Communications: electrical – Condition responsive indicating system – Specific condition
Reexamination Certificate
1999-02-12
2002-08-13
Wu, Daniel J. (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Condition responsive indicating system
Specific condition
C340S870030, C340S870030, C340S286140
Reexamination Certificate
active
06433687
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a mobile control system for controlling moving bodies present in various places in various facilities, including plants, factories, workshops, offices, hospitals and schools, and particularly to a mobile control system capable of detecting the positions of workers present here and there in facilities and making an appropriate control.
In such facilities as plants and factories it is sometimes necessary to control whereabouts of workers working in the interior of the facilities. A typical example of such a control is an entrance/exit control. A simple method for controlling the entrance and exit is writing destinations on a destination bulletin board. However, this method involves the problem that it is not certain whether the workers who wrote the destinations are surely within their destination rooms or sites. There also is a problem such that it is impossible to cope with forgetting to write and subsequent changes.
According to another control method proposed in view of the above-mentioned problems, a card reader is installed at an entrance/exit of facilities and each person entering or leaving the facilities is required to insert his or her card into the card reader, whereby the control of personnel present within the facilities can be done in a concentrative manner. However, the need of inserting the card into the card reader at every entrance and exit is troublesome for the person entering or leaving the facilities. Particularly, in the case of facilities divided into a large number of sections, the card insertion is needed at every entrance or exit in each of the sections, which is troublesome and inconvenient.
For eliminating the above troublesomeness there has been proposed, for example, such a technique as is described in Japanese Published Unexamined Patent Application No.Hei 8-329298 entitled “Entrance/Exit Control System.” The method described therein utilizes a radio technique to control the entrance and exit. According to this conventional method, the name of place stored in each relay station for entrance/exit control is stored, and when a person having a terminal device approaches the relay station, the relay station detects the ID of the terminal device by radio, and the name of the person corresponding to the terminal ID, as well as the name of the place stored in the relay station, are displayed on a central display unit. In this way a room control for the worker can be done even if the worker does nothing.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
However, the above conventional method is a mere enrollment display method wherein the names of persons are listed up and respective destinations are displayed. Thus, the said method is not suitable for the purpose of grasping the layout of personnel at a glance. Besides, in the case of a site work of many workers as in a plant, the list becomes too large to write all the names of workers, that is, there arises the problem that it is impossible to see all the names at a glance.
Further, even when it is intended to make contact with a worker present in an interested site, or a site to be contacted, not a specific person, and with the use of the foregoing list, it is necessary to take the trouble to grasp who the workers present in the site are from the list of many workers, then decide with which worker contact is to be made, and contact the worker thus decided. Consequently, where many workers are working at many sites, there arises the problem that it is difficult to look up a worker present in a site to be contacted.
The above problems are true of not only personnel but also moving bodies which move in a specific area.
It is the first object of the present invention to provide a mobile control system capable of grasping the condition of layout at a glance and quickly indicating a related moving body from among a lot of moving bodies.
It is the second object of the present invention to provide a mobile control system capable of looking up an object of communication merely by designating a site and making communication quickly with the object thus picked out.
In order to achieve the above first object, according to the present invention, in the first aspect thereof, there is provided a mobile control system for controlling moving bodies located in a specific area, the mobile control system comprising:
a position sensor for detecting a current position or positions of one or more moving bodies located in the said specific area; and
a monitor system for displays a layout diagram of specific objects located in the said specific area and information symbolical of each of the moving bodies at positions in the said layout diagram being displayed, the said positions being determined on the basis of the current positions of the moving bodies detected by the said position sensor.
According to the present invention, in the second aspect thereof, there is provided a mobile control system for controlling moving bodies located in a specific area, the mobile control system comprising:
a position sensor for detecting a current position or positions of one or more moving bodies located in the said specific area; and
a monitor system which displays a layout diagram of specific objects located in the said specific area and which, upon receipt of an input indicating any of the displayed objects, checks whether there is any moving body in a predetermined region the current position of which moving body has been detected by the said position sensor, with respect to the indicated object, and if the said moving body is present, displays information symbolical of the moving body at a position in the said layout diagram being displayed, the said position. being determined on the basis of the current position of the moving body.
According to the present invention, in the third aspect thereof, there is provided a mobile control system for controlling moving bodies located in a specific area, the mobile control system comprising:
a position sensor for detecting a current position or positions of one or more moving bodies located in the said specific area; and
a monitor system which displays a layout diagram of specific objects located in the said specific area and which, upon receipt of an input indicating any area in said layout diagram, checks whether there is any moving body in the indicated area the current position of which moving body has been detected by the said position sensor, and if the said moving body is present, displays information symbolical of the moving body at a position in the said layout diagram being displayed which position is determined on the basis of the current position of the moving body.
In the above mobile control systems, the position sensor may comprise branch devices mounted respectively on the moving bodies and each having a peculiar identifier and master devices disposed at plural places in the said specific area to detect the identifiers of the branch devices when the branch devices are located within a detectable region.
The monitor system may be constructed so as to display a specific pattern as the information symbolical of each moving body. In connection with the said information, there may be conducted a processing to further display the name of the moving body concerned at a position adjacent to the specific pattern.
Further, according to the present invention, in the fourth aspect thereof, there is provided a mobile control system for controlling one or more moving bodies moving in a specific area, the mobile control system comprising:
a position sensor for detecting a current position or positions of one or more moving bodies located in the said specific area;
a display unit for displaying an image;
a memory unit which stores at least information necessary for displaying a layout diagram of specific objects located in the said specific area and information necessary for displaying the current positions of the moving bodies detected by the said position sensor;
a central information processing system which updates the information stored in the said
Fukuda Yoshibumi
Futakawa Masayasu
Tanikoshi Koichiro
Yamaashi Kimiya
Antonelli Terry Stout & Kraus LLP
Hitachi , Ltd.
Pham Toan
Wu Daniel J.
LandOfFree
Mobile control system does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Mobile control system, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Mobile control system will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2891709