Patent Application
20130214926
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for reminding objects being away. Particularly, the invention relates to a method for reminding objects being away which is implemented through a communication technique, and a communication device and a computer readable medium using the same method.
2. Description of Related Art
An object reminding device in the market can be connected to a handheld device of a user through a Bluetooth (BT) communication technique. Once the object reminding device is disconnected from the handheld device, the object reminding device starts to vibrate or outputs sounds. Since a BT transmission power is limited, when the user holding the handheld device moves from one room to another room in the house, the handheld device is probably disconnected from the object reminding device. In this case, although the object is still located at a safe place, the object reminding device may still outputs an alert signal to notify the user that the object is away. Obviously, such alert signal is a disturbance to the user. Therefore, how to ameliorate a determination mechanism of the current object reminding device to ensure the user getting the alarm signal without over-warning is an important problem required to be resolved.
The invention is directed to a method for reminding objects being away and a communication device and a computer readable medium using the same method. By using a wireless communication technique to determine whether a specified object is in a predetermined safety zone, a situation of sending an unnecessary alert signal to a user when the specified object is away from the user is avoided, and meanwhile when the specified object is not in the predetermined safety zone and is away from the user, a warning signal is provided to the user.
According to an embodiment of the invention, there is proposed a method for reminding objects being away. The proposed method is adapted to a communication device, and includes following procedures. Location information of the communication device is recorded. A connection between the communication device and a specified object is established. A safety zone of the specified object is configured according to a user configuration signal. It is determined whether the specified object is away from a predetermined range of the communication device carried by a user. It is determined whether the specified object is not in the safety zone. When it is determined that the specified object is away from the predetermined range of the communication device and is not in the safety zone, an alarm signal is provided to the user.
According to an embodiment of the invention, there is proposed a communication device, which is adapted to remind objects being away, and includes a positioning module, a control module, a communication module and an alarm module. The positioning module is configured to obtain a current location of the communication device. The communication module is configured to establish a connection with a specified object. The control module is connected to the positioning module and the communication module, and is configured to record the current location of the communication device, configure a safety zone of the specified object according to a user configuration signal, determine whether the specified object is away from a predetermined range of the communication device carried by a user, and determine whether the specified object is not in the safety zone. Moreover, the alarm module is connected to the control module, and is configured to provide an alarm signal to the user when the control module determines that the specified object is away from the predetermined range of the communication device and is not in the safety zone.
According to an embodiment of the invention, there is proposed a computer readable medium, which stores a computer executable program, and when the computer executable program is loaded to a communication device, the communication device executes following steps. Location information of the communication device is recorded. A connection between the communication device and a specified object is established. A safety zone of the specified object is configured according to a user configuration signal. It is determined whether the specified object is away from a predetermined range of the communication device carried by a user. It is determined whether the specified object is not in the safety zone. When it is determined that the specified object is away from the predetermined range of the communication device and is not in the safety zone, an alarm signal is provided to the user.
According to the aforementioned descriptions, embodiments of the invention provide the method for reminding objects being away, the communication device and the computer readable medium using the same method. By using a wireless communication technique to determine whether the specified object is in the predetermined safety zone, a situation of sending an unnecessary alert signal to the user when the specified object is away from the user is avoided.
In order to make the aforementioned and other features and advantages of the invention comprehensible, several exemplary embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
A method for reminding objects being away, a communication device and a computer readable medium using the same are provided in the present disclosure. In the proposed method for reminding objects being away, it is detected whether a handheld device is currently away from a specified object within a user-defined safety zone. When the specified object is not in the safety zone, the handheld device immediately outputs a warning sound signal to remind the user to bring the specified object. When the specified object is in the safety zone and is away from the handheld device, the handheld device does not output the warning sound signal, but merely records current environmental parameters (for example, a current time, a current geographic location, a device name of a nearby device, recording surrounding audio signals, etc.).
In the method for reminding objects being away, the handheld device can continually record an everyday passing route of the user through a global positioning system (GPS) or a positioning technique of a wireless communication system (for example, an AGPS technique), and after continually recording the passing route of the user for several days or several hours, the handheld device can gradually learn locations of user's house and a working place. The user can configure the house and the working place as safety zones through screen prompt of the handheld device. Moreover, the user can also configure other safety zones through an electronic map of the handheld device.
When a valuable (i.e., the specified object) of the user also has a wireless communication functionality (for example, a Bluetooth (BT) functionality or a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) functionality), the handheld device of the user can detect whether the specified object is close to the user through the wireless communication functionality. When the handheld device detects that the specified object is not located around the user, the handheld device further detects whether the specified object is currently in the aforementioned safety zones. If it is determined that the specified object is in the safety zone, the handheld device merely records current environmental parameters (for example, time, location, sound, image, name or a unique number of a nearby device, etc.) for later query. In this case, the handheld device does not output any alarm signal (for example, sound, vibration and screen prompt, etc.) to avoid disturbing the user. When the handheld device detects that the specified object is not in the predetermined safety zones, which means that the specified object is away from the user and has a risk of being lost, then the handheld device immediately outputs the alarm signal to remind the user that the user should inspect the object.
For the sake of simplicity, only necessary components of the communication device of the present embodiment are introduced in the present disclosure. Referring to
Referring to
The control module 12 may include a memory unit (not shown) and a processor (not shown). The memory unit can be configured to store the current location of the user and the predetermined range, which is configured for determining whether the specified object is away from the communication device carried by the user, and also store corresponding program codes (a software module or firmware program codes) of an algorithm, which is configured for determining whether the specified object is in a predetermined safety zone. The program codes can be executed by the processor to implement various functions of the control module 12.
The positioning module 13 is connected to the control module 12, and is configured for providing a geographic location (for example, longitude information and latitude information) of the communication device 10 to the control module 12, and the control module 12 continually records the latest geographic location of the communication device 10. The positioning module 13 can support a global positioning system (GPS) or an AGPS functionality provided by a mobile communication operator. Moreover, it is assumed that the user carries the communication device 10, so that the geographic location of the communication device 10 represents a current location of the user.
The alarm module 14 is connected to the control module 12, and is configured for receiving a control signal of the control module 12, and when the control module 12 determines to output an alarm signal to the user, the alarm module 14 outputs the alarm signal to the user. The alarm signal can be an audio signal, a video signal or a vibration alert for reminding the user that the user should inspect the specified object, so as to avoid the specific objector from being too far away from the user to cause a risk of being lost. Since the alarm signal can be the audio signal, a video signal or the vibration alert, the alarm module 14 may include an audio signal outputting unit (not shown), a video signal outputting unit, a vibration generating unit, or any combination of the aforementioned units, so as to provide a suitable alarm signal to the user.
In the present embodiment, the control module 12 of the communication device 10 can set an operation mode of the electronic device on the specified object, so that when the electronic device detects that the specified object is away from the communication device 10, the electronic device can determine whether or not to generate an alarm signal (or a warning signal) to remind the user of the current location of the specified object (the electronic device), so as to facilitate the user finding the specified object. Details of the method for reminding objects being away are described below with reference of
The control module 22 can also set the electronic device 20 to a discoverable mode when the control module 22 determines that the electronic device 20 is away from the communication device 10, so as to facilitate other communication devices establishing a connection therewith, and transmit a current location of the electronic device 20 to a predetermined server. The electronic device 20 may further include other devices such as an input unit (not shown), another communication module or a processor (not shown), etc., and these components are less directly corresponding to the main ideas of the embodiment, so that details thereof are not introduced in the present disclosure.
In step S306, the control module 12 determines whether the specified object is away from the communication device 10, i.e., determines whether the specified object is away from a predetermined range of the communication device 10 carried by the user. The predetermined range is, for example, a circle with a radius of 20 meters while taking the communication device 10 as a center (or an origin) of the circle. When a determination result indicates that the electronic device 20 is away from the predetermined range of the communication device 10, step S308 is executed after the step S306. When the determination result indicates that the electronic device 20 is not away from the predetermined range of the communication device 10 (for example, the connection between the electronic device 20 and the communication device 10 is still maintained), the step S306 is repeated after the step S306.
In the step S308, the control module 12 determines whether the specified object is in the predetermined safety zone. The control module 12 can perform the determination according to the continually-recorded current location of the user, and when the electronic device 20 is away from the predetermined range of the communication device, it is determined whether the electronic device 20 is in the predetermined safety zone. When a determination result indicates that the electronic device 20 is still in the predetermined safety zone, step S310 is executed after the step S308. When the determination result indicates that the electronic device 20 is not in the predetermined safety zone, step S312 is executed after the step S308.
In the step S310, the control module 12 records current environmental parameters in the communication device 10, where the environmental parameters are, for example, time, location, sound, image, and name or a unique number of a nearby device (for example, a medium access control (MAC) address). After the step S310, the step S306 is returned. In the step S312, the control module 12 controls the alarm module 14 to provide an alarm signal to the user. After the step S312, the method for reminding objects being away is ended. In a practical application, the aforementioned steps S306 to S312 can be executed in cycles to repeatedly execute the method for reminding objects being away. Moreover, when a distance between the specified object and the communication device 10 is too long (for example, more than a predetermined distance threshold value), and the specified object is not in the predetermined safety zone, an alarm signal is provided/output to the user.
In view of the specified object, the steps of the method for reminding objects being away are slightly different to the steps of
In the step S408, the control module 12 of the communication device 10 sets the operation mode of the electronic device 20 to the mute mode, and step S412 is subsequently executed. In the step S410, the control module 12 of the communication device 10 sets the operation mode of the electronic device 20 to the alarm mode, and the step S412 is subsequently executed. The mute mode and the alarm mode are all recorded in the control module 22 of the electronic device 20.
In the step S412, the control module 22 determines whether the specified object is away from the predetermined range of the communication device 10. The control module 22 can determine whether the specified object is away from the communication device 10 according to whether the connection between the electronic device 20 and the communication device 10 is disconnected. When a determination result indicates that the electronic device 20 is away from the predetermined range of the communication device 10, step S414 is executed after the step S412. When the determination result indicates that the electronic device 20 is not away from the predetermined range of the communication device 10, it is returned to execute the step S406 after the step S412.
In the step S414, the control module 22 determines whether the current operation mode of the electronic device 20 is the alarm mode. When a determination result indicates that the operation mode of the electronic device 20 is set to the alarm mode, step S416 is executed after the step S414. When the determination result indicates that the operation mode of the electronic device 20 is not set to the alarm mode, after the step S414, a connection with the communication device 10 is re-established (not shown), and it is returned to execute the step S406. In the step S416, the control module 22 controls the alarm module 24 to provide an alarm signal to the user. After the step S416, the method for reminding objects being away is ended. In a practical application, the aforementioned steps S406 to S416 can be executed in cycles to repeatedly execute the method for reminding objects being away. Moreover, when a distance between the specified object and the communication device 10 is too long, and the specified object is not in the predetermined safety zone, an alarm signal is provided/output to the user.
Referring to
In step S505, the timer of the BLE wallet 51 is configured for determining whether the connection is time out, and the BLE wallet 51 is disconnected from the first communication device 52. That is, the user losses the BLE wallet 51. In step S506, the BLE wallet 51 is forced to enter the discoverable mode.
In step S507, the second communication device 53 enters the communication range of the BLE wallet 51. In step S508, the second communication device 53 searches for nearby devices. In step S509, the BLE wallet 51 transmits an ACK to the second communication device 53, and establishes a connection with the second communication device 53. In step S510, the second communication device 53 records environmental parameters related to the connection establishment, for example, time, a name of the device (the BLE wallet 51), and unique numbers of the nearby devices, and the second communication device 53 updates the environmental parameters to the predetermined server.
After the step S510, the object tracking method is ended. In a practical application, the aforementioned steps S501 to S510 can be executed in cycles between different communication devices to repeatedly execute the object tracking method, so that the user of the specified object can track the current location of the specified object.
Several ways of updating the location of the BT wallet 61 are introduced below with reference of
A second way of updating the location information is described as follows. A connection between the BLE wallet 61 and the BT device 63 is established, and the BT device 63 records ambient environmental parameters of the BLE wallet 61, where the environmental parameters include the location information of the BLE wallet 61. Then, the Bluetooth device 63 transmits the location information of the BLE wallet 61 to the mobile phone 67, and the mobile phone 67 updates the location information to the server 69 through the Internet 68.
A third way of updating the location information is described as follows. A connection between the BLE wallet 61 and the mobile phone 64 is established, and the mobile phone 64 records ambient environmental parameters of the BLE wallet 61, where the environmental parameters include the location information of the BLE wallet 61. Then, the mobile phone 64 updates the location information to the server 69 through the Internet 68.
A fourth way of updating the location information is described as follows. A connection between the BLE wallet 61 and the mobile phone 65 is established, and the mobile phone 65 records ambient environmental parameters of the BLE wallet 61, where the environmental parameters include the location information of the BLE wallet 61. Then, when the mobile phone 65 receives a query location information request that is unicast, broadcast or multicast by the server 69 for querying the final location of the BLE wallet 61, the mobile phone 65 updates the location information of the BLE wallet 61 to the server 69 through the Internet 68.
The invention further provides a computer readable medium, which stores a computer executable program for implementing various steps of the aforementioned method for reminding objects being away. The computer executable program is composed of a plurality of program instructions (for example, an organization chart establishing program instruction, a table approving program instruction, a setting program instruction, and a deployment program instruction, etc), and these program instructions are loaded into the communication device and executed by the same to accomplish various steps of the method for reminding objects being away and various functions of the communication device described previously.
In summary, embodiments of the invention provide the method for reminding objects being away, the communication device and the computer readable medium using the same. By using a wireless communication technique to determine whether the specified object is within the predetermined safety zone, a situation of sending an unnecessary alert when the specified object is away from the user is avoided. Moreover, when the specified object is indeed away from the user, multiple ways and methods are provided to obtain the object location tracking information. In this way, the ambient devices of the specified object can be configured to report and update the location information of the specified object, so that the user can quickly find the lost specified object.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.
