Patent ID: 11968592
Assignee: PAYLESSGATE CORPORATION
Field: Digital communication (Electrical engineering)
Classification: CPC G  H | IPC H

Claim 16:
17. A position determination method which is used in a position determination system including a personal portable terminal that is to be carried by a person whose position is determined and a position determination apparatus that determines the position of the personal portable terminal to determine the position of the personal portable terminal, the position determination method comprising:
detecting that the person who carries the personal portable terminal comes into an area within a predetermined distance from the position determination apparatus by using the personal portable terminal, and activating a personal terminal side transmitter by using a personal terminal side controller;
transmitting a position determination signal to be used for position determination to the position determination apparatus through the personal terminal side transmitter by using the personal portable terminal;
receiving the position determination signal which is transmitted by the personal terminal side transmitter through a plurality of first and second position determination side receivers that are arranged at different first and second positions which are spaced at first and second distances away from the personal portable terminal, respectively, by using the position determination apparatus, the second distance being greater than the first distance; and
determining the position of the personal portable terminal based on a difference between an intensity of the position determination signal that is received by the first position determination side receivers and an intensity of the position determination signal that is received by the second position determination side receivers by using a position determination side calculator included in the position determination apparatus,
wherein the determining of the position of the personal portable terminal includes evaluating a conditional expression in which whether a difference between the average of radio wave intensities of the position determination signal that are received by the first position determination side receivers and the average of radio wave intensities of the position determination signal that are received by the second position determination side receivers is greater than a predetermined threshold is decided to determine the position of the personal portable terminal.