JP7652589B2 - Location information management device and location information management method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a location information management device and a location information management method for associating multiple pieces of location information indicating the current location of a user terminal.

Conventionally, the location information of a user terminal is associated with identification information assigned to the user or the user terminal. Conventionally, multiple positioning technologies for measuring the location of a user terminal are known. Each of the multiple positioning technologies is independent, and the location information of the user terminal determined by each of the multiple positioning technologies is appropriately assigned identification information for identifying the user terminal.

The following Patent Document 1 describes a user information management system for automatically linking and managing different user IDs assigned to the same person. This user information management system includes a user information management server that links and manages different user IDs assigned to the same person, a first service providing server that provides a first service to a user having a first ID of a first service, and a second service providing server that provides a second service to a user having a second ID of a second service. The user information management server includes a first location information acquisition unit that acquires a history of location information of a user of the first ID, a second location information acquisition unit that acquires a history of location information of a user of the second ID, a location information history comparison unit that compares the location information of the user of the first ID with the location information of the user of the second ID and extracts history of being in the same area at the same time zone, and an ID linking determination unit that determines that the two IDs are IDs of the same person and links them when a predetermined number or more of history of being in the same area at the same time zone is extracted.

The following Patent Document 2 describes an analysis server that consistently analyzes the location of a user inside and outside the premises of a store or the like. This analysis server has an on-site location information acquisition unit that acquires first location information indicating the location of a terminal measured by connecting the user's terminal to multiple location measurement devices installed within a specific premises, in association with on-site identification information for identifying the user or the terminal, an outside-site location information acquisition unit that acquires second location information indicating the location of the terminal measured outside the premises by a measurement method different from the first location information, in association with outside-site identification information for identifying the user or the terminal, an analysis unit that analyzes the first location information and the second location information by associating the on-site identification information and the outside-site identification information, and an output unit that outputs the results of the analysis.

JP 2019-144937 A JP 2020-52522 A

In the technology described in Patent Document 1, two pieces of location information are compared with each other, and if a certain number or more of histories of being in the same area at the same time are extracted, it is determined that the IDs associated with the two pieces of location information are assigned to the same person. However, in Patent Document 1, the location information of the user of one of the IDs is information extracted from reservation information, accommodation records, and visit records of hotels, restaurants, etc., and is not location information obtained by measuring the current location of the user terminal.

In the technology described in Patent Document 2, multiple different positioning units (GPS and beacon) are implemented in one terminal, and multiple IDs that identify location information from the multiple positioning units are associated. In the technology described in Patent Document 2, the association of the first ID (outside premises identification information) and the second ID (inside premises identification information) is performed by a common program executed on the terminal. When the user registers the ID of the location information on the registration screen, the common program starts, and the IDs are associated by the common program. However, the technology described in Patent Document 2 requires the user to instruct the association of multiple IDs on the registration screen, which places a heavy burden on the user and is inconvenient. In addition, Patent Document 2 does not disclose or suggest the technical idea that the association of multiple positioning units (GPS and beacon) is set on the terminal side, and the location information of each positioning unit is compared and collated, and the location information with a high degree of match is determined to be obtained by a positioning unit implemented in the same terminal.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and aims to provide a location information management device and a location information management method for a user terminal equipped with multiple positioning units, which allows the server side to associate the location information identified by each positioning unit via a network.

In order to achieve the above object, a location information management device according to the present invention is a location information management device for associating a plurality of location information indicating a current location of a user terminal, the location information management device comprising:
a data storage unit that stores identification information of the user terminal associated with each of a plurality of positioning units implemented in the user terminal and location information of the user terminal in association with each other;
a location information management unit that compares and collates location information associated with different identification information and integrates a plurality of identification information related to combinations of location information that exceed a predetermined matching rate;
The present invention is characterized by having the following.

With this configuration, for a user terminal equipped with multiple positioning units, it becomes possible for the server side to associate the location information identified by each of the multiple positioning units via the network.

The location information management device according to the present invention may receive, from a plurality of servers corresponding to the plurality of positioning units, identification information of the user terminal associated with each of the plurality of positioning units, and area information related to the location information of the user terminal acquired by each of the plurality of positioning units.

In the location information management device according to the present invention, the user terminal may transmit, to each of the corresponding servers, identification information of the user terminal associated with each of the plurality of positioning units and information for identifying the location information of the user terminal acquired by each of the plurality of positioning units.

In the location information management device according to the present invention, the multiple positioning units may acquire information for identifying the location information of the user terminal by positioning using different media.

In the location information management device according to the present invention, the multiple positioning units may each use multiple different positioning technologies.

In the location information management device according to the present invention, the multiple positioning units may be selected from GPS positioning technology, beacon positioning technology, and Wi-Fi positioning technology.

In order to achieve the above object, a location information management method according to the present invention is a location information management method executed by a location information management device for associating multiple pieces of location information indicating current locations of user terminals, the location information management method comprising:
accumulating identification information of the user terminal and location information of the user terminal associated with each of a plurality of positioning units implemented in the user terminal;
comparing location information associated with different identities with each other;
A step of integrating a plurality of pieces of identification information related to combinations of location information exceeding a predetermined matching rate;
The present invention is characterized by having the following.

According to the location information management device and location information management method of the present invention, for a user terminal equipped with multiple positioning units, the location information identified by each positioning unit can be associated on the server side via a network. Furthermore, according to the location information management device and location information management method of the present invention, location information can be acquired on the server side via a network, so that detailed and highly accurate location information can be obtained, which can be suitably used for investigating user movement lines and marketing based on user movement lines.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of a location information management system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a user terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a location information management device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an overview of area information used in the embodiment of the present invention. 4 is an example of a data accumulation table according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a location information management process executed by the location information management device according to the embodiment of the present invention. 4 is an example of an ID management table according to an embodiment of the present invention. 13 is an example of an integrated data output table according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The following describes a location information management system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<System Configuration>
The configuration of a location information management system according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a location information management system according to the present embodiment. The location information management system according to the present invention is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 1.

The location information management system 1 shown in FIG. 1 has, as an example, a configuration in which a user terminal 10, location information service providing servers 20a, 20b, and 20c, and a location information management device 30 are connected to a network 50 such as the Internet.

The user terminal 10 is a portable terminal that can be carried by a user, such as a smartphone. For simplicity, only one user terminal 10 is shown in FIG. 1, but the location information management system 1 in this embodiment has many user terminals 10.

The user terminal 10 has multiple positioning functions related to multiple positioning technologies. The positioning technologies are technologies for identifying the current location of the user terminal 10, and the positioning functions of the user terminal 10 are functions for acquiring, transmitting, or receiving information about the user terminal 10 that is required for the positioning technologies.

In this embodiment, the positioning function of the user terminal 10 includes a function of providing other devices (e.g., location information service providing servers 20a, 20b, 20c) with information required to identify the current location of the user terminal 10 so that the other devices can identify the current location of the user terminal 10. More specifically, the positioning function of the user terminal 10 includes a function of automatically (i.e., without requiring user operation) providing information required to identify the current location of the user terminal 10 to the other devices if the positioning function is activated in advance so that it is in an operable state.

The positioning technology that can be used in this embodiment is not particularly limited, but GPS (Global Positioning System) positioning technology, beacon positioning technology, and Wi-Fi (registered trademark) (Wireless Fidelity) positioning technology can be suitably used. In addition, a positioning technology that determines the position of the user terminal 10 from the location of a mobile phone base station may be used.

GPS positioning technology is a positioning technology that uses radio waves transmitted by multiple GPS satellites 60 arranged in Earth orbit. The user terminal 10 of this embodiment is configured to be able to receive GPS signals transmitted from the GPS satellites 60. The current position of the user terminal 10 can be estimated based on the time information contained in the GPS signal. Although GPS is used in this embodiment, other satellite positioning systems included in the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) or the quasi-zenith satellite positioning system may also be used.

Beacon positioning technology is a positioning technology that uses radio waves transmitted by a beacon transmitter 70. By managing the installation location of the beacon transmitter 70, the location of the beacon transmitter 70 can be identified. The user terminal 10 of this embodiment is configured to receive a beacon signal transmitted by the beacon transmitter 70. The location of the beacon transmitter 70 can be identified based on the beacon ID included in the beacon signal transmitted by the beacon transmitter 70, and the current location of the user terminal 10 can be estimated based on the location of the beacon transmitter 70.

Wi-Fi positioning technology is a positioning technology that uses Wi-Fi communication, which is one of the wireless LAN standards. By managing the installation location of an access point 80, the location of the access point 80 can be identified. The user terminal 10 of this embodiment is configured to be able to connect to the access point 80 and access a network 50 such as the Internet. When the user terminal 10 makes a probe request to the access point 80 or connects to the access point 80, the location of the access point 80 is identified based on the identification information (access point ID) of the access point 80, and further, the current location of the user terminal 10 can be estimated based on the identified location of the access point 80.

The location information service providing servers 20a, 20b, and 20c are servers that provide location information services to users. More specifically, the location information service providing servers 20a, 20b, and 20c can provide users with services that acquire and manage the location information of the user terminal 10, services that use the location information of the user terminal 10, and the like.

In this embodiment, multiple location information service providing servers 20a, 20b, and 20c are provided. Each location information service providing server 20a, 20b, and 20c is configured to handle location information of a user terminal 10 identified by a different positioning technology.

The location information service providing server 20a is a server that manages the location information (GPS location information) of the user terminal 10 obtained by GPS positioning technology. Here, it is assumed that the GPS location information service that manages the GPS location information is operated by Vendor A. It is desirable that the user subscribes to the GPS location information service provided by Vendor A and consents in advance to the provision and secondary use of the GPS location information of the user terminal 10.

The location information service providing server 20a is configured to acquire information for identifying the current location of the user terminal 10 (information obtained by GPS positioning technology) and identify the current location of the user terminal 10. Furthermore, the location information service providing server 20a is configured to identify the area in which the user terminal 10 is located from the current location of the user terminal 10 and provide the identified area to the location information management device 30 as area information.

The location information service providing server 20b is a server that manages the location information (beacon location information) of the user terminal 10 obtained by beacon positioning technology. Here, it is assumed that the beacon location information service that manages the beacon location information is operated by Vendor B. It is desirable that the user subscribes to the beacon location information service provided by Vendor B and agrees in advance to the provision and secondary use of the beacon location information of the user terminal 10.

The location information service providing server 20b is configured to acquire information for identifying the current location of the user terminal 10 (information obtained by beacon positioning technology) and identify the current location of the user terminal 10. Furthermore, the location information service providing server 20b is configured to identify the area in which the user terminal 10 is located from the current location of the user terminal 10 and provide the identified area to the location information management device 30 as area information.

The location information service providing server 20c is a server that manages the location information (Wi-Fi location information) of the user terminal 10 obtained by Wi-Fi positioning technology. The Wi-Fi location information service that manages the Wi-Fi location information is operated by Vendor C. It is desirable that the user subscribes to the Wi-Fi location information service provided by Vendor C and consents in advance to the provision and secondary use of the Wi-Fi location information of the user terminal 10.

The location information service providing server 20c is configured to acquire information for identifying the current location of the user terminal 10 (information obtained by Wi-Fi positioning technology) and identify the current location of the user terminal 10. Furthermore, the location information service providing server 20c is configured to identify the area in which the user terminal 10 is located from the current location of the user terminal 10, and provide the identified area to the location information management device 30 as area information.

The location information management device 30 has the function of acquiring and storing area information in which the user terminal 10 is located, which is identified using each of a plurality of positioning technologies, comparing and collating area information of the user terminal 10 obtained using different positioning technologies, and integrating information that is estimated to be related to the same user terminal 10.

With reference to Figure 1, an example of the data flow until the location information management device 30 acquires area information of the user terminal 10 identified by each positioning technology will be described.

Data related to the GPS location information of the user terminal 10 is transferred, for example, as follows. The user terminal 10 receives a GPS signal from a GPS satellite 60, and identifies the GPS location information, which is the current location of the user terminal 10, from the received GPS signal. The user terminal 10 transmits identification information (GPS application ID) for the GPS location information service and the GPS location information to the location information service providing server 20a (T11). If the user terminal 10 is able to receive a GPS signal, it may constantly (for example, every few to several tens of seconds) transmit the GPS application ID and the GPS location information to the location information service providing server 20a.

The location information service providing server 20a receives the GPS application ID and GPS location information from the user terminal 10, and identifies the area in which the user terminal 10 is located from the GPS location information by referring to an area information database that defines the correspondence between locations and areas. The location information service providing server 20a transmits the GPS application ID and area information indicating the identified area to the location information management device 30 (T12).

In the above example, the location information service providing server 20a identifies the area in which the user terminal 10 is located from the GPS location information, but the location information service providing server 20a may transfer the GPS location information to the location information management device 30, and the location information management device 30 may identify the area in which the user terminal 10 is located from the GPS location information.

Data related to the beacon location information of the user terminal 10 is transferred, for example, as follows. The user terminal 10 receives a beacon signal from the beacon transmitter 70 and extracts the identification information (beacon ID) of the beacon transmitter 70 from the received beacon signal. The user terminal 10 transmits the identification information (beacon application ID) and the beacon ID in the beacon location information service to the location information service providing server 20b (T21). If the user terminal 10 is able to receive a beacon signal, it may constantly (for example, every few to several tens of seconds) transmit the beacon application ID and the beacon ID to the location information service providing server 20b.

The location information service providing server 20b receives the beacon app ID and the beacon ID from the user terminal 10, and identifies the installation location of the beacon transmitter 70 from the beacon ID by referring to a database that defines the correspondence between the beacon ID and the installation location of the beacon transmitter 70. Furthermore, the location information service providing server 20b identifies the area in which the user terminal 10 is located from the installation location of the beacon transmitter 70 by referring to an area information database that defines the correspondence between locations and areas. The location information service providing server 20b transmits the beacon app ID and area information indicating the identified area to the location information management device 30 (T22).

In the above example, the location information service providing server 20b identifies the area in which the user terminal 10 is located from the installation location of the beacon transmitter 70, but the location information service providing server 20b may transfer the installation location of the beacon transmitter 70 to the location information management device 30, and the location management device 30 may identify the area in which the user terminal 10 is located from the installation location of the beacon transmitter 70.

In the above example, the location information service providing server 20b identifies the installation location of the beacon transmitter 70 from the beacon ID, but the user terminal 10 may identify the installation location of the beacon transmitter 70 from the beacon ID. In this case, the user terminal 10 may transmit the beacon app ID and the identified installation location of the beacon transmitter 70 to the location information service providing server 20b.

As another example, the user terminal 10 may function as a beacon transmitter, and a beacon receiver placed at a predetermined position may receive a beacon signal from the user terminal 10 and transmit the identification information of the user terminal 10 (beacon ID as a beacon transmitter) and the identification information of the beacon receiver to the location information service providing server 20b. In this case, the location information service providing server 20b can identify the current location of the user terminal 10 based on the identification information of the beacon receiver.

Data related to the Wi-Fi location information of the user terminal 10 is transferred, for example, as follows. When the user terminal 10 makes a probe request to the access point 80 or when the user terminal 10 connects to the access point 80 and secures access to a network 50 such as the Internet, the user terminal 10 notifies or transmits the identification information of the user terminal 10 (for example, the MAC address of the user terminal 10) in a format that the access point 80 can acquire (T31). The access point 80 may be explicitly notified of the MAC address by the user terminal 10, or may acquire the MAC address of the user terminal 10 from a packet transmitted from the user terminal 10 when the packet is forwarded. The access point 80 transmits the MAC address of the user terminal 10 and the identification information of the access point 80 (access point ID) to the location information service providing server 20c (T32). When the connection with the user terminal 10 is maintained, the access point 80 may constantly (for example, every few seconds to several tens of seconds) transmit the MAC address of the user terminal 10 and the identification information of the access point 80 to the location information service providing server 20c.

The location information service providing server 20c receives the MAC address and access point ID of the user terminal 10 from the access point 80, and identifies the installation location of the access point 80 from the access point ID by referring to a database that stores the correspondence between the access point ID and the installation location of the access point 80. Furthermore, the location information service providing server 20c identifies the area in which the user terminal 10 is located from the setting location of the access point 80 by referring to an area information database that defines the correspondence between locations and areas. The location information service providing server 20c transmits the MAC address and area information indicating the identified area to the location information management device 30 (T33).

In the above example, the location information service providing server 20c identifies the area in which the user terminal 10 is located from the installed location of the access point 80, but the location information service providing server 20c may transfer the installed location of the access point 80 to the location information management device 30, and the location information management device 30 may identify the area in which the user terminal 10 is located from the installed location of the access point 80.

In the above example, the access point 80 transmits the MAC address and access point ID of the user terminal 10 to the location information service providing server 20c, but the user terminal 10 may transmit identification information of the access point 80 to which it is connected (such as the SSID or MAC address of the access point) to the location information service providing server 20c. In this case, identification information other than the MAC address (such as a Wi-Fi app ID) can be used as the identification information of the user terminal 10, and the location information service providing server 20c can identify the current location of the user terminal 10 based on the identification information of the access point 80.

<Configuration of user terminal>
The configuration of the user terminal 10 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the user terminal 10 in this embodiment. The user terminal 10 according to the present invention is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 2.

As described above, the user terminal 10 can be realized by a portable terminal such as a smartphone. As an example, as shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal 10 has a processor 101, a memory 102, a mobile phone communication unit 103, a wireless LAN communication unit 104, a beacon communication unit 105, a GPS signal processing unit 106, an operation input unit 107, a monitor 108, and a storage 109, and each component is connected via a bus 150. Although not shown in FIG. 2, the user terminal 10 may also have a microphone with a sound collection function, a camera with an image capture function, a speaker with an audio output function, etc.

The processor 101 is hardware that executes various commands written in a program and realizes and controls various functions in the user terminal 10. The processor 101 may be, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor) that performs data processing specialized for a specific purpose, or a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit).

The memory 102 is a volatile memory that temporarily stores programs executed by the user terminal 10 and data to be processed. The memory 102 is, for example, a main storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory).

The mobile phone communication unit 103 has a function of connecting to a mobile phone base station and enabling the user terminal 10 to communicate with other devices on the network 50 via the mobile phone network. The communication by the mobile phone communication unit 103 is not particularly limited, but as an example, it is configured to be able to perform communication conforming to communication standards such as 3G, 4G, 4G LTE, and 5G.

The wireless LAN communication unit 104 is connected to an access point 60, which is a wireless LAN base station, and has a function that enables the user terminal 10 to communicate with other devices on the network 50 via the access point 60. The wireless LAN communication unit 104 is configured to be able to perform communication in accordance with, for example, IEEE 802.11, which is the Wi-Fi standard.

The beacon communication unit 105 has a function of receiving a beacon signal transmitted by the beacon transmitter 70. The beacon communication unit 105 is capable of short-range wireless communication, and is configured to be able to perform communication conforming to, for example, IEEE 802.15.1, which is the standard for Bluetooth (registered trademark).

The GPS signal processing unit 106 has the function of receiving GPS signals transmitted by GPS satellites and determining GPS location information indicating the current location of the user terminal 10 from the time information contained in the received GPS signals.

The operation input unit 107 has a function of accepting information input from the user, and represents, for example, input devices such as a mouse and a keyboard. The monitor 108 has a function of outputting visual information to the user, and is equipped with a display screen. The operation input unit 107 and the monitor 108 may be a touch panel display in which the respective functions are integrated.

Storage 109 is an auxiliary storage device realized by, for example, a magnetic disk such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a semiconductor memory such as a solid state drive (SSD), a magneto-optical disk, an optical disk, etc.

Storage 109 is capable of storing programs and data in which desired processing procedures are written as program commands. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, storage 109 stores a GPS service program 111 and a beacon service program 112.

The processor 101 appropriately reads each program from the storage 109, expands it on the memory 102, and executes the program instructions, thereby realizing the functions corresponding to each program in the user terminal 10.

The GPS service program 111 is an application for using the GPS location information service provided by Vendor A. By executing the GPS service program 111, the user terminal 10 is able to transmit identification information (GPS application ID) for the GPS location information service and the GPS location information identified by the GPS signal processing unit 106 to the location information service providing server 20a.

The beacon service program 112 is an application for using the beacon location information service provided by vendor B. By executing the beacon service program 112, the user terminal 10 is able to transmit identification information (beacon application ID) for the beacon location information service and the beacon ID included in the beacon signal received by the beacon communication unit 105 to the location information service providing server 20b.

The storage 109 can store various programs. As an example, the storage 109 can store an operation system program, etc., necessary for the operation of the user terminal 10. The storage 109 can also store various user data.

The user terminal 10 of this embodiment has multiple positioning functions respectively associated with multiple positioning technologies. The user terminal 10 shown in FIG. 1 has three positioning units: a GPS positioning unit including a GPS positioning function associated with GPS positioning technology, a beacon positioning unit including a beacon positioning function associated with beacon positioning technology, and a Wi-Fi positioning unit including a Wi-Fi positioning function associated with Wi-Fi positioning technology. The user terminal 10 shown in FIG. 1 also has three pieces of identification information: a GPS app ID associated with the GPS positioning unit, a beacon app ID associated with the beacon positioning unit, and a MAC address associated with the Wi-Fi positioning unit.

The GPS positioning unit is realized by the processing in the GPS processing unit 106 and the execution of the GPS service program 111. The GPS positioning unit executes, for example, a process of receiving a GPS signal from a GPS satellite 60, a process of identifying GPS location information, which is the current location of the user terminal 10, from the received GPS signal, and a process of transmitting a GPS application ID and GPS location information to the location information service providing server 20a. These processes are automatically executed by so-called background processing without receiving instructions from the user. In this way, the GPS positioning unit has a feature of acquiring information for identifying the current location of the user terminal 10 (a GPS application ID for identifying the user terminal 10 and GPS location information indicating the current location of the user terminal 10) and automatically transmitting it to the location information service providing server 20a on the network 50 in real time. The transmission of the GPS application ID and GPS location information to the location information service providing server 20a may be performed through the mobile phone communication unit 103 or through the wireless LAN communication unit 104.

The beacon positioning unit is embodied by the processing in the beacon communication unit 105 and the execution of the beacon service program 112. The beacon positioning unit executes, for example, a process of receiving a beacon signal from the beacon transmitter 70, a process of extracting the beacon ID of the beacon transmitter 70 from the received beacon signal, and a process of transmitting the beacon application ID and the beacon ID to the location information service providing server 20b. These processes are automatically executed by so-called background processing without receiving instructions from the user. In this way, the beacon positioning unit has the characteristic of acquiring information for identifying the current location of the user terminal 10 (the beacon application ID for identifying the user terminal 10 and the beacon ID indicating that the user terminal 10 is within the radio wave reach of the beacon transmitter 70) and automatically transmitting the information to the location information service providing server 20b on the network 50 in real time. The beacon app ID and the beacon ID may be transmitted to the location information service providing server 20a via the mobile phone communication unit 103 or via the wireless LAN communication unit 104.

The Wi-Fi positioning unit is realized, for example, by processing in the wireless LAN communication unit 104. The Wi-Fi positioning unit, for example, notifies or transmits identification information of the user terminal 10 (for example, the MAC address of the user terminal 10) to the access point 80 in a format that the access point 80 can acquire. This processing is executed automatically by so-called background processing without receiving instructions from the user. In this way, the Wi-Fi positioning unit has the characteristic of acquiring information for identifying the current location of the user terminal 10 (a MAC address that identifies the user terminal 10 and indicates that the user terminal 10 is within the radio wave coverage area of the access point 80) and automatically transmitting it to the access point 80 in real time.

The three positioning units in this embodiment, the GPS positioning unit, the beacon positioning unit, and the Wi-Fi positioning unit, each have the characteristic of acquiring information for identifying the current location of the user terminal 10 by performing positioning using a different medium, and the characteristic of transmitting information for identifying the current location of the user terminal 10 in real time to the location information service providing server 20a, the location information service providing server 20b, and the access point 80, respectively. These characteristics are significantly different from the technology disclosed in the above Patent Document 1, which extracts location information from information extracted from reservation information, accommodation records, and visit records of hotels, restaurants, etc.

In addition, the three positioning units in this embodiment, the GPS positioning unit, the beacon positioning unit, and the Wi-Fi positioning unit, each only need to operate independently, and there is a feature that, for example, there is no need to execute a common program on the user terminal 10 to associate the identification information used in each positioning unit with each other on the user terminal 10 side. This feature is significantly different from the technology disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, in which a common program is executed on the terminal side and the user needs to perform operation input in order to associate an ID (outside premises identification information) that identifies location information outside the premises (for example, GPS location information) with an ID (on-premises identification information) that identifies location information within the premises (for example, location information using a beacon).

<Configuration of location information management device>
The configuration of the location information managing device 30 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a schematic block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the location information managing device 30 in this embodiment. The location information managing device 30 according to the present invention is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 3.

The location information management device 30 is a server for implementing the location information management function of the present invention, and can be implemented by a general-purpose computer. The location information management device 30 has a processor 301, a memory 302, a communication unit 303, an operation input unit 304, a monitor 305, and a storage 306, and each component is connected via a bus 350.

The processor 301 is hardware that executes various commands written in a program and realizes and controls various functions in the location information management device 30. The processor 301 may be, for example, a CPU, a DSP, or a GPU.

Memory 302 is a volatile memory that temporarily stores programs executed by location information management device 30 and data to be processed. Memory 302 is, for example, a main storage device such as a RAM.

The communication unit 303 has a function for the location information management device 30 to communicate with other devices. In this embodiment, the location information management device 30 can communicate with the location information service providing servers 20a, 20b, and 20c through the network 50 using the communication unit 303. More specifically, the location information management device 30 can receive a GPS application ID and area information from the location information service providing server 20a, can receive a beacon application ID and area information from the location information service providing server 20b, and can receive a MAC address and area information from the location information service providing server 20c.

The operation input unit 304 has a function of accepting information input from a user, and the monitor 305 has a function of outputting visual information to the user. The operation input unit 304 and the monitor 305 only need to be available for an operator, who is the user of the location information management device 30, to configure and manage the location information management device 30, and do not need to be constantly connected to the location information management device 30.

Storage 306 is an auxiliary storage device realized by, for example, a magnetic disk such as an HDD, a semiconductor memory such as an SSD, a magneto-optical disk, an optical disk, etc., and is an auxiliary storage device that stores programs and data in which desired processing procedures are described as program commands. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, storage 306 stores, as information required in this embodiment, a data accumulation program 311, a location information management program 312, a data accumulation table 313, an ID management table 314, an integrated data output table 315, and setting value data 316.

The processor 301 appropriately reads the location information management program from the storage 306, expands it on the memory 302, and executes the program instructions, thereby realizing the functions corresponding to each program in the location information management device 30.

The data accumulation program 311 is a program for realizing the data accumulation function (data accumulation unit) according to the present invention. By executing the data accumulation program 311, the location information management device 30 can store data received from the location information service providing servers 20a, 20b, and 20c in the data accumulation table 313.

The location information management program 312 is a program for realizing the location information management function (location information management section) according to the present invention. By executing the location information management program 312, the location information management device 30 can refer to the data accumulation table 313 to compare and collate area information of the user terminal 10, and integrate information that is presumed to be information relating to the same user terminal 10. Details of the location information management process related to the location information management program 312 will be described later with reference to FIG. 6.

The data accumulation table 313 is a table for accumulating the following data: the GPS application ID and area information received from the location information service providing server 20a, the beacon application ID and area information received from the location information service providing server 20b, and the MAC address and area information received from the location information service providing server 20c. Details of the data accumulation table 313 will be described later with reference to FIG. 5.

The ID management table 314 is a table for associating IDs used by the same user terminal 10 based on the results of comparing and collating area information of the user terminal 10 by executing the location information management program 312. Details of the ID management table 314 will be described later with reference to FIG. 7.

The integrated data output table 315 is a table for integrating area information of the same user terminal 10 based on the results of comparing and collating area information of the user terminal 10 by executing the location information management program 312. Details of the integrated data output table 315 will be described later with reference to FIG. 8.

The setting value data 316 is a setting value that is referenced when area information, which is the location information of the user terminal 10, is compared and collated by executing the location information management program 312. The setting value data 316 includes, for example, a comparison date range, a time zone match rate, and a same terminal recognition frequency rate that are referenced in the location information management process (see FIG. 6) described below.

The programs and data stored in the storage 306 of the location information management device 30 shown in FIG. 3 may be distributed among multiple devices connected to a LAN (Local Area Network) or the network 50.

<Area information>
The area information used in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the area information used in this embodiment.

In this embodiment, multiple areas are set so that they are dispersed in distant locations in a certain region. As an example, each area is set for each tourist spot, such as a tourist facility, a shrine or temple, a roadside station, a hotel, or a restaurant. The method for setting each area is not particularly limited, but when areas are set for each tourist spot as described above, the area has an area of, for example, several tens to several hundred meters.

The region in which multiple areas are set is not particularly limited. As an example, by setting multiple areas within an area that can be visited in one day by walking, train, bus, etc., it is possible to understand the chronological order (traffic flow) in which each user visited each area, and to obtain useful marketing information.

If the areas set for a certain tourist facility differ significantly between Vendors A to C, for example, even if Vendor A determines that the user terminal 10 is within a specific area, other Vendors B and C may determine that the user terminal 10 is not within the specific area. For this reason, it is preferable to ensure that the definitions of the area ranges do not differ significantly between Vendors A to C.

In Figure 4, four areas A to D are shown as an example, but the number of areas is not particularly limited.

Beacon transmitters 70 and access points 80 are installed in each area. It is desirable to be able to obtain location information for user terminals 10 in each area using at least two types of positioning technology.

It is desirable to install both a beacon transmitter 70 and an access point 80 in all areas, but it is not necessary to install both a beacon transmitter 70 and an access point 80. As an example, area C shown in FIG. 4 is an area in which a beacon transmitter 70 is installed but an access point 80 is not installed. In such an area, it is difficult to identify the location information of the user terminal 10 using, for example, both Wi-Fi positioning technology and beacon positioning technology. However, since the location information of the user terminal 10 can be obtained using at least one positioning technology, such areas may exist.

In addition, areas may be set in places where radio waves from GPS satellites do not reach, such as indoor facilities. As an example, area B shown in FIG. 4 is an area set in an indoor facility where radio waves from GPS satellites do not reach. In such areas, it is difficult to identify the location information of the user terminal 10 using GPS positioning technology. However, since the location information of the user terminal 10 can be obtained using other positioning technologies, such areas may exist.

When the user terminal 10 is receiving a GPS signal, it can constantly transmit the GPS app ID and GPS location information to the location information service providing server 20a. When a user carrying the user terminal 10 enters a specific area, the GPS location information indicates a location within the specific area, and the location information service providing server 20a transmits area information indicating that the user terminal 10 is within the specific area to the location information management device 30.

The user terminal 10 can constantly transmit the beacon app ID and beacon ID to the location information service providing server 20b when it is receiving beacon information within the radio wave coverage of the beacon receiver 70. The transmission of the beacon app ID and beacon ID from the user terminal 10 indicates that the user terminal 10 is located within the installation area of the beacon transmitter 70, and the location information service providing server 20b transmits area information to the location information management device 30 indicating that the user terminal 10 is located within that area.

The access point 80 can constantly transmit the MAC address of the user terminal 10 to the location information service providing server 20c when the user terminal 10 is within a radio wave range where the access point 80 can be detected. The transmission of the MAC address of the user terminal 10 and the access point identification information from the access point 80 indicates that the user terminal 10 is located within the installation area of the access point 80, and the location information service providing server 20b transmits area information to the location information management device 30 indicating that the user terminal 10 is within that area.

<Data storage table>
The data accumulation table 313 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is an example of the data accumulation table 313 in this embodiment. The data accumulation table 313 is a table for storing data received from the location information service providing servers 20a, 20b, and 20c in the data accumulation table 313. More specifically, the data accumulation table 313 is a table for aggregating each data of the GPS application ID and area information received from the location information service providing server 20a, the beacon application ID and area information received from the location information service providing server 20b, and the MAC address and area information received from the location information service providing server 20c, and storing the data in association with date and time information.

As shown in FIG. 5, the data accumulation table 313 has fields for medium ID, vendor, date, and multiple areas. In FIG. 5, four area fields are shown as examples: "Area A," "Area B," "Area C," and "Area D," but there are as many area fields as there are installed areas.

The medium ID field stores identification information for the user terminal 10. Specifically, the medium ID field stores the GPS app ID, the beacon app ID, and the MAC address.

The vendor field stores the identification information of each vendor. Specifically, the vendor field stores the identification information of vendor A if the data is received from the information service providing server 20a (data in which a GPS app ID is stored in the medium ID field), the identification information of vendor B if the data is received from the information service providing server 20b (data in which a beacon app ID is stored in the medium ID field), and the identification information of vendor C if the data is received from the information service providing server 20c (data in which a MAC address is stored in the medium ID field).

The date field stores the date on which data was received from the location information service providing servers 20a, 20b, and 20c.

In the area field, the reception time zone (time zone on a specific date) of the area information related to the identification information stored in the medium ID field for each area is stored. In order to store the reception time zone of data in the area field, it is preferable that the location information management device 30 manages the reception time of data received from the location information service providing servers 20a, 20b, 20c. In this embodiment, the time when the area information is received from the location information service providing servers 20a, 20b, 20c is regarded as the time when the user terminal 10 exists in the area information, but the area information includes time information that identifies the location information of the user terminal 10, and the time zone information to be stored in the area field may be determined based on this time information.

For example, assume that the location information management device 30 received the GPS app ID "BeaconApp1" and area information indicating that the user terminal 10 is located in Area A from 10:04 AM to 10:54 AM on December 22, 2020, from the location information service providing server 20a. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the location information management device 30 stores the information "10:04-10:54" in the Area A field of the same record (same row) as the medium ID "BeaconApp1". By storing the information as described above based on all the data received from the location information service providing servers 20a, 20b, and 20c, the location information management device 30 can accumulate, in the data accumulation table 313, the medium ID and information indicating which area and during which time period the user terminal 10 identified by the medium ID was located.

In addition, in the data accumulation table 313, the date item and the area item are associated with each other, and information on the date and time period is recorded as a set. Although only data for the date "December 22, 2020" is illustrated in FIG. 5, data for a different date (for example, data for the previous date "December 21, 2020") is also stored in the same record (same row) for each medium ID.

<Location information management processing>
The location information management process in this embodiment is a process in which location information measured using different media is compared and matched to determine the matching rate of the location information, and if the matching rate exceeds a predetermined rate, it is considered to be location information of the same user terminal 10, and the identification information assigned to the location information that exceeds the predetermined matching rate is associated.

The location information management process executed by the location information management device 30 of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the location information management process executed by the location information management device 30 of this embodiment. The location information management process according to the present invention is not limited to the process shown in FIG. 6.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the location information management device 30 starts the location information management process, it first reads the data accumulation table 313 (step S11). The location information management device 30 sets the variable i for specifying the comparison source record to an initial value (i=1) (step S12), and reads the i-th record in the data accumulation table 313 as the comparison source record (step S13). This fixes the i-th record (initial value=1) as the comparison source record.

The location information management device 30 references the vendor field of the comparison source record and sets a vendor different from the vendor of the comparison source record as the comparison target vendor (step S14). This fixes a vendor different from the vendor of the comparison source record as the comparison target vendor. Fixing the comparison target vendor makes it possible to perform comparison and matching on a vendor-by-vendor basis.

Next, the location information management device 30 sets the variable j for specifying the comparison target record to an initial value (j = i + 1) (step S15), and reads the jth record in the data accumulation table 313 as the comparison target record (step S16). As a result, the jth record (initial value = 2) is specified as the comparison target record.

The location information management device 30 checks whether the vendor of the comparison target record matches the comparison target vendor (step S17). If the vendor of the comparison target record is the comparison target vendor (Yes in step S17), the location information management device 30 compares the time zone of the comparison target record with the time zone of the comparison target record for each area to calculate the matching rate, and if the calculated matching rate exceeds a predetermined time zone matching rate, the area is considered to be a matching area (step S18). Then, it is determined whether all areas can be considered to be matching areas, and a value obtained by dividing the number of matching areas by the total number of areas (number of matching areas/total number of areas) is calculated (step S19). This makes it possible to determine the possibility that the user terminal 10 identified by the medium ID of the comparison target record and the user terminal 10 identified by the medium ID of the comparison target record were in the same area (matching area), and the frequency of this possibility (number of matching areas/total number of areas).

If data (time period) exists in the area information of one of the source and target records but not in the area information of the other, it may be determined that there is no match, or it may be excluded from the comparison.

The specified time zone match rate used as the threshold value can be determined in advance, for example, as the setting value data 316 (see FIG. 3). The specified time zone match rate can be any numerical value, for example, 80%. Similarly, the comparison date range, which is the reference range of the comparison source record and the comparison target record, can be determined in advance in the setting value data 316. The comparison date range can be any range, for example, it can be set to reference data up to three days prior. The above match rate can also be calculated by referring to a specified time range (for example, a range of one hour before or after) based on the time zone stored in the comparison source record area.

On the other hand, if the vendor of the comparison target record is not the comparison target vendor (No in step S17), the processing of steps S18 and S19 is omitted.

The location information management device 30 then determines whether all records have been set as comparison target records (step S20). In this flowchart, the comparison target record is the jth record, and if the last row of the data accumulation table 313 has not been reached, there are unprocessed records that have not been set as comparison target records. If all records have not been set as comparison target records (No in step S20), j is incremented by one (j = j + 1) (step S21), and the process returns to step S16, where the same process is performed with the next row as the comparison target record.

On the other hand, if all records are set as comparison target records (Yes in step S20), the location information management device 30 refers to the number of matching areas/total number of areas obtained by comparing and matching the fixed comparison source record with each comparison target record, and sets the combination for which the number of matching areas/total number of areas is equal to or greater than a predetermined same terminal recognition frequency rate and is the largest as the combination to be integrated (step S22).

The same terminal recognition frequency rate used as the threshold value can be determined in advance, for example, as setting value data 316. The predetermined same terminal recognition frequency rate can be any value, for example, 20%.

The location information management device 30 determines whether all vendors have been set as vendors to be compared (step S23). If not all vendors have been set as vendors to be compared (No in step S23), another unprocessed vendor is set as the vendor to be compared (step S24), and the process returns to step S15 to process again another vendor as the vendor to be compared from the record in the j (= i + 1)th row.

On the other hand, if all vendors are set as comparison target vendors (Yes in step S23), the comparison and matching between the i-th fixed record and all j-th (j>i) records below the i-th record is completed. Here, the location information management device 30 judges whether all records are set as comparison target records (step S20). In this flowchart, the comparison target record is the i-th record, and if the last row of the data accumulation table 313 has not been reached, there are unprocessed records that have not been set as comparison target records. If all records have not been set as comparison target records (No in step S25), i is incremented by one (i=i+1) (step S26), and the process returns to step S13, where the next row is set as the comparison target record and the same process is performed. That is, in step S26, the comparison target record, which is a fixed record, is shifted step by step from the first to the second, from the second to the third, and so on, so that comparison and matching that covers all combinations of the i-th record and the j-th (j>i) record can be performed.

On the other hand, if all records are set as source records to be compared (Yes in step S25), then all combinations of records in the data accumulation table 313 have been compared and collated, and the location information management device 30 outputs the user ID that associates the medium ID of the record to be integrated to the ID management table 314 (step S27).

Figure 7 is an example of an ID management table 314 in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 7, the ID management table 314 has fields for user ID and related media ID. The user ID field stores a user ID that associates multiple media IDs. The user ID is identification information that integrates multiple media IDs, and can be said to be identification information for a user terminal 10. The related media ID field stores media IDs that are determined to be media IDs related to the same user terminal 10 as a result of comparing and matching all combinations of records in the data accumulation table 313.

In addition, the location information management device 30 can refer to the data accumulation table 313 using the user ID and related medium ID in the ID management table 314 as keys, and transcribe the time period for each area, thereby outputting information that associates the user ID with area information to the integrated data output table 315.

Figure 8 is an example of the integrated data output table 315 in this embodiment. As shown in Figure 8, the integrated data output table 315 has items for user ID, date, and multiple areas. The user ID item stores a user ID that associates multiple medium IDs. The date and area items store information associated with one of the multiple medium IDs in the data accumulation table 313. There is no particular limitation on which of the multiple medium IDs the information associated with is transferred from the data accumulation table 313 to the integrated data output table 315. For example, the location information management device 30 may refer to the data accumulation table 313 to compare data for multiple medium IDs associated with a user name, and transfer data for a longer time period in each area to the corresponding area item in the integrated data output table 315.

The ID management table 314 is an integration of the identification information of each of the multiple positioning units implemented in the user terminal 10. As a result, if the location information related to the identification information of any of the multiple positioning units can be identified, the current location of the user terminal 10 can be ascertained. In particular, if only a single positioning unit is used, there will be areas where positioning is impossible, such as places where GPS signals cannot reach or places where a beacon transmitter 70 or access point 80 is not installed. However, in this embodiment, the identification information of each of the multiple positioning units is linked, and the location information can be compensated for by each other, so that detailed and highly accurate location information can be obtained, and it is possible to effectively carry out user movement line surveys and marketing based on user movement lines.

According to the above embodiment, a location information management device 30 for associating multiple pieces of location information indicating the current location of a user terminal 10 is provided, characterized in having a data storage unit that associates and stores identification information of the user terminal 10 associated with each of multiple positioning units implemented in the user terminal 10 and the location information of the user terminal 10, and a location information management unit that compares and collates location information associated with different identification information with each other, and integrates multiple identification information related to combinations of location information that exceed a predetermined matching rate.

According to the above embodiment, a location information management method is provided that is executed by a location information management device 30 for associating multiple pieces of location information indicating the current location of a user terminal 10, and is characterized by having a step of accumulating identification information of the user terminal 10 and location information of the user terminal 10 associated with each of multiple positioning units implemented in the user terminal 10, a step of mutually comparing and matching the location information associated with different identification information, and a step of integrating multiple identification information related to combinations of location information that exceed a predetermined matching rate.

According to the above embodiment, for a user terminal 10 equipped with multiple positioning units, the location information identified by each of the multiple positioning units can be associated on the server side via the network 50. In addition, since the location information can be acquired on the server side via the network 50, detailed and highly accurate location information can be obtained, and can be suitably used for user movement line research, marketing based on user movement lines, and the like.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and its technical scope includes various modifications and design changes that do not deviate from the technical concept of the present invention.

1 Location information management system 10 User terminal 20a, 20b, 20c Location information service providing server 30 Location information management device 50 Network 60 GPS satellite 70 Beacon transmitter 80 Access point 101, 301 Processor 102, 302 Memory 103 Mobile phone communication unit 104 Wireless LAN communication unit 105 Beacon communication unit 106 GPS signal processing unit 107, 304 Operation input unit 108, 305 Monitor 109, 306 Storage 150, 350 Bus 303 Communication unit 311 Data accumulation program 312 Location management processing program 313 Data accumulation table 314 ID management table 315 Integrated data output table 316 Setting value data

Claims (7)

A location information management device for associating a plurality of pieces of location information indicating a current location of a user terminal, comprising:
a data storage unit that stores identification information of the user terminal associated with each of a plurality of positioning units implemented in the user terminal and location information of the user terminal in association with each other;
a location information management unit that compares and collates location information associated with different identification information and integrates a plurality of identification information related to combinations of location information that exceed a predetermined matching rate;
A location information management device comprising: The location information management device according to claim 1, characterized in that it receives, from a plurality of servers corresponding to the plurality of positioning units, identification information of the user terminal associated with each of the plurality of positioning units and area information related to the location information of the user terminal acquired by each of the plurality of positioning units. The location information management device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the user terminal transmits identification information of the user terminal associated with each of the multiple positioning units and information for identifying the location information of the user terminal acquired by each of the multiple positioning units to each of a plurality of servers corresponding to each of the multiple positioning units. The location information management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the multiple positioning units acquire information for identifying the location information of the user terminal by positioning using different media. The location information management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the multiple positioning units each use a different multiple positioning technology. The location information management device according to claim 5, characterized in that the multiple positioning units are selected from GPS positioning technology, beacon positioning technology, and Wi-Fi positioning technology. A location information management method executed by a location information management device for associating multiple pieces of location information indicating current locations of user terminals, comprising:
accumulating identification information of the user terminal and location information of the user terminal associated with each of a plurality of positioning units implemented in the user terminal;
comparing location information associated with different identities with each other;
A step of integrating a plurality of pieces of identification information related to combinations of location information exceeding a predetermined matching rate;
A location information management method comprising the steps of:

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