KR102487777B1 - Method and Apparatus for Target Location Lookup Service Using Beacon Device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a lost object location search service method and apparatus using a beacon device, and when a second user terminal device near a location search target receives a signal of a location search target beacon, the beacon service server searches the location through this. By grasping the current location of the object and providing the current location information of the location inquiry object to the first user terminal device, even if the location inquiry object and the first user terminal device seeking the location inquiry object are far apart, the first user terminal device near the location inquiry object 2 The user terminal device receives the beacon signal of the location inquiry target beacon, transmits the beacon information of the beacon and the location information of the second user terminal device to the beacon service server, and the location inquiry target based on the information received by the beacon service server By transmitting the location information of to the first user terminal device, the location of the lost object can be effectively identified.
On the other hand, when the lost object needs to quickly find the lost object, such as an infant or pet, that is, in an emergency, by providing the location information service according to the present invention in preference to other services corresponding to other beacon signals, and can effectively locate the lost object.

Description

Method and Apparatus for Target Location Lookup Service Using Beacon Device

The present invention relates to a location inquiry service method and apparatus using a beacon device, and more particularly, when a beacon device subject to location inquiry is separated from a terminal device of a first user by a predetermined distance or more, a first user can locate a lost object. A method and apparatus for determining and providing the current location of a location inquiry target through a second user terminal device in the vicinity of the location inquiry target when unable to determine the location.

The contents described in this part merely provide background information on the present embodiment and do not constitute prior art.

With the development of mobile communication networks and the development of terminal specifications, mobile communication terminals have become essential belongings of modern people beyond the scope of conventional simple communication devices or information providing devices, and are evolving into total entertainment devices.

Such a mobile communication terminal has a function for performing short-range wireless communication such as NFC (Near Field Communication) or Bluetooth as well as a communication function through a mobile communication network.

However, NFC has a short communication distance and requires a separate wireless chip for communication, whereas Bluetooth has a relatively long communication distance and most terminals are equipped with a Bluetooth communication function, so various communication services using this are being developed.

In addition, a service method for providing various types of information to a mobile communication terminal possessed by a user by utilizing a beacon using Bluetooth communication is being developed.

As an example, a beacon device installed in an affiliate store transmits a periodic signal using electromagnetic waves or sound to drive a specific application of a nearby mobile communication terminal and provide desired content. Beacon-based A content providing service is being used.

At this time, the services provided by service providers are currently provided through the wired and wireless Internet, such as simple service promotion page service, discount coupon download service at a low price, payment service for goods purchased at a store, and application download service such as game for users. It can provide services in various fields such as public relations, finance, payment, and games.

In addition, recently, a beacon device is attached to an infant or pet, and the signal strength transmitted from the attached beacon device is detected and services are provided that generate a warning sound when it is analyzed that the user's terminal device is separated from the user's terminal device by a certain distance or more. It is becoming.

However, these services make it difficult to locate the lost object because the location of the lost object cannot be identified when the lost object and the user's terminal device are far enough that the beacon signal of the beacon device attached to the lost object cannot reach them. there was.

In addition, when the terminal device receives a plurality of beacon signals providing different services, the beacon service corresponding to the beacon signal having the highest signal strength is preferentially provided, so that the lost target is an infant or pet in an emergency situation. However, there was a problem of not sufficiently reflecting this situation even though information on the lost object should be exposed first.

Korea Patent Registration No. 10-1489863 (Title: Beacon terminal and monitoring system using it, Publication date 2015.02.05)

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention utilizes the location information of the second user terminal device that has received the beacon signal of the location inquiry target, so that the beacon service server sends the location information of the location inquiry target to the first user terminal device requesting the location inquiry. It is intended to provide a location inquiry service method that provides accurate location information of a location inquiry object to a user who has lost the location inquiry object by transmitting the.

In particular, when the lost object is an infant or pet, that is, in an emergency situation where the lost object needs to be found as quickly as possible, by providing this location inquiry service to the user terminal device in preference to other beacon services corresponding to other beacon signals, It is intended to provide a fast and effective location inquiry service method.

However, the object of the present invention is not limited to the above object, and other objects not mentioned will be clearly understood from the description below.

The beacon service server of the present invention for achieving the above object stores a communication module for transmitting and receiving data with at least one user terminal device in conjunction with a communication network, and priority setting information of a beacon service to be provided to the user terminal device. When a request for transmission of location information of a location inquiry target beacon is received from a storage module and a first user terminal device and the beacon information of the location inquiry target beacon and the location information of the second user terminal device are received from at least one second user terminal device , Based on the location information of the second user terminal device, the location of the beacon subject to location inquiry is calculated, and the calculated location information is given priority over a beacon service corresponding to other beacon information received from the first user terminal device. It may include a control module for controlling transmission to one user terminal device.

At this time, the control module receives the beacon signal of the installation beacon within a certain time from the time when the second user terminal device receives the beacon signal of the location inquiry subject beacon and transmits the beacon information of the installation beacon to the beacon service server. In this case, the position of the beacon subject to location inquiry can be calculated based on the location information of the second user terminal device and the location information of the installation beacon, and the installation beacon is a fixed installation beacon installed in a fixed facility and a mobile means It is classified as an installed mobile installation beacon, and the storage module may store location information of the fixed installation beacon, and at this time, the control module receives both the beacon information of the fixed installation beacon and the mobile installation beacon. , The position of the beacon subject to location inquiry can be calculated by adding a weight to the location information of the fixed installation beacon.

Meanwhile, the storage module stores information of a location inquiry target that matches the location inquiry target beacon, and the control module moves the location inquiry target to the second user terminal device located within a predetermined radius from the location inquiry target information. Information may be controlled to be transmitted, and the location inquiry subject information may be controlled to be transmitted to the second user terminal device prior to a beacon service corresponding to other beacon information received from the second user terminal device.

In addition, the storage module stores location information of the second user terminal device that transmitted the beacon information, and the control module stores at least one of the stored location information of the second user terminal device and time information at which the location information was received. It is possible to estimate at least one of the location and movement path of the location inquiry target beacon using

In order to achieve the above object, the location inquiry service method of the present invention includes the steps of receiving, by a beacon service server, a request for transmission of location information of a beacon subject to location inquiry from a first user terminal device, from at least one second user terminal device. Receiving beacon information of the location inquiry target beacon and location information of the second user terminal device, calculating the location of the location inquiry target beacon based on the location information, and the calculated location of the location inquiry target beacon. The method may include transmitting information to the first user terminal device prior to a beacon service corresponding to other beacon information received from the first user terminal device.

At this time, receiving the beacon information of the installation beacon from the second user terminal device and receiving the beacon signal of the installation beacon within a certain time from the time when the second user terminal device receives the beacon signal of the location inquiry target beacon If it is determined that the location information of the second user terminal device and the location information of the installation beacon, the step of calculating the location of the beacon subject to location inquiry may be further included, and the second user terminal device transmits One beacon information includes time information at which the second user terminal device received a beacon signal corresponding to the beacon information, and the calculating step receives a beacon signal of an installation beacon within a certain time based on the included time information. can determine if it has been done.

In addition, the installation beacon is divided into a fixed installation beacon installed in a fixed facility and a mobile installation beacon installed in a moving means. It can be characterized by calculating.

On the other hand, the step of preferentially transmitting a beacon service corresponding to other beacon information received from the second user terminal device to the second user terminal device located within a predetermined radius from the location inquiry target information, The method may further include estimating at least one of a location and a movement path of a location inquiry target beacon by utilizing at least one of pre-stored location information of the second user terminal device and time information at which the location information was received.

In addition, the location inquiry service method may be provided as a computer readable recording medium on which a program for executing the same is recorded, or may be provided as a computer program implemented to execute the same and stored in a computer readable recording medium.

According to the present invention, even if the location inquiry target and the first user terminal device searching for the location inquiry target are far apart, the second user terminal device near the location inquiry target receives the beacon signal of the location inquiry target beacon and the beacon of the beacon. Information and the location information of the second user terminal device are transmitted to the beacon service server, and based on the information received by the beacon service server, the location information of the location search target is transmitted to the first user terminal device to effectively locate the lost object. can

In addition, the location information of the fixed installation beacon installed in buildings or various facilities and the mobile installation beacon installed in a moving means such as a bus can be collected together to determine the location of the lost object with high accuracy.

On the other hand, when the lost object needs to quickly find the lost object, such as an infant or pet, that is, in an emergency, by providing the location information service according to the present invention in preference to other services corresponding to other beacon signals, and effective positioning of the lost object is possible.

In addition, various effects other than the above effects may be disclosed directly or implicitly in detailed descriptions according to embodiments of the present invention to be described later.

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a system for providing a location inquiry service according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a user terminal device according to the present invention.
3 is a flowchart illustrating an operating method of a first user terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a second user terminal device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a beacon service server according to the present invention.
6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a beacon service server according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a diagram of a priority table in which priority setting information is recorded according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is an exemplary view for explaining an embodiment of estimating the location of a location inquiry target using a fixed installation beacon and a mobile installation beacon according to the present invention.
9A to 9B are exemplary diagrams for explaining examples of location inquiry target information provided to a second user terminal device.
10 is an exemplary diagram for explaining a method of estimating a moving path of a location inquiry target beacon according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a diagram illustrating an operating environment in a service system for providing location information according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In order to clarify the characteristics and advantages of the problem solving means of the present invention, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to specific embodiments of the present invention shown in the accompanying drawings.

However, detailed descriptions of well-known functions or configurations that may obscure the gist of the present invention will be omitted in the following description and accompanying drawings. In addition, it should be noted that the same components are indicated by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings as much as possible.

The terms or words used in the following description and drawings should not be construed as being limited to a common or dictionary meaning, and the inventor may appropriately define the concept of terms for explaining his/her invention in the best way. It should be interpreted as a meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that there is. Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only one of the most preferred embodiments of the present invention, and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention. It should be understood that there may be equivalents and variations.

In addition, terms including ordinal numbers, such as first and second, are used to describe various components, and are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from other components, and to limit the components. Not used. For example, a second element may be termed a first element, and similarly, a first element may be termed a second element, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In addition, terms used in this specification are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In addition, terms such as "include" or "having" described in this specification are intended to designate that there is a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but one or the other It should be understood that the above does not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

In addition, terms such as “unit”, “unit”, and “module” described in the specification refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and may be implemented as hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software. Also, "a or an", "one", "the" and similar related words in the context of describing the invention (particularly in the context of the claims below) Unless indicated or otherwise clearly contradicted by context, both the singular and the plural can be used.

In addition to the above-mentioned terms, specific terms used in the following description are provided to aid understanding of the present invention, and the use of these specific terms may be changed in other forms without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention.

In addition, embodiments within the scope of the present invention include computer-readable media having or conveying computer-executable instructions or data structures stored thereon. Such computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer system. By way of example, such computer readable media may be in the form of RAM, ROM, EPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage, or computer executable instructions, computer readable instructions or data structures. physical storage media such as, but not limited to, any other medium that can be used to store or convey any program code means in a computer system and which can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer system. .

In addition, the present invention relates to personal computers, laptop computers, handheld devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, mobile phones, PDAs, pagers It can be implemented in a network computing environment having various types of computer system configurations including (pager) and the like. The invention may also be practiced in distributed system environments where tasks are performed by both local and remote computer systems linked by wired data links, wireless data links, or a combination of wired and wireless data links through a network. In a distributed system environment, program modules may be located in local and remote memory storage devices.

In addition, a location inquiry service using a beacon technology according to the present invention will be described based on a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) type data communication technology.

While NFC is usable only within a limited range of several tens of cm, the Bluetooth method can operate within a range of several tens of meters, and thus its utilization field is being applied much wider. In particular, in the Bluetooth method, data can be transmitted just by passing by the place where the beacon device is installed, without the need to tag the reader by bringing it close to the reader like NFC, and can read detailed location movement and deliver customized data even within a building.

However, in the present invention, the location inquiry service is not necessarily limited to BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) or Bluetooth, and Zigbee, UWB (Ultra-WideBand), ANT, Wi-fi, etc., PAN (Personal Area Network) method A variety of short-distance communication technologies are applicable.

Now, a device for location inquiry in a location inquiry service system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First, the structure of a location inquiry service system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be briefly described.

1 is a diagram for schematically explaining the structure of a location inquiry service system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the location inquiry service system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a location inquiry target beacon 200, user terminal devices 300a and 300b, a beacon service server 400, and an installed beacon 500. can be configured.

Meanwhile, the user terminal devices 300a and 300b receive beacon signals from the first user terminal device 300a requesting the location inquiry target beacon, the location inquiry target beacon 200, and the installation beacon 500, and receive the corresponding beacon signals. The second user terminal device 300b that transmits beacon information and its own location information to the beacon service server 400 will be described separately.

In addition, the user terminal devices 300a and 300b transmit and receive data with the location inquiry target beacon 200 and the installation beacon 500 through a BLE communication method, but as described above, it is not limited thereto, and various short-range communication of the PAN method Any technology can be applied.

Also, the user terminal devices 300a and 300b and the beacon service server 400 are linked through the communication network 100 .

Then, with reference to FIG. 1, each component will be schematically described.

First, the communication network 100 serves to transmit data for data transmission and reception between the user terminal devices 300a and 300b and the beacon service server 400, and depending on the system implementation method, Ethernet, xDSL (ADSL, VDSL) ), HFC (Hybrid Fiber Coaxial Cable), FTTC (Fiber to The Curb), FTTH (Fiber To The Home), etc. may be used, or WLAN (Wireless LAN), Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi), WiBro ( Wibro), Wimax, High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A).

In addition, such a communication network 100 includes, for example, a plurality of access networks (not shown) and a core network (not shown), and may include an external network, for example, an Internet network (not shown). Here, the access network (not shown) is an access network that performs wired and wireless communication with the user terminal devices 300a and 300b, for example, a plurality of base stations such as BS (Base Station), BTS (Base Transceiver Station), NodeB, eNodeB, etc. and a base station controller such as a base station controller (BSC) and a radio network controller (RNC). In addition, as described above, the digital signal processing unit and the radio signal processing unit integrally implemented in the base station are divided into digital units (hereinafter referred to as DUs) and radio units (hereinafter referred to as RUs), A plurality of RUs (not shown) may be installed in a plurality of areas, and the plurality of RUs (not shown) may be connected to a centralized DU (not shown).

In addition, a core network (not shown) constituting a mobile network together with an access network (not shown) serves to connect an access network (not shown) and an external network, for example, an Internet network (not shown).

As described above, the core network (not shown) is a network system that performs major functions for mobile communication services such as mobility control and switching between access networks (not shown), and is a network system that performs circuit switching or packet switching. switching) and manages and controls the packet flow within the mobile network. In addition, the core network (not shown) manages inter-frequency mobility and plays a role for interworking with traffic in an access network (not shown) and a core network (not shown) and other networks, for example, an Internet network (not shown). may be This core network (not shown) further includes Serving GateWay (SGW), PDN GateWay (PGW), Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Home Location Register (HLR), Mobile Mobility Entity (MME), and Home Subscriber Server (HSS). It may be configured to include.

In addition, the Internet network (not shown) refers to a common open communication network in which information is exchanged according to the TCP/IP protocol, that is, a public network, and is connected to the user terminal devices 300a and 300b, and the user terminal device 300a , 300b) may be provided to the beacon service server 400 via a core network (not shown) and an access network (not shown), and conversely, the information provided to the beacon service server 400 may be provided to the core network (not shown). City) and an access network (not shown) may be provided to the user terminal devices 300a and 300b. However, it is not limited thereto, and the beacon service server 400 may be integrally implemented with a core network (not shown).

In addition, in addition to the above-described communication methods, all types of communication methods that are widely known or will be developed in the future may be included.

The location inquiry target beacon 200 and the installation beacon 500 refer to a device that periodically transmits a beacon signal for a normal beacon service. At this time, the beacon signal may include beacon identification information such as identification information or location information assigned to the location inquiry target beacon 200 or the installation beacon 500, and such beacon identification information is the user terminal device 300a, 300b ) becomes the criterion for receiving the beacon service.

The user terminal devices 300a and 300b of the present invention refer to user devices capable of transmitting and receiving various types of data via the communication network 100 according to user manipulation. These user terminal devices (300a, 300b) can perform voice or data communication through the communication network 100, can transmit and receive information through the beacon service server 400 and the communication network 100, and beacons subject to location inquiry. Information may be received from beacon devices such as 200 and the installed beacon 500 through beacon-based communication. For this purpose, the user terminal devices 300a and 300b of the present invention may include a memory for storing programs and protocols for transmitting and receiving and processing beacon signals, and a microprocessor for calculating and controlling various programs by executing them.

These user terminal devices 300a and 300b preferentially access an app providing device (not shown) connected to the communication network 100, for example, an app store, and receive a beacon signal from the corresponding app store to receive content corresponding to the beacon signal. You can receive and install a beacon service app that shows The user terminal device (300a, 300b) executes such a beacon service app, extracts beacon identification information from the beacon signal, transmits it to the beacon service server 400, and identifies the corresponding beacon from the beacon service server 400. Content mapped to information (eg, information of a corresponding location inquiry target, etc.) may be received and provided to the user.

At this time, according to an embodiment of the present invention, if the beacon signal of the location inquiry target beacon 200 is not received, the first user terminal device 300a is separated from the location inquiry target beacon 200 by a predetermined distance or more. If not, the beacon service server 400 may be requested to inquire about the location of the beacon 200 subject to location inquiry.

In addition, the second user terminal device 300b receives the beacon signal of the location inquiry target beacon 200 and transmits the beacon information corresponding to the received beacon signal and the location information of the second user terminal device 300b to the beacon service server ( 400).

On the other hand, the second user terminal device 300b may receive a beacon signal of the installation beacon 500 in addition to the location inquiry target beacon 200 and transmit beacon information corresponding thereto to the beacon service server 400, at this time , The installation beacon 500 can be divided into a fixed installation beacon installed in a building or a fixed installation (eg, a statue, a street lamp, etc.) and a mobile installation beacon installed in a mobile means such as a bus or taxi.

In addition, the second user terminal device 300b includes reception time information recording the time at which the second user terminal device 300b received the beacon signal in the beacon information transmitted to the beacon service server 400, and the time information is Included beacon information may be transmitted to the beacon service server 400 .

In addition, there may be a plurality of second user terminal devices 300b, that is, any terminal device within a distance capable of receiving the beacon signal of the location inquiry target beacon 200 may be the second user terminal device 300b. ), and the plurality of second user terminal devices 300b transmits the beacon information and the location information of the second user terminal device 300b to the beacon service server 400, so that the location inquiry target beacon 200 location can be inferred more precisely.

In addition, when it is determined that the second user terminal device 300b is in the vicinity of the location inquiry target beacon 200, that is, the location inquiry target beacon 200 within a preset radius from the second user terminal device 300b When determined to be located, the second user terminal device 300b may receive location inquiry target information matching the location inquiry target beacon 200 from the beacon service server 400, and through this, locate the location inquiry target. can be found more effectively.

Here, the location inquiry target information may be a profile such as the type, appearance, and characteristics of the location inquiry target, and if the location inquiry target information is a person or a pet, age or physical characteristics may be included.

In addition, a photo or image information may be additionally included, and any information other than the above-described type may be included in the location inquiry target information as long as it is characteristic information capable of distinguishing the location inquiry target from other objects.

The user terminal devices 300a and 300b of the present invention may be implemented in various forms. For example, the user terminal devices 300a and 300b described in this specification are smart phones, tablet PCs, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable multimedia players (PMPs), MP3 players, and the like. In addition to mobile terminals, fixed terminals such as smart TVs and desktop computers may be used.

In addition, the user terminal devices 300a and 300b of the present invention have very diverse variations of portable devices according to the convergence trend of digital devices, so it is impossible to enumerate all of them, but a unit of the same level as the above-mentioned units It can be used as the user terminal devices 300a and 300b according to the present invention, and any device can download and install the beacon service app according to the present invention, any device can be used as the user terminal device 300a, 300b) can be used.

The beacon service server 400 may manage a plurality of beacon devices, receive a service request from the user terminal devices 300a and 300b, and provide information corresponding to the service.

In particular, in the present invention, when the beacon service server 400 receives a location inquiry request of the location inquiry target beacon 200 from the first user terminal device 300a, the beacon signal of the location inquiry target beacon 200 is received. Beacon information of the location inquiry target beacon 200 and location information of the second user terminal device 300b are received from the second user terminal device 300b.

Upon receiving the above information, the beacon service server 400 calculates the location of the beacon subject to location inquiry based on the location information of the second user terminal device 300b and transfers the calculated location information to the first user terminal device 300a. send to

At this time, the beacon service server 400 stores priority setting information for the beacon service app that is basically set when the service app is installed or set according to a user's input, such priority setting information is the beacon service according to the present invention. may be set to provide priority over beacon services corresponding to other beacon signals, and therefore, even if the signal strength of the location inquiry service request signal or the location inquiry target beacon signal is weaker than other signals, other beacon signals may be provided. Prior to the beacon service, the location inquiry service according to the present invention can be provided.

In the conventional service providing method, when a location inquiry target is a person or a pet, that is, even in an emergency, if there is a beacon signal with a higher signal strength than a beacon signal corresponding to the corresponding service, the beacon signal has a higher beacon signal strength. Although the beacon service corresponding to the signal is provided first, through such priority setting, in the case of urgency, the corresponding service can be provided with priority over other beacon services.

In addition, this priority setting can be designated in stages, and thus, the location inquiry service according to the present invention can be designated as the first priority, the second priority, and the like, and the service can be provided according to the corresponding priority.

For example, when the location inquiry service is set as the first priority, content corresponding to the location inquiry service can be displayed on the front of the screen of the user terminal devices 300a and 300b, and when the location inquiry service is set as the second priority, the user terminal It can be exposed as an icon on the upper part of the screen of the device (300a, 300b).

In other words, the user can adjust the order in which services are exposed to the user terminal devices 300a and 300b and the UI according to the set priorities.

In addition, the beacon service server 400 may receive beacon information corresponding to the beacon signal of the installation beacon 500 from the second user terminal device 300b. At this time, the second user terminal device 300b is located When it is determined that the beacon signal of the installation beacon 500 is received within a certain time from the time the beacon signal of the inquiry target beacon 200 is received, the location information of the installation beacon 500 and the second user terminal device 300b It is possible to calculate the location of the location inquiry target beacon 200 based on the location information of, through this, it is possible to calculate the location of the location inquiry target beacon 200 more accurately.

On the other hand, the installation beacon 500 can be divided into a mobile installation beacon and a fixed installation beacon. The beacon service server 400 may have pre-stored location information of the fixed installation beacon, and the mobile installation beacon and the second installation beacon. The location information of the user terminal device 300b can be grasped through location sensor information such as GPS.

Therefore, since an error may occur in the position sensor information such as GPS depending on the surrounding environment such as the communication environment, the position of the position inquiry target beacon 200 can be calculated by adding a weight to the position information of the fixed installation beacon stored in advance. , The calculated location information may be provided to the first user terminal device 300a.

In addition, the beacon service server 400 periodically or non-periodically receives location information of the location inquiry target beacon 200 and the installation beacon 500 from the second user terminal device 300b. If the location information is not received properly for a reason, there may be a case where the location of the location inquiry target beacon 200 cannot be calculated, and it may be necessary to identify and predict the movement path in order to track the location inquiry target beacon 200. , In preparation for this case, the beacon service server 400 utilizes at least one of the location information of the second user terminal device 300b that transmitted the beacon information and the time information at which the location information was received to locate the beacon ( 200) can be predicted.

Here, the time information records the time at which the second user terminal device 300b receives the beacon signal and transmits the beacon information including the recorded time to the beacon service server 400, and the beacon service server 400 The time at which the second user terminal device 300b receives the beacon signal may be identified through the time information included in the beacon information.

However, the time information may be grasped in a different method other than the above method. For example, the second user terminal device based on the time at which the beacon service server 400 receives the beacon information from the second user terminal device 300b. (300b) infers the time at which the beacon signal is received, predicts a moving path based on this, or determines whether the beacon signal of the installation beacon 500 and the beacon signal of the location inquiry target beacon 200 are received within a certain time there is.

In addition, the beacon service server 400 may store information about a location inquiry target matched to the location inquiry target beacon 200, and a location inquiry target beacon within a preset radius from the second user terminal device 300b ( 200) may be located, location inquiry target information may be transmitted to the second user terminal device 300b.

At this time, the location inquiry target information can be a lost object, missing person, or characteristic information of a pet that can be distinguished from other information, and such information includes photos, videos, names, ages, species (or gender), Other features may be included.

In addition, the beacon service server 400 prioritizes the location inquiry subject information to a beacon service corresponding to other beacon information received by the second user terminal device 300b based on the stored priority setting information, and transmits the location inquiry subject information to the second user terminal device 300b. (300b).

Through this, it is possible to assist in quickly finding a missing person or pet by first exposing information on a location inquiry target to the second user terminal device 300b.

The beacon service server 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention has the same configuration as a conventional web server or network server in terms of hardware. However, software includes program modules implemented through languages such as C, C++, Java, Visual Basic, and Visual C.

Meanwhile, the memory mounted in each device of the present invention stores information within the device. In one implementation, the memory is a computer readable medium. In one implementation, the memory may be a volatile memory unit, and in another implementation, the memory may be a non-volatile memory unit. In one implementation, the storage device is a computer readable medium. In various different implementations, the storage device may include, for example, a hard disk device, an optical disk device, or some other mass storage device.

In addition, the term '~ module' used in the embodiments of the present invention means a software component, and '~ module' performs certain roles. As an example, '~ module' includes components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, processes, functions, properties, procedures, sub It includes routines, segments of program code, drivers, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. In addition, the functions provided within the components and '~modules' may be combined into a smaller number of components and '~modules' or further separated into additional components and '~modules'.

Although this specification and figures describe exemplary device configurations, implementations of the subject matter and functional operations described herein may be implemented in other types of digital electronic circuitry, or may be implemented in other types of digital electronic circuitry, or may include the structures disclosed herein and their structural equivalents. It may be implemented as computer software, firmware, or hardware, or a combination of one or more of them. Implementations of the subject matter described herein relate to one or more computer program products, that is to say computer program instructions encoded on a tangible program storage medium for execution by or for controlling the operation of an apparatus according to the present invention. It can be implemented as more than one module. A computer readable medium may be a machine readable storage device, a machine readable storage substrate, a memory device, a composition of matter that affects a machine readable propagating signal, or a combination of one or more of these.

Above, the structure of the location inquiry service system according to the embodiment of the present invention has been schematically described.

Hereinafter, among the configuration of the system, the configuration and operating method of the user terminal devices 300a and 300b according to the present invention will be described.

2 is a block diagram showing the main components of the user terminal devices 300a and 300b, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are flowcharts for explaining the operation method of the user terminal devices 300a and 300b according to the present invention.

First, referring to FIG. 2, user terminal devices 300a and 300b according to the present invention include an input module 310, an output module 330, a communication module 350, a storage module 370, and a control module 390. can be configured.

The input module 310 receives various information such as numbers and text information, and transfers input signals related to setting various functions and controlling functions of the user terminal devices 300a and 300b to the control module 390. Also, the input module 310 may include at least one of a keypad and a touchpad that generate an input signal according to a user's touch or manipulation. At this time, the input module 310 is configured in the form of a single touch panel (or touch screen) together with the output module 330 to simultaneously perform input and display functions. In addition, the input module 310 may use any type of input means that may be developed in the future, in addition to input devices such as a keyboard, keypad, mouse, joystick, and the like. In particular, the input module 310 according to the present invention detects input information input from a user and transfers it to the control module 390 .

In particular, in the present invention, the first user terminal device 300a may input a signal requesting location inquiry of the location inquiry target beacon 200 through the input module 310 .

The output module 330 displays information about a series of operation states and operation results generated during the function execution of the user terminal devices 300a and 300b. Also, the output module 330 may display menus of the user terminal devices 300a and 300b and user data input by the user. Here, the output module 390 is a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor LCD (TFT-LCD), a light emitting diode (LED), an organic light emitting diode (OLED, Organic LED), active matrix OLED (AMOLED), Retina Display, flexible display, and 3D display. At this time, when the output module 330 is configured in the form of a touch screen, the output module 330 may perform some or all of the functions of the input module 310 .

In particular, in the present invention, location information of a location inquiry target or information related to a location inquiry target can be exposed to the user through the output module 330 in the user terminal devices 300a and 300b.

The communication module 350 is for transmitting and receiving data with the beacon service server 400 through the communication network 100 .

In addition, the communication module 350 includes an RF transmitting unit for up-converting and amplifying the frequency of a transmitted signal, an RF receiving unit for low-noise amplifying a received signal and down-converting the frequency, and a communication protocol according to a specific communication method. data processing means; and the like. The communication module 350 may include at least one of a wireless communication module (not shown) and a wired communication module (not shown). Further, the wireless communication module is a component for transmitting and receiving data according to a wireless communication method, and when the user terminal devices 300a and 300b use wireless communication, any one of a wireless network communication module, a wireless LAN communication module, and a wireless fan communication module Data can be transmitted and received with the beacon service server 400 using one.

Here, the communication module 350 includes a first communication module 351 and a second communication module 353 .

The first communication module 351 receives signals transmitted from the location inquiry target beacon 200 and the installation beacon 500 . As described above, the first communication module 351 performs communication of a personal area network (PAN) method including Bluetooth.

The second communication module 353 communicates with the beacon service server 400 through the communication network 100 . As described above, the second communication module 353 uses wireless communication methods such as WLAN (Wireless LAN), Wi-Fi, Wibro, Wimax, and HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access). use

The storage module 370 is a device for storing data, includes a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device, and stores application programs required for the functional operation of the user terminal devices 300a and 300b. This storage module 370 may largely include a program area and a data area. Here, when the user terminal devices 300a and 300b activate each function in response to a user's request, the corresponding application programs are executed under the control of the control module 390 to provide each function.

In particular, the storage module 370 according to the present invention may store an operating system for booting the user terminal devices 300a and 300b, various application programs, and user information matched to the user terminal devices 300a and 300b.

In addition, a beacon service app 371 for providing a beacon service according to the present invention may be stored.

The control module 390 may be a process device that drives an operating system (OS) and each component.

Therefore, the control module 390 of the user terminal devices 300a and 300b controls the signal received through the input module 310 to be transmitted to the beacon service server 400 through the communication module 350, and the communication module ( 350) to expose the beacon signal received through the beacon service server 400 and receive information through the output module 330, and to control such information or data to be stored in the storage module 370. can

Referring to FIG. 3, looking at the operation process of the first user terminal device 300a, the first user terminal device 300a transmits a request for inquiring the location of a location inquiry target to the beacon service server 400. (S101). Here, if the location inquiry target beacon 200 is within a certain range of the first user terminal device 300a, and the location signal of the location inquiry target beacon 200 can be directly received by the first user terminal device 300a, The location of the beacon 200 subject to location inquiry can be determined through the directly received beacon information.

However, when the beacon signal of the location inquiry target beacon 200 is so far away that the first user terminal device 300a cannot directly receive it, the first user terminal device 300a is the second user terminal device 300b Based on the information transmitted to the beacon service server 400, the location information of the beacon 200 subject to location inquiry calculated by the beacon service server 400 may be received from the beacon service server 400 (S103 to S105).

In addition, the first user terminal device 300a receiving the location information may expose the location information to the user through the output module 330 (S107).

Looking at the operation process of the second user terminal device 300b with reference to FIG. 4, a beacon signal is received from the location inquiry target beacon 200 (S201). At this time, a beacon signal of the installation beacon may be received from the installation beacon 500 .

Upon receiving the signal, the second user terminal device 300b transmits beacon information and location information of the second user terminal device 300b to the beacon service server 400 (S203).

And, based on the transmitted information, when the beacon service server 400 determines the location of the location inquiry target and determines that the location inquiry target beacon 200 is located within a certain radius from the second user terminal device 300b, Information related to a location inquiry object to be transmitted is received from the beacon service server 400 (S025), and this may be exposed through the output module 330.

At this time, the information related to the location inquiry object exposed to the output module 330 may include characteristics of the location inquiry object that can be distinguished from other objects, and the above information includes name, gender, age, photo, image information, etc. this may be included.

Also, in an embodiment according to the present invention, the number of second user terminal devices 300b may be plural. That is, there may be several second user terminal devices 300b that have received a beacon signal from one location inquiry target beacon 200, and accordingly, a plurality of second user terminal devices 300b is provided to the beacon service server 400. may transmit the same beacon information and their own location information to the beacon service server 400.

In the above, the configuration and operating method of the user terminal devices 300a and 300b according to the present invention have been described.

Hereinafter, the configuration and operating method of the beacon service server 400 according to the present invention will be described.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing the main configuration of the beacon service server 400 according to the present invention, Figure 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation process of the beacon service server 400, Figure 7 is a diagram according to an embodiment of the present invention It is an exemplary view of a format in which priority setting information is stored.

Referring to FIG. 5 , a beacon service server 400 according to the present invention may include a communication module 410, a storage module 430, and a control module 450.

The communication module 410 is for communication with the user terminal devices 300a and 300b, and the communication network for the communication module 410 to perform its function is WLAN (Wireless LAN), Wi-Fi, Wibro ), Wimax, HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access), etc. is preferably used, but is not limited thereto, and depending on the system implementation method, Ethernet, xDSL (ADSL, VDSL), HFC (Hybrid Fiber Coaxial Cable), FTTC (Fiber to The Curb), FTTH (Fiber To The Home), etc. may be used.

In particular, in the present invention, the communication module 410 transmits the location information transmission request of the location inquiry target beacon from the first user terminal device 300a and the location inquiry target beacon 200 from at least one second user terminal device 300b. ), the beacon information of the installation beacon 500, and the location information of the second user terminal device 300b are received, and the location information of the calculated location inquiry target beacon 200 is converted to the first user terminal device 300a. ), and information related to a location inquiry object may be transmitted to the second user terminal device 300b.

The storage module 430 is a device for storing data, includes a main storage device and an auxiliary storage device, and stores application programs necessary for the functional operation of the beacon service server 400 . This storage module 430 may largely include a program area and a data area. Here, when the beacon service server 400 activates each function in response to a user's request, the corresponding application programs are executed under the control of the control module 390 to provide each function.

In particular, in the present invention, the storage module 430 may store priority information 431, installation beacon location information 433, and location inquiry target information 435.

The priority information 431 means priority setting information of a beacon service to be provided to the user terminal devices 300a and 300b according to a user's setting or a service provider's setting. According to the priority information 431, the beacon service server may provide information to the user terminal devices 300a and 300b prior to a beacon service corresponding to other beacon information.

The installation beacon location information 433 means information indicating the location of the installation beacon 500 . The installation beacon 500 is divided into a mobile installation beacon installed on a moving object such as a bus or subway and a fixed installation beacon whose location does not change. Since the position value of the fixed installation beacon does not change, the location of the fixed installation beacon By storing the information in advance, it is possible to solve a problem caused by an error in location information obtained through a location sensor such as GPS information. When the mobile installation beacon is installed on a mobile body capable of location inquiry, such as a bus or a subway, its location can be determined through the location inquiry of the mobile body.

The location inquiry target information 435 refers to information related to a location inquiry target to be transmitted to the second user terminal device 300b within a predetermined radius from the location inquiry target beacon 200 . At this time, the location inquiry target information 435 may include a characteristic part of the location inquiry target that can be distinguished from other objects, and may include information such as a photo, video, name, age, gender, and other characteristics.

Also, the storage module 450 may store location information of the second user terminal device 300b that has transmitted the beacon information.

The control module 450 calculates the location of the location inquiry target beacon 200 based on the location information of the second user terminal device received through the communication module 410 and converts the calculated location information to the location inquiry target beacon ( 200) to transmit the location information to the first user terminal device 300a that has requested transmission. At this time, with reference to the priority information 431 stored in the storage module 430, the location information is given to the first user terminal in preference to a beacon service corresponding to other beacon information received from the first user terminal device 300a. It can be transmitted to the device 300a.

In addition, when the beacon information of the location inquiry target beacon 200 and the beacon information of the installation beacon 500 are received together from the second user terminal device 300b, the second user terminal device 300b is the location inquiry target beacon ( 200), it is determined whether the beacon signal of the installation beacon 500 is received within a certain time from the time of receiving the beacon signal, and if the beacon signal of the installation beacon 500 is received within a certain time, the second user terminal device 300b And based on the location information of the installation beacon 500, it is possible to calculate the location of the location inquiry target beacon 200.

At this time, the method of determining whether the beacon signal of the installation beacon 500 is received within a certain time is the time at which the beacon service server 400 receives the beacon information of the installation beacon 500 and the beacon of the location inquiry target beacon 200 It can be inferred through the time at which the information is received, and when the second user terminal device 300b transmits the beacon information to the beacon service server 400, the time information at which the beacon signal corresponding to the corresponding beacon information is received is called beacon information. It may be included in and transmitted to the beacon service server 400 to infer based on this.

In addition, the installation beacon 500 is divided into a mobile installation beacon and a fixed installation beacon, and the fixed installation beacon has a low error rate of location information because the location can be determined using the previously stored installation beacon location information 433. , It is possible to obtain the location of the location inquiry target beacon 200 with a small error rate by calculating the location of the location inquiry target beacon 200 by adding a weight to the location information of the fixed installation beacon.

In addition, the location information calculated by the above method may be stored in the storage module 450, and the current location inquiry target beacon 200 location and It is possible to estimate the movement path and the like.

On the other hand, based on the location information calculated in this way, the location inquiry target information 435 may be transmitted to the second user terminal device 300b located within a predetermined radius from the location inquiry target beacon 200, even at this time, priority information ( 431), it is possible to control transmission of the location inquiry subject information to the second user terminal device 300b prior to a beacon service corresponding to other beacon information received from the second user terminal device 300b.

Referring to the operation process of the beacon service server 400 with reference to FIG. 6, the beacon service server 400 receives a location inquiry request from the first user terminal device 300a (S301).

Then, the beacon information of the location inquiry target beacon 200 and the installation beacon 500 and the location information of the second user terminal device 300b are received from the second user terminal device 300b (S303), and the received information Based on this, the location of the location inquiry target beacon 200 is calculated (S305).

At this time, when it is determined that the second user terminal device 300b receives the beacon signal of the installation beacon 500 within a certain time from the time when the beacon signal of the location inquiry target beacon 200 is received, the second user Based on the location information of the terminal device 300b and the location information of the installation beacon 500, the location of the location inquiry target beacon 200 can be calculated. At this time, by adding a weight to the location information of the fixed installation beacon By calculating the position, the error rate can also be reduced. If it is determined that the beacon 200 is not received within a predetermined time, the location of the beacon 200 subject to location inquiry may be calculated based only on the location information of the second user terminal device 300b.

In addition, even if it is not received within a certain time, beacon information including the location information calculated as above and time information about the time when the second user terminal device 300b receives the beacon signal (here, the beacon information is a beacon to be searched for a location) The beacon information of (200) and the beacon information of the installed beacon 500 installed on the mobile or fixed body) are stored in the beacon service server 400, using at least one of the stored location information and time information. The location or movement path of the location inquiry target beacon may be estimated.

The calculated location information is transmitted to the first user terminal device 300a that has requested a location inquiry (S307). At this time, the beacon service corresponding to other beacon information received from the first user terminal device 300a has priority. Accordingly, the location information may be transmitted to the first user terminal device 300a.

In addition, the beacon service server 400 may transmit the information related to the location inquiry target to the second user terminal device 300b located within a certain radius from the location inquiry target beacon 200, using preset priority information at this time as well. Accordingly, the location inquiry target-related information may be transmitted prior to a beacon service corresponding to other beacon information received from the second user terminal device 300b.

Referring to the priority information in detail with reference to FIG. 7, the beacon signal transmitted from the location inquiry target beacon 200 identifies the first identification information for identifying the corresponding beacon device and the beacon service corresponding to the corresponding beacon signal. If the first identification information starts with 'FINDMY~', it means that it is a beacon device for providing a location inquiry service according to the present invention, so it can be set as the first priority, , According to the number of the second identification information, '1111' can be set to second priority, '2222' to third priority, etc.

In addition, it is possible to adjust the order and UI to be exposed to the user terminal devices 300a and 300b according to the set priority. If the service screen is exposed and the priority is second, the service may be exposed as an icon or the like on the upper part of the screen of the user terminal devices 300a and 300b.

In addition, in the above embodiment, if the location inquiry target beacon 200 is an iBeacon, the first identification information may be UUID (Universal Unique Identifier) information, and the second identification information may be Major or Minor information, but is limited thereto. In addition to iBeacon, any beacon device commonly used on the market can be used as the location inquiry target beacon 200, and the location of the first and second identification information can be adjusted accordingly.

In the above, the configuration and operation method of the beacon service server 400 according to the present invention has been described.

Hereinafter, a location inquiry service method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

8 is an exemplary view of a location inquiry service providing method additionally utilizing the installation beacon 500 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 9A to 9B are location inquiry objects provided to the second user terminal device 300b. 10 is an exemplary diagram for explaining an embodiment of predicting a movement path of a location inquiry target.

Referring to FIG. 8, the first user terminal device 300a requests the beacon service server 400 to search the location of a location inquiry target, and the second user terminal device 300b sends a location inquiry target beacon 200, Receives beacon signals from congested installation beacons 500a and mobile installation beacons 500b, and transmits corresponding beacon information and location information of the second user terminal device 300b to the beacon service server 400.

The beacon service server 400 calculates the location of the beacon 200 subject to location inquiry based on the received information and transmits the calculated location information to the first user terminal device 300a that has requested the location inquiry.

At this time, when it is determined that the second user terminal device 300b receives the beacon signal of the installation beacon 500 within a certain time from the time when the beacon signal of the location inquiry target beacon 200 is received, the beacon service server ( 400) may calculate the location of the location inquiry target beacon 200 based on the location information of the installation beacon 500 and the location information of the second user terminal device 300b, otherwise, the second user terminal device The location can be calculated based on the location information of (300b).

In addition, when the location information of the location inquiry target beacon 200 is calculated including the location information of the installation beacon 500, a weight may be given to the location information of the fixed installation beacon 500a.

In addition, the beacon service server 400 transmits location inquiry target information to the second user terminal device 300b determined to be within a certain radius from the location inquiry target beacon 200 .

Looking at the corresponding information with reference to FIGS. 9A to 9B, when the beacon service server 400 transmits location inquiry target information to the second user terminal device 300b, as shown in 431 of FIG. 9A, the second user terminal device ( 300b) An alarm message indicating that there is a cloned target is exposed through the output module 330 of the second user terminal device 300b.

Accordingly, when the user clicks or touches the 'view information' button of 433, information about the lost object can be viewed as shown in 435 of FIG. 9B. In this case, the information of the lost object may be characteristic information sufficient to distinguish it from other objects, and may include name, gender, age, and other characteristics.

In addition, when the beacon service server 400 transmits location information and location inquiry target information to the first and second user terminal devices 300a and 300b, each user terminal device 300a and 300b receives the set priority information Prior to other beacon services corresponding to one other beacon signal, the location inquiry service of the present invention can be provided.

Referring to FIG. 10, looking at a method for predicting a moving path of a location inquiry target, the beacon service server 400 stores both location information and beacon information received from the second user terminal device 300b, and through this , the movement path can be predicted.

That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the first moving path can be predicted with the first calculated position (a) and the second calculated position (b), and the second moving path is calculated based on the second calculated position (b) and the third calculated position (c). Predictable.

In addition, the present invention may further use map information when predicting a moving path of a location inquiry target. That is, by mapping the calculated locations on a map, it is possible to more accurately predict a movement path between the calculated locations.

Through this method, the beacon service server 400 can be helpful in predicting the future movement path and location of the location inquiry target by predicting the movement path of the location inquiry target beacon 200 .

11 is a diagram illustrating an operating environment of an apparatus for providing a location inquiry method in a location inquiry service system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 11 and the discussion below are intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable computing environment in which the present invention may be implemented. Although not required, the invention may be described in terms of computer executable instructions, such as program modules being executed by a computer system. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Computer-executable instructions, associated data structures, and program modules represent examples of program code means for carrying out the inventive acts disclosed herein.

Referring to FIG. 11 , an exemplary computing system embodying the present invention couples a processing unit 11 , a system memory 12 , and various system components including the system memory 12 to the processing unit 11 . It includes a computing device of the type that includes a system bus (10).

Processing unit 11 may execute computer-executable instructions designed to implement features of the invention.

System bus 10 may be any of several types of bus structures including a local bus, a peripheral bus, and a memory bus or memory controller using any of a variety of bus architectures. The system memory 12 includes a read only memory (ROM) 12a and a random access memory (RAM) 12b. A basic input/output system (BIOS) 13a containing basic routines that help transfer information between components within a computing system, such as during startup, may be typically stored in ROM 12a.

The computing system may include storage means, for example a hard disk drive 15 that reads information from or writes information to a hard hard disk, reads information from or writes information to a magnetic disk. a magnetic disk drive 16 for recording, and an optical disk drive 17 for reading information from or writing information to an optical disk such as, for example, a CD-ROM or other optical media. . The hard disk drive 15, magnetic disk drive 16, and optical disk drive 17 are connected to the system by a hard disk drive interface 18, a magnetic disk drive-interface 19, and an optical drive interface 20, respectively. connected to the bus 10.

In addition, the computing system may further include an external memory 21 as a storage unit. The external memory 21 may be connected to the system bus 10 through an input/output interface 24 .

The drives described above and associated computer readable media read and written by the drives provide non-volatile storage of computer executable instructions, data structures, program modules and other data. The exemplary environment described herein exemplifies a hard disk 15, a magnetic disk 16, and an optical disk 17, but other than magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, DVDs, Bernoulli cartridges, and RAM. Other types of computer readable media for storing data may be used, including ROMs, ROMs, and the like.

comprising an operating system (13b), one or more application programs (13c), other program modules (13d), and one or more program modules including program data (13c), which are loaded and executed by the processing unit (11). The program code means may be stored in the hard disk 15, magnetic disk 16, optical disk 17, ROM 12a or RAM 12b.

In addition, the computing system may receive commands and information from the user through other input devices 22 such as a keyboard, a pointing device, a microphone, a joy stick, a game pad, a scanner, and the like. These input devices 22 may be connected to the processing unit 11 through an input/output interface 24 connected to the system bus 10 . The input/output interface 24 is a very common interface such as, for example, a serial port interface, a PS/2 interface, a parallel port interface, a USB interface, an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 interface (i.e., a FireWire interface). Any of a variety of different interfaces can be logically represented, or even a combination of different interfaces can be logically represented.

In addition, the computing system to which the present invention is applied may further include a display device 26 such as a monitor or LCD or an audio device 27 such as a speaker or microphone, which is provided through a video/audio interface 25. It is connected to the system bus 10. Other peripheral output devices (not shown) such as, for example, speakers and printers may also be connected to the computer system. The video/audio interface unit 25 may include a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), a Graphics Device Interface (GDI), and the like.

Further, a computing system implementing the present invention is connectable to a network, such as, for example, an office-wide or enterprise-wide computer network, a home network, an intranet, and/or the Internet. The computer system may exchange data with external sources, such as, for example, remote computer systems, remote applications, and/or remote databases over such networks.

To this end, the computing system to which the present invention is applied includes a network interface 28 for receiving data from and/or transmitting data to external sources.

In the present invention, such a computing system may transmit and receive information to and from a device located in a remote location through a network interface 28 . For example, when the computing system refers to the user terminal devices 300a and 300b, information may be transmitted and received with the location inquiry target beacon 200 or installation beacon 500 through the network interface 28. On the other hand, when the computing system refers to the location inquiry target beacon 200 or the installation beacon 500, information can be transmitted and received with the user terminal devices 300a and 300b through the network interface 28. Network interface 28 may be represented by a logical combination of one or more software and/or hardware modules, such as, for example, a network interface card and a corresponding Network Driver Interface Specification (“NDIS”) stack.

Similarly, the computer system receives data from or transmits data to an external source via the input/output interface 24. I/O interface 24 may be connected to a modem 23 (eg, a standard modem, cable modem, or digital subscriber line ("DSL") modem) through which an external source may be connected. It may receive data from and/or transmit data to an external source.

11 shows an operating environment suitable for the present invention, the principles of the present invention may be employed in any system capable of implementing the principles of the present invention, with suitable modifications, if necessary. The environment depicted in FIG. 11 is illustrative only and does not represent even a small fraction of the wide variety of environments in which the principles of the present invention may be implemented.

In addition, various information generated during execution of a process for validating a beacon signal in the beacon service system of the present invention may be stored and accessed in any computer readable medium related to a computing system. For example, some of these program modules and some of the associated program data may be stored in system memory 12 by operating system 13b, application programs 13c, program modules 13d, and/or program data. (13e).

Additionally, when a mass storage device such as a hard disk is connected to the computing system, these program modules and related program data may be stored in the mass storage device. In a network environment, program modules or parts thereof related to the present invention may be stored in a remote computer system connected through the modem 23 or the network interface 25 of the input/output interface 24. Execution of these modules may be performed in a distributed environment as described above.

As set forth above, while this specification contains many specific implementation details, they should not be construed as limiting as to the scope of any invention or claimables, but rather as may be specific to a particular embodiment of a particular invention. It should be understood as a description of the features. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable subcombination. Further, while features may operate in particular combinations and are initially depicted as such claimed, one or more features from a claimed combination may in some cases be excluded from that combination, and the claimed combination is a subcombination. or sub-combination variations.

Similarly, while actions are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, it should not be construed as requiring that those actions be performed in the specific order shown or in the sequential order, or that all depicted actions must be performed to obtain desired results. In certain cases, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous. Further, the separation of various system components in the embodiments described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and the program components and systems described may generally be integrated together into a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. You have to understand that you can.

Specific embodiments of the subject matter described herein have been described. Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims. For example, the actions recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve desirable results. As an example, the processes depicted in the accompanying drawings do not necessarily require the specific depicted order or sequential order in order to obtain desirable results. In certain implementations, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

The present description presents the best mode of the invention and provides examples to illustrate the invention and to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the invention. The specification thus prepared does not limit the invention to the specific terms presented. Therefore, although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the above-described examples, a person skilled in the art may make alterations, changes, and modifications to the present examples without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be determined by the described embodiments, but by the claims.

The present invention relates to a lost object location inquiry service method and apparatus using a beacon device, and more particularly, when a beacon device subject to location inquiry is separated from a terminal device of a first user by a certain distance or more, the first user can search for a lost object by using a beacon device. If the location cannot be determined, when the second user terminal device near the location inquiry target receives the signal of the location inquiry target beacon, the beacon service server identifies the current location of the location inquiry target and transmits the information to the first user terminal device. It relates to a method and apparatus for providing current location information of a location inquiry target.

According to the present invention, even if the location inquiry target and the first user terminal device searching for the location inquiry target are far apart, the second user terminal device near the location inquiry target receives the beacon signal of the location inquiry target beacon and the beacon of the beacon. Information and the location information of the second user terminal device are transmitted to the beacon service server, and based on the information received by the beacon service server, the location information of the location search target is transmitted to the first user terminal device to effectively locate the lost object. can

In addition, the location information of the fixed installation beacon installed in buildings or various facilities and the mobile installation beacon installed in a moving means such as a bus can be collected together to determine the location of the lost object with high accuracy.

On the other hand, when the lost object needs to quickly find the lost object, such as an infant or pet, that is, in an emergency, by providing the location information service according to the present invention in preference to other services corresponding to other beacon signals, and effective positioning of the lost object is possible.

Therefore, the present invention can contribute to the development of the beacon service industry through the location inquiry service method, and has industrial applicability because it has a sufficient possibility of commercialization or business and can be clearly implemented in reality.

100: communication network 200: location query target beacon
300a: first user terminal device 300b: second user terminal device
400: beacon service server 500: installed beacon

Claims (17)

A communication module for transmitting and receiving data with at least one user terminal device in conjunction with a communication network;
a storage module for storing priority setting information of a beacon service to be provided to the user terminal device; and
When receiving a request for transmission of location information of a location inquiry target beacon from a first user terminal device, receiving beacon information of the location inquiry target beacon and location information of the second user terminal device from at least one second user terminal device; When the second user terminal device receives the beacon signal of the installation beacon within a predetermined time from the time when the beacon signal of the location inquiry target beacon is received and transmits the beacon information of the installation beacon, the location of the second user terminal device The first user calculates the location of a beacon subject to location inquiry based on information and the location information of the installation beacon, and prioritizes the calculated location information over a beacon service corresponding to other beacon information received from the first user terminal device. A control module that controls transmission to a terminal device
A beacon service server comprising a. delete The method of claim 1, wherein the installation beacon
Including at least one of a fixed installation beacon installed in a fixed facility and a mobile installation beacon installed in a mobile means,
The storage module
The beacon service server, characterized in that for storing the location information of the fixed installation beacon. The method of claim 3, wherein the control module
The beacon service server, characterized in that, when receiving both the beacon information of the fixed installation beacon and the mobile installation beacon, the position of the location inquiry target beacon is calculated by adding a weight to the location information of the fixed installation beacon. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage module
Storing information of a location inquiry target that matches the location inquiry target beacon;
The control module
The beacon service server characterized in that for controlling to transmit the location inquiry target information to the second user terminal device located within a predetermined radius from the location inquiry target beacon. delete delete delete Receiving, by a beacon service server, a request for transmission of location information of a beacon subject to location inquiry from a first user terminal device;
Receiving beacon information of the location inquiry target beacon and location information of the second user terminal device from at least one second user terminal device;
Receiving beacon information of an installation beacon from the second user terminal device;
When it is determined that the second user terminal device has received the beacon signal of the installation beacon within a certain time from the time when the beacon signal of the location inquiry target beacon is received, the location information of the second user terminal device and the installation beacon Calculating the location of the location inquiry target beacon based on the location information; and
Transmitting the calculated location information of the location inquiry target beacon to the first user terminal device in preference to a beacon service corresponding to other beacon information received from the first user terminal device
A location inquiry service method comprising a. delete delete delete According to claim 9,
transmitting other beacon information received from the second user terminal device to the second user terminal device located within a preset radius from the location query target beacon with priority over a beacon service;
Location query service method further comprising a. delete delete delete A computer program implemented to execute the method according to any one of claims 9 and 13 and stored in a computer readable recording medium.

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