Communication determination system, management device, communication determination method, and communication determination program

Abstract

Provided is an exchange determination system, management device, exchange determination method, and exchange determination program capable of determining the exchange status between users with higher precision. The management device (10) of the exchange determination system (1) includes a collection section (11), a calculation section (13), and an exchange determination section (15). The collection section (11) collects position information of the corresponding user (3) and an exchange element indicating an exchange situation from the terminal device (4). The calculation section (13) calculates an exchange range (17) of the user (3) using the exchange element of the user (3), whereby the exchange range (17) of the user (3) is updated according to the update of the exchange element of the user (3). The exchange range (17) of the user (3) is based on the position information of the user (3). The exchange determination section (15) determines the exchange status of a group of users (3) based on the overlap of the exchange range (17) of each user (3) with respect to the group of users (3).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to an AC determination system, management device, AC determination method, and AC determination procedure. Background Technology

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a system for providing personal contact information related to the constituents of an organization. In this system, a contact time acquisition unit acquires and stores information about the time of face-to-face contact between each constituent member, stored in a personal information storage unit. A closeness calculation unit calculates the closeness between the constituent members stored in the personal information storage unit based on the contact time acquired by the contact time acquisition unit and stored in the contact time storage unit. The closeness calculation unit calculates the closeness between the two individuals based on the total measured contact time.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-63617 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem the invention aims to solve

[0007] The system in Patent Document 1 determines that when the users of the system are close to each other at a predetermined distance, they are in face-to-face contact, i.e., there is communication. On the other hand, since the distance between users when they communicate may change depending on the occasion, etc., when the communication status is determined solely based on the relationship between the distance between users and a fixed distance threshold, the communication status may be incorrectly determined.

[0008] This disclosure addresses such problems. It provides an communication determination system, management device, communication determination method, and communication determination procedure capable of determining the communication status between users with higher accuracy.

[0009] means for solving problems

[0010] The communication determination system disclosed herein comprises: a plurality of terminal devices, each corresponding to any user among a plurality of users who can communicate with each other in a facility, and held by the corresponding user; and a management device capable of communicating with the plurality of terminal devices respectively. Each of the plurality of terminal devices comprises: a location information acquisition unit that acquires the location information of the corresponding user; and a communication element acquisition unit that acquires communication elements representing the communication status of the corresponding user. The management device comprises: a collection unit that collects the location information and communication elements of the corresponding user from the plurality of terminal devices respectively; a calculation unit that, taking each of the plurality of users as objects, calculates the communication range of the user based on the location information of that user using the communication elements collected by the collection unit for each user as an object, thereby updating the user's communication range in response to updates to the user's communication elements; and a communication determination unit that, for a first user and a second user among the plurality of users, determines the communication status of the first user and the second user based on the overlap between the communication ranges of the first user and the second user.

[0011] The management device disclosed herein is a management device capable of communicating with multiple terminal devices, each terminal device corresponding to any user among multiple users who can communicate with each other in a facility, and held by the corresponding user. The management device comprises: a collection unit that collects location information of the corresponding user and communication elements indicating communication status from the multiple terminal devices; a calculation unit that, taking each user as an object, calculates the communication range of that user based on the location information of that user using the communication elements collected by the collection unit for that user, thereby updating the user's communication range in response to updates to the user's communication elements; and a communication determination unit that, for a first user and a second user among the multiple users, determines the communication status of the first user and the second user based on the overlap between their communication ranges.

[0012] In the communication determination method disclosed herein, a computer system capable of communicating with multiple terminal devices respectively performs the following processing, wherein each terminal device corresponds to any user among multiple users who can communicate with each other in the facility and is held by the corresponding user. The processing includes: collecting location information of the corresponding user and communication elements indicating the communication situation from the multiple terminal devices respectively; taking each user as an object, calculating the communication range of the user based on the location information of the user using the communication elements collected for the user as the object, thereby updating the communication range of the user corresponding to the update of the communication elements of the user; and determining the communication status of the first user and the second user among the multiple users based on the overlap between the communication range of the first user and the communication range of the second user.

[0013] The communication determination procedure disclosed herein enables a computer system capable of communicating with multiple terminal devices, each corresponding to any user among multiple users who can communicate with each other in a facility and held by the corresponding user, to perform the following processes: collecting location information of the corresponding user and communication elements indicating the communication situation from the multiple terminal devices; calculating the communication range of each user based on their location information using the communication elements collected for each user, and updating the user's communication range accordingly; and determining the communication status of a first user and a second user among the multiple users based on the overlap between their communication ranges.

[0014] The effects of the invention

[0015] The communication determination system, management device, communication determination method or communication determination procedure disclosed herein can determine the communication status between users with higher accuracy. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the AC determination system of Implementation Method 1.

[0017] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating an example of calculating the AC range in the AC determination system of Embodiment 1.

[0018] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example of calculating the AC range in the AC determination system of Embodiment 1.

[0019] Figure 4This is a diagram illustrating an example of calculating the AC range in the AC determination system of Embodiment 1.

[0020] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating an example of calculating the AC range in the AC determination system of Embodiment 1.

[0021] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing of the AC determination system in Implementation 1.

[0022] Figure 7 This is a hardware structure diagram of the main parts of the AC determination system in Implementation Method 1.

[0023] Figure 8 This is a structural diagram of the AC determination system in Implementation Method 2.

[0024] Figure 9 This is a diagram illustrating an example of AC range correction in the AC determination system of Embodiment 2.

[0025] Figure 10 This is a diagram illustrating an example of AC range correction in the AC determination system of Embodiment 2.

[0026] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing of the AC determination system in Implementation 2.

[0027] Figure 12 This is a structural diagram of the AC determination system in Implementation Method 3.

[0028] Figure 13 This is a diagram illustrating an example of adjusting the AC characteristics in the AC determination system of Embodiment 3.

[0029] Figure 14 This is a diagram illustrating an example of adjusting the AC characteristics in the AC determination system of Embodiment 3.

[0030] Figure 15 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing of the AC determination system in Implementation 3.

[0031] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures

[0032] 1. Communication determination system; 2. Facility; 3. Users (3a, 3b, 3c); 4. Terminal devices (4a, 4b, 4c); 5. Communication unit; 6. Location information acquisition unit; 7. Communication element acquisition unit; 8. Communication network; 9. Camera; 10. Management device; 11. Collection unit; 12. Image processing unit; 13. Calculation unit; 14. User storage unit; 15. Communication determination unit; 16. Output unit; 17. Communication range (17a, 17b, 17c); 18. Vertex; 19. Facility storage unit; 20. Zone determination unit; 21. Adjustment unit; 100a. Processor; 100b. Memory; 200. Dedicated hardware. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, identical or equivalent parts are labeled with the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are simplified or omitted where appropriate. Furthermore, the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments; any modifications to the structural elements of the embodiments or the omission of any structural elements of the embodiments are permissible without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0034] Implementation method 1.

[0035] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the AC determination system 1 according to implementation method 1.

[0036] Communication Determination System 1 is a system for determining the status of communication between users, who are individuals. Communication Determination System 1 is used, for example, in organizations comprising businesses, groups, or other groups. An organization may be part of a group, such as a branch or department of a business, or it may contain multiple groups. An organization contains multiple members, each acting as an individual. Communication Determination System 1 determines the status of communication between these members by treating them as users. Members of an organization may be, for example, employees of a company. Communication between the organization's users takes place in facility 2. Facility 2 may be, for example, the organization's office, company building, or office space. Figure 1 In the diagram, users 3a, 3b, and 3c are shown. Here, without specifically distinguishing between users 3a, 3b, and 3c, they are simply referred to as user 3.

[0037] Each user 3 of the communication determination system 1 holds a terminal device. The terminal device held by user 3 corresponds to user 3. The terminal device 4a held by user 3a corresponds to user 3a. The terminal device 4b held by user 3b corresponds to user 3b. The terminal device 4c held by user 3c corresponds to user 3c. Here, without specifically distinguishing between terminal devices 4a, 4b, and 4c, they are simply referred to as terminal device 4. Some or all of the multiple terminal devices 4 used in the communication determination system 1 may be internal devices included in the communication determination system 1, or external devices outside the system capable of cooperating with the communication determination system 1. Terminal devices 4 are, for example, mobile and universal information processing terminal devices such as smartphones or smartwatches. Terminal devices 4 may be devices owned by the corresponding user 3, or devices provided to the corresponding user 3 from an organization. A user 3 may also hold multiple terminal devices 4. For example, a user 3 may simultaneously hold a terminal device 4 as a smartphone and other terminal devices 4 as wearable devices. Each terminal device 4 is pre-installed with application software corresponding to the communication determination system 1. Each terminal device 4 operates according to the program of the software, thereby realizing the functions of the communication determination system 1. The terminal device 4 includes a communication unit 5, a location information acquisition unit 6, and a communication element acquisition unit 7.

[0038] The communication unit 5 of the terminal device 4 is connected to the communication network 8 via wireless or wired communication, enabling information communication with external devices of the terminal device 4. The communication network 8 includes, for example, a wide area network such as the Internet or telephone line network, or a local area network such as a LAN (Local Area Network). The terminal device 4 can also directly communicate wirelessly with other external devices such as other terminal devices 4.

[0039] The location information acquisition unit 6 of the terminal device 4 is responsible for acquiring the location information of the user 3 corresponding to the terminal device 4. Since the terminal device 4 is held by the user 3 and moves with the user 3, the user 3's location is determined by the location of the terminal device 4 corresponding to the user 3. That is, the location information acquisition unit 6 acquires the location of the terminal device 4 itself as the location information of the user 3 corresponding to the terminal device 4. The location information acquisition unit 6 acquires location information, for example, through indoor positioning, satellite positioning, autonomous navigation, or other methods. The location information acquisition unit 6 may also acquire location information based on wireless signals transmitted from an external device such as a wireless beacon (not shown) installed within the facility 2. The location information acquisition unit 6 may also acquire location information using satellite positioning systems such as GPS (Global Positioning System) and QZSS (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System). The location information acquisition unit 6 may also acquire location information based on measurements from an accelerometer (not shown) installed on the terminal device 4. When multiple terminal devices 4 correspond to one user 3, priority can be set among the multiple terminal devices 4 for location information. For example, the location information obtained by the terminal device 4 worn by the user 3 as a wearable device can take precedence over the location information obtained by other terminal devices 4, such as smartphones, that correspond to the user 3.

[0040] The communication element acquisition unit 7 of the terminal device 4 is the part that acquires the communication elements of the user 3 corresponding to the terminal device 4. The communication elements of the user 3 are information indicating the user 3's communication status. For example, the communication elements of the user 3 may also be information indicating the user 3's status that changes depending on whether or not there is communication with other users 3. The communication elements of the user 3 may include, for example, the user 3's behavioral information, voice information, or biometric information. The user 3's behavioral information may include, for example, the user 3's body movements, the user 3's facial or body orientation, the user 3's direction of movement, speed or acceleration, or the user 3's facial expressions. The user 3's voice information may include, for example, the volume of the user 3's voice. The user 3's biometric information may include, for example, the user 3's heart rate. The communication elements of the user 3 may also include, for example, the user 3's facial expressions. When multiple terminal devices 4 correspond to one user 3, the multiple terminal devices 4 may acquire different types of communication elements for each user 3.

[0041] The communication element acquisition unit 7 quantifies the acquired communication elements. For example, the communication element acquisition unit 7 quantifies the volume of the sound emitted by user 3 as a sound pressure level. The communication element acquisition unit 7 can also quantify the changes in communication elements over past time periods as time-series data including the values ​​representing the communication elements at each time period. The communication element acquisition unit 7 performs standardization processing so that the quantified communication element values ​​fall within a pre-defined range. For example, the communication element acquisition unit 7 performs standardization processing so that the quantified communication element values ​​fall within the range of -1 to 1. In this example, the communication element acquisition unit 7 outputs the quantified and standardized communication elements to the outside.

[0042] Facility 2 is equipped with one or more cameras 9. Each camera 9 captures images of users 3 and others located in facility 2. Some or all of the cameras 9 may be internal devices included in the communication determination system 1, or external devices outside the system that can cooperate with the communication determination system 1. Each camera 9 is connected to the communication network 8 via wireless or wired communication, enabling it to output the captured images to the external devices.

[0043] The communication determination system 1 includes a management device 10. The management device 10 is responsible for information processing and other functions within the communication determination system 1. The management device 10 may be, for example, a computer system containing one or more computers. The management device 10 may be composed of one or more server devices. When the management device 10 is composed of multiple server devices, some or all of these server devices may be located in different locations. Some or all of the functions of the management device 10 may be installed on a virtual computer on a cloud service, or may be installed using processing, storage, or other resources on a cloud service. The management device 10 is connected to a communication network 8 and can communicate with external devices. The management device 10 includes a collection unit 11, an image processing unit 12, a calculation unit 13, a user storage unit 14, a communication determination unit 15, and an output unit 16.

[0044] The collection unit 11 is the unit that collects information from multiple terminal devices 4, etc. For example, the collection unit 11 collects information from each terminal device 4 via the communication network 8 at pre-set regular or irregular times. The collection unit 11 can also collect information by receiving information spontaneously sent by each terminal device 4. The collection unit 11 can also collect information by receiving responses to requests sent to each terminal device 4. For example, the collection unit 11 collects location information of the user 3 corresponding to the terminal device 4 obtained by the location information acquisition unit 6, and communication elements of the user 3 corresponding to the terminal device 4 obtained by the communication element acquisition unit 7. The collection unit 11 can also collect other information from the terminal devices 4. Furthermore, the collection unit 11 can also perform digitization and standardization of communication elements. In this case, the communication element acquisition unit 7 outputs the communication elements before digitization and standardization to the collection unit 11. In this example, the collection unit 11 collects images captured by each camera 9 via the communication network 8 at pre-set regular or irregular times.

[0045] The image processing unit 12 is a unit that performs image recognition and other processing on the images captured by the camera 9. For example, the image processing unit 12 identifies the user 3 captured in the image. The image processing unit 12 may also acquire communication elements such as the user 3's body movements or facial expressions captured in the image.

[0046] The calculation unit 13 is the part that calculates the communication range of each user 3 as an object. The calculation unit 13 uses the communication elements collected by the collection unit 11 to calculate the communication range. The calculation unit 13 uses the communication elements of user 3a to calculate the communication range 17a of user 3a. The calculation unit 13 uses the communication elements of user 3b to calculate the communication range 17b of user 3b. The calculation unit 13 uses the communication elements of user 3c to calculate the communication range 17c of user 3c. Here, without specifically distinguishing between the communication ranges 17a, 17b, and 17c, it is simply referred to as communication range 17. The communication range 17 of user 3 is the spatial range that can be the communication object of user 3, based on the location of user 3. The communication range 17 of user 3 includes the location of user 3. In this example, the communication range 17 is a two-dimensional, single, enclosed area representing a region on the map in facility 2. The communication range 17 is, for example, the area inside a polygon defined by multiple vertices 18. In this case, the calculation unit 13 calculates the positions of the vertices 18 of the polygon in relative coordinates based on the user 3's position, thereby calculating the user 3's communication range 17. In this example, the communication range 17 is the area inside a quadrilateral defined by four vertices 18. When the user 3's communication elements are updated, the calculation unit 13 recalculates the user 3's communication range 17, thereby updating the user 3's communication range 17 based on the update of the user 3's communication elements. In this example, when calculating the communication range 17 of a certain user 3, the calculation unit 13 does not use information such as the communication elements of other users 3.

[0047] User storage unit 14 is the part that stores information. User storage unit 14 stores information about each user 3. User storage unit 14 may also be composed of multiple storage areas, etc. User storage unit 14, as a database (DB) for storing information, stores information such as location information DB, communication element DB, and communication range DB. Location information DB stores location information about each user 3 collected by collection unit 11. Communication element DB, for example, stores communication elements about each user 3 collected by collection unit 11. Communication element DB may also store communication elements about each user 3 obtained by image processing unit 12. Communication range DB stores information about the communication range 17 of each user 3 calculated by calculation unit 13. The information stored in location information DB and communication element DB is updated, for example, each time information is collected by collection unit 11. The information stored in communication element DB is used for calculation of communication range 17, etc., performed by calculation unit 13. The calculation unit 13 uses information about the user 3's communication elements, read from the communication element DB, to calculate the communication range 17 of the user 3. The information stored in the communication range DB is updated, for example, each time the calculation unit 13 calculates the communication range 17.

[0048] The communication determination unit 15 is responsible for determining the communication status between users 3. In this example, the communication determination unit 15 determines whether there is communication between two users 3 as a communication status. One user 3 is an example of the first user. The other user 3 is an example of the second user. The communication determination unit 15 determines the communication status between users 3 based on the overlap of the communication range 17 of one user 3 and the communication range 17 of the other user 3. The communication determination unit 15 uses location information and communication elements read from the location information DB and the communication element DB to determine the communication status. The communication determination unit 15 can, for example, determine the communication status for all combinations of multiple users 3. The communication determination unit 15 can, for example, filter combinations of users 3 who may be communicating based on location information or attendance information, and then determine the communication status for the filtered combinations of users 3.

[0049] The communication determination unit 15 determines the communication status for users 3a and 3b as follows: For example, when representing the communication range 17a of user 3a on relative coordinates based on the position of user 3a, the communication determination unit 15 converts the communication range 17a into its representation on the map of facility 2 based on the position information of user 3a. Similarly, the communication determination unit 15 converts the communication range 17b of user 3b into its representation on the map of facility 2. The communication determination unit 15 determines whether the communication ranges 17a and 17b overlap on the map of facility 2. In this example, the communication ranges 17a and 17b overlap. At this time, the communication determination unit 15 measures the time during which the communication ranges 17a and 17b overlap. When the communication ranges 17a and 17b continue to overlap for more than a preset reference time, the communication determination unit 15 determines that communication exists between users 3a and 3b. On the other hand, when the time when the communication range 17a and the communication range 17b overlap does not exceed the reference time, the communication determination unit 15 determines that there is no communication between the user 3a and the user 3b.

[0050] The communication determination unit 15 determines the communication status for users 3a and 3c as follows: The communication determination unit 15 converts the communication range 17a of user 3a and the communication range 17c of user 3c into coordinates on the map of facility 2. The communication determination unit 15 determines whether the communication range 17a and the communication range 17c overlap in the coordinates on the map of facility 2. In this example, the communication range 17a and the communication range 17c do not overlap. Therefore, the communication determination unit 15 determines that there is no communication between users 3a and 3c.

[0051] Output unit 16 is the part that outputs the determination result of AC determination unit 15. Output unit 16 outputs the determination result of AC determination unit 15 to, for example, an internal or external database of AC determination system 1. Output unit 16 can also output the determination result through communication network 8.

[0052] Next, use Figures 2 to 5 An example of calculation for the communication range 17 is provided.

[0053] Figures 2 to 5 This is a diagram illustrating an example of calculating the AC range 17 in the AC determination system 1 of Embodiment 1.

[0054] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating an example of an update of the communication range 17 performed by the computing unit 13.

[0055] The calculation unit 13 updates the communication elements collected by the collection unit 11 for the user 3, causing the communication range 17 of the user 3 to expand and contract anisotropically. For example, when the user 3 makes large body movements and speaks loudly, the calculation unit 13 calculates the communication range 17 of the user 3 in a way that it lengthens in the front-back direction. Here, the front-back direction of the user 3 is set based on the orientation of the user 3's face or body, or the direction of the user 3's movement, etc. In this example, the calculation unit 13 updates the communication range 17 of the user 3 in a way that expands in front of the user 3. For example, if the communication range 17 of the user 3 is a polygon, the calculation unit 13 moves the vertex 18 in front of the user 3 in a direction away from the user 3. In addition, the calculation unit 13 may also update the communication range 17 of the user 3 in a way that shrinks behind the user 3. For example, when the communication range 17 of the user 3 is a polygon, the calculation unit 13 moves the rear vertex 18 of the user 3 in a direction closer to the user 3. The calculation unit 13 may also impose an upper limit or penalty on the area of ​​the communication range 17. In this case, the calculation unit 13 may also reduce the communication range 17 in the left-right direction in accordance with the extension of the communication range 17 in the front-back direction to suppress the expansion of the area of ​​the communication range 17. For example, when the communication range 17 of the user 3 is a polygon, the calculation unit 13 moves the left and right vertices 18 of the user 3 in a direction closer to the user 3.

[0056] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating another example of the update of the communication range 17 performed by the computing unit 13.

[0057] When the user 3 is speaking in multiple directions, the calculation unit 13 calculates the communication range 17 of the user 3 in a manner that increases in the left-right direction. The calculation unit 13 determines, for example, whether the user 3 is speaking in multiple directions based on the frequency of changes in the user 3's facial or body orientation and the amplitude of the movements during these changes. In this example, the calculation unit 13 updates the communication range 17 of the user 3 in a manner that expands in the left-right direction. For example, if the communication range 17 of the user 3 is a polygon, the calculation unit 13 moves the left and right vertices 18 of the user 3 in a direction away from the user 3. At this time, the calculation unit 13 may also shrink the communication range 17 in the front-back direction in accordance with the extension of the communication range 17 in the left-right direction to suppress the expansion of the area of ​​the communication range 17. Here, the calculation unit 13 may also update the communication range 17 of the user 3 in a manner that shrinks behind the user 3, while maintaining it in front of the user 3 without shrinking.

[0058] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the communication range 17 of user 3.

[0059] In this example, the calculation unit 13 calculates the communication range 17, which is the area inside the quadrilateral defined by four vertices 18. The communication range 17 of the user 3 is determined by the vertex 18 in front of the user 3, the vertex 18 behind the user 3, and the two vertices 18 on the left and right sides of the user 3. The vertex 18 in front is represented by the distance df from the user 3's position to the front. The vertex 18 behind is represented by the distance db from the user 3's position to the back. The vertex 18 on the left is represented by the distance dl from the user 3's position to the left and the angle θl from the user 3's left to the front. The vertex 18 on the right is represented by the distance dr from the user 3's position to the right and the angle θr from the user 3's right to the front. The calculation unit 13 uses the user 3's communication elements to calculate the values ​​of forward distance df, backward distance db, left distance dl, left angle θl, right distance dr, and right angle θr, thereby calculating the user 3's communication range 17. The calculation unit 13 can calculate these values ​​independently or under pre-set conditions such as the relationships between the values.

[0060] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating an example of calculations for the AC range 17.

[0061] In this example, the computation unit 13 uses a decision tree to calculate the values ​​of the forward distance df, the backward distance db, the left distance dl, the left angle θl, the right distance dr, and the right angle θr. Figure 5 The example shown is a decision tree for determining the forward distance df. The values ​​of the leaf nodes and the thresholds for conditional branches are preset based on, for example, simulation and historical data. Historical data includes data from multiple groups containing past communication elements and pre-determined communication status (whether or not communication exists at this time). The determination of whether or not communication exists in the historical data can be performed manually by the administrator of the communication determination system 1, or automatically based on a pre-defined table for each user 3 or other information about other communication elements. The values ​​of the leaf nodes and the thresholds for conditional branches are examples of parameters used when calculating the communication range 17 based on the communication elements. In this example, these parameters are set jointly, independent of the user 3.

[0062] Furthermore, the calculation unit 13 may perform calculations without using a decision tree for any of the following: forward distance df, backward distance db, left distance dl, left angle θl, right distance dr, and right angle θr. For example, if there are no communication elements or other factors that can be used to determine the values ​​of the left angle θl and the right angle θr, the calculation unit 13 may randomly set the values ​​of the left angle θl and the right angle θr within a preset small angle range such as -5° to 5°.

[0063] Furthermore, the calculation unit 13 can also use a pre-defined function to calculate some or all of the values ​​of the forward distance df, the backward distance db, the left distance dl, the left angle θl, the right distance dr, and the right angle θr. For example, the calculation unit 13 calculates a function of the numerically and standardized communication elements as the forward distance df. The coefficients, exponents, or other parameters in this function are pre-defined based on simulation and historical data. These parameters are calculated, for example, by optimizing the calculation using the reproduction rate of communication condition determination in historical data as the objective function. These parameters are examples of parameters used when calculating the communication range 17 based on the communication elements. In this example, the parameters are set jointly regardless of the user 3.

[0064] Next, use Figure 6 An example of the processing in the communication determination system 1 will be explained.

[0065] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing of the AC determination system 1 according to embodiment 1.

[0066] In step S01, the location information acquisition unit 6 of the terminal device 4 acquires the location information of the user 3 corresponding to the terminal device 4. Afterwards, the processing of the terminal device 4 proceeds to step S02.

[0067] In step S02, the communication element acquisition unit 7 of the terminal device 4 acquires the communication elements of the user 3 corresponding to the terminal device 4. Afterwards, the processing of the terminal device 4 proceeds to step S03.

[0068] In step S03, the communication unit 5 sends the acquired location information and communication elements to the management device 10. Afterwards, the terminal device 4 proceeds to step S01.

[0069] In step S04 of the management device 10, the collection unit 11 collects location information and communication elements sent by the terminal device 4. The collection unit 11 may also repeat step S04 for each user 3. After that, the processing of the management device 10 proceeds to step S05.

[0070] In step S05, the calculation unit 13 calculates the communication range 17 of the user 3 based on the communication elements collected by the collection unit 11, and updates the data accordingly. The calculation unit 13 may also repeat step S05 for each user 3. Afterwards, the processing of the management device 10 proceeds to step S06.

[0071] In step S06, the communication determination unit 15 determines the communication status between users 3 based on the overlap of the communication range 17 calculated by the calculation unit 13. The communication determination unit 15 may also repeat step S06 for each combination of multiple users 3. After that, the processing of the management device 10 proceeds to step S07.

[0072] In step S07, the output unit 16 outputs the determination result of the AC determination unit 15. After that, the processing of the management device 10 proceeds to step S04.

[0073] As explained above, the communication determination system 1 of Embodiment 1 includes multiple terminal devices 4 and a management device 10. Each terminal device 4 corresponds to any one of the multiple users 3 who can communicate with each other in the facility 2. Each terminal device 4 is held by its corresponding user 3. Each terminal device 4 includes a location information acquisition unit 6 and a communication element acquisition unit 7. The location information acquisition unit 6 acquires the location information of the user 3 corresponding to the terminal device 4. The communication element acquisition unit 7 acquires communication elements indicating the communication status of the user 3 corresponding to the terminal device 4. The management device 10 is a device capable of communicating with each terminal device 4. The management device 10 includes a collection unit 11, a calculation unit 13, and a communication determination unit 15. The collection unit 11 collects the location information and communication elements of the corresponding user 3 from each terminal device 4. The calculation unit 13 calculates the communication range 17 of the target user 3 using the communication elements collected by the collection unit 11, and thereby updates the communication range 17 of the user 3 based on the updates of the user 3's communication elements. The communication range 17 of user 3 is the range based on the location information of user 3. The communication determination unit 15 determines the communication status of a group of users 3 based on the overlap of the communication range 17 of each user 3.

[0074] The communication determination system 1 determines the communication status based on the updated communication range 17, which is updated according to the communication elements representing the communication situation of user 3. Therefore, by determining the communication status based on the situation of user 3, the communication status between user 3 is determined with higher accuracy.

[0075] Furthermore, the calculation unit 13 defines the communication range 17 of the user 3 as the range of a polygon containing the location of the user 3. The calculation unit 13 calculates the communication range 17 of the user by calculating the position of the vertex 18 of the polygon.

[0076] Based on this structure, the calculation unit 13 can easily perform anisotropic deformation of the user 3's communication range 17 according to the user 3's communication elements. In addition, the communication determination unit 15 can easily determine whether the communication ranges 17 overlap with each other.

[0077] Furthermore, the communication elements include user 3's behavioral information. User 3's behavioral information includes the user 3's body movements, orientation, or movement. The calculation unit 13 uses the user 3's behavioral information to calculate the user 3's communication range 17. The calculation unit 13 updates the user 3's communication range 17, for example, by extending it in the direction the user 3 is facing or moving. The calculation unit 13 also updates the user 3's communication range 17, for example, by widening it or extending it further when the user 3's body movements are larger.

[0078] Furthermore, the communication elements include the user's voice information. The user's voice information includes the user's volume. The calculation unit 13 uses the user's voice information to calculate the user's communication range 17. For example, when the user's volume is higher, the calculation unit 13 updates the user's communication range 17 in a way that the user's communication range 17 is wider or extends further.

[0079] Furthermore, the communication elements include the user's biological information. The user's biological information includes the user's heart rate. The calculation unit 13 uses the user's biological information to calculate the user's communication range 17. For example, when the user's heart rate is higher, the calculation unit 13 updates the user's communication range 17 in a way that the user's communication range 17 is wider or extends further.

[0080] Based on this structure, the calculation unit 13 updates the communication range 17 of the user 3 according to the communication elements of the user 3, thus calculating the communication range 17 that the user 3 can communicate with higher accuracy. As a result, the communication status between the users 3 is determined with higher accuracy.

[0081] Furthermore, when the communication determination unit 15 determines that a group of users 3 are communicating when the communication range 17 of each group of users 3 exceeds a preset time and continues to overlap, the communication determination unit 15 determines that the group of users 3 are communicating.

[0082] Based on this structure, the communication determination unit 15 can determine communication between users 3 using simple determination criteria. Furthermore, the communication determination unit 15 is less likely to misjudge the communication status even when users 3 merely pass by. Additionally, the communication determination unit 15 can also determine the communication status using factors such as the overlap size of the communication range 17 of a group of users 3. The overlap size of the communication range 17 is, for example, the area of ​​the overlapping portion of the communication range 17. The communication determination unit 15 can also, for example, weight the time of overlap of the communication range 17 of a group of users 3 by multiplying it by the overlap size of the communication range 17, and determine that the group of users 3 is communicating when this weighted time exceeds a preset threshold.

[0083] Furthermore, the computing unit 13 updates the communication range 17 of the user 3 anisotropically in a manner that expands forward to the user 3, based on the communication elements collected by the collection unit 11 for the user 3.

[0084] Based on this structure, even when user 3 is communicating with other users 3 located at a distance, the communication range 17 of user 3 is calculated based on the communication elements of user 3 corresponding to such a situation. This suppresses the omission of situations where communication exists, and thus enables the determination of the communication status between users 3 with higher accuracy.

[0085] Furthermore, the computing unit 13 updates the communication range 17 of the user 3 anisotropically in a way that shrinks behind the user 3 based on the communication elements collected by the collection unit 11 for the user 3.

[0086] Based on this structure, even in situations where there are other users 3 nearby who do not communicate, the communication range 17 of user 3 is calculated based on the communication elements of that user 3 corresponding to such situations. This suppresses the misjudgment of situations where there is no communication as having communication, thus enabling a more accurate determination of the communication status between users 3.

[0087] Next, use Figure 7 An example of the hardware structure of the AC determination system 1 will be given.

[0088] Figure 7 This is a hardware structure diagram of the main parts of the AC determination system 1 in Implementation Method 1.

[0089] The functions of the AC determination system 1 can be implemented by a processing circuit. The processing circuit has at least one processor 100a and at least one memory 100b. The processing circuit may also have at least one dedicated hardware 200 together with or in place of the processor 100a and memory 100b.

[0090] When the processing circuit includes a processor 100a and a memory 100b, the functions of the AC determination system 1 are implemented by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. At least one of the software and firmware is described in the form of a program. This program is stored in the memory 100b. The processor 100a implements the functions of the AC determination system 1 by reading and executing the program stored in the memory 100b. The program may also be a program package containing multiple subroutines, modules, or libraries. The program may also be a program product itself or a program included in the product.

[0091] The processor 100a is also called a CPU (Central Processing Unit), processing device, arithmetic device, microprocessor, microcomputer, or DSP. The memory 100b is composed of, for example, non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memories such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM, and EEPROM.

[0092] When the processing circuit has dedicated hardware 200, the processing circuit is implemented by, for example, a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmable processor, a parallel programmable processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a combination thereof.

[0093] Each function of the AC determination system 1 can be implemented separately by the processing circuit. Alternatively, each function of the AC determination system 1 can also be implemented uniformly by the processing circuit. Regarding the functions of the AC determination system 1, some can be implemented by dedicated hardware 200, while others can be implemented by software or firmware. In this way, the processing circuit implements the functions of the AC determination system 1 through dedicated hardware 200, software, firmware, or a combination thereof.

[0094] In the various embodiments described below, points that differ from examples disclosed in other embodiments are described in particular detail. Features not described in the following embodiments may also be employed using any features from examples disclosed in other embodiments.

[0095] Implementation method 2.

[0096] Figure 8 This is a structural diagram of the AC determination system 1 in implementation method 2.

[0097] In facility 2, multiple zones are pre-defined. Each zone is, for example, a room, meeting room, or meeting space, which are part of facility 2. These multiple zones include groups of zones that cannot communicate with each other. A group of zones that cannot communicate with each other is, for example, a group of two zones corresponding to two adjacent rooms separated by a wall. At least some of the zones are pre-defined as communication zones where communication can easily occur. These communication zones are, for example, located in places such as meeting rooms and meeting spaces where users 3 can communicate.

[0098] The management device 10 includes a facility storage unit 19. The facility storage unit 19 is responsible for storing information. The facility storage unit 19 stores information about the facility 2. The facility storage unit 19 may also consist of multiple storage areas. Part or all of the facility storage unit 19 may be integrated with part or all of the user storage unit 14. The facility storage unit 19 stores information about the area DB as a database for storing information. The area DB stores information about each area set up in the facility 2. For example, the area DB stores information such as the area and attributes of each area. The area DB stores information such as whether communication is possible between areas. The area DB stores information such as whether each area is an communication area.

[0099] The management device 10 includes a zone determination unit 20. The zone determination unit 20 determines the zones where each user 3 and their communication range 17 exist. For example, the zone determination unit 20 determines the zone where the user 3 is located based on the user 3's location information on the map of facility 2 and information stored in the zone database. For example, if the communication range 17 of the user 3 is a polygon, the zone determination unit 20 determines the overlapping zones of the user 3's communication range 17 based on the coordinates of the vertices 18 of the polygon on the map of facility 2 and information stored in the zone database. The determination result of the zone determination unit 20 is used for corrections of the user 3's communication range 17 performed by the calculation unit 13.

[0100] Next, use Figure 9 and Figure 10 An example of the correction for communication range 17 is illustrated.

[0101] Figure 9 and Figure 10 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the correction of the AC range 17 in the AC determination system 1 of Embodiment 2.

[0102] Figure 9 This is a diagram showing an example of the correction of the AC range 17 performed by the calculation unit 13.

[0103] The calculation unit 13 provisionally calculates the communication range 17 of user 3 based on the communication elements of user 3 located in room A. Here, room A and room B are a group of mutually non-communicating areas divided by walls. Room A is an example of area 1. Room B is an example of area 2. When room A and room B overlap with the provisionally calculated communication range 17 of user 3, the calculation unit 13 performs corrections, reducing the communication range 17 of user 3 to a range that does not overlap with room B where user 3 is not present.

[0104] In this example, the calculation unit 13 provisionally calculates the coordinates of the vertices 18 of the communication range 17 of the user 3, which is a polygon. The calculation of the provisional communication range 17 is based on communication elements and does not refer to information such as the area of ​​facility 2. Therefore, for example, when the user 3 is located near the boundary between room A and room B in room A, any direction of the vertices 18 of the provisional communication range 17 may extend to a position in room B where the user 3 is not present. At this time, the calculation unit 13 corrects the provisional communication range 17 of the user 3 by moving the vertex 18 located in room B to a position in room A. For example, the calculation unit 13 moves the vertex 18 to a position inside room A in a direction perpendicular to the side that is closest to the object vertex 18 among the sides that form the boundary between room A and room B, in a manner close to the user 3. For example, the calculation unit 13 moves the object vertex 18 to a position inside room A in a manner close to the user 3 in the direction of the user 3's location. The calculation unit 13 can move the vertex 18, which is the object, to the boundary between room A and room B, or it can move it to a position inside room A. Thus, the communication range 17 of user 3 falls within room A where user 3 is located. In this example, the calculation unit 13 stores the corrected communication range 17 in the communication range DB. Alternatively, if no correction is needed, the calculation unit 13 can also store the provisionally calculated communication range 17 before correction in the communication range DB.

[0105] Figure 10 This is a diagram showing another example of the correction of the AC range 17 performed by the calculation unit 13.

[0106] The calculation unit 13 provisionally calculates the communication range 17 of the user 3 based on the communication elements of the user 3 located in front of the meeting space. Here, the meeting space is an example of a pre-defined communication area. When the meeting space overlaps with the communication range 17 of the user 3, the calculation unit 13 corrects by expanding the communication range 17 of the user 3. The calculation unit 13 expands the communication range 17 of the user 3, thereby increasing the overlap between the meeting space and the communication range 17 of the user 3.

[0107] In this example, the calculation unit 13 provisionally calculates the coordinates of the vertices 18 of the communication range 17 of the user 3, which is a polygon. When the user 3 is in front of the meeting space, any one of the vertices 18 of the provisional communication range 17 may be located within the meeting space. At this time, the calculation unit 13 corrects the provisional communication range 17 of the user 3 by moving the vertices 18 located within the meeting space. For example, the calculation unit 13 moves the target vertex 18 to the opposite side of the edge that is closest to the user 3's position on the edge that forms the boundary of the meeting space. The calculation unit 13 moves the target vertex 18 to the midpoint, endpoint, or other point of the edge that forms the boundary of the meeting space. For example, the calculation unit 13 may also move the target vertex 18 to the diagonal point of the endpoint of the edge that forms the boundary of the meeting space, which is diagonally opposite to the point that is closest to the user 3's position. For example, the calculation unit 13 may also move the target vertex 18 from the direction of the user 3's position away from the user 3 to a position on the boundary of the meeting space. The calculation unit 13 can move the vertex 18, which is the object, to the boundary of the meeting space, or to the inside or outside of the meeting space. The meeting space can be a meeting table, or a space accessible to the user 3, such as a meeting cubicle. Regarding the accessible meeting space, the user 3 can be located inside the meeting space. In this example, the calculation unit 13 stores the corrected communication range 17 in the communication range DB. Alternatively, if no correction is required, the calculation unit 13 can also store the provisionally calculated communication range 17 before correction in the communication range DB.

[0108] Next, use Figure 11 An example of the processing in the communication determination system 1 will be explained.

[0109] Figure 11 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing of the AC determination system 1 in Embodiment 2.

[0110] In steps S01 to S05 and steps S06 to S07, the AC determination system 1 of Embodiment 2 is processed in the same way as the AC determination system 1 of Embodiment 1. In step S05, after the calculation unit 13 provisionally calculates the AC range 17, the processing of the AC determination system 1 of Embodiment 2 proceeds to step S08.

[0111] In step S08 of the management device 10, the area determination unit 20 determines that an area exists where the user 3 and each vertex 18 of its communication range 17 are located. Afterwards, the processing of the management device 10 proceeds to step S09.

[0112] In step S09, the calculation unit 13 determines whether zone-based correction is needed for the provisionally calculated communication range 17 of user 3. For example, the calculation unit 13 determines that zone-based correction is needed when two of a group of zones that cannot communicate with each other overlap with the communication range 17 of user 3 located in one of those zones. The calculation unit 13 also determines that zone-based correction is needed when a communication zone overlaps with the communication range 17 of user 3. When zone-based correction is needed, the processing of the management device 10 proceeds to step S10. On the other hand, when zone-based correction is not needed, the processing of the management device 10 proceeds to step S06.

[0113] In step S10, the calculation unit 13 performs zone-based correction for the provisionally calculated communication range 17 of the user 3. For example, when the communication range 17 of a user 3 in a group of zones that cannot communicate with each other overlaps with that of a user 3 in a zone located on one of the zones, the calculation unit 13 reduces the communication range 17 of that user 3 as a zone-based correction. For example, when a communication zone overlaps with the communication range 17 of the user 3, the calculation unit 13 expands the communication range 17 of the user 3 as a zone-based correction. The management device 10 may also repeat steps S08 to S10 for each user 3. Afterwards, the processing of the management device 10 proceeds to step S06.

[0114] As explained above, the management device 10 of the communication determination system 1 in Embodiment 2 includes a facility storage unit 19. The facility storage unit 19 stores information about a plurality of pre-set zones for the facility 2. When two sides of a group of zones that cannot communicate with each other overlap with the communication range 17 of a user 3 located in one of the zones, the calculation unit 13 corrects the situation by reducing the communication range 17 of the user 3 to a range that does not overlap with the other zone.

[0115] Based on this structure, it is less likely that the communication ranges 17 of users 3 located in areas where they cannot communicate with each other will overlap, thus suppressing the misjudgment of communication as existing in situations where there is no communication. As a result, the communication status between users 3 can be determined with higher accuracy.

[0116] Furthermore, when the preset communication area overlaps with the communication range 17 of the user 3, the computing unit 13 corrects the overlap by expanding the communication range 17 of the user 3, thereby making the overlap between the communication area and the communication range 17 of the user 3 larger.

[0117] Based on this structure, when user 3 is present in the communication area that promotes communication, it is easy to determine that user 3 is communicating. This suppresses missed detections of situations where communication exists, thus enabling a more accurate determination of the communication status between users 3.

[0118] Implementation method 3.

[0119] Figure 12 This is a structural diagram of the AC determination system 1 in implementation method 3.

[0120] Among the communication elements manifested in the communication between users 3, there are individual differences such as the habits or tendencies of users 3. Therefore, the communication determination system 1 improves the accuracy of the communication status determination by adjusting the communication range 17 according to such individual differences.

[0121] The user storage unit 14 stores information about communication characteristics (DB) as a database for storing information. The communication characteristics DB stores information about the communication characteristics of each user 3. Communication characteristics are information about the characteristics of each user 3 when communication is manifested as a communication element. Communication characteristics reflect the habits or tendencies of the user 3, etc. Communication characteristics may include, for example, correction elements that correct for the communication range 17 of the user 3 provisionally calculated by the calculation unit 13. Correction elements may include, for example, correction coefficients, correction bias, or other correction parameters used for correction.

[0122] The management device 10 includes an adjustment unit 21. The adjustment unit 21 is a component that adjusts the communication characteristics of the user 3 according to individual differences such as the user 3's habits. The adjustment unit 21 adjusts the communication characteristics at pre-set periodic or irregular times. The timing of the communication characteristic adjustment can vary for each user 3, or it can be the same time. The timing of the communication characteristic adjustment can also be the time when an administrator or other personnel involved in the communication determination system 1 begins operation. The adjustment unit 21 adjusts the communication characteristics as follows, for example.

[0123] The adjustment unit 21 stores a pre-learned model, for example, based on historical data. The pre-learned model is obtained through methods such as supervised learning or other machine learning techniques. The pre-learned model is, for example, a model that outputs the communication status when input communication elements. The pre-learned model is jointly set regardless of the user 3.

[0124] The adjustment unit 21, based on the learned model, identifies users 3 with low accuracy in determining the communication status. The accuracy of communication status determination is, for example, the consistency between the communication status output from the learned model using communication elements from historical data as input and the communication status determined based on the communication range 17 calculated from the communication elements from historical data. Alternatively, the calculation unit 13 and the communication determination unit 15 may perform the calculation of the communication range 17 based on the communication elements from historical data and the determination of the communication status, respectively.

[0125] For users 3 with low accuracy in determining communication status, the adjustment unit 21 estimates the reasons for the misjudgment based on the communication elements of user 3 in cases where the communication status of historical data was set to positive. The adjustment unit 21 then adjusts the communication characteristics of user 3 according to the estimated reasons. The adjusted communication characteristics are stored in the communication characteristic DB for each user 3.

[0126] Next, use Figure 13 and Figure 14 Examples of adjustments to communication characteristics are provided.

[0127] Figure 13 and Figure 14 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the adjustment of AC characteristics in the AC determination system 1 of embodiment 3.

[0128] Figure 13 This is a diagram showing an example of the adjustment of the AC characteristics performed by the adjustment unit 21.

[0129] For example, if user 3 has a habit of frequently changing body orientation, the communication range 17 of user 3 vibrates according to the orientation of user 3's body. Therefore, user 3's habit may be the cause of misjudgment of the communication status. For example, when user 3's communication range 17 vibrates and intermittently overlaps with the communication range 17 of other users 3, the adjustment unit 21 estimates that the misjudgment of the communication status of user 3 is due to user 3's habit of changing body orientation. At this time, the adjustment unit 21 adjusts the communication characteristics, for example, by adjusting a correction coefficient corresponding to the width of user 3's communication range 17, thereby further widening the width of user 3's communication range 17 in the left and right directions.

[0130] Figure 14 This is a diagram showing another example of the adjustment of the AC characteristics performed by the adjustment unit 21.

[0131] For example, if user 3 has a large personal space and tends to keep their distance from other users 3, the communication range 17 of user 3 is unlikely to overlap with the communication range 17 of other users 3. Therefore, user 3's tendency may be the cause of misjudgment of the communication status. For example, when user 3's communication range 17 is far enough that it does not overlap with the communication range 17 of other users 3, the adjustment unit 21 estimates that the misjudgment of user 3's communication status is due to user 3's tendency to keep their distance. At this time, the adjustment unit 21 adjusts the communication characteristics, for example, by using a correction coefficient corresponding to the forward distance df of user 3's communication range 17, so that user 3's communication range 17 is extended forward.

[0132] Next, use Figure 15 An example of the processing in the communication decision system 1 is explained.

[0133] Figure 15 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing of the AC determination system 1 in embodiment 3.

[0134] In steps S01 to S05, S06 to S07, and S08 to S10, the AC determination system 1 of Embodiment 3 performs the same processing as the AC determination system 1 of Embodiment 2. If it is determined in step S09 that region-based correction is unnecessary, the processing of the AC determination system 1 of Embodiment 3 proceeds to step S11.

[0135] In step S11, the calculation unit 13 performs a correction based on the communication characteristics of the user 3 for the provisionally calculated communication range 17. The calculation unit 13 reads the communication characteristics of the user 3 from the communication characteristics DB of the user storage unit 14 and uses it for the correction of the communication range 17 of the user 3. For example, when the calculation unit 13 reads the correction coefficient for the forward distance df of the communication range 17 as the communication characteristic, it multiplies the read correction coefficient by the forward distance df, thereby correcting the communication range 17. The management device 10 may also repeat the processing of steps S08 to S11 for each user 3. After that, the processing of the management device 10 proceeds to step S06.

[0136] As explained above, the management device 10 of the communication determination system 1 in Embodiment 3 includes a user storage unit 14. The user storage unit 14 stores communication characteristic information for each user 3. The calculation unit 13 calculates the communication range 17 for each user 3 based on the communication characteristics stored in the user storage unit 14 for that user 3. The user storage unit 14 stores correction elements that correct the calculated communication range 17 as communication characteristics for each user 3. The calculation unit 13 uses the correction elements stored in the user storage unit 14 for that user 3 to correct the communication range 17 tentatively calculated for that user 3.

[0137] Based on this structure, the communication range 17 is adjusted according to individual differences such as the user's habits or preferences, thus determining the communication status between users 3 with higher accuracy. Furthermore, in this example, corrections based on the correction elements of each user 3 are performed without performing zone-based corrections. Therefore, by correcting based on the user 3's correction elements, it prevents the communication range 17 of that user 3 from extending from the user 3's current zone back to a zone where communication is impossible.

[0138] Alternatively, the management device 10 can adjust the communication range 17 for each user 3 using other methods of correction elements. For example, the communication characteristic DB can store the parameters used by the calculation unit 13 to calculate the communication range 17 based on the communication elements for each user 3, as communication characteristics. These parameters can be, for example, the values ​​of the leaf nodes of the decision tree and the thresholds of the conditional branches when calculating the communication range 17, or coefficients, exponents, or other parameters in the function used to calculate the communication range 17. In this case, the adjustment unit 21 adjusts the parameters of each user 3 as communication characteristics. Furthermore, the calculation unit 13 reads the parameters of each user 3 from the communication characteristic DB and calculates the communication range 17 based on the communication elements. The calculation unit 13 can also perform area-based correction as needed after tentatively calculating the communication range 17 using the parameters of each user 3.

[0139] Furthermore, the adjustment unit 21 can adjust communication characteristics without performing analysis such as misjudgment of communication status. For example, the adjustment unit 21 can also adjust the communication characteristics of the user 3 based on the options selected by the user 3. The options selected by the user 3 are collected from the terminal device 4 held by the user 3 via the communication network 8 and the collection unit 11 and then sent to the management device 10. The options selected by the user 3 include, for example, the size of personal space, the volume of voice, and other habits or preferences.

[0140] In summary, the structures that the technology disclosed can adopt include the following structures shown as appendices.

[0141] (Postscript 1)

[0142] An communication determination system, wherein,

[0143] The communication determination system has the following features:

[0144] Multiple terminal devices, each corresponding to any one of multiple users who can communicate with each other within the facility, and held by the corresponding user; and

[0145] The management device is capable of communicating with each of the multiple terminal devices.

[0146] The plurality of terminal devices each have:

[0147] The location information acquisition unit acquires the location information of the corresponding user; and

[0148] The communication element acquisition unit acquires communication elements representing the communication situation of the corresponding user.

[0149] The management device includes:

[0150] The collection unit collects the location information and communication elements of the corresponding users from the multiple terminal devices;

[0151] The calculation unit, taking each of the plurality of users as objects, uses the communication elements collected by the collection unit for each user as an object to calculate the communication range of that user based on the user's location information, thereby updating the user's communication range in response to updates to the user's communication elements; and

[0152] The communication determination unit determines the communication status of the first user and the second user among the plurality of users based on the overlap between the communication range of the first user and the communication range of the second user.

[0153] (Postscript 2)

[0154] According to the communication determination system described in Appendix 1, in which,

[0155] The computing unit sets the user's communication range as the range of a polygon containing the user's location, calculates the positions of the vertices of the polygon, and thus calculates the user's communication range.

[0156] (Note 3)

[0157] According to the communication determination system described in Appendix 1 or Appendix 2, wherein,

[0158] The computing unit uses user behavior information, including the user's body movements, orientation, or movement, as at least a part of the user's communication elements to calculate the user's communication range.

[0159] (Note 4)

[0160] According to the communication determination system described in any one of Appendix 1 to Appendix 3, wherein,

[0161] The computing unit uses the user's voice information, including the user's volume, as at least a part of the user's communication elements to calculate the user's communication range.

[0162] (Note 5)

[0163] According to the communication determination system described in any one of Appendix 1 to Appendix 4, wherein,

[0164] The computing unit uses the user's biometric information, including the user's heart rate, as at least a part of the user's communication elements to calculate the user's communication range.

[0165] (Note 6)

[0166] According to the communication determination system described in any one of Appendix 1 to Appendix 5, wherein,

[0167] When the communication determination unit determines that the first user and the second user are communicating when the communication range of the first user and the communication range of the second user continue to overlap for a preset time, the communication determination unit determines that the first user and the second user are communicating.

[0168] (Note 7)

[0169] According to the communication determination system described in any one of Appendix 1 to Appendix 6, wherein,

[0170] The computing unit anisotropically updates the user's communication range based on the communication elements collected by the collection unit for the user as the target, in a manner that expands the user's communication range in front of the user.

[0171] (Note 8)

[0172] According to the communication determination system described in any one of Appendix 1 to Appendix 7, wherein,

[0173] The computing unit updates the user's communication range anisotropically based on the communication elements collected by the collection unit for the user as the target, in a manner that narrows the user's communication range behind the user.

[0174] (Postscript 9)

[0175] According to the communication determination system described in any one of Appendix 1 to Appendix 8, wherein,

[0176] The communication determination system includes a facility storage unit, which stores information from multiple pre-defined zones for the facility.

[0177] The plurality of zones includes a pre-defined first zone and a second zone, which are groups of zones that cannot communicate with each other.

[0178] When the communication range of the user located in the first area overlaps with that of the second area in both the first and second areas, the calculation unit corrects the user's communication range by reducing it to at least a range that does not overlap with the second area.

[0179] (Postscript 10)

[0180] According to the communication determination system described in any one of Appendix 1 to Appendix 8, wherein,

[0181] The communication determination system includes a facility storage unit, which stores information from multiple pre-defined zones for the facility.

[0182] The plurality of zones includes pre-defined communication zones that are designed to facilitate communication.

[0183] When the communication area overlaps with the user's communication range, the computing unit corrects the overlap by expanding the user's communication range, thereby increasing the overlap between the communication area and the user's communication range.

[0184] (Postscript 11)

[0185] According to the communication determination system described in any one of Appendix 1 to Appendix 10, wherein,

[0186] The communication determination system includes a user storage unit, which stores communication characteristic information for each of the multiple users.

[0187] The computing unit calculates the communication range of the user based on the communication characteristics of the user storage unit for the user as the object.

[0188] (Postscript 12)

[0189] According to the communication determination system described in Appendix 11, among which,

[0190] The user storage unit stores the correction elements that correct the calculated AC range as AC characteristics for each user.

[0191] The calculation unit uses the correction elements stored by the user storage unit for the user as the target to correct the communication range calculated for that user.

[0192] (Postscript 13)

[0193] According to the communication determination system described in Appendix 11, among which,

[0194] The user storage unit stores the parameters used by each user when the calculation unit calculates the communication range based on the communication elements as communication characteristics.

[0195] The computing unit uses the parameters stored by the user storage unit for the user as the object to calculate the user's communication range.

[0196] (Postscript 14)

[0197] A management device is capable of communicating with multiple terminal devices, each corresponding to any one of multiple users who can communicate with each other within a facility, and held by the corresponding user.

[0198] The management device includes:

[0199] The collection unit collects location information of the corresponding users and communication elements indicating the communication situation from the multiple terminal devices respectively;

[0200] The calculation unit, taking each of the plurality of users as objects, uses the communication elements collected by the collection unit for each user as an object to calculate the communication range of that user based on the user's location information, thereby updating the user's communication range in response to updates to the user's communication elements; and

[0201] The communication determination unit determines the communication status of the first user and the second user among the plurality of users based on the overlap between the communication range of the first user and the communication range of the second user.

[0202] (Postscript 15)

[0203] A method for determining communication, wherein,

[0204] A computer system capable of communicating with multiple terminal devices, each corresponding to and held by a user among multiple users who can communicate with each other within the facility, performs the following process:

[0205] The location information of the corresponding users and communication elements indicating the communication situation are collected from the multiple terminal devices respectively;

[0206] Taking each of the multiple users as an object, and using the communication elements collected for each user, the communication range of that user is calculated based on their location information. Therefore, the communication range of that user is updated according to the updates to their communication elements.

[0207] For the first user and the second user among the multiple users, the communication status of the first user and the second user is determined based on the overlap between the communication range of the first user and the communication range of the second user.

[0208] (Postscript 16)

[0209] An communication determination procedure, wherein,

[0210] The communication determination procedure enables a computer system capable of communicating with multiple terminal devices, each corresponding to and held by a user among multiple users who can communicate with each other within the facility. The process is as follows:

[0211] The location information of the corresponding users and communication elements indicating the communication situation are collected from the multiple terminal devices respectively;

[0212] Taking each of the multiple users as an object, and using the communication elements collected for each user, the communication range of that user is calculated based on their location information. Therefore, the communication range of that user is updated according to the updates to their communication elements.

[0213] For the first user and the second user among the multiple users, the communication status of the first user and the second user is determined based on the overlap between the communication range of the first user and the communication range of the second user.

Claims

1. An communication determination system, wherein, The communication determination system has the following features: Multiple terminal devices, each corresponding to any one of multiple users who can communicate with each other within the facility, and held by the corresponding user; and The management device is capable of communicating with each of the multiple terminal devices. The plurality of terminal devices each have: The location information acquisition unit acquires the location information of the corresponding user; and The communication element acquisition unit acquires communication elements representing the communication situation of the corresponding user. The management device includes: The collection unit collects the location information and communication elements of the corresponding users from the multiple terminal devices; The calculation unit takes the multiple users as objects, uses the collection unit to collect communication elements for the users as objects, calculates the communication range of the user based on the user's location information, and updates the user's communication range in response to the update of the user's communication elements. as well as The communication determination unit determines the communication status of the first user and the second user among the plurality of users based on the overlap between the communication range of the first user and the communication range of the second user.

2. The AC determination system according to claim 1, wherein, The computing unit sets the user's communication range as the range of a polygon containing the user's location, calculates the positions of the vertices of the polygon, and thus calculates the user's communication range.

3. The AC determination system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The computing unit uses user behavior information, including the user's body movements, orientation, or movement, as at least a part of the user's communication elements to calculate the user's communication range.

4. The AC determination system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The computing unit uses the user's voice information, including the user's volume, as at least a part of the user's communication elements to calculate the user's communication range.

5. The AC determination system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The computing unit uses the user's biometric information, including the user's heart rate, as at least a part of the user's communication elements to calculate the user's communication range.

6. The AC determination system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, When the communication determination unit determines that the first user and the second user are communicating when the communication range of the first user and the communication range of the second user continue to overlap for a preset time, the communication determination unit determines that the first user and the second user are communicating.

7. The AC determination system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The computing unit anisotropically updates the user's communication range based on the communication elements collected by the collection unit for the user as the target, in a manner that expands the user's communication range in front of the user.

8. The AC determination system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The computing unit updates the user's communication range anisotropically based on the communication elements collected by the collection unit for the user as the target, in a manner that narrows the user's communication range behind the user.

9. The AC determination system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The communication determination system includes a facility storage unit, which stores information from multiple pre-defined zones for the facility. The plurality of zones includes a pre-defined first zone and a second zone, which are groups of zones that cannot communicate with each other. When the communication range of the user located in the first area overlaps with that of the second area in both the first and second areas, the calculation unit corrects the user's communication range by reducing it to at least a range that does not overlap with the second area.

10. The AC determination system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The communication determination system includes a facility storage unit, which stores information from multiple pre-defined zones for the facility. The plurality of zones includes pre-defined communication zones that are designed to facilitate communication. When the communication area overlaps with the user's communication range, the computing unit corrects the overlap by expanding the user's communication range, thereby increasing the overlap between the communication area and the user's communication range.

11. The AC determination system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The communication determination system includes a user storage unit, which stores communication characteristic information for each of the multiple users. The computing unit calculates the communication range of the user based on the communication characteristics of the user storage unit for the user as the object.

12. The AC determination system according to claim 11, wherein, The user storage unit stores the correction elements that correct the calculated AC range as AC characteristics for each user. The calculation unit uses the correction elements stored by the user storage unit for the user as the target to correct the communication range calculated for that user.

13. The AC determination system according to claim 11, wherein, The user storage unit stores the parameters used by each user when the calculation unit calculates the communication range based on the communication elements as communication characteristics. The computing unit uses the parameters stored by the user storage unit for the user as the object to calculate the user's communication range.

14. A management device capable of communicating with multiple terminal devices, each terminal device corresponding to any one of multiple users who can communicate with each other in a facility, and held by the corresponding user, wherein, The management device includes: The collection unit collects location information of the corresponding users and communication elements indicating the communication situation from the multiple terminal devices respectively; The calculation unit takes the multiple users as objects, uses the collection unit to collect communication elements for the users as objects, calculates the communication range of the user based on the user's location information, and updates the user's communication range in response to the update of the user's communication elements. as well as The communication determination unit determines the communication status of the first user and the second user among the plurality of users based on the overlap between the communication range of the first user and the communication range of the second user.

15. An exchange determination method, wherein, A computer system capable of communicating with multiple terminal devices, each corresponding to and held by a user among multiple users who can communicate with each other within the facility, performs the following process: The location information of the corresponding users and communication elements indicating the communication situation are collected from the multiple terminal devices respectively; Each user is treated as an object. Using the communication elements collected for each user, the communication range of that user is calculated based on the user's location information. Thus, the communication range of that user is updated in accordance with the update of the user's communication elements. as well as For the first user and the second user among the multiple users, the communication status of the first user and the second user is determined based on the overlap between the communication range of the first user and the communication range of the second user.

16. An communication determination procedure, wherein, The communication determination procedure enables a computer system capable of communicating with multiple terminal devices, each corresponding to and held by a user among multiple users who can communicate with each other within the facility. The process is as follows: The location information of the corresponding users and communication elements indicating the communication situation are collected from the multiple terminal devices respectively; Each user is treated as an object. Using the communication elements collected for the user as the object, the communication range of the user is calculated based on the user's location information. Thus, the communication range of the user is updated in accordance with the update of the user's communication elements. as well as For the first user and the second user among the multiple users, the communication status of the first user and the second user is determined based on the overlap between the communication range of the first user and the communication range of the second user.

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