People flow information acquisition system

Abstract

To provide a people flow information acquisition system capable of obtaining people flow information in a mobile body based on individual user characteristics.SOLUTION: People flow information acquisition systems 100, 101, 102, and 103 for obtaining people flow information for a plurality of users 5 using a mobile body 1 each include: a sensor 3 that detects users 5 who have gotten on and off the mobile body 1; and an information management server 6 that acquires characteristic information that is information related to the users 5 detected by the sensors 3 and indicating the characteristics of the users 5, and adds the characteristic information of the users 5 who have gotten on and off the mobile body 1 to the information regarding getting on and off of the mobile body 1 by the users 5 to obtain the people flow information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a people flow information acquisition system that acquires people flow information of multiple users who use mobile objects. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART There is a technology for acquiring people flow information on a moving body such as a train by measuring the number of users getting on and off the moving body or the number of users remaining on the moving body.

[0003] For example, the invention described in Patent Document 1 measures the weight of a vehicle, which is a moving object. As a result, the invention described in Patent Document 1 can detect the congestion status of each vehicle. Furthermore, the invention described in Patent Document 2 detects the number of passengers from images taken by a video camera installed on a station platform. As a result, the invention described in Patent Document 2 can calculate and display the occupancy rate of the vehicle. Furthermore, the invention described in Patent Document 3 is provided with photoelectric sensors that detect the presence of people in front of and behind the entrances and exits of the vehicle. As a result, the invention described in Patent Document 3 can measure the number of passengers in the vehicle. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-142020 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 5-254440 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-85330 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the inventions described in Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3 are premised on obtaining people flow information for all users on a moving object. Therefore, the inventions described in Patent Documents 1, 2, and 3 have a problem in that they cannot obtain people flow information based on the characteristics of individual users.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a people flow information acquisition system that can obtain people flow information for moving objects based on the characteristics of individual users. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The people flow information acquisition system according to the present disclosure is a people flow information acquisition system that acquires people flow information of multiple users using a mobile object, and is characterized by comprising: a sensor that detects users who board or disembark the mobile object; and an information management server that acquires characteristic information, which is information about the users detected by the sensor and indicates the characteristics of the users, and adds the characteristic information of the users who boarded or disembarked the mobile object to the information about users boarding or disembarking the mobile object to obtain people flow information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, an information management server is provided that acquires characteristic information, which is information about users detected by a sensor and indicates the characteristics of the users, and adds the characteristic information of users who boarded and disembarked from a mobile object to information about users getting on and off the mobile object to obtain people flow information. This makes it possible to provide a people flow information acquisition system that can obtain people flow information on a mobile object based on the characteristics of each user. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of a people flow information acquisition system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a sensor according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of a mobile terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an information management server according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of an administrator terminal according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is a sequence diagram of the operation of each component in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a people flow information acquisition system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram of the operation of each component of the second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of a people flow information acquisition system according to a third embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram of the operation of each component of the third embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of a sensor according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram of the operation of each component of the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The following describes a people flow information acquisition system according to an embodiment, with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are merely examples, and the embodiments can be appropriately combined and modified. In the drawings, similar components are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0011] Embodiment 1 The people flow information acquisition system 100 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of the people flow information acquisition system 100 according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the people flow information acquisition system 100 according to the first embodiment includes a mobile object 1, a sensor 3, a mobile terminal 4, an information management server 6, and an administrator terminal 8.

[0012] The mobile body 1 is a vehicle such as a train. In FIG. 1, the mobile body 1, which is made up of multiple vehicles, is illustrated as a first mobile body 1a, a second mobile body 1b, and an nth mobile body 1n (the nth mobile body 1n is not shown). n may be a natural number equal to or greater than 1. In FIG. 1, the first mobile body 1a and the second mobile body 1b are connected to each other. The mobile body 1 also has entrances 2 through which users 5 of the mobile body 1 get on and off. In FIG. 1, the first mobile body 1a has a first entrance 2a and a second entrance 2b, and the second mobile body 1b has a third entrance 2c and a fourth entrance 2d, but the number of entrances 2 on the mobile body 1 is not limited to this and may be a natural number equal to or greater than 1.

[0013] The sensors 3 are provided near each platform entrance 2 and detect when a user 5 gets on or off the moving body 1. That is, the first sensor 3a detects when the first user 5a passes through the first entrance 2a to get on or off the first moving body 1a. The second sensor 3b detects when the user 5 passes through the second entrance 2b to get on or off the first moving body 1a. The third sensor 3c detects when the user 5 passes through the third entrance 2c to get on or off the second moving body 1b. The fourth sensor 3d detects when the user 5 passes through the fourth entrance 2d to get on or off the second moving body 1b. Note that, although the sensors 3 are described as being provided at four locations near the entrances 2, the number of sensors 3 is not limited to this and can be any number. Furthermore, although the sensor 3 is provided near the entrance 2, it may be provided at any location as long as it can detect that the user 5 has boarded or disembarked the moving object 1.

[0014] The mobile terminal 4 is any terminal carried by the user 5, such as a smartphone, tablet, or smartwatch. The mobile terminal 4 transmits data to the sensor 3. In FIG. 1, a first user 5a who passes through the first entrance 2a and boards the first moving body 1a carries a first mobile terminal 4a. A second user 5b who passes through the fourth entrance 2d and disembarks from the second moving body 1b carries a second mobile terminal 4b. When the first user 5a boards the first moving body 1a through the first entrance 2a, the first mobile terminal 4a transmits data to the first sensor 3a via wireless communication. The second mobile terminal 4b transmits data to the fourth sensor 3d via wireless communication. The sensor 3 transmits the data received from the mobile terminal 4 to the information management server 6. In the following, the data transmitted by the mobile terminal 4 includes information such as time information, an identification code, and characteristic information, which will be described in detail later. As will be described later, the data transmitted by the mobile terminal 4 is stored in the information management server 6 as recorded data.

[0015] The information management server 6 is managed by an information manager 7. The information manager 7 is, for example, a station operator. The information manager 7 can access the information held by the information management server 6 from an administrator terminal 8 for the administrator. The administrator terminal 8 is any terminal, such as a PC or a tablet. As shown in FIG. 1 , even in a mobile object 1 located at a location 9 different from the first mobile object 1a and the second mobile object 1b, data is similarly acquired from the mobile object 4 of the user 5 by the sensor 3. Note that the mobile object 1 located at the location 9 different from the first mobile object 1a and the second mobile object 1b is a different vehicle from the first mobile object 1a and the second mobile object 1b. The data acquired by the sensor 3 from the mobile object 4 of the user 5 is aggregated in the information management server 6.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the sensor 3 according to the first embodiment. The sensor 3 includes a sensor-side control unit 301, a sensor-side wireless communication antenna 302, a sensor-side wireless communication unit 303, and a sensor-side transmission unit 304. The sensor-side wireless communication antenna 302 receives data transmitted by the mobile terminal 4 and notifies the sensor-side wireless communication unit 303. The sensor-side wireless communication unit 303 notifies the sensor-side control unit 301 of the reception of the data. The sensor-side control unit 301 discards any abnormal messages from the received data and notifies the sensor-side transmission unit 304 of the remaining data. At this time, the sensor-side control unit 301 assigns sensor identification information to the received data. The sensor identification information includes at least a unique ID for identifying each sensor 3. The sensor identification information may also include current location information indicating the location where each sensor 3 is installed. Using this current location information, the information management server 6 can determine which sensor 3 the mobile terminal 4 has communicated with and obtain location information indicating which boarding / alighting door 2 of which moving object 1 the mobile terminal 4 has passed through. The sensor-side transmitting unit 304 transmits the data to the information management server 6 .

[0017] FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of the mobile terminal 4 according to the first embodiment. The mobile terminal 4 includes a mobile terminal control unit 401, a mobile terminal display unit 402, a mobile terminal wireless communication unit 403, a mobile terminal wireless communication antenna 404, and a mobile terminal operation unit 405. The mobile terminal display unit 402 displays time information, an identification code, characteristic information, and the like. The identification code is a value unique to each user 5, and is used to identify the user 5 who owns the characteristic information when the sensor 3 acquires the characteristic information from the mobile terminal 4. The characteristic information is characteristic information previously registered by the user 5. The characteristic information registered by the user 5 is stored in the mobile terminal 4 of the user 5 or in an arbitrary server or the like. The user 5 can arbitrarily input and edit the characteristic information via the mobile terminal operation unit 405. When the user 5 gets on or off the moving object 1 while carrying the mobile terminal 4, the mobile terminal wireless communication unit 403 notifies the mobile terminal control unit 401 of communication between the mobile terminal wireless communication antenna 404 and the sensor 3 that is closest to the mobile terminal 4 and has the highest communication strength. The mobile terminal control unit 401 notifies the mobile terminal wireless communication unit 403 of the data held by the mobile terminal 4. The mobile terminal wireless communication unit 403 transmits the received data from the mobile terminal wireless communication antenna 404 to the sensor 3 that is closest to the mobile terminal 4 and has the highest communication strength.

[0018] The characteristic information included in the data transmitted by the mobile terminal 4 is information that represents the characteristics of the user 5. For example, the characteristic information is expected to include, but is not limited to, information about the user 5's gender, age, nationality, whether or not they have a physical disability, whether or not they are injured or ill, whether or not they have an infant, whether or not they have a stroller, and the organization they belong to, such as a university or company. In other words, the characteristic information may include any information that is the characteristics of the user 5 and is useful when obtaining people flow information.

[0019] FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of the information management server 6 according to the first embodiment. The information management server 6 includes an information management server-side control unit 601, an information management server-side information storage unit 602, an information management server-side communication unit 603, an information management server-side receiving unit 604, an information management server-side information processing unit 605, and an information management server-side transmitting unit 606. The information management server-side communication unit 603 notifies the information management server-side control unit 601 that the information management server-side receiving unit 604 has received data from the sensor 3. The information management server-side control unit 601 stores the received data as recorded data in the information management server-side information storage unit 602. The recorded data includes transmission data such as time information, an identification code, and characteristic information from the mobile terminal 4, transmission data such as sensor identification information from the sensor 3, a boarding / alighting section for determining whether the user 5 is boarding or alighting, and vehicle identification information. The vehicle identification information is information identifying the vehicle in which the user 5 boarded or alighted. With the above configuration, the information management server 6 can combine time information, identification codes, and sensor identification information to acquire chronological movement information of the user 5. Regarding the movement information, for example, when the user 5 boards the mobile unit 1, the information management server 6 can determine the time, vehicle, and boarding / alighting entrance 2 at which the user 5 boarded by referring to the boarding time of the user 5 onto the mobile unit 1 identified from the time information and boarding / alighting section, the boarding / alighting entrance 2 identified from the sensor identification information, and the vehicle identification information. In other words, the information management server 6 can acquire information regarding the user 5 boarding / alighting the mobile unit 1 and characteristic information of the user 5 who boarded / alighted the mobile unit 1. Furthermore, the information management server 6 can add characteristic information of the user 5 who boarded / alighted the mobile unit 1 to the information regarding the user 5 boarding / alighting the mobile unit 1 to obtain people flow information of multiple users 5 using the mobile unit 1.

[0020] Furthermore, the information management server-side communication unit 603 notifies the information management server-side control unit 601 of an analysis instruction received by the information management server-side receiving unit 604 from the administrator terminal 8. The information management server-side control unit 601 requests analysis processing from the information management server-side information processing unit 605. The information management server-side information processing unit 605 executes the analysis processing requested by the administrator terminal 8 based on the recorded data saved in the information management server-side information storage unit 602, and transmits the analysis results to the information management server-side control unit 601. The information management server-side control unit 601 transmits the analysis results received from the information management server-side information processing unit 605 to the administrator terminal 8 via the information management server-side transmitting unit 606.

[0021] FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of the administrator terminal 8 according to the first embodiment. The administrator terminal 8 includes an administrator terminal control unit 801, an administrator terminal operation unit 802, an administrator terminal communication unit 803, and an administrator terminal display unit 804. The information administrator 7 inputs an analysis instruction to the information management server 6 from the administrator terminal operation unit 802. The specific content of the analysis instruction input by the information administrator 7 will be described later. The administrator terminal control unit 801 notifies the administrator terminal communication unit 803 of the analysis instruction received from the administrator terminal operation unit 802. The administrator terminal communication unit 803 forwards the notified analysis instruction to the information management server 6. Furthermore, upon receiving an analysis result from the information management server 6, the administrator terminal communication unit 803 forwards the received analysis result to the administrator terminal control unit 801. The administrator terminal control unit 801 displays the analysis result received from the information management server 6 on the administrator terminal display unit 804, and notifies the information administrator 7 of the analysis result.

[0022] Here, the operation performed by each component in the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram of the operation of each component in the first embodiment. The operation of each component in FIG. 6 will be described assuming that a first user 5a boards a first moving body 1a from a first boarding / alighting entrance 2a. The operation of each component will be the same when the first user 5a disembarks or boards from another boarding / alighting entrance 2. Furthermore, although the processing from step S101 to step S105 will be described below for the first user 5a, it is performed in the same way for each user 5.

[0023] In step S101, when a first user 5a boards a train through a first entrance / exit 2a, a first sensor 3a installed near the first entrance / exit 2a where the first user 5a boards and alights detects the passage of a first mobile terminal 4a carried by the first user 5a. That is, the first sensor 3a detects the first user 5a boarding the first moving body 1a. At this time, measures against false detection are implemented as necessary. For example, if the first sensor 3a detects the passage of the first mobile terminal 4a multiple times with the interval between the multiple passes being less than a preset threshold, the first sensor 3a may consider this to be a false detection and determine that no boarding or alighting has occurred, or that only one of boarding and alighting has occurred. For example, at the first entrance / exit 2a, sensors 3 are installed both inside and outside the first moving body 1a, and both sensors are collectively referred to as the first sensor 3a. In this case, if the first sensor 3a detects that the first mobile terminal 4a has passed through each of the sensors 3 inside and outside the first moving body 1a, it may determine that boarding or disembarking has occurred, and if it detects the passage of only one of the sensors, it may consider this to be a false detection.

[0024] In step S102, when the first sensor 3a detects the passage of a user, the first portable terminal 4a carried by the user transmits time information, an identification code, and characteristic information to the first sensor 3a.

[0025] In step S103, the first sensor 3a adds its own sensor identification information to the data received from the first mobile terminal 4a and transmits the data to the information management server 6.

[0026] In step S104, the information management server 6 assigns boarding / alighting section and vehicle identification information to the received data. At this time, the information management server 6 determines whether boarding or alighting has occurred based on the passage information detected by the first sensor 3a, which indicates that the first user 5a has passed in front of the first sensor 3a, and determines the boarding / alighting section. For example, the information management server 6 may determine that the first passage of the first mobile terminal 4a is boarding, and the next passage of the first mobile terminal 4a that occurs after a time longer than a threshold is alighting. For example, the information management server 6 may determine that sensors 3 are provided both inside and outside the first mobile body 1a at the first boarding / alighting entrance 2a, and that both sensors are collectively referred to as the first sensor 3a. In this case, the information management server 6 may determine that boarding has occurred when the first sensor 3a detects the passage of the first user 5a from the outside to the inside of the first mobile body 1a. Furthermore, the information management server 6 may determine that disembarking has occurred when the first sensor 3a detects the passage of the first user 5a from the inside to the outside of the first moving body 1a in that order.

[0027] In step S105, the information management server 6 discards data that has been corrupted due to data loss during transmission, data that has been detected to be fraudulent, such as data that has a non-existent identification code, etc. Then, the information management server 6 stores data that it has determined to be normal in the information management server-side information storage unit 602 as recorded data.

[0028] In step S106, the administrator terminal 8 receives an instruction from the information administrator 7 to execute the analysis process.

[0029] In step S107, the administrator terminal 8 transmits to the information management server 6 an analysis instruction to obtain people flow information of the plurality of users 5 who have boarded and disembarked.

[0030] In step S108, the information management server 6 receives an instruction for analysis processing from the administrator terminal 8 and executes processing by combining necessary information from the recorded data. For example, the information management server 6 executes processing such as determining the tendency of users 5 who boarded the same mobile object 1 to select an entrance 2 based on boarding time and characteristics from the collected recorded data of users 5 who boarded the same mobile object 1. That is, the information management server 6 adds characteristic information of the users 5 who boarded and alighted the mobile object 1 to information regarding the users 5 boarding and alighting the mobile object 1 to determine people flow information.

[0031] Specifically, for example, if the information management server 6 acquires information indicating a physical disability as characteristic information of a user 5, the information manager 7 may cause the information management server 6 to execute a process via the manager terminal 8 to calculate the number of times disabled persons have boarded and alighted at each boarding / alighting entrance 2 for each predetermined period. Here, the predetermined period may be, for example, but is not limited to, a section divided into one-hour intervals in a day. This allows the information manager 7 to identify mobile units 1 with a high number of disabled persons for each predetermined period. In other words, the information manager 7 can identify the time periods during which many disabled persons are riding on the mobile units 1. Therefore, if the number of disabled persons on a specific mobile unit 1 is greater than a predetermined value, the information manager 7 can take measures such as increasing the number of priority seats on the mobile unit 1. Priority seats are seats that are given priority to users 5 who are desirably seated while riding, such as disabled persons, injured or ill persons, or pregnant women. In addition, when the mobile body 1 stops at a station, the information manager 7 can take measures such as installing a ramp near the boarding and alighting entrance 2 of the mobile body 1 to make it easier for physically disabled people to pass through.

[0032] Furthermore, for example, if the information management server 6 has acquired age as characteristic information of users 5, the information manager 7 may cause the information management server 6, via the manager terminal 8, to execute a process for determining the age ratio of users 5 by entrance / exit gate 2 for each predetermined period. Here, the predetermined period may be, for example, a section divided into one-hour intervals in a day, but is not limited to this. This allows the information manager 7 to grasp the age ratio of users 5 by entrance / exit gate 2 for each predetermined period. The age ratio may be, for example, the ratio by age group. Therefore, if the number of users 5 older than a predetermined value in a specific mobile object 1 is greater than a predetermined value, the information manager 7 can take measures such as increasing the number of priority seats in that mobile object 1.

[0033] Furthermore, for example, if the information management server 6 has acquired gender as characteristic information of users 5, the information manager 7 may cause the information management server 6 to execute a process via the manager terminal 8 to calculate the gender ratio of users 5 by entrance / exit gate 2 for each predetermined period. Here, the predetermined period may be, for example, but is not limited to, a section divided into one-hour intervals in a day. This allows the information manager 7 to grasp the gender ratio of users 5 by entrance / exit gate 2 for each predetermined period. Therefore, for example, if a specific mobile unit 1 is a women-only car and many male users 5 have mistakenly boarded this specific mobile unit 1, the information manager 7 can take measures such as reviewing the location of this specific mobile unit 1 among multiple mobile units 1 and installing a sign on the platform indicating the location where this specific mobile unit 1 will stop.

[0034] In step S109, the information management server 6 transmits the processed analysis results to the administrator terminal 8.

[0035] In step S110, the administrator terminal 8 displays the received analysis result on the administrator terminal display unit 804. This allows the administrator terminal 8 to notify the information administrator 7 of the analysis result of the information management server 6. This completes the description of the operations performed by each component in the first embodiment.

[0036] As described above, the people flow information acquisition system 100 in the first embodiment includes an information management server 6 that acquires characteristic information, which is information about users 5 detected by the sensor 3 and indicates the characteristics of the users 5, and adds the characteristic information of the users 5 who boarded and disembarked the mobile object 1 to information about the users 5 getting on and off the mobile object 1 to obtain people flow information. This allows the people flow information acquisition system 100 to obtain people flow information for the mobile object 1 based on the characteristics of each user 5. Furthermore, by acquiring and accumulating movement information and characteristic information from a large number of users 5, the people flow information acquisition system 100 is able to obtain movement trends of users 5 for each characteristic. Furthermore, the more data that is accumulated, the more accurately the people flow information acquisition system 100 can obtain movement trends of users 5 for each characteristic.

[0037] Furthermore, in the people flow information acquisition system 100 of the first embodiment, the characteristic information is information registered in advance by the user 5, and the sensor 3 acquires the characteristic information from the mobile terminal 4 of the user 5 who boards or alights from the moving object 1, and transmits the characteristic information to the information management server 6. With the above configuration, the information management server 6 can acquire data from the sensor 3, including sensor identification information for determining the boarding / alighting entrance 2 used by the user 5 and the characteristic information registered in advance by the user 5. This allows the people flow information acquisition system 100 to obtain people flow information for the moving object 1 based on the characteristics of the individual user 5.

[0038] Although the information management server 6 has been described as acquiring characteristic information from sensors 3 installed near each entrance / exit 2, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the information management server 6 may acquire characteristic information including the gender, age, nationality, etc. of users 5 from images captured by an imaging unit installed on a station platform. Even in this case, the people flow information acquisition system 100 can obtain people flow information on the moving object 1 based on the characteristics of each individual user 5.

[0039] If the sensor 3 is installed on the platform side, the operator 13 of the mobile body 1 does not need to procure a sensor 3 every time a new vehicle is introduced. Furthermore, although the sensor 3 has been described as being installed near each platform entrance 2, this is not limited to this. For example, depending on the platform conditions, there may be a location where the sensor 3 cannot be installed near the platform entrance 2, and it may not be possible to obtain information on users 5 getting on and off the mobile body 1 at each entrance 2. In such a case, for example, the sensor 3 may be installed near each entrance 2 on the mobile body 1 side. With the above configuration, the information management server 6 can obtain information on users 5 getting on and off the mobile body 1 at each entrance 2.

[0040] Furthermore, although the sensor 3 has been described as being provided at each entrance / exit 2, this is not limiting. For example, the sensor 3 may be provided for each moving body 1 so long as it can detect when a user 5 gets on or off the moving body 1. Even in this case, the people flow information acquisition system 100 can obtain people flow information for the moving body 1 based on the characteristics of each individual user 5.

[0041] The sensor 3 may further include a sensor-side information storage unit. With the above configuration, the sensor 3 can manage data waiting to be sent, and therefore, even if a large amount of data is sent when many users 5 pass by the sensor 3 in a short period of time, data loss on the transmission path can be suppressed. This allows the sensor 3 to reliably transmit data to the information management server 6.

[0042] Although the sensor 3 has been described as transmitting data received from the mobile device 4 directly to the information management server 6, this is not limiting. For example, the people flow information acquisition system 100 may further include an intermediate information server that mediates data transmission between the sensor 3 and the information management server 6. With the above configuration, the intermediate information server can take over some of the functions of the sensor 3 and the information management server 6. This allows the people flow information acquisition system 100 to distribute the processing load of each device and facilitate data transmission throughout the system. Furthermore, the intermediate information server can add information that the sensor 3 cannot acquire to the information transmitted to the information management server 6, thereby improving the searchability of recorded data in the information management server 6. For example, if the sensor identification information does not include information identifying the station or area where the sensor 3 is located, providing an intermediate information server for each station or area makes it possible to add information identifying the station or area where the sensor 3 is located to the information transmitted to the information management server 6.

[0043] Furthermore, although the characteristic information of the user 5 is assumed to be input and edited from the user 5's mobile device 4, this is not limiting. For example, the people flow information acquisition system 100 may further include a registration information management server that manages information registered by the user 5. With the above configuration, the people flow information acquisition system 100 can transmit input or edited data to the registration information management server via any network. This allows the user 5 and the information manager 7 to view and update the input or edited data using any terminal or method. In this case, the people flow information acquisition system 100 is configured so that the information management server 6 can access the registration information management server. If the user 5 can be identified when he or she passes the sensor 3, the sensor 3 does not need to receive characteristic information from the user 5. This allows the people flow information acquisition system 100 to reduce the amount of data transmitted when the sensor 3 receives characteristic information from the mobile device 4. The registration information management server may be configured to be external to the system. Even in this case, the people flow information acquisition system 100 is configured so that the information management server 6 can access the registered information management server, thereby reducing the amount of data transmitted when the sensor 3 receives characteristic information from the mobile terminal 4.

[0044] Furthermore, the destination to which the characteristic information of user 5 is registered is not particularly limited. For example, the characteristic information may be registered in a dedicated application for obtaining people flow information. Alternatively, for example, the characteristic information may be registered in an application for a purpose other than obtaining people flow information. In this case, the application for a purpose other than obtaining people flow information is linked to the people flow information acquisition system 100. The people flow information acquisition system 100 is configured to be able to acquire characteristic information from the application for a purpose other than obtaining people flow information. The application for a purpose other than obtaining people flow information may be, for example, an application in which information such as a transfer guide, a digital patient registration card, or a transportation IC card is registered.

[0045] Embodiment 2 The people flow information acquisition system 101 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a configuration diagram of the people flow information acquisition system 101 according to the second embodiment. The people flow information acquisition system 101 according to the second embodiment differs from the people flow information acquisition system 100 according to the first embodiment in that sensors 3 are provided in locations other than near the boarding / alighting entrance 2 of the mobile object 1. The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. Further, detailed descriptions of the components similar to those in the first embodiment will be omitted, and the following description will mainly focus on the components different from those in the first embodiment.

[0046] 7, the people flow information acquisition system 101 in the second embodiment includes a moving object 1, a sensor 3, a mobile terminal 4, an information management server 6, and an administrator terminal 8. The mobile terminal 4 and the administrator terminal 8 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and therefore detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0047] In FIG. 7, the moving bodies 1 are illustrated as a third moving body 1c and a fourth moving body 1d, but the number of moving bodies 1 is not limited to this. Furthermore, the moving bodies 1 have entrances 2 where users 5 of the moving bodies 1 get on and off. In FIG. 7, the third moving body 1c has a fifth entrance 2e and a sixth entrance 2f, and the fourth moving body 1d has a seventh entrance 2g and an eighth entrance 2h, but the number of entrances 2 of the moving bodies 1 is not limited to this. Furthermore, the third moving body 1c and the fourth moving body 1d in FIG. 7 are separate trains that are not coupled to each other.

[0048] In FIG. 7, a third user 5c carries a third mobile terminal 4c. Also in FIG. 7, the third user 5c travels through a first route 10a, a second route 10b, and a third route 10c, heading toward a destination 11. The first route 10a is a route from the sixth boarding / alighting gate 2f to board a third mobile body 1c. The second route 10b is a route from the fifth boarding / alighting gate 2e to get off the third mobile body 1c, and from the eighth boarding / alighting gate 2h to board a fourth mobile body 1d. The third route 10c is a route from the eighth boarding / alighting gate 2h to get off the fourth mobile body 1d, and heading toward the destination 11. In the second embodiment, the third user 5c is described as passing through the first route 10a and boarding the third moving body 1c at the sixth boarding / alighting gate 2f, passing through the second route 10b and the fifth boarding / alighting gate 2e to get off the third moving body 1c, boarding the fourth moving body 1d at the eighth boarding / alighting gate 2h, passing through the third route 10c and the eighth boarding / alighting gate 2h to get off the fourth moving body 1d, and heading to the destination 11, but this is not limited to this. In other words, the user 5 can select any moving body 1 and route to the destination 11, and the number of times he or she changes moving bodies 1 is not limited.

[0049] The sensors 3 are installed near each platform entrance 2 and detect when a user 5 gets on or off a moving object 1. That is, the fifth sensor 3e detects when a user 5 passes through the fifth entrance 2e to get on or off the third moving object 1c. The sixth sensor 3f detects when a user 5 passes through the sixth entrance 2f to get on or off the third moving object 1c. The seventh sensor 3g detects when a user 5 passes through the seventh entrance 2g to get on or off the fourth moving object 1d. The eighth sensor 3h detects when a user 5 passes through the eighth entrance 2h to get on or off the fourth moving object 1d.

[0050] In the second embodiment, the sensors 3 are also provided in locations other than near the boarding / alighting entrance 2 of the moving object 1. In FIG. 7, the ninth sensor 3i is provided on the second route 10b and detects the passage of the user 5 on the second route 10b. Furthermore, the tenth sensor 3j is provided on the third route 10c and detects the passage of the user 5 on the third route 10c. The ninth sensor 3i and the tenth sensor 3j are not provided at the boarding / alighting entrance 2 of the moving object 1, but, for example, on a passageway through which the user 5 passes. Furthermore, the eleventh sensor 3k is provided at the destination 11 of the user 5 and detects that the user 5 has arrived at the destination 11. The eleventh sensor 3k is provided, for example, at an entrance or exit of the destination 11 of the user 5. In other words, the sensor 3 in the second embodiment further detects the movement of the user 5 on the route to the destination 11. The positions and number of sensors 3 are not limited to the above example, and may be arbitrarily set within a range where the movement of the user 5 on the movement route can be detected.

[0051] The fifth sensor 3e, the sixth sensor 3f, the seventh sensor 3g, the eighth sensor 3h, the ninth sensor 3i, the tenth sensor 3j, and the eleventh sensor 3k receive data from the mobile terminal 4 of the user 5, similar to the sensor 3 in the first embodiment, and transmit the received data to the information management server 6. That is, the information management server 6 obtains people flow information of multiple users 5 using the mobile object 1 based on information regarding the users 5 getting on and off the mobile object 1 and characteristic information of the users 5 who got on and off the mobile object 1, as well as information regarding the movements of the users 5 along their travel routes.

[0052] Furthermore, in response to a request from a user 5, the information management server 6 transmits the optimal route to the user's 5 destination 11 to the user's 5 mobile terminal 4 based on the people flow information obtained from the recorded data. Information regarding the optimal route may be transmitted directly from the information management server 6 to the mobile terminal 4, or may be transmitted from the information management server 6 to the mobile terminal 4 via a server that mediates data transmission.

[0053] The optimum route is determined by taking into consideration the time information and characteristic information of the user 5 passing through the sensor 3, among the recorded data stored in the information management server 6. The optimum route is also determined appropriately according to the needs of the user 5, such as the route that takes the shortest time to reach the destination 11 from the current location, the route that is less likely to lead to confusion when heading to the destination 11 for the first time, and the route using the mobile object 1 that is expected to have a low congestion rate.

[0054] Furthermore, the information management server 6 may determine the optimum route based on the characteristic information of the user 5 who has requested the optimum route. Specifically, for example, if the information management server 6 has acquired information that the user 5 owns a stroller as characteristic information of the user 5, the information management server 6 may preferentially determine a route that uses an elevator over a route that uses an escalator as the optimum route, thereby making it possible to determine the optimum route according to the characteristic information of the user 5.

[0055] Here, the operations performed by each component in the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8 is a sequence diagram of the operations of each component in the second embodiment. Note that steps S201 to S203 and steps S207 to S211 are similar to steps S101 to S103 and steps S106 to S110 in the first embodiment, and therefore their description will be omitted. In Fig. 8, the description will be given assuming that the third user 5c has passed through the fifth sensor 3e, but the same applies when the third user 5c passes through another sensor 3.

[0056] In step S204, the information management server 6 assigns the boarding / alighting section and vehicle identification information to the data received from the fifth sensor 3e. At this time, the information management server 6 assigns information on the boarding / alighting section and vehicle identification information to the sensors 3 that do not correspond to the boarding / alighting entrance 2 of the moving object 1, such as the ninth sensor 3i, the tenth sensor 3j, and the eleventh sensor 3k, as non-corresponding information.

[0057] In step S205, the information management server 6 performs a transfer determination to determine whether the third user 5c has transferred from the third mobile body 1c to the fourth mobile body 1d based on the data received from the fifth sensor 3e. That is, the information management server 6 determines that a transfer has occurred if the third user 5c gets off the third mobile body 1c and gets on the fourth mobile body 1d. Furthermore, the information management server 6 determines that a transfer has not occurred if the third user 5c does not get off the third mobile body 1c and get on the fourth mobile body 1d. Furthermore, if the information management server 6 determines that a transfer has occurred, it refers to the time information when the third user 5c gets off the third mobile body 1c and the time information when the third user 5c gets on the fourth mobile body 1d, and calculates the required time for the transfer.

[0058] In step S206, the information management server 6 stores, as recorded data, the data determined to be normal among the data to which the result indicating whether the third user 5c has transferred from the third mobile body 1c to the fourth mobile body 1d has been attached, in the information management server-side information storage unit 602. This concludes the description of the operations performed by each component in the second embodiment.

[0059] As in the first embodiment, the people flow information acquisition system 101 of the second embodiment includes an information management server 6 that acquires characteristic information, which is information about users 5 detected by a sensor 3 and indicates the characteristics of the users 5, and adds the characteristic information of the users 5 who boarded and disembarked the mobile body 1 to information about the users 5 getting on and off the mobile body 1 to obtain people flow information. This allows the people flow information acquisition system 101 to obtain people flow information for the mobile body 1 based on the characteristics of each user 5. Furthermore, by acquiring and accumulating movement information and characteristic information from a large number of users 5, the people flow information acquisition system 101 is able to obtain movement trends of users 5 for each characteristic. Furthermore, the more data that is accumulated, the more accurately the people flow information acquisition system 100 can obtain movement trends of users 5 for each characteristic.

[0060] Furthermore, in the people flow information acquisition system 101 of the second embodiment, the sensor 3 further detects the movement of the user 5 on the route to the destination 11, and the information management server 6 obtains people flow information based on the information on the movement of the user 5 on the route. With the above configuration, the people flow information acquisition system 101 can, for example, determine the route that the user 5 can travel from their current location to the destination 11 in the shortest time based on the accumulated recorded data. Furthermore, the people flow information acquisition system 101 can obtain the optimal route based on the characteristics of the user 5, such as guiding a stroller owner to a route using an elevator. Therefore, the people flow information acquisition system 101 can obtain the optimal route to the destination 11 for each entrance / exit 2. Furthermore, the information management server 6 obtains the optimal route from the user 5's current location to the destination 11 in response to a request from the user 5 and transmits the obtained optimal route to the user 5, thereby making it possible to provide the optimal route according to the characteristics and needs of the user 5.

[0061] The destination 11 may be a station building, a commercial facility near the station, or the like. In this case, the people flow information acquisition system 101 can determine which facility the user 5 is heading to. This allows the people flow information acquisition system 101 to acquire the trends of the user 5 according to the characteristic information of the user 5.

[0062] Embodiment 3 The people flow information acquisition system 102 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of the people flow information acquisition system 102 according to the third embodiment. The people flow information acquisition system 102 according to the third embodiment differs from the people flow information acquisition system 100 according to the first embodiment in that the information management server 6 provides the usage status of the user 5's mobile object 1, including at least information related to the usage fee for the user 5's mobile object 1, to the payment officer 12 acting as an agent for the payment of the usage fee for the user 5's mobile object 1. The same components as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals. Further, detailed description of the components similar to those in the first embodiment will be omitted, and the following description will mainly focus on the components different from those in the first embodiment.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 9, in the people flow information acquisition system 102 according to the third embodiment, a paying person 12 and an administrator 13 exist in addition to the system configuration of the first embodiment.

[0064] The payment manager 12 acts as an agent for the user 5 to pay the usage fee for the mobile object 1. The payment manager 12 is, for example, the accounting department of the company to which the user 5 belongs, or the card company with which the user 5 has a contract. The operator 13 is the operator 13 of the mobile object 1, for example, the operator of a station.

[0065] The information management server 6 provides the payment officer 12 with information about the usage status of the user 5's mobile object 1 based on data stored in the information management server-side information storage unit 602. The usage status includes at least the usage fee for the user 5's mobile object 1, calculated from the vehicle identification information of the vehicle that the user 5 boarded and disembarked in, the time information that the user 5 boarded and disembarked in the mobile object 1, and the sensor identification information of the sensors 3 that the user 5 passed through. The usage status may also include the travel route of the user 5. This allows the payment officer 12 to determine whether the usage fee for the user 5's mobile object 1 provided by the information management server 6 is legitimate.

[0066] The payment person in charge 12 pays the usage fee to the operator 13 on behalf of the user 5 for the disclosed usage status. The payment person in charge 12 may collect the usage fee from the user 5 as necessary. Furthermore, if the user 5 is an employee of a company and the payment person in charge 12 is in the company's accounting department, the information management server 6 may disclose the usage status to the company's business trip expense settlement system. Then, the company's business trip expense settlement system pays the usage fee to the operator 13 on behalf of the user 5.

[0067] The corporate business trip travel expense settlement system may be configured to only pay the usage fees for the mobile device 1 of user 5 who has registered for a business trip in advance. Furthermore, if user 5 is loaned a business-use transportation IC card by the company, the corporate business trip travel expense settlement system may also be configured to pay the usage fees for the mobile device 1 on behalf of user 5 when user 5 uses the business transportation IC card. In this case, user 5's mobile terminal 4 includes information indicating that the business-use transportation IC card is being used in the data transmitted to sensor 3. This allows information management server 6 to determine that user 5's use of the mobile device 1 is for business use. In this case, if user 5's use of the mobile device 1 is for business use, payment officer 12 pays the usage fees to operator 13 on user 5's behalf at the company's expense. However, if user 5's use of the mobile device 1 is for business use, user 5 may pay the usage fees separately.

[0068] Furthermore, the information management server 6 may provide information tailored to a request from the payment person in charge 12, based on the location and time information of the user 5 when getting on and off the vehicle. A request from the payment person in charge 12 may, for example, be to define weekday hours from 6:00 to 10:00 and from 17:00 to 23:00 as commuting hours, and to treat use of the mobile unit 1 during other hours as irregular. In this case, the payment person in charge 12 pays the usage fee for use on the commuting route section during commuting hours to the operator 13 on behalf of the user 5 as commuting expenses at the company's expense, but the usage fee for use during other hours or on other route sections may be paid separately by the user 5.

[0069] Here, in the third embodiment, the operations performed by each component when the user 5 uses the moving object 1 until the usage fee for the user 5 is settled will be described with reference to FIG. 10 . FIG. 10 is a sequence diagram of the operations of each component in the third embodiment. Note that steps S301, S303, and S305 are similar to steps S101, S103, and S105 in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described again. Also, although not shown, in the third embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the information management server 6 adds characteristic information of the users 5 who boarded and disembarked the moving object 1 to information regarding the users 5 getting on and off the moving object 1 to obtain people flow information for multiple users 5 using the moving object 1. Also, in FIG. 10 , the second user 5b is described as having passed through the fourth sensor 3d, but the same applies when the second user 5b passes through another sensor 3.

[0070] In step S302, the second mobile terminal 4b transmits the time information, the identification code, and the characteristic information to the fourth sensor 3d. Here, the characteristic information includes the payment manager information, which is information that identifies the payment manager 12 of the second user 5b.

[0071] In step S304, the information management server 6 adds information about the payment status of the usage fee of the second user 5b to the received data, in addition to the boarding / alighting category and vehicle identification information. Here, the payment status is information indicating whether the usage fee incurred by the second user 5b for using the second mobile body 1b has been paid to the operator 13.

[0072] In step S306, the administrator terminal 8 instructs the information management server 6 to display record data in which the payment manager information is a specific payment manager 12. The displayed record data includes the usage status of the second user 5b at the fourth mobile object 1d.

[0073] In step S307, the information management server 6 executes the analysis process instructed by the administrator terminal 8. At this time, if the second user 5b is an employee of a company and the person in charge of payment 12 is in the company's accounting department, the information management server 6 determines whether the use of the second mobile object 1b by the second user 5b is for business use. For example, when the second user 5b uses a business-use transportation IC card loaned to him by the company, the information management server 6 determines that the use of the second mobile object 1b by the second user 5b is for business use.

[0074] In step S308, the information management server 6 transmits the processing result to the administrator terminal 8. At this time, if the second user 5b is an employee of a company and the person in charge of payment 12 is in the company's accounting department, the information management server 6 includes in the processing result transmitted to the administrator terminal 8 information regarding whether the use of the second mobile object 1b by the second user 5b is for business use.

[0075] In step S309, the administrator terminal 8 displays the processing result received from the information management server 6 on the display unit 804 on the administrator terminal side.

[0076] In step S310, the administrator terminal 8 notifies the terminal owned by the paying person 12 of the processing result received from the information management server 6. That is, the information management server 6 provides the paying person 12 with information on the usage status of the second user 5b at the second mobile body 1b, including at least information on the usage fee for the second user 5b at the second mobile body 1b, via the administrator terminal 8. The paying person 12 acts as an agent for the payment of the usage fee for the second user 5b based on the provided usage status. If the second user 5b is an employee of a company and the paying person 12 is in the company's accounting department, the paying person 12 will act as an agent for the payment of the usage fee for the second user 5b if the second user 5b's use of the second mobile body 1b is for business use, but will not act as an agent for the payment of the usage fee for the second user 5b if the second user 5b's use of the second mobile body 1b is not for business use. If the person in charge of payment 12 does not act as a proxy to pay the usage fee for the second user 5b, the administrator terminal 8 notifies the second user 5b to pay the usage fee.

[0077] In step S311, when the payment from the paying person 12 is completed, the manager terminal 8 instructs the information management server 6 to change the settlement status of the target recorded data to settled.

[0078] In step S312, the information management server 6 updates the recorded data in accordance with the instruction received from the administrator terminal 8. This completes the description of the operations performed by each component in the third embodiment.

[0079] As in the first embodiment, the people flow information acquisition system 102 of the third embodiment includes an information management server 6 that acquires characteristic information, which is information about users 5 detected by a sensor 3 and indicates the characteristics of the users 5, and adds the characteristic information of the users 5 who boarded and disembarked the mobile object 1 to information about the users 5 getting on and off the mobile object 1 to obtain people flow information. This allows the people flow information acquisition system 102 to obtain people flow information for the mobile object 1 based on the characteristics of each user 5. Furthermore, by acquiring and accumulating movement information and characteristic information from a large number of users 5, the people flow information acquisition system 102 can obtain movement trends of users 5 for each characteristic. Furthermore, the more data that is accumulated, the more accurately the people flow information acquisition system 100 can obtain movement trends of users 5 for each characteristic.

[0080] Furthermore, in the people flow information acquisition system 102 of the third embodiment, the information management server 6 provides the usage status of the user 5's mobile unit 1, including at least information regarding the usage fee for the user 5's mobile unit 1, to the payment person 12, who acts as an agent for the user 5's payment of the usage fee for the mobile unit 1. With the above configuration, the people flow information acquisition system 102 enables the payment person 12 to process the settlement of the user 5's unsettled usage fee on his / her behalf. This allows the people flow information acquisition system 102 to streamline the payment of the user 5's usage fee. Furthermore, for example, if the user 5 is an employee of a company and the payment person 12 is in the company's accounting department, the people flow information acquisition system 102 can streamline the settlement process for the user 5's commuting expenses, business trip expenses, etc. Furthermore, in this case, the people flow information acquisition system 102 can reduce the number of times the user 5 purchases tickets, passes, commuter passes, etc. for settlement purposes, thereby reducing the working hours of transportation operators handling the settlement process for the user 5.

[0081] This is also expected to increase the number of users 5, allowing the people flow information acquisition system 102 to accumulate more recorded data and improve the accuracy of people flow information. Furthermore, for example, if the user 5 is a member of an organization and the payment officer 12 is in charge of accounting for the organization, the people flow information acquisition system 102 can acquire the organization to which the user 5 belongs as characteristic information of the user 5. This allows the people flow information acquisition system 102 to accumulate information on users 5 who belong to a specific organization, thereby enabling it to analyze the movement trends of users 5 who belong to a specific organization.

[0082] Embodiment 4 A people flow information acquisition system 103 according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11. Fig. 11 is a configuration diagram of a sensor 3 according to the fourth embodiment. The people flow information acquisition system 103 according to the fourth embodiment differs from the people flow information acquisition system 100 according to the first embodiment in that the mobile terminal 4 of the user 5 receives information about the moving body 1 in which the user 5 is riding or about to ride. The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. Further, detailed description of the components similar to those in the first embodiment will be omitted, and the following description will mainly focus on the components different from those in the first embodiment.

[0083] As shown in FIG. 11 , when the transmission data received from the mobile terminal 4 is a request for transmitting information about distribution data, the sensor-side control unit 301 in the fourth embodiment transmits information about the information transmission request, to which the sensor identification information has been added, to the information management server 6 via the sensor-side transmission unit 304. The distribution data is information about the mobile object 1 that the user 5 is riding or about to ride. The information about the mobile object 1 may be, for example, "information about the mobile object 1 that is closest to the elevator at the arrival station where the user 5 will disembark," "information indicating that the mobile object 1 that the user 5 is riding or about to ride is separated on the way to the arrival station where the user 5 will disembark, and the user 5 will not be able to reach the arrival station," or "information indicating the ratio of the actual number of users 5 to the capacity of the mobile object 1 that the user 5 is riding or about to ride." The sensor-side control unit 301 notifies the sensor-side wireless communication unit 303 of the distribution data received from the information management server 6. The sensor-side wireless communication unit 303 has a transmission function and transfers the distribution data from the sensor-side wireless communication antenna 302 to the mobile terminal 4. That is, the mobile terminal 4 of the user 5 receives information about the moving body 1 in which the user 5 is riding or about to ride.

[0084] When the sensor 3 is installed near each platform entrance 2, the mobile terminal 4 of the user 5 can receive information about the moving body 1 that the user 5 is about to board. This allows the user 5 to select the vehicle and entrance 2 that is best suited for the user. Furthermore, when the sensor 3 is installed near each entrance 2 on the moving body 1 side, the mobile terminal 4 of the user 5 can receive information about the moving body 1 that the user 5 is riding in. This allows the user 5 to select the entrance 2 that is best suited for the user when getting off before arriving at the scheduled arrival station.

[0085] Furthermore, as described above, the information management server-side transmitting unit 606 transmits distribution data to the sensor 3 in response to an information transmission request from the mobile terminal 4. Note that the information management server-side transmitting unit 606 may transmit the distribution data directly to the mobile terminal 4 from the information management server 6 via a server that mediates data transmission. Furthermore, the information management server-side information storage unit 602 stores information about all stations where sensors 3 under its management are located, in addition to the recorded data of the user 5. When the transmission data received from the sensor 3 is a request to transmit information about distribution data, the information management server-side control unit 601 creates distribution data based on the received information and the information about the stations stored in the information management server-side information storage unit 602, and transmits the data to the sensor 3 via the information management server-side transmitting unit 606.

[0086] Here, the operation performed by each component in the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 12. Fig. 12 is a sequence diagram of the operation of each component in the fourth embodiment. Although not shown, in the same manner as in the first embodiment, in the fourth embodiment, the information management server 6 obtains people flow information of multiple users 5 using the moving body 1 based on information regarding the users 5 getting on and off the moving body 1 and characteristic information of the users 5 who got on and off the moving body 1. Also, in Fig. 12, the description will be given assuming that the first user 5a has passed through the first sensor 3a, but the same applies when the first user 5a passes through another sensor 3.

[0087] In step S401, the first mobile terminal 4a transmits an information transmission request to the first sensor 3a. At this time, the first mobile terminal 4a transmits, in addition to the information transmission request, characteristic information of the first user 5a, an expected arrival station specified by the first user 5a, and information on the vehicle in which the first user 5a is riding or about to ride to the first sensor 3a.

[0088] In step S402, the first sensor 3a adds its own sensor identification information to the data received from the first mobile terminal 4a, and transmits an information transmission request to the information management server 6.

[0089] In step S403, the information management server 6 creates distribution data based on the information received from the first sensor 3a and the information about the station stored in the information management server-side information storage unit 602. That is, the information management server 6 extracts information about the scheduled arrival station from the information about the station stored in the information management server 6. Then, the information management server 6 creates distribution data about information about the mobile body 1 that the user 5 is riding in or about to ride in, based on recorded data such as information about the scheduled arrival station, information about the vehicle that the user 5 is riding in or about to ride in, sensor identification information, and characteristic information about the user 5.

[0090] Specifically, for example, if the information management server 6 acquires information that the first user 5a owns a stroller as characteristic information of the first user 5a, the information management server 6 creates distribution data indicating the positional relationship between the first platform 2a and the elevator on the platform when the first user 5a, who boards the first moving body 1a, gets off at the scheduled arrival station from the first platform 2a. This allows the first user 5a to know where the elevator is when he or she gets off at the scheduled arrival station, and allows him or her to use the elevator smoothly.

[0091] Furthermore, for example, if the first moving body 1a is separated at a station on the way to the scheduled arrival station and does not arrive at the scheduled arrival station, the information management server 6 creates distribution data indicating this. This allows the people flow information acquisition system 103 to prevent the user 5 from accidentally boarding the vehicle in question when the moving body 1 that the user 5 is riding or about to ride does not arrive at the scheduled arrival station.

[0092] Furthermore, for example, the information management server 6 calculates the congestion rate for each of the multiple connected moving bodies 1 and creates distribution data displaying the congestion rate. This allows the people flow information acquisition system 103 to encourage users 5 to move to moving bodies 1 with lower congestion rates, thereby reducing bias in congestion rates among the multiple moving bodies 1.

[0093] In step S404, the information management server 6 transmits the created distribution data to the first sensor 3a.

[0094] In step S405, the first sensor 3a transmits the received distribution data to the first mobile terminal 4a. This completes the description of the operations performed by each component in the fourth embodiment.

[0095] As in the first embodiment, the people flow information acquisition system 103 of the fourth embodiment includes an information management server 6 that acquires characteristic information, which is information about users 5 detected by a sensor 3 and indicates the characteristics of the users 5, and adds the characteristic information of the users 5 who boarded and disembarked the mobile body 1 to information about the users 5 getting on and off the mobile body 1 to obtain people flow information. This allows the people flow information acquisition system 103 to obtain people flow information for the mobile body 1 based on the characteristics of each user 5. Furthermore, the people flow information acquisition system 103 acquires and accumulates movement information and characteristic information from a large number of users 5, making it possible to determine the movement trends of users 5 for each characteristic.

[0096] Furthermore, in the people flow information acquisition system 103 of the fourth embodiment, the mobile terminal 4 of the user 5 receives information about the moving body 1 the user 5 is riding in or about to ride in. With the above configuration, the people flow information acquisition system 103 can provide the user 5 with information about the moving body 1 the user 5 is riding in or about to ride in as distribution data. This allows the user 5 to select the optimal boarding / alighting entrance 2 for themselves when boarding or alighting the moving body 1. Therefore, the people flow information acquisition system 103 can utilize the collected people flow information to suggest the optimal boarding / alighting entrance 2 in real time based on the characteristics and needs of the user 5. Furthermore, the people flow information acquisition system 103 can suggest the optimal boarding / alighting entrance 2 to the user 5 who wants to intuitively recognize information such as the next arriving vehicle or the nearest boarding / alighting entrance 2, for example, when the user 5 boards the moving body 1 in an unfamiliar location. Furthermore, this is expected to increase the number of users 5, allowing the people flow information acquisition system 103 to accumulate more recorded data and improve the value of the people flow information.

[0097] In the fourth embodiment, the information management server 6 creates the distribution data, but this is not limiting. For example, the information management server 6 may store station-related information stored in the information management server-side information storage unit 602 in the sensor 3. In this case, the sensor 3 creates distribution data and transmits it to the mobile device 4 of the user 5. With the above configuration, the people flow information acquisition system 103 can offload the data search and analysis tasks that the information management server 6 is responsible for to the sensor 3, thereby distributing the system load. This allows the people flow information acquisition system 103 to shorten the response time to an information transmission request from the mobile device 4. In this case, the information management server 6 updates the station-related information stored in the sensor 3 to reflect the analysis results of the people flow information collected by the information management server 6. This allows the sensor 3 to create distribution data using the data accumulated in the information management server 6.

[0098] Furthermore, although the distribution data is configured to be transmitted from the sensor 3 to the mobile terminal 4, the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the same effect can be achieved even if the distribution data is transmitted to the mobile terminal 4 via a server that mediates the transmission of data from the information management server 6.

[0099] (Appendix 1) In a people flow information acquisition system for obtaining people flow information of a plurality of users using a mobile object, a sensor that detects the user getting on or off the vehicle; an information management server that acquires characteristic information, which is information about the users detected by the sensor and indicates the characteristics of the users, and adds the characteristic information of the users who boarded and disembarked the mobile body to information about the users getting on and off the mobile body to obtain the people flow information; A people flow information acquisition system comprising: (Appendix 2) the characteristic information is information registered in advance by the user, the sensor acquires the characteristic information from a mobile terminal of the user who gets on or off the vehicle, and transmits the characteristic information to the information management server; A people flow information acquisition system as described in Appendix 1. (Appendix 3) The sensor further detects movement of the user along a travel route to a destination; The information management server obtains the people flow information based on information regarding the movement of the user on the movement route. A people flow information acquisition system according to appendix 1 and appendix 2. (Appendix 4) The information management server provides the usage status of the user on the mobile object, including at least information regarding the usage fee of the user on the mobile object, to a payment agent acting on behalf of the user in paying the usage fee on the mobile object. A people flow information acquisition system according to any one of appendices 1 to 3. (Appendix 5) The mobile terminal of the user receives information about the vehicle in which the user is riding or about to ride. A people flow information acquisition system according to any one of appendices 1 to 4. [Explanation of symbols]

[0100] 100, 101, 102, 103 People flow information acquisition system, 1 Mobile body, 1a First mobile body, 1b Second mobile body, 1c Third mobile body, 1d Fourth mobile body, 1n nth mobile body, 2 Entrance / exit, 2a First entrance / exit, 2b Second entrance / exit, 2c Third entrance / exit, 2d Fourth entrance / exit, 2e Fifth entrance / exit, 2f Sixth entrance / exit, 2g Seventh entrance / exit, 2h Eighth entrance / exit, 3 Sensor, 3a First sensor, 3b Second sensor, 3c Third sensor, 3d Fourth sensor, 3e Fifth sensor, 3f Sixth sensor, 3g Seventh sensor, 3h Eighth sensor, 3i Ninth sensor, 3j Tenth sensor, 3k Eleventh sensor, 4 Mobile terminal, 4a First mobile terminal, 4b Second mobile terminal, 4c Third mobile terminal, 5 User, 5a First user, 5b Second user, 5c Third user, 6 Information management server, 7 Information manager, 8 Manager terminal, 9 Location different from first mobile body and second mobile body, 10a First route, 10b Second route, 10c Third route, 11 Destination, 12 Payment officer, 13 Operator, 301 Sensor side control unit, 302 Sensor side wireless communication antenna, 303 Sensor side wireless communication unit, 304 Sensor side transmission unit, 401 Mobile terminal side control unit, 402 Mobile terminal side display unit, 403 Mobile terminal side wireless communication unit, 404 Mobile terminal side wireless communication antenna, 405 Mobile terminal side operation unit, 601 Information management server side control unit, 602 Information management server side information storage unit, 603 Information management server side communication unit, 604 Information management server side reception unit, 605 Information management server side information processing unit, 606 information management server side transmission unit, 801 administrator terminal side control unit, 802 administrator terminal side operation unit, 803 administrator terminal side communication unit, 804 administrator terminal side display unit

Claims

1. In a people flow information acquisition system for obtaining people flow information of a plurality of users using a mobile object, a sensor that detects the user getting on or off the vehicle; an information management server that acquires characteristic information, which is information about the users detected by the sensor and indicates the characteristics of the users, and adds the characteristic information of the users who boarded and disembarked the mobile body to information about the users getting on and off the mobile body to obtain the people flow information; A people flow information acquisition system comprising:

2. the characteristic information is information registered in advance by the user, the sensor acquires the characteristic information from a mobile terminal of the user who gets on or off the vehicle, and transmits the characteristic information to the information management server; The people flow information acquisition system according to claim 1 .

3. The sensor further detects movement of the user along a travel route to a destination; The information management server obtains the people flow information based on information regarding the movement of the user on the movement route. The people flow information acquisition system according to claim 1 .

4. The information management server provides the usage status of the user on the mobile object, including at least information regarding the usage fee of the user on the mobile object, to a payment agent acting on behalf of the user in paying the usage fee on the mobile object. The people flow information acquisition system according to claim 1 .

5. The mobile terminal of the user receives information about the vehicle in which the user is riding or about to ride. The people flow information acquisition system according to claim 1 .

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