Information processing device, program, and information processing method
The information processing device addresses the issue of inaccurate congestion visualization by integrating real-time detection with scheduled data to ensure accurate representation and trend analysis of congestion levels.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2023190500
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-11-08
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-20
AI Technical Summary
Existing congestion visualization systems fail to accurately reflect the actual congestion level due to discrepancies between detected and registered congestion statuses, making it difficult to grasp the effectiveness of congestion visualization.
An information processing device that acquires and analyzes congestion information from both real-time detection and scheduled data, determining the final congestion status for display, and outputs an analysis report to ensure accurate representation.
Provides a technology for delivering a report of actual congestion information, allowing facility managers to grasp the trends in displayed congestion levels effectively.
Smart Images

Figure 2025078144000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
[Technical field]
[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, a program, and an information processing method. [Background technology]
[0002] Conventionally, there is a congestion visualization system that detects congestion using a detection device and distributes congestion information. There is also a technology that collects and reports the congestion detection results to facility managers. Patent Document 1 describes displaying a graph showing the time transition of past congestion performance values derived by detecting people in an image. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]
[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-42049 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]
[0004] However, in order to confirm the effect of visualizing congestion information, a report of the actual congestion level may not be sufficient. For example, in the case of a system that allows the congestion status to be distributed to be registered in advance, a congestion status that is temporarily different from the congestion status detected by the detection device is displayed. In such a case, it is difficult to grasp the effect of visualizing congestion even by looking at the report of the detection results. [Means for solving the problem]
[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the information processing device disclosed herein is characterized by having an acquisition means for acquiring congestion information to be distributed as the congestion status of the facility, the congestion information being determined based on congestion information received from a first terminal and congestion information received from a second terminal, an analysis means for analyzing a predetermined period of the congestion information acquired by the acquisition means, and an output means for outputting the analysis results by the analysis means.
[0006] Further features related to the present disclosure will become apparent from the description of the present specification and the accompanying drawings. Also, the aspects of the present disclosure are achieved and realized by the elements and combinations of various elements and the following detailed description and the appended claims. The description of the present specification is merely exemplary and is not intended to limit the scope or application of the present disclosure in any way. Effect of the Invention
[0007] According to the technology of the present disclosure, the present disclosure can provide a technology for delivering a report of congestion information that was actually displayed in a congestion visualization system. [Brief description of the drawings]
[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of a management system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of a management server 10. FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a functional block diagram of a management server 10 and a management terminal 21. [Figure 4] 13 is a flowchart of a process for determining congestion information to be displayed. [Diagram 5] 13 is a flowchart of a process for aggregating congestion information for display. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an analysis screen. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an analysis screen. [Figure 8] 13 is a flowchart of a process for aggregating congestion information for display. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of an analysis screen. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The same components will be described with the same reference numerals. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the technology of the present disclosure, and all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are not necessarily essential to solving the above problems.
[0010] [First embodiment] In the first embodiment, congestion information is distributed to a display device based on real-time congestion information and congestion information registered in advance in a schedule. Furthermore, a method for aggregating and reporting the history of congestion information distributed to the display device will be described.
[0011] <Example of management system 1 configuration> 1 is a configuration diagram showing a management system 1 according to a first embodiment. The management system 1 is a system that collects and distributes information (crowding information) indicating the congestion status of a facility 20, and includes a management server 10, a management terminal 21 managed by the facility, a detection device 22 that detects the congestion information of the facility 20, and a display device 30 that displays the congestion information. Here, a facility is a place whose congestion status changes depending on the number of people visiting. For example, the facility may be a store such as a restaurant or cafe, a retail store, a hospital or a pharmacy, a government office with a counter or a polling station, an evacuation shelter, a tourist facility such as an art gallery or a museum, or an amusement park, or a road with a lot of people, a tourist attraction, a toilet, etc.
[0012] The management server 10 is an information processing device that receives congestion information that is the result of detection from the detection device 22, receives various facility information (including congestion information registered in a schedule) from the management terminal 21, and manages the congestion information of each facility 20. Furthermore, the management server 10 can distribute congestion information of the facility 20 to the display device 30 based on the information received from the detection device 22 and the management device 21, and distribute to the management terminal 21 the results of analyzing the congestion information for display that has been determined for distribution.
[0013] The management terminal 21 is an information processing device managed by a related person such as a facility manager or staff member, and is, for example, a smartphone, tablet, or PC (personal computer). A related person of the facility can register basic information such as the name and location of the facility in the management server 10 via the management terminal 21, and can register a schedule of congestion information in advance.
[0014] Furthermore, the management terminal 21 can display analysis results regarding congestion at the facility based on information received from the management server 10. When displaying an analysis report on the display unit in response to a user operation, the management terminal 21 transmits a request to the management server 10 and obtains the analysis report from the management server 10. Note that, when registering various pieces of information via the management terminal 21, it is desirable to require logging in using an email address, telephone number, ID, and password when using the management terminal 21 or an application provided by this management system. Also, although one configuration of the management terminal 21 is shown for convenience, it is also possible to log in to a specified application from a plurality of different information processing devices.
[0015] The detection device 22 is a device for detecting the congestion status of the facility and transmitting congestion information to the management server 10. Here, the facility 20 is imaged by a camera, and an analysis process is performed to detect people from the image obtained by imaging, thereby detecting the congestion status. In this embodiment, the congestion status is classified into three statuses, "vacant," "slightly crowded," and "crowded," and the congestion information is information indicating any one of the three congestion statuses. The detection device 22 counts the number of objects detected as people in the target range in the image, and determines that if it is less than a first threshold, it is "vacant," if it is equal to or greater than the first threshold and less than a second threshold, it is "slightly crowded," and if it is equal to or greater than the second threshold, it is "crowded." Note that the first threshold and the second threshold are set in advance. Information including the congestion information derived in this way, the number of people detected, the date and time of detection, information that can identify the detection device 22, and the image on which the analysis process was performed is transmitted to the management server 10 at regular intervals (for example, every minute). Note that a known method can be applied to the person detection method and congestion status determination process performed by the detection device 22.
[0016] The display device 30 is a device for displaying real-time congestion information. Here, the display device 30 is a digital signage that displays names and photos of pre-set facilities. The display device 30 periodically sends information to the management server 10 for identifying the facility 20 for which congestion information is to be obtained, and requests the latest congestion information. Here, the display device 30 sends a request to the management server 10 every 30 seconds. Furthermore, when the display device 30 receives the latest congestion information from the management server 10, it updates the congestion information being displayed using the latest congestion information.
[0017] The management server 10, the management terminal 21, the detection device 22, and the display device 30 are connected to each other via a network 40 such as the Internet. Note that, for simplicity of explanation, only one facility 20 is shown here, but there may be two or more facilities 20.
[0018] <Hardware configuration of management server 10 and user terminal 20> Fig. 2 is a hardware configuration diagram of the management server 10. The management server 10 is an information processing device, and can be a general-purpose server computer, a personal computer, or the like. As shown in Fig. 2, the management server 10 physically has one or more CPUs (Central Processing Units) 21, which are processors, a memory 22, a storage 23, a communication unit 24 such as a communication interface for communicating with the network 40, and an input / output unit 25. The hardware components of the management server 10 are connected to each other via a bus.
[0019] The CPU 21 executes a program previously stored in the storage 23, which will be described later, so that each piece of hardware operates under the control of the CPU 21, and each function of the management server 10 shown in FIG. 3 is realized. The memory 22 temporarily stores the program loaded from the storage 23 and provides a working area for the CPU 21. The memory 22 also temporarily stores various data generated while the CPU 21 is executing the program. The memory 22 includes, for example, a random access memory (RAM) and a read only memory (ROM). The storage 23 stores various programs. The storage is, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD). The communication unit 24 transmits and receives various data to and from an external information processing device via a network. The communication may be performed either wired or wirelessly, and any communication protocol may be used as long as the communication between the two devices can be performed.
[0020] The input / output unit 25 has an input device that receives inputs from various operations on the management server 10 and transmits information related to the inputs to the CPU 21, and an output device that outputs the processing results of the CPU 21. The input device is realized by a touch panel, a mouse, a keyboard, a microphone, etc., and the output device is a display, a speaker, etc. The input / output unit 150 may be an integrated input device and an output device, such as a touch panel display, or may be separate input device and output device.
[0021] The hardware configurations of the management terminal 21 and the display device 30 are similar to that of the management server 10, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.
[0022] <Functional configuration of management server 10> 3 is a functional block diagram of the management server 10. The management server 10 includes a storage unit 310, a management unit 311, a determination unit 313, an analysis unit 314, and a communication control unit 315 as software modules executed by the CPU 21 (functions configured by various programs deployed in the internal memory of the CPU 21). For convenience of description, these modules may be described below as the subject of operations, but since it is the CPU 21 that actually executes these modules, the CPU 21 may also be the subject of operations.
[0023] The storage unit 310 stores a database related to facilities that are targets managed by the management server 10. The database includes a basic information table that stores basic information related to the facility, a congestion information table, and a congestion schedule table. Note that the various information about the facility is not limited to a table format, and may be constructed in any format as long as each data is linked.
[0024] The basic information table is a data set that stores basic information about facilities. For example, one piece of facility information (i.e., one record) is information that associates a facility ID, name, genre, address, location (latitude and longitude), phone number, business hours, image, and authentication information.
[0025] The "facility ID" is identification information for uniquely identifying the facility 20. The "name" indicates the name of the facility 20. The "genre" is information indicating the type of the facility 20, such as a restaurant, a museum, a park, or a supermarket. The "address" is information capable of identifying the location of the facility 20. The "location" is location information consisting of latitude and longitude. The "telephone number" is information stored when the facility 20 has a telephone service that can accept calls. The "business hours" is information indicating the time period during which users (customers) can visit the facility 20. The business hours are defined by a start time and an end time. The "image" is data of an image file for guiding the interior and exterior of the facility 20. The "authentication information" is information used when registering information about the facility 20 via the management terminal 21 of the facility 20 or using an application for viewing analysis results related to the facility 20. For example, an address, a password, or the like is stored as the authentication information.
[0026] The congestion information table is a data set that stores the results of detection by the detection device 22 received from the detection device 22. As an example, one piece of detection information may include congestion information, number of people, detection date and time, reception date and time, detection device ID, and image.
[0027] As described above, "crowding information" is information indicating the congestion status, either "available," "slightly crowded," or "crowded," and is a real-time detection result derived as a result of the detection device 22 analyzing the image. "Number of people" is the number of people detected in the target range as a result of image analysis. "Detection date and time" is the timing when the image was captured, and "reception date and time" is the date and time when the management server 10 received the detection information from the detection device 22. "Detection device ID" is identification information that can uniquely identify the detection device 22, and "image" is the data of the image file on which the analysis process was performed (for example, if the detection device 22 is capturing video, at least one frame and (It can also be said that.)
[0028] The congestion information table is linked to one facility 20. Therefore, the congestion information table can be said to be a history of detection results obtained by detecting the congestion state of the facility 20 in real time. When there are two or more facilities that are managed by the management server 10, a congestion information table exists for each facility, and it is desirable to store the identification information of the congestion information table in association with each other in, for example, a basic information table.
[0029] The congestion schedule table is a data set that stores information about the congestion information schedule that is registered in advance by the management terminal 21. There are cases where the facility 20 wants to distribute a specified congestion status as the latest congestion information for a specified fixed period of time, regardless of the detection result by the detection device 22. For example, if the facility 20 is a restaurant and customers visit continuously during lunchtime on weekdays, when customers leave at the same time, the automatic detection by the detection device 22 may detect the status as "slightly crowded" rather than "crowded," which is the most crowded status, during the preparation period before welcoming the next customers, such as during the accounting and cleaning up, but in such a case, it is desired that "crowded" is always distributed during lunchtime (12:00 to 13:00).
[0030] In this embodiment, the operator of facility 20 can register a schedule via an application in management terminal 21 if he / she wishes to fix congestion information for a pre-specified time period. When management terminal 21 receives a time period for a date for which congestion information is to be pre-registered (hereinafter referred to as a fixed time period) and congestion information to be fixed for that time period (hereinafter referred to as fixed congestion information) in response to a user operation, it transmits the fixed time period and the fixed congestion information to management server 10 along with identification information that can uniquely identify facility 20. Hereinafter, the fixed time period and the fixed congestion information are collectively referred to as congestion schedule information. When management server 10 receives congestion schedule information from management terminal 21, it stores it in the congestion schedule table of the corresponding facility 20.
[0031] When the management unit 311 receives various information from the management terminal 21, it searches the corresponding table by referencing the ID that identifies the facility 20, and registers the acquired information. Here, when the management unit 311 receives basic information about the facility 20, it updates the corresponding portion of the basic information table with the newly acquired information. When the management unit 311 receives congestion information or congestion schedule information, it adds it to the congestion information table and congestion schedule table, respectively.
[0032] The determination unit 313 determines congestion information (hereinafter, congestion information for distribution) to be distributed to the display device 30 that has made the request, based on the congestion information and schedule congestion information received from the management terminal 21 and the detection device 22. The determination unit 313 executes a determination process of congestion information for distribution at the timing of receiving congestion information from the detection device 22, and determines whether to distribute congestion information that is the latest detection result received, or to distribute fixed congestion information registered in advance. In other words, as the congestion status of the facility 21 to be distributed, not only congestion information registered in real time from the detection device 22 but also congestion information that is forcibly set depending on the time period may be adopted. The determination unit 313 determines the final congestion information to be distributed to viewers of the congestion visualization (those who intend to use the facility 20). In this embodiment, the display device 30 always displays congestion information of the facility 20, so that the congestion information for distribution is always displayed on the display device 30.
[0033] The analysis unit 314 analyzes the congestion information to be distributed for a predetermined period of time and generates an analysis report of the congestion information distributed regarding the facility 20. When the analysis unit 314 receives a request for the analysis results from the management terminal 21 of the facility 20, it executes an analysis process to collect the congestion information to be distributed during business hours on that day. In this embodiment, the analysis process collects the ratio of the time displayed for each possible congestion state of the congestion information to be distributed.
[0034] The communication control unit 315 receives various information from the management terminal 21 and the detection device 22, and receives requests from the display terminal 30. In response to a request from the display terminal 30, the communication control unit 315 transmits to the facility terminal 21 an analysis report that has been analyzed by the analysis unit 314 based on the conditions (date and day of the week) included in the request.
[0035] <Determination process of congestion information for distribution> 4 is a flowchart of the process of determining congestion information for delivery executed by the determination unit 313 in the management server 10. As described above, when the determination unit 313 receives detection information from the detection device 22, it executes a program capable of implementing the following process. Hereinafter, each step of the process is represented as "S".
[0036] In S401, the determination unit 313 acquires the current date and time, and the process proceeds to S402. In S402, the determination unit 313 refers to the congestion schedule table and determines whether the current date and time is included in any of the registered fixed time slots. If the current date and time is within the range of the fixed time slots, the process proceeds to S405, and the corresponding fixed congestion information is determined as the congestion information to be distributed. In other words, for the time slots registered in advance on the schedule, the congestion information registered in the past is used, rather than the result of the last automatic detection of the congestion state by the detection device 22 (the latest real-time congestion information). If the current date and time does not fall within any of the registered fixed time slots, the process proceeds to S404, where the congestion information table is referenced and the congestion information contained in the latest detection information is determined to be the congestion information to be distributed.
[0037] In S406, the determination unit 313 stores the current date and time acquired in S401 in association with the delivery congestion information determined in S405 or S406. In this embodiment, the detection information is sent every minute, whereas the request from the display device 30 is sent every 30 seconds, so that almost all of the delivery congestion information (60 data items every minute) is displayed on the display device 30. Therefore, the delivery congestion information can be regarded as a display history on the display device 30. This completes the process of determining the congestion information to be distributed and actually displayed on the display device 30, based on the congestion information obtained as a result of real-time detection and the congestion information registered in advance on the schedule.
[0038] <Analysis processing> 5 is a flowchart of the analysis process of the congestion information to be delivered, which is executed by the analysis unit 314 in the management server 10. When the business hours of the facility 20 end, the analysis unit 314 executes a program capable of implementing the following processes.
[0039] In S501, the analysis unit 314 acquires all of the congestion information for delivery on the current day. In S502, the analysis unit 314 selects one congestion status from among the congestion statuses that the congestion information can take as a processing target. In this case, the congestion information is one of available, slightly crowded, and crowded, so the analysis unit 314 selects one of the three.
[0040] In S503, the analysis unit 314 counts how many congestion statuses to be processed are present in the congestion information for distribution on the day, and divides the count by the number of pieces of congestion information for distribution. In this way, the analysis unit 314 derives the ratio of congestion statuses to be processed to the congestion information for distribution displayed during business hours on the day.
[0041] In S504, the analysis unit 314 determines whether there is an unprocessed congestion status, and if there is, returns to S502 and derives the display ratio of the unprocessed congestion status. If the deriving of the ratios of all congestion statuses has been completed, proceeds to S505, saves the ratio for each congestion status, and ends the process.
[0042] <Analysis screen> An analysis report including the ratio for each congestion status obtained as a result of the processing executed by the analysis unit 314 can be displayed on the management terminal 21. When the management terminal 21 accepts a user operation to view an analysis report in an application for displaying the analysis report, it transmits a request to the management server 10 together with date information specifying the date to be viewed, and obtains the analysis results from the management server 10. Based on the received analysis results, the management terminal 21 generates and displays a GUI screen (graphical user interface) that displays an analysis screen.
[0043] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of an analysis screen. On the analysis screen 600, the display ratio for each congestion status is displayed by a bar graph. The congestion status 610 indicates the congestion status that can be displayed. The display ratio graph 620 displays the ratio for each congestion status for four days. Here, 100% on the graph corresponds to business hours. A person related to the facility 20 can use the analysis screen to understand which congestion status was displayed most often, the tendency of the ratio for each status, and the like.
[0044] In this example, the analysis data for the most recent four days on the same day of the week is displayed, but this is not limiting. For example, the analysis results for one day on the same day of the week from the previous day or last week may be displayed, or the analysis results for multiple days on the same day of the week may be displayed. Also, although business hours are set as 100%, it is also possible to make the bar graph so that 24 hours corresponds to 100%. In this case, in addition to "Available", "Slightly busy", and "Busy", the length of time that "Other" and "Out of business hours" are displayed is also included, and the ratio of each is calculated and displayed.
[0045] <Summary of the First Embodiment> In the management system 1 according to the first embodiment, the detection device 22 (first device) automatically detects the congestion status of the facility 20, and the management terminal 21 (second device) of the facility 20 can also be used to schedule and register congestion information. The management server 10 determines the latest congestion information of the facility 20 based on the congestion information transmitted from the detection device 22, which is the first device, and the congestion information transmitted from the management terminal 21, which is the second device. Therefore, the congestion information distributed regarding the facility 20 is either congestion information derived as a result of automatic detection or congestion information registered in advance. Furthermore, the management server 10 derives a display ratio for each status that is calculated by aggregating the congestion information for distribution (display history) actually displayed on the display device 30, and the analysis result of the congestion information for distribution can be viewed on the management terminal 21. This allows the person in charge of the facility 20 to grasp the tendency of the congestion information that was actually displayed.
[0046] In the above description, the schedule registration of congestion information has been described as an example of a case in which congestion information that is not a detection result by the detection device 22 is distributed, but this is not limited to this. For example, due to a deviation in the installation angle of the detection device 22 or a malfunction in the analysis function, the detection device 22 may temporarily be unable to transmit highly accurate real-time detection information to the management server 10. In such a case, if the detection information of the detection device 22 is distributed as is, the deviation from the actual situation will become large. Therefore, an overwrite function may be provided so that the congestion status can be temporarily overwritten from the management terminal 21. This is different from advance schedule registration, and by forcibly turning on the overwrite function, the detection information is not adopted as congestion information for distribution until the overwrite function is turned off.
[0047] The overwrite function also allows the user to specify the congestion status to be overwritten. When the overwrite function is ON, the management server 10 periodically (e.g., every minute) checks whether the overwrite function is ON or OFF, and if it is ON, adopts the congestion information specified by the overwrite function as congestion information for distribution, and if it is OFF, executes the processes of S404 and S406. Even in this case, the analysis process is executed on the congestion information for distribution and a report is delivered as described above, making it possible to grasp the trends that correspond to the actual display results.
[0048] Also, in the above explanation, the analysis unit 314 calculates the ratio for each congestion status by counting the number of congestion information data. This is because the congestion information for distribution is data that determines the congestion status to be distributed at regular intervals (here, every minute). For example, if the congestion information for distribution is saved in association with the congestion status that is updated only when the congestion status is changed and the date and time, the analysis unit 314 integrates the time (number of seconds) instead of the number of data to derive the proportion of time to the whole. In this way, the analysis unit 314 calculates the ratio at which each congestion status was displayed during a specified period in accordance with the congestion information for distribution.
[0049] <Modification of the first embodiment> In the above embodiment, an example was described in which only the analysis results of the distribution congestion information were displayed on the analysis screen, but the results detected in real time by the detection device 22 may also be analyzed and displayed together. When the analysis results of the detection information are also displayed in parallel, the analysis unit 314 also executes the analysis process shown in Fig. 5 on the detection information and displays the ratios for each status similar to those in Fig. 6. As another example, the analysis unit 314 may tally up the number of users during business hours based on the detection information, and include it in an analysis report for distribution.
[0050] 7 is a diagram showing an example of an analysis screen. The analysis screen 700 includes an area 710 showing the ratio of time each congestion status was displayed, and an area 720 showing the number of users as a detection result. In this way, by displaying the aggregated results of the display history and the aggregated results of the detection information in parallel, for example, if the number of users tends to be higher on days when the display ratio of "slightly crowded" is higher than on days when the display ratio of "full" is higher, it is possible to make and verify a hypothesis that it would be effective in increasing sales to set the threshold for delivering "crowded" slightly higher (so that "crowded" is less likely to be derived).
[0051] [Second embodiment] In the second embodiment, a method for deriving congestion trends for each hour of the day based on distribution congestion information will be described. The same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same numbers and will not be described. In the second embodiment, the analysis process performed by the analysis unit 314 in the management server 10 is different.
[0052] <Analysis processing> Fig. 8 is a flowchart of the analysis process in the second embodiment. As in the first embodiment, the analysis unit 314 executes a program capable of realizing the process shown in Fig. 8 at the end of business hours. First, in S801, the analysis unit 314 acquires the delivery congestion information (display history) for that day. In S802, a processing target time period is selected, and in S803, the distribution congestion information within the processing target time period is referenced to determine the most frequent congestion status.
[0053] In S804, the analysis unit 314 determines whether or not there is an unselected time slot, and if there is an unselected time slot, the process returns to S801 to determine the most frequent status for all time slots. If there is no unselected time slot, the process proceeds to S805, where the analysis unit 314 saves the congestion status for each time slot and ends the process.
[0054] <Analysis screen> FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of an analysis screen in the second embodiment. The analysis screen 900 includes an area 910 that displays the congestion status for each hour of the displayed date. Outside the business hours of the facility 20, congestion information indicating the degree of congestion is not distributed, so a grayed-out tile is displayed. The transition of the congestion status during business hours is determined based on the distributed congestion information. For example, even if the detection device 22 detects "crowded" at most times during that time period, "slightly crowded" will be displayed during the time period when "slightly crowded" was displayed due to schedule registration. Persons related to the facility 20 can check what kind of congestion information was distributed to general users on that day using the analysis screen 900.
[0055] <Summary of the second embodiment> As described above, in the second embodiment, congestion information to be distributed is determined based on congestion information (detection results) sent from the detection device 22, which is the first device, and congestion information (congestion status previously scheduled and registered) sent from the management terminal 21, which is the second device. Furthermore, a representative congestion status is determined for each hour of the congestion information to be distributed, and the congestion trend for each hour is distributed as an analysis report. This makes it possible to look back on the trends in the display history on the display device 30, and can support the operation of the facility for those involved in the facility 20.
[0056] [Other embodiments] In the above description, the detection device 22 has an imaging function and an analysis function capable of performing analysis such as human detection and congestion determination, but is not limited to this. For example, the detection device 22 may be configured with an imaging device and an analysis device, which are different devices. The imaging device transmits an image captured so as to include a detection target to an analysis device connected by wire or wirelessly, and the analysis device appropriately performs analysis processing on the received image. The date and time of detection may be the date and time when the imaging device captured the image.
[0057] The analysis device may be installed near the imaging device and perform image analysis processing by edge computing, or a server (information processing device) separate from the imaging device may function as the analysis device, similar to the management server 10. As a detection method for detecting people in real time, various known technologies capable of detecting congestion may be applied, such as a method of detecting entry and exit by tracking the behavior of people in a video, a method using an AI algorithm, or a method of detecting the occurrence of a queue outside the facility. Furthermore, the detection device 22 is not limited to a detection method using images, and may be a method using various sensors or a method of checking tickets at the time of entry and exit.
[0058] Furthermore, the detection device 22 may be a device that detects people in an area where people are waiting to use the facility 20, and detects the number of people waiting. In this case, the detection device 22 transmits to the management server 10 information indicating the number of people waiting, or a predicted waiting time derived from the number of people waiting, as detected congestion information. Also, instead of the detection device 22, a queue management system that manages queues online may be used. In the queue management system, a serial number is issued to users who are waiting, and the numbered ticket is distributed or can be checked on a smartphone, and the serial number is called when the user's turn arrives. In such a queue management system, the number of people waiting and waiting time information are often capable of being distributed, and a similar effect can be obtained by executing each process using this waiting time (or the number of people waiting) as the target of the congestion information to be distributed.
[0059] In the above explanation, an example was shown in which the analysis results of distribution congestion information for four days were displayed, but this is not limited to this. For example, the analysis results for one week may be displayed, or the day of the week may be selected on the management terminal 21, such as "Past Thursdays," and multiple analysis results for the date corresponding to the most recent Thursday may be displayed.
[0060] In the above description, the display device 30 is described as a digital signage that constantly displays congestion information, but is not limited thereto. For example, the display device 30 may be an information processing device such as a smartphone or a tablet. In this case, a user operation is accepted to specify a facility (or facilities) for which congestion information is to be displayed from a map or list showing the facilities on an application of the display device 30, and the display device 30 transmits a request including identification information of the specified facility to the management server 10. The display device 30 receives information (congestion information) about the specified group of facilities from the management server 10 and displays congestion information for each facility. It is desirable that the display device 30 periodically requests the latest congestion information from the management server 10 so that the real-time congestion information is updated on the display device 30, unless the display is terminated by a user operation. In such a case, the congestion information of the facility is not always displayed on the display device 30, but the congestion information for distribution is accumulated in the management server 10 at regular intervals in preparation for distribution, and therefore, it can be regarded as a display history.
[0061] In the above description, the congestion statuses are "available," "slightly crowded," and "crowded," but the present invention is not limited to these. There may also be "waiting for more than N minutes" or "full," and four or more congestion states may be candidates. The congestion status may also be set for each facility 20.
[0062] Moreover, the analysis results shown in Fig. 6 display a bar graph with business hours as 100%. Other statuses in which the facility 20 is not open, such as "out of business hours" or "not open for use", may also be included. In the case of a bar graph with one day (24 hours) as 100%, a portion of the bar graph will be taken up by statuses indicating the number of users (degree of congestion), except when the facility 20 is open 24 hours a day.
[0063] In the above example, the analysis unit 314 executes the analysis process for that day at the end of business hours, but this is not limited to the above. For example, when a request is received from the management terminal 21, the analysis unit 314 may refer to the identification information and date information that specify the facility included in the request, execute the analysis process for the display history for distribution for the specified date of the target facility, and distribute the result to the management terminal 21.
[0064] Also, the analysis unit 314 executes the analysis process at the end of business hours, but this is not limited to this. The analysis unit 314 may periodically (every 30 minutes, for example) acquire the display history for distribution and execute the analysis process. Furthermore, for the sake of simplicity, only the analysis results from the previous day or earlier are displayed on the analysis screen, but by executing the analysis process periodically, the analysis results for the current day can also be displayed on the analysis screen.
[0065] In the above description, it has been described that the analysis results can be viewed only for one facility. It is also possible to display the analysis results for each of multiple facilities. For example, in the case of a commercial facility (shopping mall) that houses multiple facilities or a chain store with multiple stores, it may be desired to compare and view the analysis results for multiple facilities. The above-mentioned congestion visualization system is introduced to each facility, and only the analysis results for each facility 20 are displayed on the management terminal 21 of each facility 20. Furthermore, the management terminal 21 of the administrator who manages the multiple facilities is configured to display the analysis results of the display history of the multiple facilities 20 linked to the administrator's account information in parallel.
[0066] As described above, the technology of the present disclosure can be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-mentioned embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and run the program. It may also be realized by a circuit that realizes one or more functions.
[0067] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and includes various modified examples. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present disclosure, and it is not necessary to include all of the configurations described. In addition, a part of an embodiment can be replaced with a configuration of another embodiment. In addition, a configuration of another embodiment can be added to a configuration of an embodiment. In addition, a part of the configuration of each embodiment can be added to, deleted from, or replaced with a part of the configuration of another embodiment. [Explanation of symbols]
[0068] 1. Management system 10...Management server (information processing device) 20...User terminal 30…Network
Claims
1. an acquisition means for acquiring congestion information to be distributed as a congestion status of the facility, the congestion information being determined based on the congestion information received from the first terminal and the congestion information received from the second terminal; An analysis means for analyzing the congestion information acquired by the acquisition means for a predetermined period of time; and an output means for outputting an analysis result by the analysis means.
2. 2. The information processing device according to claim 1, wherein the congestion information received from the first terminal is congestion information indicating a real-time congestion situation, and the congestion information received from the second terminal is congestion information consisting of a specified time period and a congestion situation.
3. the congestion information received from the first terminal is congestion information based on a result of a detection device detecting a congestion state regarding the facility, The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the analysis means counts the number of users during the predetermined period based on the result of detection by the detection device, and the output means outputs information related to the number of users together with the analysis result.
4. A program for causing a computer to function as the information processing device according to claim 1.
5. 1. A computer-implemented information processing method, comprising: an acquiring step of acquiring congestion information to be distributed as a congestion status of the facility, the congestion information being determined based on the congestion information received from the first terminal and the congestion information received from the second terminal; an analysis step of analyzing the acquired congestion information for a predetermined period of time; and an output step of outputting a result of the analysis by the analysis means.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Apparatus, system and method for congestion detection
JP2018042049A