Information processing device, information processing method, and information processing program

Abstract

To eliminate congestion occurring within an area.SOLUTION: An information processing device 100 according to the present disclosure includes: an acquisition unit 131 that acquires information regarding railway operations and information regarding crowding; an identification unit 134 for identifying crowded locations based on the information regarding railway operations and information regarding crowding acquired by the acquisition unit 131; and an output unit 136 that outputs information that guides users' movement toward a direction where the crowding at the crowded locations identified by the identification unit 134 is resolved.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, techniques have been proposed for determining whether or not congestion exists in a monitored area. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-180702 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-133306 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the above-mentioned conventional technology has a problem in that it cannot necessarily eliminate congestion that occurs within an area. For example, the conventional technology only determines whether or not congestion exists within the monitored area, but does not take any action to address the determined congestion situation.

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program that can eliminate congestion that occurs within an area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objectives, the information processing device of the present invention is characterized by having an acquisition unit that acquires information related to train operations and information related to congestion, an identification unit that identifies congested locations based on the information related to train operations and the information related to congestion acquired by the acquisition unit, and an output unit that outputs information that guides the user to move in a direction that will relieve the congestion in the congested location identified by the identification unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, congestion occurring within a target area can be alleviated. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an information processing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of processing by the information processing system according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the specifying process and the output process of the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of output processing of the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing by the information processing device according to the embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a computer that executes an information processing program. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, an information processing device, an information processing method, and an information processing program according to the present application will be described in detail. Note that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. In addition, in the description of the drawings, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0010] [Configuration of information processing system] First, the configuration of a control system according to an embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the overall configuration of an information processing system 1 according to an embodiment. The information processing system 1 shown in Fig. 1 includes an information processing device 100 and a guide device 200. The information processing device 100 and the guide device 200 are connected to each other via a predetermined communication network (network N) so as to be able to communicate with each other via wired or wireless communication.

[0011] The information processing device 100 is a device that outputs information to guide the movement of a user, and is realized by a computer, etc. Such an information processing device 100 is a computer intended to alleviate congestion that occurs in an area, and may be any device as long as it can realize the processing in the embodiment.

[0012] The guidance device 200 is a device that guides a user using information that guides the movement of the user output from the information processing device 100, and is realized by a smartphone equipped with a speaker or a display, a tablet, a smartwatch, smart glasses, digital signage, a robot, etc. The robot is mobile and may move on the ground or may move by flying in the air like a drone.

[0013] Next, an overview of processing by the information processing system 1 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an overview of processing by the information processing system 1 according to the embodiment. In Fig. 2, each location within an area, such as a station, a pedestrian plaza, a sports gym, a commercial area, or a cultural area, is indicated by an ellipse, and the congestion status of each ellipse indicates, for example, the congestion rate of that location. In Fig. 2, arrows connecting ellipses indicate the movement of a user from one location to another.

[0014] For example, the information processing device 100 acquires information about train operations and information about congestion, and identifies a pedestrian plaza as a congested place based on the number of users leaving the station predicted from the acquired information about train operations and the congestion rate of each place predicted from the information about congestion. Then, the information processing device 100 outputs information to the guidance device 200 at each place to guide users in the pedestrian plaza to move to a sports gym, a commercial area, or a cultural area in order to avoid congestion in the pedestrian plaza.

[0015] As a result, the information processing device 100 can alleviate congestion occurring within an area by guiding the user's movement to alleviate congestion in congested locations identified based on information about train operations and information about congestion.

[0016] [Configuration of information processing device] Next, the configuration of the information processing device 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 3, the information processing device 100 has a communication unit 110, a storage unit 120, and a control unit 130. Note that these units may be distributed and held by multiple devices. The processing of these units will be described below.

[0017] The communication unit 110 is realized by a NIC (Network Interface Card) or the like, and enables communication between the control unit 130 and an external device via an electric communication line such as a LAN or the Internet. For example, the communication unit 110 enables communication between the guidance device 200 and the control unit 130.

[0018] The storage unit 120 is realized by a semiconductor memory element such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a flash memory, or a storage device such as a hard disk or an optical disk. As shown in FIG. 3 , the storage unit 120 has a railway information storage unit 121, a congestion information storage unit 122, a user information storage unit 123, and a guidance information storage unit 124.

[0019] The railway information storage unit 121 stores information related to railway operation. For example, the railway information storage unit 121 stores information related to railway operation, such as the number of passengers getting on and off at each station, timetable information, train location, number of passengers per train set, delay information, commuter pass information, and boarding history.

[0020] The congestion information storage unit 122 stores information related to congestion. For example, the congestion information storage unit 122 stores information such as information about each location, the positional relationship between the locations, the number of people allowed at each location, image data of each location captured by an imaging device installed at each location, location information acquired from a GPS sensor of the guidance device 200 held by the user, location information of the user's destination, the number of users present at each location, the congestion status of each location, traffic information, etc.

[0021] The user information storage unit 123 stores information about the user. For example, the user information storage unit 123 stores information about the user, such as the user's gender, age, family structure, hometown, hobbies, lifestyle, commuter pass information, riding history, behavior history, current location, and destination.

[0022] The guidance information storage unit 124 stores information for guiding the user's movement and information used to guide the user's movement. For example, the guidance information storage unit 124 stores information such as map information, the current position, the destination, the guidance destination, the congestion status of each location, the position and function of each guidance device 200, and rewards.

[0023] The control unit 130 is realized using a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an NP (Network Processor), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like, and executes a processing program stored in memory. As shown in Fig. 3, the control unit 130 has an acquisition unit 131, an exit number prediction unit 132, a congestion state prediction unit 133, an identification unit 134, a classification unit 135, an output unit 136, and an assignment unit 137. Each unit of the control unit 130 will be described below.

[0024] The acquisition unit 131 acquires information related to train operation and information related to congestion. For example, the acquisition unit 131 acquires information used to predict the number of users who will exit a station, such as the number of passengers getting on and off at each station, timetable information, train location, number of passengers per train, and delay information, from a server that stores information related to train operation.

[0025] The acquisition unit 131 also acquires information used to predict congestion, such as information on each location, the positional relationship between the locations, the number of people allowed at each location, image data captured by an imaging device installed at each location, location information acquired from a GPS sensor of the guide device 200 owned by the user, location information of the user's destination, traffic information, etc., from a server that stores information about congestion. Note that the user's destination may be set via an application installed in the guide device 200 on the user's smartphone or other device.

[0026] The acquisition unit 131 also acquires information about the user. For example, the acquisition unit 131 acquires information used to determine the destination of the user, such as the user's gender, age, family structure, hometown, hobbies, lifestyle, and behavioral history, from a server that stores information about the user.

[0027] The exiting number prediction unit 132 predicts the number of users who will exit a station, using the information about train operations acquired by the acquisition unit 131. For example, the exiting number prediction unit 132 predicts the number of users who will exit a target station for each hour, using the number of passengers getting on and off at the target station, timetable information, delay information, commuter pass information and past boarding information of users who use the target station, and the like.

[0028] The congestion situation prediction unit 133 predicts the congestion situation for each location using the congestion information acquired by the acquisition unit 131. For example, the congestion situation prediction unit 133 predicts the congestion rate and the number of people that can be guided as the congestion situation for each location using the congestion information acquired by the acquisition unit 131.

[0029] More specifically, when predicting the congestion rate, the congestion situation prediction unit 133 calculates the ratio of the number of users present at a predetermined location to the capacity number of people at the predetermined location. When predicting the number of people that can be guided, the congestion situation prediction unit 133 subtracts the number of users present at the predetermined location from the capacity number that indicates the number of people that can be accommodated at the predetermined location.

[0030] When predicting the number of people that can be guided, the congestion situation prediction unit 133 may calculate the number of users when the congestion rate of a predetermined place is a predetermined value as the allowable number of people. Furthermore, the number of users present in a predetermined place may be calculated from the number of users who have location information of the predetermined place, or may be calculated by analyzing image data captured by an imaging device installed in the predetermined place.

[0031] The identification unit 134 identifies a congested place based on the information about train operation and the information about congestion acquired by the acquisition unit 131. For example, the identification unit 134 identifies a congested place using the number of users exiting a station predicted from the information about train operation acquired by the acquisition unit 131 and the congestion status such as the congestion rate for each place and the number of people that can be guided predicted from the information about congestion acquired by the acquisition unit 131.

[0032] Here, the identification process of the identification unit 134 will be described with reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the identification process by the identification unit 134 according to the embodiment. FIG. 4(1) schematically shows ellipses indicating the stations and locations A to D, and the positional relationships between the locations. Lines connecting the ellipses indicating the locations indicate that movement between the locations indicated by the connected ellipses is possible. FIG. 4(2) shows, for each location, the locations that can be moved to, the allowable number of users, the number of users present, the number of users that can be guided, and the congestion rate. The number of users that can be guided is the number of users that can be guided to move to that location.

[0033] For example, if the congestion situation prediction unit 133 predicts that each location will be congested as shown in the number of people that can be guided and the congestion rate in Figure 4 (2), and the exit number prediction unit 132 predicts that 100 users will exit the station based on information about train operations, the identification unit 134 will identify location A as a congested location because the sum of the number of users exiting the station and the number of users present at location A is "130 people," which exceeds the user capacity of location A, "120 people."

[0034] As another example, the identification unit 134 can identify an empty location using the congestion status of each location predicted from information about congestion. Here, the identification process of the identification unit 134 will be described again with reference to FIG. 4(2). For example, the identification unit 134 compares the congestion rates of locations B to D excluding the congested location and the identified location A, and identifies location "B" whose congestion rate is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value of "40%" as an empty location. Furthermore, the identification unit 134 compares the number of people that can be guided among locations A to D, and identifies location "C" whose number of people that can be guided is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value of "100 people" as an empty location.

[0035] The classification unit 135 uses information about the congested places identified by the identification unit 134 to classify users into users who are in the congested place, users whose destination is the congested place, and users whose route to the destination includes the congested place.

[0036] For example, the classification unit 135 classifies a user who has location information in a crowded place as a user who is in a crowded place. More specifically, when the location information of the guide device 200 such as a smartphone owned by the user overlaps with the crowded place identified by the identification unit 134, the classification unit 135 classifies the user as a user who is in a crowded place.

[0037] Furthermore, the classification unit 135 classifies a user who does not have location information in a congested place and whose destination is a congested place as a user whose destination is a congested place. More specifically, when the location information of the guide device 200 such as a smartphone owned by the user does not overlap with the congested place identified by the identification unit 134 and the information of the set destination of the user is the congested place identified by the identification unit 134, the classification unit 135 classifies the user as a user whose destination is a congested place.

[0038] Furthermore, the classification unit 135 classifies a user who does not have location information in a congested place, whose destination is not a congested place, and whose route to the destination includes the congested place identified by the identification unit 134, as a user whose route to the destination includes the congested place. More specifically, when the location information of the guide device 200 such as a smartphone owned by the user does not overlap with the congested place identified by the identification unit 134, and the set destination of the user is not the congested place identified by the identification unit 134, and the set route to the user's destination includes the congested place identified by the identification unit 134, the classification unit 135 classifies the user as a user whose route to the destination includes the congested place.

[0039] In addition, if the classification unit 135 cannot classify the user as one of the above-mentioned users who are in a congested place, users whose destination is a congested place, or users whose route to their destination includes a congested place, the classification unit 135 classifies the user as a user who is not a target for guidance.

[0040] The output unit 136 outputs information that guides the user's movement in a direction that will alleviate the congestion in the crowded place identified by the identification unit 134. For example, the output unit 136 outputs the information that guides the user's movement to one or more of a speaker, a display, and a robot. Here, an example of a guidance device 200 in which the output unit 136 outputs information that guides the user's movement will be described with reference to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is a diagram for describing an example of output processing by the output unit 136 according to the embodiment. FIG. 5(1) shows an example in which the guidance device 200 is a speaker. FIG. 5(2) shows an example in which the guidance device 200 is a display.

[0041] For example, as shown in FIG. 5(1), the output unit 136 causes a speaker to play audio instructing a user to move, such as "If you have finished your errand at XX, please move to location C," as information guiding a user present at location A to move to location C. The output unit 136 may also play audio instructing a user to move, such as a speaker placed in a position where the user present at location A can hear the audio. As shown in FIG. 5(2), the output unit 136 displays information instructing a route, such as "Route navigation from location A to location C," on a display of a digital signage or a smartphone, as information guiding a user present at location A to move to location B. The output unit 136 may also display information on a display placed in a position where the user present at location A can see the information.

[0042] The above example shows how information guiding the movement of multiple users is output using speakers and displays installed in predetermined locations, but the output unit 136 can provide guidance to individual users by outputting information guiding the movement of users to a guidance device 200 such as a smartphone carried by the user.

[0043] Furthermore, the output unit 136 can simultaneously play back guidance audio through a speaker and provide route guidance on a display. For example, the output unit 136 can output information for guiding the user's movement to a guidance device 200 such as a smartphone or tablet owned by the user, and can play back audio and display route guidance.

[0044] Furthermore, the output unit 136 outputs information to the robot to guide the user's movement. For example, the output unit 136 can output information to the robot to guide the user's movement, and move the robot to a destination to lead the user, while simultaneously playing a guidance voice through a built-in speaker and providing route guidance on a display. Note that the robot that is the output target of the output unit 136 may not only be one that moves on the ground, but also one that moves through the air, such as a drone.

[0045] Next, a description will be given of the output process by the output unit 136. The output unit 136 uses the congestion status of each location to output information to the guide device 200 that guides the user to move in a direction that will alleviate the congestion in the location identified by the identification unit 134. For example, the output unit 136 outputs information to the guide device 200 that guides the user to move to an empty location identified by the identification unit 134.

[0046] The output process of the output unit 136 will be described again with reference to FIG. 4(2). For example, if a congestion situation such as the guidable number of users and congestion rate shown in FIG. 4(2) is predicted for each location, and the exit number prediction unit 132 predicts that 100 users will exit the station based on information about train operations, 100 users will flow from the station to location A. In this case, the output unit 136 guides 58 users out of "130 users," which is the sum of the number of users exiting the station and the number of users present in location A, to move to a location other than location A in order to reduce the congestion rate of the crowded location "A" identified by the identification unit 134 to a predetermined threshold value of "60%" or less. In this case, for example, the output unit 136 outputs information to the guide device 200 to guide the movement of users who have set vacant locations B and C identified by the identification unit 134 as their destinations.

[0047] As another example, the output unit 136 outputs information for guiding the movement of the user to a location corresponding to the information about the user acquired by the acquisition unit 131. For example, the output unit 136 outputs to the guide device 200 information for guiding the movement of the user, with a location set as the destination to be a cafe located within a predetermined distance from a crowded place identified by the identification unit 134, based on information about the user's hobby of "cafe hopping" included in the information about the user acquired by the acquisition unit 131.

[0048] In addition, the output unit 136 outputs to the guidance device 200 information for guiding the movement of the user, which is set as a destination to a place (e.g., a restaurant) that the user has visited in the past and is within a predetermined distance from the crowded place identified by the identification unit 134, based on the behavioral history information included in the information about the user acquired by the acquisition unit 131.

[0049] Next, an example will be described in which the output unit 136 outputs information to guide the user's movement according to the user's classification. First, a case in which the user is in a crowded place will be described. The output unit 136 outputs information to a user in a crowded place to guide the user to move away from the crowded place. For example, the output unit 136 outputs information to a guidance device 200 such as a speaker, a display, or a robot provided in the crowded place identified by the identification unit 134, to guide the user in the crowded place identified by the identification unit 134 to move from the crowded place identified by the identification unit 134 to an empty place identified by the identification unit 134.

[0050] In addition, the output unit 136 outputs information to a guidance device 200, such as a smartphone of a user having location information of the crowded place identified by the identification unit 134, to guide a user who is in a crowded place identified by the identification unit 134 to move from the crowded place identified by the identification unit 134 to an empty place identified by the identification unit 134.

[0051] Next, a case where a user sets a crowded place as a destination will be described. The output unit 136 outputs information to a user who sets a crowded place as a destination, guiding the user to wait in a place other than the crowded place. For example, the output unit 136 outputs information to a guide device 200 such as a smartphone owned by a user who has set the crowded place identified by the identification unit 134 as a destination, guiding the user to wait for a predetermined time in an unoccupied place identified by the identification unit 134.

[0052] Here, the predetermined time may be a predetermined time, a time from the start to the end of a specific event, or a time until the congestion situation in a crowded place identified by the identification unit 134 improves. Furthermore, waiting is an act of waiting until a predetermined time has passed, and includes not only an act of staying in a predetermined place, but also an act of moving along a predetermined course.

[0053] Next, a case where a congested place is included in the route to the user's destination will be described. The output unit 136 outputs information to guide a user whose route to the destination includes a congested place to take a detour to the destination. For example, when the route to the user's destination includes the congested place identified by the identification unit 134, the output unit 136 outputs information about a route from the user's current location to the destination without passing through the congested place identified by the identification unit 134 to the guide device 200 held by the user.

[0054] When outputting the information guiding the user's movement, the output unit 136 can also output the content of a reward to be granted by the granting unit 137 (described later) if the user follows the information guiding the user's movement, and notify the user of the content. For example, the output unit 136 outputs the information guiding the user's movement and the content of the reward granted by the granting unit 137 together to the guide device 200.

[0055] The granting unit 137 grants a reward to the user who follows the information output by the output unit 136. For example, the granting unit 137 grants the user a reward according to the time and distance traveled when following the guidance content of the information guiding the user output by the output unit 136. In other words, the granting unit 137 grants the user a reward of higher value the longer the time and distance traveled when the user follows the guidance content.

[0056] At this time, the assigning unit 137 determines that the user has followed the information output by the output unit 136 if the change in the position information of the guidance device 200 held by the user to whom the output unit 136 has output information guiding the user's movement matches the information output by the output unit 136 guiding the user's movement.

[0057] Then, when it is determined that the user has followed the information output by the output unit 136, the granting unit 137 grants a reward, for example, via an application installed in the guiding device 200 owned by the user. Note that the reward granted by the granting unit 137 may be money, points that can be used for a predetermined service, a discount or coupon for a predetermined service, or predetermined image data or predetermined audio data.

[0058] 〔flowchart〕 Next, the flow of processing by the information processing device 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Note that the steps below may be executed in a different order, and some processing may be omitted.

[0059] First, the acquisition unit 131 acquires information about train operations and information about congestion (step S101). Next, the exit number prediction unit 132 predicts the number of users who will exit a station using the information about train operations acquired by the acquisition unit 131 (step S102). Next, the congestion situation prediction unit 133 predicts the congestion situation for each location using the information about congestion acquired by the acquisition unit 131 (step S103).

[0060] Next, the identification unit 134 identifies congested locations using the number of users exiting the station predicted by the exit number prediction unit 132 and the congestion situation for each location predicted by the congestion situation prediction unit 133 (step S104).

[0061] Next, the classification unit 135 determines whether the user is in a crowded place (step S105). If the classification unit 135 determines that the user is in a crowded place (step S105: Yes), the output unit 136 outputs information guiding the user to move away from the crowded place (step S106).

[0062] On the other hand, if the classification unit 135 determines that the user is not in a congested place (step S105: No), the classification unit 135 determines whether the user's destination is a congested place (step S107). Here, if the classification unit 135 determines that the user's destination is a congested place (step S107: Yes), the output unit 136 outputs information to the user whose destination is a congested place to guide them to wait in a place other than the congested place (step S108).

[0063] On the other hand, if the classification unit 135 determines that the user's destination is not a congested place (step S107: No), the classification unit 135 determines whether or not a congested place is included in the route to the user's destination (step S109). Here, if the classification unit 135 determines that a congested place is included in the route to the user's destination (step S109: Yes), the output unit 136 outputs information guiding the user, whose route to the destination includes a congested place, to take a detour to the destination (step S110).

[0064] On the other hand, if the classification unit 135 determines that the route to the user's destination does not include a congested location (step S109: No), the information processing device 100 ends the process.

[0065] Next, the processing from step S106, S108, S110 onwards will be described. After the processing of steps S106, S108, and S110 by the output unit 136, the attachment unit 137 determines whether the user has followed the guidance information (step S111).

[0066] Here, if the granting unit 137 determines that the user has followed the information output by the output unit 136 (step S111: Yes), the granting unit 137 grants a reward to the user who has followed the information output by the output unit 136 (step S112). On the other hand, if the granting unit 137 determines that the user has not followed the information output by the output unit 136 (step S111: No), the information processing device 100 ends the process.

[0067] 〔effect〕 The information processing device 100 according to the embodiment includes an acquisition unit 131 that acquires information related to train operations and information related to congestion, an identification unit 134 that identifies congested locations based on the information related to train operations and information related to congestion acquired by the acquisition unit 131, and an output unit 136 that outputs information that guides the user to move in a direction that will alleviate the congestion in the congested location identified by the identification unit 134.

[0068] As a result, the information processing device 100 can alleviate congestion occurring within an area by guiding the user to move in a direction that will alleviate congestion in a congested location identified from information about train operations and information about congestion.

[0069] Furthermore, the identification unit 134 of the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment identifies congested locations using the number of users leaving the station predicted from the information on train operations acquired by the acquisition unit 131 and the congestion status at each location predicted from the information on congestion acquired by the acquisition unit 131, and the output unit 136 uses the congestion status at each location to output information that guides users to move in a direction that will relieve the congestion at the location identified by the identification unit 134.

[0070] As a result, the information processing device 100 can identify congested locations within the area based on the number of users exiting the station and the congestion status of each location, compare the congestion status of each location, and output information to guide users to locations with low congestion rates or locations with a high capacity, thereby eliminating congestion that occurs within the area.

[0071] In addition, the identification unit 134 of the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment identifies vacant locations using the congestion status of each location predicted from information regarding congestion, and the output unit 136 outputs information to guide the user to move to the vacant location.

[0072] As a result, the information processing device 100 can use the congestion status of each location to identify the destination of the user that is necessary to relieve the congestion, and guide the user to move there, thereby relieving the congestion occurring within the area.

[0073] In addition, the acquisition unit 131 of the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment further acquires information about the user, and the output unit 136 outputs information for guiding the user to move to a location corresponding to the information about the user acquired by the acquisition unit 131.

[0074] As a result, the information processing device 100 uses the acquired information about the user to output guidance information that guides the user to a location that corresponds to the user's attributes, thereby setting the location to which the user is actively drawn as the guidance destination, thereby promoting the user's movement and eliminating congestion that occurs within the area.

[0075] Moreover, the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment further includes a granting unit 137 that grants a reward to a user according to the information output by the output unit 136.

[0076] As a result, the information processing device 100 can promote the movement of users by providing an incentive, that is, a reward, to users who follow the guidance information, thereby eliminating congestion occurring within the area.

[0077] In addition, the information processing device 100 according to the embodiment further includes a classification unit 135 that uses information about the congested place identified by the identification unit 134 to classify users into users who are in the congested place, users whose destination is the congested place, and users whose route to the destination includes the congested place.

[0078] As a result, the information processing device 100 uses information about congested places to classify users as to whether they are in a congested place, whether the congested place is their destination, or whether the congested place is their route to their destination, thereby enabling appropriate guidance to be provided to users in each category, whose desired guidance content differs, thereby eliminating congestion that occurs within the area.

[0079] Moreover, the output unit 136 of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment outputs information to a user in a crowded place to guide the user to move away from the crowded place.

[0080] This allows the information processing device 100 to more directly alleviate congestion by guiding users in crowded areas to move away from the crowded area, thereby efficiently eliminating congestion that occurs within the area.

[0081] Furthermore, the output unit 136 of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment outputs information to a user whose destination is a crowded place, guiding the user to wait in a place other than the crowded place.

[0082] As a result, the information processing device 100 can guide users whose destination is a congested place to wait in a place other than the congested place, thereby preventing the congestion in the congested place from worsening and efficiently eliminating congestion occurring within the area.

[0083] Furthermore, the output unit 136 of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment outputs information guiding a user whose route to the destination includes a congested place to take a detour to the destination.

[0084] As a result, the information processing device 100 can guide users whose route to a destination includes a congested area to take a detour to the destination, thereby allowing the throughput of the congested area to be used to alleviate the congestion and efficiently alleviating congestion occurring within the area.

[0085] Moreover, the output unit 136 of the information processing apparatus 100 according to the embodiment outputs information for guiding the movement of the user to one or more of a speaker, a display, and a robot.

[0086] As a result, the information processing device 100 can output information that guides the user's movement to various guidance devices 200, thereby appropriately conveying the information that guides the user's movement to the user and efficiently eliminating congestion that occurs within the area.

[0087] 〔program〕 The information processing device 100 according to the above-described embodiment is realized by a computer 1000 having a configuration as shown in Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration. The computer 1000 is connected to an output device 1010 and an input device 1020, and has a configuration in which a central processing unit 1030, a memory 1040, a storage 1050, an output IF (Interface) 1060, an input IF 1070, and a communication interface 1080 are connected via a bus 1090.

[0088] The central processing unit 1030 operates based on programs stored in the memory 1040 or storage 1050, programs read from the input device 1020, and the like, and executes various processes. The memory 1040 is a memory device, such as a RAM, that temporarily stores data used by the central processing unit 1030 for various calculations. The storage 1050 is a storage device in which data used by the central processing unit 1030 for various calculations and various databases are registered, and is realized by a ROM (Read Only Memory), an HDD (Hard Disk Drive), a flash memory, or the like.

[0089] The output IF 1060 is an interface for transmitting information to be output to an output device 1010 that outputs various types of information, such as a monitor or a printer, and is realized by a connector conforming to a standard such as USB (Universal Serial Bus), DVI (Digital Visual Interface), or HDMI (registered trademark) (High Definition Multimedia Interface). The input IF 1070 is an interface for receiving information from various input devices 1020, such as a mouse, keyboard, camera, etc., and is realized by a USB, etc. The input device 1020 may be an external storage medium such as a device that reads information from an optical recording medium, a magneto-optical recording medium, a tape medium, a magnetic recording medium, or a semiconductor memory, or a USB memory.

[0090] The communication interface 1080 receives data from other devices via the network N and sends it to the central processing unit 1030, and also transmits data generated by the central processing unit 1030 to other devices via the network N. The central processing unit 1030 controls the output device 1010 and the input device 1020 via the output IF 1060 and the input IF 1070. For example, the central processing unit 1030 loads a program from the input device 1020 or the storage 1050 onto the memory 1040 and executes the loaded program.

[0091] For example, when the computer 1000 functions as the information processing device 100 , the central processing unit 1030 of the computer 1000 executes a program loaded onto the memory 1040 to realize the functions of the control unit 130 .

[0092] Although some embodiments of the present application have been described above with reference to the drawings, these are merely examples, and the present invention may be embodied in other forms that incorporate various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the aspects described in the Disclosure of the Invention section. Furthermore, the above-mentioned "section, module, unit" can be read as "means," "circuit," etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 1. Information Processing Systems 100 Information processing device 110 Communications Department 120 Storage section 121 Railway Information Storage Unit 122 Congestion information storage unit 123 User information storage unit 124 Guidance information storage unit 130 control section 131 Acquisition Department 132 Exit Prediction Department 133 Congestion Prediction Department 134 Specific part 135 Classification Department 136 Output section 137 Granting Department

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires information related to railway operation and congestion; an identification unit that identifies a congested location based on the information about the train operation and the information about the congestion acquired by the acquisition unit; an output unit that outputs information that guides a user to move in a direction that will alleviate congestion in the congested place identified by the identification unit; An information processing device comprising:

2. The identification unit identifying the congested locations using the number of users exiting the station predicted from the information on train operation acquired by the acquisition unit and the congestion status for each location predicted from the information on congestion acquired by the acquisition unit; The output unit Using the congestion status of each location, output information that guides the user to move in a direction that will alleviate the congestion at the location identified by the identifying unit.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

3. The identification unit identifies an empty location using a congestion state for each location predicted from the information regarding the congestion, The output unit outputs information that guides the user to move to the vacant space identified by the identification unit.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

4. The acquisition unit further acquires information about the user, The output unit outputs information for guiding the user to a location corresponding to the information about the user acquired by the acquisition unit.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

5. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a granting unit that grants a reward to a user according to the information output by the output unit.

6. a classification unit that classifies the users into users who are in the congested place, users whose destination is the congested place, and users whose route to the destination includes the congested place, using information about the congested place identified by the identification unit.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

7. The information processing device according to claim 6 , wherein the output unit outputs information to a user in the crowded place to guide the user to move away from the crowded place.

8. The information processing device according to claim 6 , wherein the output unit outputs information to a user whose destination is the crowded place, guiding the user to wait in a place other than the crowded place.

9. The information processing device according to claim 6 , wherein the output unit outputs information guiding a user whose route to a destination includes the congested place to take a detour to the destination.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the output unit outputs the information for guiding the user's movement to one or more of a speaker, a display, and a robot.

11. 1. A computer-implemented method comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring information on railway operation and congestion; an identifying step of identifying a congested location based on the information on the train operation and the information on the congestion acquired in the acquiring step; an output step of outputting information for guiding the user to move in a direction that will relieve congestion at the location identified by the identification step; An information processing method comprising:

12. an acquisition step of acquiring information related to railway operation and congestion; an identifying step of identifying a congested location based on the information about the train operation and the information about the congestion acquired in the acquiring step; an output step of outputting information for guiding the user to move in a direction that will relieve the congestion at the location identified by the identification step; An information processing program characterized by causing a computer to execute the above.

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