value of the abnormality determination counter is a predetermined number of times or more (for example, three times or more). (ST46). If the abnormality determination unit 203 determines that the value of the abnormality determination counter is equal to or greater than the predetermined number of times (ST46-Yes), it reads from the storage unit 24 the reception level at the start of the latest abnormality determination counter addition from the storage unit 24 (ST47). ). Then, abnormality determination section 203 determines whether or not the current reception level is equal to or less than a value obtained by subtracting a predetermined value from the reception level read in ST47 (ST48). If the determination in ST48 is affirmative (ST48-Yes), the abnormality determination means 203 determines that the parent device 2 and the child device 3 are separated (ST49).

  When the abnormality determining unit 203 determines the separation, the abnormality determining unit 203 executes an abnormality process (ST50). Then, the program ends.

  In addition, when the determination in ST46 or the determination in ST48 is denied (ST46-No, ST48-No), the abnormality determination unit 203 ends the program without executing the separation determination and the abnormality process.

  Although not described in the flowchart of FIG. 3, the communication unit 21 detects “not communicable” in the process of ST 22 when it does not accept a reply addressed to itself from the slave unit 3 for a predetermined time. The abnormality determination unit 203 determines that the distance is separated when the detection of “communication failure” continues for a predetermined time (for example, 6 seconds).

Next, the combination determination process of base unit 2 shown in ST04 of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the program executed by the combination determination unit 204 of the parent device 2.

The combination determination unit 204 determines a combination of the own exercise state determined by the state determination unit 201 of the parent device 2 and the movement state of the child device 3 received from the child device 3. Specifically, it is determined whether or not the movement state of base unit 2 and the movement state of handset 3 are a combination of “still” (ST61). When it is determined that both are combinations of “still” (ST61-Yes), a predetermined value (for example, 1) is added to the stationary counter 23 (ST62). If it is determined that both are not "static" combinations (ST61-No), the static counter 23 is cleared to 0 (ST63).
The combination determination unit 204 ends the program when the process of ST62 or ST63 is performed.

Next, the communication interval setting process of base unit 2 shown in ST05 of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the program executed by the communication interval setting means 205 of the parent device 2.

The communication interval setting unit 205 uses the stationary counter 23 to be added / subtracted in the combination determination process, and to what extent the state of motion of the base unit 2 and the state of motion of the handset 3 are both “static”. It is determined whether the communication is continued, and a communication interval is set based on this determination.
Specifically, the communication interval setting unit 205 determines whether or not the stationary counter 23 is greater than or equal to a threshold value (ST71). If the stationary counter 23 is greater than or equal to the threshold (ST71-Yes), the communication interval T1 is set and stored in the storage means 24 (ST72). If the stationary counter 23 is not equal to or greater than the threshold value (ST71-No), the communication interval T2 is set and stored in the storage unit 24 (ST73).
Note that the threshold value in ST71 is 10. As a result, since the initial communication interval is 2 seconds, if ST71 is affirmed, it means that the combination of “stationary” for both the motion state of the base unit 2 and the motion state of the handset 3 has continued for 20 seconds. Show.
Also, T2 is 2 seconds which is the initial value of the communication interval (first communication interval), and T1 is 4 seconds longer than T2.
The communication interval setting unit 205 ends the program when the process of ST72 or ST73 is performed.

When the combination determination unit 204 and the communication interval setting unit 205 perform the combination of “stationary” for both the movement state of the parent device 2 and the movement state of the child device 3 for a predetermined time, the parent device 2 and the child device 3 Thus, the communication interval is changed to be longer.
As a result, when it is not a situation where an action such as taking away or misplacement is actually occurring, the communication interval can be set longer and low power consumption can be realized.

Next, state determination processing executed by the state determination unit 201 of the parent device 2 and the state determination unit 301 of the child device 3 will be described with reference to FIG. Since both means (201, 301) operate in the same manner, they will be described together here.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the program executed by the state determination means (201, 301). This program starts when the power is turned on and is repeatedly executed.

The state determination means (201, 301) samples the acceleration signal of each axis output from the acceleration sensor (22, 32) for a predetermined sampling period (for example, 2 seconds) a plurality of times (for example, 30 times) (ST81). , ST82-No).
When the state determination means (201, 301) determines that the sampling period has ended (ST82-Yes), it calculates a three-axis composite value of the sampling values (x, y, z) of each axis obtained in each round ( ST83). Then, the state determination means (201, 301) calculates a variance value of the plurality of triaxial composite values calculated in ST83 (ST84).
Next, the state determination means (201, 301) determines whether or not the variance value calculated in ST84 is equal to or less than a threshold value (ST85). If it is determined that the variance value is equal to or less than the threshold value (ST85-Yes), it is determined that the state of the device is “still” (ST86). If it is determined that the variance is not less than or equal to the threshold (ST85-No), it is determined that the state of the device is “non-stationary” (ST87).
Thereafter, the state determination means (201, 301) returns to the beginning of the program and continues processing.

In addition, although the state determination means (201, 301) of the above-mentioned Example determined the exercise state by calculating the dispersion value of a plurality of three-axis composite values, it can also determine the exercise state as follows. Good.
For example, the state determination means (201, 301) sequentially stores the output values of the respective axes detected from the acceleration sensors (22, 32), and the output values detected this time for all the axes are the previously stored output values. It may be determined as “still” when there is no change in comparison, and “non-stationary” when any of the axes changes.

Hereinafter, another embodiment (Example 2) of the present invention will be described. Here, for the sake of brevity, parts different from those of the first embodiment will be described.
FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of the second embodiment. First, the structure with which the main | base station 2 and the subunit | mobile_unit 3 of the separation monitoring apparatus 1 of Example 2 are provided is explained in full detail, referring FIG.
<Master unit>
The base unit 2 of the second embodiment includes a carry counter 27 and a determination counter 28 as counting means in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment.

  The communication means 21 receives information on the received signal strength detected by the handset 3 and information on the motion state detected by the handset 3 as information received from the handset 3. In particular, in the second embodiment, when the communication interval is set to be long, the communication unit 21 receives information indicating whether or not the exercise state detected by the slave unit 3 continues as the exercise state information. To do.

  As in the first embodiment, the state determination unit 201 samples the acceleration signal of each axis of the acceleration sensor 22 a plurality of times (for example, 30 times) during a predetermined sampling period (for example, 2 seconds), and Based on the sampling value (x, y, z) of the shaft, the motion state of the parent device 2 is determined.

  In particular, in the second embodiment, the state determination unit 201 includes a “carrying” state indicating a state in which the parent device 2 is carried by a person, and a “stationary” state in which the parent device 2 is neither moved nor rotated. Three types of motion states of “other motion” states indicating states that are not “carried” or “still” are determined.

The state determination unit 201 determines the “carrying” state as follows. The “carried” state is a state where the parent device 2 is carried by a person walking or running. In the present embodiment, it is determined by the acceleration sensor 22 by detecting the acceleration generated when the person is walking or running, whether or not it is in the “carried” state. Here, the temporal change in acceleration when a person is walking or running is represented by a gravitational acceleration 1G (= 9.8 m / s) as shown in FIG. 9, where the horizontal axis is the time axis and the vertical axis is the acceleration. It is known that the waveform approximates a regular waveform that repeats up and down movement at a predetermined cycle centered on the value of s ² ).

  Therefore, in order to detect the change in the specific acceleration caused by carrying the base unit 2, the state determination unit 201 first detects the sampling values (x, y, z), a triaxial composite value is calculated, time series data of the triaxial composite value is obtained, and this time series data is smoothed and used as determination data for determining the “carrying” state. For the smoothing process, for example, a known method such as taking a weighted moving average of the latest five three-axis composite values may be adopted as appropriate.

Then, the state determination unit 201 determines whether or not determination data within the sampling period includes determination data exceeding the reference acceleration (hereinafter referred to as “upward determination data”). Specifically, the state determination unit 201 includes a reference acceleration A and a reference acceleration B set so as to sandwich the gravitational acceleration 1G (reference acceleration A <1G <reference acceleration B, for example, reference acceleration A = 0.95G, By using the reference acceleration B = 1.05G (see FIG. 9), it is determined whether or not there is data for determination that exceeds the reference acceleration A without exceeding the reference acceleration A after exceeding the reference acceleration A. It is determined whether there is data for determining the upper limit. Then, when there is data for determination of excess, it is determined whether or not both of the following two conditions are satisfied.
(F) Overtime <predetermined threshold (threshold is, for example, 0.4 seconds)
(G) The elapsed time from the most recent past time is within a predetermined range (the predetermined range is, for example, between 0.4 seconds and 1.3 seconds)
In addition, when there are a plurality of pieces of upper determination data within the sampling period, it is determined whether each of the above conditions (f) and (g) is satisfied for each upper determination data.

In the above condition (f), the excess time is the time from when the determination data exceeds the reference acceleration A to when the determination data exceeds the reference acceleration B (see FIG. 9).
The above condition (g) is higher than the reference acceleration B in the upper determination data to be determined from when the reference acceleration B is exceeded in the latest upper determination data of the upper determination data to be determined. This is true when the elapsed time up to the point in time (see FIG. 9) is within a predetermined range. Note that if there is no latest past determination data in the sampling period, the elapsed time is calculated with reference to the previous determination data.

  The state determination means 201 adds 1 to the determination counter 28 for determining the “carrying” state every time it is determined that both of the above conditions (f) and (g) are satisfied for the upper determination data. go.

Further, the state determination unit 201 determines whether or not there is determination data that falls below the reference acceleration (hereinafter referred to as lower determination data) in the determination data within the sampling period. Specifically, the state determination unit 201 determines whether there is data for determination that does not exceed the reference acceleration B and then falls below the reference acceleration A after being lower than the reference acceleration B, thereby determining the lower determination data. Determine if there is any. Then, when there is data for lowering determination, it is determined whether or not both of the following two conditions are satisfied.
(H) Lower time <predetermined threshold (threshold is, for example, 0.4 seconds)
(K) Elapsed time from the last lower point in the past is within a predetermined range (the predetermined range is, for example, between 0.4 seconds and 1.3 seconds)
If there are a plurality of lower judgment data within the sampling period, it is judged whether both the above conditions (K) and (K) are satisfied for each lower judgment data.

In the above condition (c), the underclocking time is the time from when the determination data falls below the reference acceleration B to when it falls below the reference acceleration A.
Further, the above condition (1) is that the reference acceleration A is lower than the reference acceleration A in the lower determination data to be determined from the time when the lower acceleration determination data in the latest past lower determination data of the determination target is lower than the reference acceleration A. This is true when the elapsed time to the point in time is within a predetermined range. Note that if there is no latest past lower determination data within the sampling period, the elapsed time is calculated with reference to the previous lower period determination data.

  The state determination means 201 adds 1 to the determination counter 28 for determining the “carrying” state every time it is determined that both of the above conditions (K) and (K) are satisfied for the lower determination data. go.

  As described above, the state determination unit 201 counts the upper determination data and the lower determination data satisfying the predetermined condition by the determination counter 28, and the count value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (for example, 4). In such a case, the state is determined as “carrying”, and the state is stored in the storage unit 24.

Note that the predetermined threshold value and the predetermined range in the conditions (f) to (g) and the predetermined value to be compared with the count value of the determination counter 28 are obtained by measuring waveform data when a person walks or runs and from this waveform data. Can be determined experimentally.
Further, the above-described processing is intended to detect periodicity appearing in waveform data during walking or running of a person by a simple method, but is not limited to this method, and is a known method such as frequency analysis or zero crossing. The result of the law may be used.

  Next, the “still” state determination process of the state determination unit 201 will be described. In the second embodiment, in order to determine that the base unit 2 is neither moving nor rotating as a “still” state, the variance of the acceleration is determined by comparing the variance of the three-axis composite value in the first embodiment with a predetermined value. In addition to the process for determining the presence / absence, a process for determining the presence / absence of rotation is performed.

  In order to determine the presence / absence of rotation, the state determination unit 201 first calculates an average of output values for each axis in the first half and the second half of the sampling period. For example, assuming that 30 sampling values are acquired for each axis during a sampling period of 2 seconds, the average value of 15 sampling values in the first half of the second period and the average value of 15 sampling values in the second half of the second period Is calculated for each axis. In addition, when each axis is the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis, the average value of the first half of each axis is X (front), Y (front), and Z (front), respectively, and the average of the second half of each axis The values are X (rear), Y (rear), and Z (rear), respectively.

And the state determination means 201 takes a difference about the average value of the first half for every combination of two different axes. Specifically, the following calculation is performed.
・ Combination of X axis and Y axis: X (front)-Y (front)
・ Combination of Y axis and Z axis: Y (front)-Z (front)
・ Combination of Z axis and X axis: Z (front)-X (front)
In addition, about these calculation results, it is set as [XY] (front), [YZ] (front), and [ZX] (front), respectively.

Next, the state determination unit 201 calculates a difference with respect to the average value in the latter half for each combination of two different axes. Specifically, the following calculation is performed.
・ Combination of X axis and Y axis: X (rear)-Y (rear)
・ Combination of Y axis and Z axis: Y (rear)-Z (rear)
・ Combination of Z axis and X axis: Z (rear)-X (rear)
In addition, about these calculation results, it is set as [XY] (rear), [YZ] (rear), and [ZX] (rear), respectively.

Furthermore, the state determination unit 201 calculates the absolute value by taking the difference between the difference value calculated in the first half and the difference value calculated in the second half for each combination of two different axes. Specifically, the following calculation is performed.
・ Combination of X axis and Y axis: | [XY] (front)-[XY] (rear) |
・ Combination of Y and Z axes: | [YZ] (front)-[YZ] (rear) |
・ About the combination of Z axis and X axis: | [ZX] (front)-[ZX] (rear) |
Then, the state determination unit 201 determines whether or not all these three calculated values are equal to or less than a predetermined value (for example, 0.1 G) that is a value that is substantially close to zero.

Here, the fact that all three calculated values are less than or equal to the predetermined value means that in all combinations of two different axes, the amount of acceleration difference between the axes hardly changed between the first half and the second half of the sampling period. Indicates that the machine 2 is not rotating.
For this reason, the state determination means 201 acts to determine that it is not rotating by determining that the condition that the above three calculated values are all equal to or less than the predetermined value is satisfied.

  Furthermore, in addition to the establishment of this condition, the state determination unit 201 determines that the motion state of the main unit 2 is “still” when the variance of the three-axis composite value during the sampling period is equal to or less than the threshold value. . Since the determination regarding the dispersion value is the same as that in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

  If the state determination unit 201 determines that the state is neither the “carrying” state nor the “still state” by the determination process described above, the state determination unit 201 determines that the state is “other movement” state.

The combination determination unit 204 is a unit that determines the combination of the movement state of the parent device 2 determined by the state determination unit 201 and the movement state of the child device 3 received from the child device 3, and measures the duration of the combination with a counter. is there.
In particular, in the second embodiment, the combination determination unit 204 determines whether the movement state of the parent device 2 and the movement state of the child device 3 are both “carried” and whether both are “still”. Determine whether.
The combination determination unit 204 increments the stationary counter 23 by 1 each time it is determined that both are “still” continuously. If it is determined that both are not in the “still” state, the stillness counter 23 is cleared to zero.
The combination determination unit 204 increments the carry counter 27 by 1 each time it is continuously determined that both are in the “carry” state. If it is determined that both are not in the “carried” state, the carry counter 27 is cleared to zero.

As in the first embodiment, the communication interval setting means 205 determines the master unit from the values of the stationary counter 23 and the carry counter 27 that are added / cleared based on the combination of the exercise state of the master unit 2 and the exercise state of the slave unit 3. 2 and a means for setting a communication interval between the slave unit 3.
In particular, in the second embodiment, the communication interval setting unit 205 sets the communication interval to a time longer than the initial value in the following cases.
(S) First predetermined value a ≦ static counter 23 value <second predetermined value b
(F) first predetermined value a ≦ carrying counter 27 value (s) second predetermined value b ≦ stationary counter 23 value (a <b, for example, a = 10, b = 30)
Specifically, the communication interval setting means 205 determines how long the situation in which both the parent device 2 and the child device 3 are in the “carried” state continues with the value of the carry counter 27 and the first predetermined value. Determination is made by comparing with the value a. Then, if this situation continues for a first predetermined time corresponding to the value of the carry counter 27 becoming the first predetermined value a, the communication interval becomes longer than the initial value (first communication interval). The second communication interval is changed to, for example, 4 seconds (the above condition (b)).
Further, the communication interval setting means 205 determines how long the situation in which both the parent device 2 and the child device 3 are in the “stationary” state continues, the value of the stationary counter 23, the first predetermined value a, and the second Is determined by comparing with a predetermined value b. Then, if this situation continues for a first predetermined time corresponding to the value of the stationary counter 23 becoming the first predetermined value a, the communication interval is longer than the initial value (first communication interval) (the first communication interval). The communication interval is changed to 4 (for example, 4 seconds) (the above condition (sa)). Furthermore, if this situation continues for a second predetermined time corresponding to the value of the stationary counter 23 becoming the second predetermined value b, the communication interval is longer than the second communication interval or the fourth communication interval ( It is changed to the third communication interval and the fifth communication interval (for example, 6 seconds) (the above condition (su)).

<Slave unit>
In the second embodiment, the communication unit 31 transmits the determination result of the state determination unit 301 as information on the exercise state to be returned to the parent unit 2 when communicating with the parent unit 2 at the communication interval with the initial value. When communicating with the parent device 2 at a communication interval (second communication interval to fifth communication interval) longer than the initial value (first communication interval), it is the last as exercise state information returned to the parent device 2 Information indicating whether or not the determination result of the state determination means 301 transmitted to the base unit 2 is continued (hereinafter referred to as “continuation information” if continued, or “non-continuation information” if not continued). Send.

  Similarly to the first embodiment, the state determination unit 301 samples the acceleration signal of each axis of the acceleration sensor 22 a plurality of times (for example, 30 times) during a predetermined sampling period (for example, 2 seconds), Based on the sampling value (x, y, z) of the shaft, the motion state of the handset 3 is determined.

  In particular, in the second embodiment, the state determination unit 301 includes a “carrying” state indicating a state in which the child device 3 is attached to or carried by the monitoring target and is carried by the owner of the parent device 2 or the child device 3. Three types of motion states are determined: a “stationary” state in which the handset 3 is not moving or rotating, and an “other movement” state indicating a state that is not “carried” or “stationary”. Since the specific determination method is the same as that of the state determination unit 201 of the parent device 2 in the second embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

<Description of operation>
Next, the operation of the separation monitoring device 1 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Regarding the description of the operation, the description of the operation that performs the same operation as in the first embodiment will be omitted, and the operation different from the first embodiment will be described.

First, the combination determination process of base unit 2 shown in ST04 of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 10 shows the operation of the program executed by the combination determination unit 204 of the parent device 2.

The combination determination unit 204 determines a combination of the own exercise state determined by the state determination unit 201 of the parent device 2 and the movement state of the child device 3 received from the child device 3.
Specifically, it is determined whether or not the movement state of the parent device 2 and the movement state of the child device 3 are a combination of “still” (ST91). When it is determined that both are combinations of “still” (ST91-Yes), the carry counter 27 is cleared to 0 (ST92), and a predetermined value (for example, 1) is added to the stationary counter 23 (ST93). Exit.

  If the combination determination unit 204 determines that both are not “static” combinations (ST91-No), whether or not the movement state of the parent device 2 and the movement state of the child device 3 are both “carried” combinations. Is determined (ST94). When it is determined that both are “carry” combinations (ST94-Yes), the stationary counter 23 is cleared to 0 (ST95), and a predetermined value (for example, 1) is added to the carry counter 27 (ST96). The process ends.

  If the combination determination unit 204 determines that both are not “carry” combinations (ST94-No), the stationary counter 23 and the carry counter 27 are cleared to 0 (ST97), and the process ends.

Note that the combination determination unit 204 performs the determination of ST91 and ST94 as follows when the communication interval is longer than the initial value.
The combination determination unit 204 continues the state of motion of the base unit 2 and the state of motion of the handset 3 in the latest communication processing among the communication processes performed in the past by the base unit 2 and the handset 3 without changing to the present. Determine whether you are doing.
Specifically, when the combination determination unit 204 receives “continuation information” from the child device 3, the movement state of the parent device 2 in the latest communication processing among the past communication processing continues without changing to the present time. If it does, it will determine with both the main | base station 2 and the subunit | mobile_unit 3 being the said movement state (ST91-Yes or ST94-Yes).
On the other hand, when the combination determination unit 204 receives “non-continuation information” from the child device 3 or when the exercise state of the parent device 2 in the latest communication process among the past communication processes has changed to the present. , ST91-No and ST94-No are processed.

Next, the communication interval setting process of base unit 2 shown in ST05 of FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of the program executed by the communication interval setting means 205 of the parent device 2.

  The communication interval setting means 205 uses the stationary counter 23 and the carry counter 27 that are added / cleared in the combination determination process, so that the movement state of the parent device 2 and the movement state of the child device 3 are both “still” or “held”. It is determined how long the state of “carried” is continued, and a communication interval is set based on this determination.

Specifically, the communication interval setting unit 205 determines whether or not the stationary counter 23 is greater than or equal to the first predetermined value a and less than the second predetermined value b (ST101). When the stationary counter 23 is greater than or equal to the first predetermined value a and less than the second predetermined value b (ST101-Yes), the communication interval T3 (fourth communication interval) is set and stored in the storage unit 24 (ST102).
If the stationary counter 23 is not greater than the first predetermined value a and less than the second predetermined value b (ST101-No), it is determined whether or not the carry counter 27 is greater than or equal to the first predetermined value a (ST103). If the carry counter 27 is greater than or equal to the first predetermined value a (ST103-Yes), the communication interval T3 (second communication interval) is set and stored in the storage means 24 (ST102).
When the carry counter 27 is not equal to or greater than the first predetermined value a (ST103-No), it is determined whether or not the stationary counter 23 is equal to or greater than the second predetermined value b (ST104). If the stationary counter 23 is greater than or equal to the second predetermined value b, the communication interval T4 (third communication interval, fifth communication interval) is set and stored in the storage means 24 (ST105). If the stationary counter 23 is not equal to or greater than the second predetermined value b (ST104-No), the communication interval T5 (initial value, first communication interval) is set and stored in the storage unit 24.

The communication interval T5 corresponds to the communication interval of the initial value (first communication interval) and can be set to 2 seconds, for example. The communication interval T3 is a communication interval (second communication interval, fourth communication interval) longer than the communication interval T5, and can be, for example, 4 seconds. The communication interval T4 is a communication interval longer than the communication interval T3 (third communication interval, fifth communication interval), and can be set to, for example, 6 seconds.
When ST103-Yes, the same communication interval T3 as when ST101-Yes is set is stored. However, a different communication interval may be set as long as the interval is shorter than the communication interval T4. .

  The first predetermined value a can be set to 10, for example. The second predetermined value b is larger than the first predetermined value a, and can be set to 30, for example. In ST103, determination is performed using the same first predetermined value a as ST101, but a different value may be used.

  The communication interval setting means 205 ends the program when the process of ST102, ST105, or ST106 is performed.

When the combination determination unit 204 and the communication interval setting unit 205 operate as described above, when the combination of both the stationary state and the portable unit 3 is “still” or “carrying” continues for a predetermined time. The communication interval between the machine 2 and the child machine 3 is changed to be changed longer.
In a combination in which the exercise state of the master unit 2 and the exercise state of the slave unit 3 are both “still”, it is assumed that the luggage to be monitored is placed on the floor and the owner is sitting nearby. Therefore, it is not a situation where the distance between the user and the monitoring target changes. Further, in the combination in which the exercise state of the master unit 2 and the exercise state of the slave unit 3 are both “carried”, the situation that the user is carrying a bag when the monitoring target is baggage, Since it is assumed that the parent device and the child device are carried by the monitoring target such as the user and the child when they are children, in situations where removal, misplacement, removal, etc. are actually occurring It is unlikely.
For this reason, if the combination of the movement state of the parent device 2 and the movement state of the child device 3 is both “still” or both “carrying” continues for a predetermined time, the communication interval between the parent device 2 and the child device 3 is changed longer. Thus, when it is not a situation where an action such as taking away or misplacement is actually occurring, the communication interval can be set long, and low power consumption can be realized.

Further, the communication interval (T3) to be changed when the combination of “carrying” continues for both the movement states of the master unit 2 and the slave unit 3 by the operations of the combination determination unit 204 and the communication interval setting unit 205 is as follows. When the combination of “stationary” continues for both of the motion states of the parent device 2 and the child device 3, the operation is performed so as to be set shorter than the communication interval (T4) that is finally changed.
In the combination in which the movement state of the main unit 2 and the movement state of the child unit 3 are both “still”, the distance between the user and the monitoring target does not change. In the combination where the movement state of the machine 3 is both “carrying”, there is a low possibility that it is actually being taken away or left behind, but the user and the monitoring target may gradually move away Is also possible.
For this reason, when the communication interval is increased, the combination of both “carrying” and the combination of “stationary” both communicate with each other at a shorter interval, thereby realizing low power consumption. It is possible to quickly determine the separation.

Furthermore, even if the parent device 2 and the child device 3 are both determined to be “stationary” by the operations of the combination determination unit 204 and the communication interval setting unit 205, first, the parent device 2 and the child device 3 Is changed to the same communication interval as the communication interval (T3) to be changed when both are “carrying” combinations, and after that, both are determined to be “stationary” combinations and are longer than T3. It acts to change to the communication interval (T4).
As a result, while realizing low power consumption, even when one or both of the user and the monitoring target are temporarily stopped and either one or both move, it is possible to quickly determine the separation.

  Next, state determination processing executed by the state determination unit 201 of the parent device 2 and the state determination unit 301 of the child device 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13. Since both means (201, 301) operate in the same manner, they will be described together here.

The state determination means (201, 301) samples the acceleration signal of each axis output from the acceleration sensor (22, 32) a plurality of times (for example, 30 times) during a predetermined sampling period (for example, 2 seconds) (ST111). , ST112-No).
When the state determination means (201, 301) determines that the sampling period has ended (ST112-Yes), it calculates a three-axis composite value of the sampling values (x, y, z) of each axis obtained in each round ( ST113). Then, the time-series data of the three-axis composite value is smoothed and the determination data is calculated (ST114).

Next, the state determination means (201, 301) determines whether or not the determination data within the sampling period includes the excess determination data (ST115). If there is no data for determination of surplus (ST115-No), the process proceeds to ST120.
When there is data for determination of surplus (ST115-Yes), it is determined whether or not the surplus time is less than the threshold for the data for determination of surplus (ST116). When the overtime is less than the threshold (ST116-Yes), it is determined whether or not the elapsed time from the most recent past overtime is within a predetermined range (ST117). If it is determined that the elapsed time from the most recent past time point is within the predetermined range (ST117-Yes), 1 is added to the determination counter 28 (ST118), and the process proceeds to ST119.
On the other hand, if the excess time is not less than the threshold for the excess determination data (ST116-No), or if the elapsed time from the most recent past increase time is not within the predetermined range (ST117-No), the process proceeds to ST119.
In ST119, the state determination means (201, 301) determines whether or not the processing from ST116 to ST118 has been performed for all the data for determination of surplus determined in ST115. When all the processes are not performed (ST119-No), the processes from ST116 to ST118 are performed in the same manner with respect to the upper determination data that is not processed.
When all the processes have been performed (ST119-Yes), the process proceeds to ST120.

In ST120, the state determination means (201, 301) determines whether there is under-determination data in the determination data within the sampling period (ST120). When there is no lower determination data (ST120-No), the process proceeds to ST125.
If there is data for lowering determination (ST120-Yes), it is determined whether or not the lowering time is less than the threshold for the lowering determination data (ST121). When the lowering time is less than the threshold value (ST121-Yes), it is determined whether or not the elapsed time from the latest lowering point in the past is within a predetermined range (ST122). If it is determined that the elapsed time from the latest past time point is within the predetermined range (ST122-Yes), 1 is added to the determination counter 28 (ST123), and the process proceeds to ST124.
On the other hand, if the lower time is not less than the threshold for the lower determination data (ST121-No), or if the elapsed time since the last lower time is not within the predetermined range (ST122-No), the process proceeds to ST124.
In ST124, the state determination means (201, 301) determines whether or not the processing from ST121 to ST123 has been performed for all of the lower determination data determined in ST120. When the processing is not performed for all (ST124-No), the processing from ST121 to S123 is performed in the same manner for the lower judgment data that has not been processed.
When all the processes have been performed (ST124-Yes), the process proceeds to ST125.

  In ST125, the state determination means (201, 301) determines whether or not the determination counter 28 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. If it is determined that the determination counter 28 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, it is determined that the state is “carrying”, the state is stored in the storage means (24, 33) (ST126), and the determination counter 28 is cleared (ST127). Return to the beginning of the flow. When it is determined that the determination counter 28 is not equal to or greater than the predetermined value (ST125-No), the process proceeds to ST131.

  In ST131, the state determination means (201, 301) calculates the average of the output values for each axis in the first half and the second half of the sampling period. Then, a difference is calculated for the first half average value for each combination of two different axes (ST132), and a difference is determined for the second half average value for each combination of two different axes (ST133). Furthermore, the state determination means (201, 301) calculates the absolute value by taking the difference between the difference value calculated in the first half and the difference value calculated in the second half for each combination of two different axes (ST134).

  Next, the state determination means (201, 301) determines whether or not all the absolute values calculated in ST134 are equal to or less than a predetermined value (ST135). When all the absolute values calculated in ST134 are equal to or smaller than a predetermined value (ST135-Yes), a variance value of the triaxial composite value during the sampling period is calculated (ST136), and whether or not this variance value is equal to or less than a threshold value. Determine (ST137). When the variance value of the three-axis composite value is equal to or smaller than the threshold value (ST137-Yes), it is determined as the “still” state, the state is stored in the storage means (24, 33) (ST138), and the determination counter 28 is cleared. (ST140), the operation flow returns to the beginning.

  On the other hand, when all the absolute values calculated in ST134 are not less than or equal to the predetermined value (ST135-No), or when the variance value of the three-axis composite value is not less than or equal to the threshold (ST137-No), the state determination means (201, 301). The “other motion” state is determined, the state is stored in the storage means (24, 33) (ST139), the determination counter 28 is cleared (ST140), and the process returns to the beginning of this operation flow.

Note that the communication interval setting unit 205 of the second embodiment first sets the communication interval T3 when both the parent device 2 and the child device 3 are a combination of “stationary”, and further continues the combination of “stationary” together. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the communication interval T4 may be set without setting the communication interval T3.
Specifically, in the operation flow of FIG. 11, the determination in ST101 may be omitted, and the process may proceed to ST103 after the process is started. In this case, the first predetermined value (a) and the second predetermined value (b) can be set as appropriate.

  The embodiments of the present invention have been described above by way of example, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and can be changed or modified according to the purpose within the scope of the claims. is there.

  In the above-described embodiment, the stationary counter 23 and the portable counter 27 indicate how long the situation in which both the parent device 2 and the child device 3 are in the “stationary” state and the situation in which both are in the “carried” state continues. However, it may be determined using a timer.

  Moreover, the subunit | mobile_unit 3 may be provided with the structure similar to the main | base station 2 mentioned above, and the subunit | mobile_unit 3 may be able to perform the determination of separation, the determination of which communication interval is set, and the process of abnormality notification.

  In the abnormality determination means 203 of the above-described embodiment, the condition that the value of the abnormality determination counter is equal to or greater than a predetermined number of times, and the current reception level is decreased by a predetermined amount or more from the reception level at the start of addition of the abnormality determination counter. When both are satisfied, it is determined that they are separated from each other. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the separation may be determined when the former condition is satisfied without using the latter condition.

  Further, in addition to the above-described embodiment, the separation may be determined by adding further conditions. For example, in addition to the conditions of the above-described embodiment, it may be added as a condition that the acceleration sensor (either 22 or 32) detects vibration.

  In the above-described embodiment, the communication control unit 202 detects the reception level in consideration of the reception signal strength of the slave unit 3 transmitted from the slave unit 3. The received signal strength detected by the signal strength detecting means 211 may be directly used as the received level.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Separation monitoring apparatus 2 Main | base station 20 Control part 21 Communication means 22 Acceleration sensor 23 Stillness counter 24 Storage means 25 Notification means 26 Battery 27 Carrying counter 28 Judgment counter 3 Slave unit 30 Control part 31 Communication means 32 Acceleration sensor 33 Storage means 34 battery

Claims (5)

A remote monitoring device that performs a wireless communication process between a parent device possessed by a user and a child device attached to or possessed by the user's monitoring target, and notifies when it is determined that the parent device is separated from the child device In
Communication control means for executing the communication process at a predetermined communication interval and detecting a reception level indicating the strength of a received signal in the communication process;
An abnormality determining means for determining the separation based on the reception level;
A sensor for detecting movement provided in each of the master unit and the slave unit;
State determination means for determining the movement state of the parent device from the output of the sensor of the parent device, and determining the movement state of the child device from the output of the sensor of the child device;
A combination determination means for determining a combination of the movement state of the parent device and the movement state of the child device;
Communication interval setting means for setting the predetermined communication interval based on the combination;
A remote monitoring device comprising:
The communication control means executes the communication process at a first communication interval as the predetermined communication interval,
The state determination means determines whether the parent device is carried by a person and whether the child device is carried by a person,
The combination determination means determines whether or not the movement state of the parent device and the movement state of the child device are both portable combinations,
The communication interval setting unit sets the communication interval to a second communication interval longer than the first communication interval when the combination determination unit determines that both the parent device and the child device are being carried. The separation monitoring device according to claim 1 to be changed.
The state determination means determines whether the parent device is stationary and whether the child device is stationary,
The combination determination means determines whether or not the movement state of the parent device and the movement state of the child device are both stationary combinations,
The communication interval setting unit changes the communication interval to a third communication interval longer than the second communication interval when the combination determination unit determines that both the parent device and the child device are stationary. The separation monitoring device according to claim 2.
The communication control means executes the communication process at a first communication interval as the predetermined communication interval,
The state determination means determines whether the parent device is stationary and whether the child device is stationary,
The combination determination means determines whether or not the movement state of the parent device and the movement state of the child device are both stationary combinations,
The communication interval setting unit changes the communication interval to a fourth communication interval longer than the first communication interval when the combination determination unit determines that both the parent device and the child device are stationary. The separation monitoring device according to claim 1.
The communication interval setting unit changes the communication interval to the fourth communication interval when the combination determination unit determines that both the parent device and the child device are stationary, and after the change, The separation monitoring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the determination by the combination determination unit is continued, the communication interval is changed to a fifth communication interval longer than the fourth communication interval.

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