Information processing device, information processing method, and program

Abstract

To increase the profits offered by the store. [Solution] The information processing device 1 includes a storage unit 12 that stores vehicle attributes in association with the attributes of passengers riding in the vehicle; an image acquisition unit 131 that acquires captured images of vehicles using the parking lot, taken by a camera installed in the parking lot used by customers of a store that provides goods or services; an identification unit 132 that analyzes the captured images acquired by the image acquisition unit 131 and identifies the attributes of the vehicles included in the captured images; a decision unit 135 that determines a provision plan for the store to provide goods or services based on the attributes of passengers stored in the storage unit 12 in association with each of the attributes of the multiple vehicles identified by the identification unit 132; and an output unit 137 that outputs the provision plan determined by the decision unit 135.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, information obtained by analyzing a captured image has been used in various applications. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for analyzing the characteristics of people in a business area using information obtained by analyzing a captured image captured by an imaging device attached to a traffic signal.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the conventional technology, the characteristics of people in the analyzed business area do not always match the characteristics of the users of the stores existing in the business area. Therefore, even if a store that provides a product or service determines a plan for providing the product or service using the characteristics of people in the business area analyzed by the conventional technology, the profit obtained by the store by providing the product or service may not be improved.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of these points, and an object thereof is to improve the profit provided by a store.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] An information processing device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes: a vehicle attribute storage unit that stores vehicle attributes in association with the attributes of passengers riding in the vehicle; an image acquisition unit that acquires captured images of vehicles using a parking lot, which are captured by a camera installed in a parking lot used by users of a store that provides goods or services; an identification unit that analyzes the captured images acquired by the image acquisition unit and identifies the attributes of the vehicles included in the captured images; a decision unit that determines a provision plan for the store to provide goods or services based on the attributes of passengers stored in the vehicle attribute storage unit in association with each of the multiple vehicle attributes identified by the identification unit; and an output unit that outputs the provision plan determined by the decision unit.

[0007] The decision unit may determine the provision plan based on the attributes of the vehicle being used, which have been identified based on the captured images taken during a predetermined period. The determination unit may determine the provision plan based on the attributes of multiple users parked in the parking lot, from among the multiple users identified by the identification unit.

[0008] The decision unit may determine the service plan based on at least one of the following attributes of the passenger: the passenger's gender, the passenger's age, the passenger's income, the passenger's preferences, the passenger's household size, and the passenger's household composition.

[0009] The decision-making unit may determine the price at which the store will provide the goods or services as part of the provision plan. The output unit may output the price determined by the determination unit to an output device installed in the store. The decision unit may determine, as part of the provision plan, the positions in which the products offered by the store will be displayed.

[0010] The decision unit may determine the products or services to be advertised as part of the provision plan, and the output unit may output the advertisement for the products or services determined by the decision unit to be advertised to an output device installed in the store. The decision-making unit may determine the contents of the products that the store will offer as part of the provision plan.

[0011] The parking lot may be a parking lot used by the users of a commercial facility that includes multiple stores, and the information processing device may further have a store attribute storage unit that stores the attributes of the store and the attributes of the users of the store in association with each of the stores included in the commercial facility, and the output unit may notify the stores associated with the attributes of the users that correspond to the attributes of the passengers stored in the vehicle attribute storage unit in association with the attributes of each of the multiple vehicles used that the identification unit has identified in the store attribute storage unit, of the customer status of the commercial facility that is identified by the identification unit analyzing the captured images.

[0012] The information processing device may further include a plan storage unit that stores in association with other stores different from the store, the attributes of the users of the other stores, and the provision plan output to the other stores. The determination unit may, if there are user attributes among the user attributes stored in the plan storage unit that correspond to the passenger attributes stored in the vehicle attribute storage unit in association with each of the attributes of the multiple vehicles used identified by the identification unit, determine the provision plan associated with the user attributes as the provision plan corresponding to the store.

[0013] The information processing device may further include a change information acquisition unit that acquires information for identifying changes in the attributes of people present in a predetermined area including the store; the decision unit may modify the provision plan based on the changed attributes of people present in the predetermined area if the attributes of people present in the predetermined area change between the time the provision plan is determined and the time a predetermined period has elapsed; and the output unit may output the provision plan modified by the decision unit. The decision-making unit may determine the content of the benefits to be provided to the user as part of the provision plan.

[0014] A second aspect of the present invention relates to an information processing method which includes the steps of: acquiring an image captured by a camera installed in a parking lot used by a user of a store that provides goods or services, of a user vehicle using the parking lot, executed by a computer having a vehicle attribute storage unit that stores vehicle attributes and the attributes of a passenger riding in the vehicle in association with the attributes of the passengers riding in the vehicle; analyzing the acquired image captured by a computer and identifying the attributes of the user vehicle included in the image captured by a computer; determining a provision plan for the store to provide goods or services based on the attributes of the passengers stored in the vehicle attribute storage unit in association with each of the identified attributes of the user vehicle; and outputting the determined provision plan.

[0015] The program according to the third aspect of the present invention causes a computer having a vehicle attribute storage unit that stores by associating the attributes of a vehicle and the attributes of a passenger boarding the vehicle, to function as an image acquisition unit that acquires an imaging image obtained by an imaging camera installed in a parking lot used by a user of a store that provides a product or service, the imaging camera imaging a vehicle in use in the parking lot, a specifying unit that analyzes the imaging image acquired by the image acquisition unit and specifies the attributes of the vehicle in use included in the imaging image, a determination unit that determines a provision plan for the store to provide a product or service based on the attributes of the passengers stored in the vehicle attribute storage unit in association with each of the attributes of the plurality of vehicles in use specified by the specifying unit, and an output unit that outputs the provision plan determined by the determination unit.

Effects of the Invention

[0016] According to the present invention, there is an effect that the profit provided by the store can be improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017] [Figure 1] It is a diagram for explaining the outline of the information processing apparatus. [Figure 2] It is a diagram schematically showing the functional configuration of the information processing apparatus. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the attribute management database. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the plan management database. [Figure 5] It is a flowchart showing the processing flow of the information processing apparatus.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] [Outline of Information Processing Apparatus 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the outline of the information processing apparatus 1. The information processing apparatus 1 is an apparatus used for managing information processing services, and is, for example, a server. The information processing service is a service for recording information for formulating a provision plan or presenting a provision plan to a store B that provides goods or services. The provision plan is a plan for providing goods or services, and is, for example, information indicating the provision price of goods or services, or the content of the goods or services to be provided. The provision price of goods or services may be the price itself or information for calculating the price (for example, a discount rate, etc.).

[0019] The store B has a parking lot P for use by users who are customers of the store B. The parking lot P may be a parking lot owned by the store B or a parking lot in cooperation with the store B. The parking lot P is equipped with one or more imaging devices C and a settlement terminal T. The imaging device C is a camera that images the imaging range, such as the entrance of the parking lot P or inside the parking lot P. The settlement terminal T is a terminal for collecting usage fees associated with parking a vehicle in the parking lot P.

[0020] The parking lot P is managed, for example, by a parking management system. When a vehicle enters the parking lot P, the parking management system analyzes an imaging image captured by the imaging device C of the front of the vehicle, and associates and stores the identification number displayed on the license plate of the vehicle with the imaging time when the imaging image was captured. When the parking lot P is equipped with a plurality of imaging devices C, the parking management system can track the vehicle that has entered the parking lot P based on the imaging images captured by each of the plurality of imaging devices C, and identify the section where the vehicle is parked and the passengers of the vehicle, etc.

[0021] Subsequently, when settlement information is entered into the settlement terminal T, the parking management system collects the usage fee based on that settlement information. The settlement information is information for settling the usage fee associated with the use of the parking lot P, and includes the vehicle identification number and provision identification information. The provision identification information is information for identifying the content of the goods or services that store B has provided to the user, such as a provision ID to identify the provision of goods or services by store B, or a settlement ID to identify the settlement performed at the store. For example, store B provides users with discount coupons to reduce the usage fee of the parking lot P depending on the goods or services provided. The discount coupon has a code image printed on it (for example, a two-dimensional code image such as a barcode, or a three-dimensional code image such as a QR code (registered trademark)) that includes the discount details (for example, 1 hour free) and provision identification information.

[0022] In this case, when the vehicle identification number is entered into the payment terminal T and the discount coupon is read, the parking fee for parking lot P is calculated based on the parking period from the time of imaging associated with the entered identification number to the time the identification number was entered, and the read discount details, and the calculated fee is collected.

[0023] The payment terminal T may be a user-owned device, such as a smartphone. For example, the payment terminal T may have a dedicated application program installed for settling the usage fee for parking a vehicle in the parking lot P. When the user enters the vehicle's identification number into the payment terminal T and a discount coupon is read via the terminal T's camera, the payment terminal T calculates the usage fee for the parking lot P based on the parking period from the time of image capture associated with the entered identification number to the time the identification number was entered, and the read discount details, and then collects the calculated usage fee.

[0024] The information processing device 1 stores the attributes of a vehicle and the attributes of the passengers riding in that vehicle in association with each other. Vehicle attributes include, for example, the vehicle manufacturer, vehicle type, vehicle name, and the number of passengers. Passenger attributes include, for example, the passenger's gender, age, income, preferences, household size, and household composition. A passenger is, for example, a user of store B. The information processing device 1 manages information processing services using information obtained from the parking management system and the stored information.

[0025] The information processing device 1 performs recording processing to record information for formulating a service provision plan as part of managing the information processing service (Figure 1 (1)). Specifically, first, when the information processing device 1 acquires the image captured by the imaging device C, it identifies the attributes of the vehicle used and the identification number of the vehicle used, which are identified by the image. The vehicle used is a vehicle that uses parking lot P.

[0026] Then, when the information processing device 1 acquires the settlement information, which is the information entered at the settlement terminal T, it records the attributes of the vehicle used, which are identified along with the vehicle identification number included in the acquired settlement information, and the information indicating the content of the service provided, which is identified based on the service provision identification information included in the acquired settlement information.

[0027] In this way, the information processing device 1 can associate the attributes of a user's vehicle with the services provided by store B to that user. This allows store B to analyze the relationship between the attributes of vehicles using parking lot P and the usage trends of the users of those vehicles. As a result, the information processing device 1 can provide store B with a mechanism to understand the usage trends of users according to the attributes of their vehicles.

[0028] Next, the information processing device 1 performs output processing to present the service plan (Figure 1, (2)). Specifically, first, each time the information processing device 1 acquires an image captured by the imaging device C, it identifies the attributes of the vehicle being used that are identified by the image. Based on the attributes of the passengers stored in association with each of the identified attributes of the multiple vehicles being used, the information processing device 1 determines the service plan for store B. Then, the information processing device 1 outputs the determined service plan.

[0029] In this way, the information processing device 1 can determine a service plan based on vehicles that actually used parking lot P to visit the store. This allows the information processing device 1 to improve the accuracy of identifying the attributes of passengers used to determine the service plan, i.e., the attributes of customers of store B. As a result, the information processing device 1 can improve the profits offered by store B. The configuration of the information processing device 1 will be described below.

[0030] [Functional configuration of the information processing device 1] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the functional configuration of the information processing device 1. The information processing device 1 comprises a communication unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a control unit 13. In Figure 2, the arrows indicate the main data flow, and there may be other data flows not shown in Figure 2. In Figure 2, each functional block shows a functional unit configuration, not a hardware (device) unit configuration. Therefore, the functional blocks shown in Figure 2 may be implemented in a single device, or they may be implemented separately in multiple devices. Data exchange between functional blocks may be performed via any means, such as a data bus, network, or portable storage medium.

[0031] The communication unit 11 is a communication interface for connecting to a network and has a communication controller for receiving data from external devices.

[0032] The storage unit 12 is a large-capacity storage device such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores the BIOS (Basic Input Output System) of the computer that implements the information processing device 1, a RAM (Random Access Memory) that serves as the working area of ​​the information processing device 1, and an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive) that stores the OS (Operating System), application programs, and various information referenced when the application programs are executed. The storage unit 12 stores an attribute management database that manages the attributes of vehicles and a plan management database that manages the provision plan.

[0033] Figure 3 shows an example of the configuration of an attribute management database. In the example shown in Figure 3, the attribute management database stores vehicle attributes (manufacturer, type, etc.), passenger attributes (gender, age, etc.), member information, service details, and parking period in association with each other. Member information is information about users registered as members of Store B, and includes, for example, member ID, user's gender, user's age, user's address, user's preferences, user's family structure (e.g., number of family members), user's income (user's household income), etc. Service details are information indicating the goods or services that Store B provided to the user, and include, for example, product name (service name), number of items provided, price, etc.

[0034] Figure 4 shows an example of the configuration of a plan management database. In the example shown in Figure 4, the plan management database stores passenger attributes in association with service plans. The service plans stored in the plan management database are, for example, information that specifies a plan for store B to provide goods or services according to the attribute trends of customers visiting the store.

[0035] Returning to Figure 2, the control unit 13 is a processor such as the CPU (Central Processing Unit) or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) of the information processing device 1, and by executing the program stored in the storage unit 12, it functions as the image acquisition unit 131, the identification unit 132, the settlement information acquisition unit 133, the recording unit 134, the determination unit 135, the change information acquisition unit 136, and the output unit 137. The functions of the control unit 13 will be described in detail below, divided into recording processing and output processing.

[0036] [Recording process] First, let's explain the recording process performed by the information processing device 1. The image acquisition unit 131 acquires captured images of vehicles using the parking lot P, which is installed in the parking lot P used by customers of store B that provides goods or services.

[0037] The identification unit 132 analyzes the captured image acquired by the image acquisition unit 131 to recognize the subject contained in the captured image. The identification unit 132 can recognize the subject contained in the captured image using, for example, known techniques.

[0038] Specifically, the identification unit 132 analyzes the captured image acquired by the image acquisition unit 131 and identifies the attributes of the vehicle being used that are included in the captured image. For example, the identification unit 132 identifies at least one of the following as attributes of the vehicle being used: the manufacturer of the vehicle, the type of vehicle, the name of the vehicle, and the number of passengers who boarded the vehicle (for example, the number of passengers who got off the vehicle).

[0039] Furthermore, the identification unit 132 analyzes the captured image acquired by the image acquisition unit 131 and identifies an identification number for identifying the vehicle being used included in the captured image. The identification unit 132 may also obtain the identification number of the vehicle being used, identified based on the captured image, from the parking management system.

[0040] The settlement information acquisition unit 133 acquires settlement information for settling the usage fee associated with the use of the parking lot P, which includes the identification number of the vehicle used and provision identification information for identifying the contents of the goods or services provided by store B to the user. For example, the settlement information acquisition unit 133 acquires as settlement information information information that the user has entered at the settlement terminal T in order to complete the procedure for settling the usage fee associated with the use of the parking lot P.

[0041] Specifically, first, when the user enters the identification number of the vehicle being used into the payment terminal T and scans the discount coupon received from store B, the payment terminal T transmits payment information, including the identification number of the vehicle being used and the provided identification information obtained by scanning the discount coupon, to the information processing device 1. Then, the payment information acquisition unit 133 acquires the payment information from the payment terminal T.

[0042] The recording unit 134 associates the vehicle identification number included in the settlement information acquired by the settlement information acquisition unit 133 with the vehicle's attributes identified by the identification unit 132 and the information indicating the content of the service provided, which is identified based on the service provision identification information included in the settlement information acquired by the settlement information acquisition unit 133, and records this information in the attribute management database. For example, the recording unit 134 records at least one of the following as information indicating the content of the service provided: the amount paid by the user to store B, and information indicating the goods or services provided by store B to the user.

[0043] For example, store B manages an unillustrated store server that manages the provision of goods or services, such as a POS (Point of Sales) system. The store server manages the provision identification information and the content of the provision in association for each provision of goods or services. In this case, first, the recording unit 134 obtains from the store server information indicating the content of the provision that is managed in association with the provision identification information included in the settlement information obtained by the settlement information acquisition unit 133. Then, the recording unit 134 stores in the attribute management database the information indicating the content of the provision obtained from the store server, along with the attributes of the vehicle used, which were identified by the identification unit 132 along with the identification number of the vehicle used, which was included in the settlement information obtained by the settlement information acquisition unit 133.

[0044] The information processing device 1 may record various other information in addition to the attributes of the vehicle being used and information indicating the services provided. For example, the information processing device 1 may further record the attributes of the passengers in the vehicle being used.

[0045] Specifically, first, the identification unit 132 analyzes the captured images acquired by the image acquisition unit 131 to further identify the attributes of the passengers in the vehicle. Then, the recording unit 134 records the attributes of the passengers in the vehicle identified by the identification unit 132 in the attribute management database, along with the identification number acquired by the settlement information acquisition unit 133. In this way, analysts at stores such as Store B can refer to the attribute management database and analyze the attributes of users based on the vehicle's attributes.

[0046] The information processing device 1 may further record the parking period of the vehicle in use. Specifically, the recording unit 134 further associates the parking period from the time the identification unit 132 identifies the vehicle's identification number acquired by the settlement information acquisition unit 133 to the time the settlement information acquisition unit 133 acquires settlement information including the vehicle's identification number, and records this in the attribute management database. In this way, an analyst can refer to the attribute management database and analyze the vehicle's parking period as the usage period of store B based on the vehicle's attributes.

[0047] The information processing device 1 may further record the membership information of passengers in the vehicle being used. Specifically, the recording unit 134 further associates and records the membership information of users registered as members of store B in the attribute management database.

[0048] For example, the store server manages a member ID associated with each product or service provided by store B, corresponding to the user to whom the product or service was provided. The store server also manages the user's member information. In this case, the recording unit 134 retrieves member information, including the member ID managed in association with the provision identification information included in the settlement information acquired by the settlement information acquisition unit 133, from the store server, and further associates the acquired member information and records it in the attribute management database. The recording unit 134 may also record the member information of a user registered as a member of store B in the attribute management database as an attribute of the passenger of the vehicle used. In this way, the analyst can refer to the attribute management database and analyze the member information based on the vehicle's attributes.

[0049] The information processing device 1 may further record information indicating events being held at store B. For example, the store server manages the schedule of events held at store B.

[0050] In this case, the recording unit 134 refers to the schedule managed by the store server and, if a predetermined event is being held at store B, further associates and records information indicating the predetermined event in the attribute management database. In this way, the analyst can refer to the attribute management database and analyze the usage status of store B, etc., based on the vehicle's attributes, including whether or not an event is taking place.

[0051] [Output Processing] Next, the output processing performed by the information processing device 1 will be described. For example, after performing recording processing and recording a certain amount of information (for example, information for one week, one month, or one year) in the attribute management database, the information processing device 1 performs output processing by referring to the attribute management database. In addition, the information processing device 1 may perform output processing by referring to other databases that store information created by an external research company (for example, a database in which vehicle attributes and the attributes of passengers riding in the vehicle are associated and stored).

[0052] The image acquisition unit 131 acquires captured images of vehicles using the parking lot P, which is installed in the parking lot P used by customers of store B that provides goods or services. The identification unit 132 analyzes the captured images acquired by the image acquisition unit 131 and identifies the attributes of the vehicles included in the captured images.

[0053] The decision unit 135 determines a provision plan for store B to provide goods or services based on the passenger attributes stored in the attribute management database, which are associated with each of the attributes of the multiple vehicles used that the identification unit 132 has identified. Specifically, the decision unit 135 determines the provision plan for store B by performing the following three steps.

[0054] As the first step, the decision unit 135 determines the attributes of the target vehicle, which are the attributes of the target vehicle to be used as information for determining the provision plan for store B. Specifically, the decision unit 135 determines the attributes of the vehicle identified based on a specific captured image as the attributes of the target vehicle.

[0055] The determination unit 135 determines, for example, the attributes of the vehicle being used, which are identified based on the captured images taken during a predetermined period, as the attributes of the target vehicle. The predetermined period is, for example, a time slot in the morning and afternoon, every hour, one day, one month, etc., and is a period defined in the information processing service or a period set by store B.

[0056] The determination unit 135 may determine the attributes of a user vehicle identified based on an image captured at a certain point in time (for example, an image captured with the parking lot P as the imaging range) as the attributes of the target vehicle. In this case, the determination unit 135 may determine the attributes of multiple user vehicles parked in the parking lot P from among the multiple user vehicles identified by the identification unit 132 as the attributes of the target vehicle. A parked user vehicle is, for example, a user vehicle located in a parking space provided for parking vehicles in the parking lot P. In this way, the information processing device 1 can target the attributes of a parked user vehicle, that is, a user visiting store B.

[0057] As a second step, the decision unit 135 determines the attributes of the target passengers, which are the attributes of the target passengers to be used as information for determining the service plan for store B, based on the attributes of the multiple target vehicles that have been determined. Specifically, the decision unit 135 determines the attributes of the target passengers by selecting one passenger attribute from among multiple passenger attributes stored in the attribute management database, which are associated with each of the attributes of the multiple target vehicles that have been determined. One passenger attribute may be one type of attribute (for example, one of gender and age group) or a combination of multiple types of attributes (for example, a combination of gender and age group).

[0058] The determination unit 135, for example, determines the attributes of the passengers with a relatively large number of common attributes from among the multiple passenger attributes stored in the attribute management database associated with each of the attributes of the multiple target vehicles determined, as the attributes of the target person. For example, if the multiple passenger attributes stored in the attribute management database associated with each of the attributes of the multiple target vehicles determined are the attributes of male passengers in their 50s and the attributes of female passengers in their 30s, and the former has a larger number of common attributes, the determination unit 135 determines the attributes of the former passengers as the attributes of the target person.

[0059] The determination unit 135 may also determine the attributes of the target person based on the attributes of the passengers in the vehicle used, which are identified by the captured images acquired by the image acquisition unit 131. For example, first, the identification unit 132 analyzes the captured images acquired by the image acquisition unit 131 and identifies the attributes of the passengers in the vehicle used included in the captured images (e.g., gender, age group, number of passengers in the vehicle, etc.). Then, the determination unit 135 determines the attributes of the target person by selecting one passenger attribute from among the multiple passenger attributes identified by the identification unit 132.

[0060] In the third step, the decision unit 135 determines the service plan for store B based on the selected attributes, which are the attributes of the selected passenger. The decision unit 135 determines the service plan for store B by, for example, selecting a service plan stored in the plan management database that is associated with the selected attributes from among multiple service plans stored in the plan management database.

[0061] The decision unit 135 determines the service plan for store B based on, for example, at least one of the following as selection attributes: the passenger's gender, age, income, preferences, number of households, and household composition. The decision unit 135 selects a service plan stored in the plan management database from among multiple service plans stored in the plan management database, associating it with the passenger's attribute that matches a relatively large number of each type of selection attribute (for example, the passenger's attribute that matches the most types of selection attributes). In this way, the information processing device 1 can determine the service plan for store B according to various types of passenger attributes.

[0062] The decision unit 135 determines the price of goods or services offered by store B, for example, as part of store B's service plan. The price of goods or services may be the price of all goods or services offered by store B, or it may be the price of a specific goods or service. For example, the plan management database stores prices for each passenger attribute, and the decision unit 135 determines the price by selecting a price stored in the plan management database that is associated with the selected passenger attribute from among the multiple prices stored in the plan management database.

[0063] For example, the plan management database stores discount coefficients for discounting the offered price, including a first discount coefficient applied when the passenger's income is low, and a second discount coefficient applied when the passenger's income is high, the second discount coefficient having a lower discount rate than the first discount coefficient. In this case, if the selection attribute indicates low income (for example, if the passenger's income is below a predetermined threshold), the decision unit 135 determines the offered price for store B by applying the first discount coefficient stored in the plan management database. Also, if the selection attribute indicates high income (for example, if the passenger's income is above a predetermined threshold), the decision unit 135 determines the offered price for store B by applying the second discount coefficient stored in the plan management database. In this way, the information processing device 1 can determine the offered price based on the attributes of the vehicle used.

[0064] The decision unit 135 may determine the type of goods or services that store B will provide as part of the provision plan. For example, the plan management database stores type information indicating the type of goods or services for each passenger attribute, and the decision unit 135 determines the type of goods or services that store B will provide by selecting type information stored in the plan management database from among multiple types of information stored in the plan management database in association with the selected passenger attribute.

[0065] The decision unit 135 may determine the product location, which is the position where the products offered by store B will be displayed, as part of the provision plan. For example, the plan management database stores product location information, which includes information indicating the product and the corresponding product location, for each passenger attribute. The decision unit 135 determines the product location of a specific product by selecting product location information stored in the plan management database from among multiple product location information stored in the plan management database, in association with the attributes of the selected passenger.

[0066] For example, the planning management database stores product location information, including a first product location information that indicates that if the passenger is male, men's products should be placed in a location easily visible to customers visiting store B (e.g., near the entrance, near the checkout counter, etc.), and a second product location information that indicates that if the passenger is female, women's products should be placed in a location easily visible to customers visiting store B.

[0067] In this case, if the selection attribute indicates that the gender is male, the decision unit 135 determines the first product location information stored in the plan management database as the provision plan for store B. Also, if the selection attribute indicates that the gender is female, the decision unit 135 determines the second product location information stored in the plan management database as the provision plan for store B. In this way, the information processing device 1 can determine the placement of products based on the attributes of the vehicle being used.

[0068] The decision unit 135 may determine the contents of the products that store B will offer as part of the service plan. The contents of the products are, for example, the contents of the products that store B makes, such as prepared foods. For example, the plan management database stores product provision information that indicates the contents of the products offered for each passenger attribute, and the decision unit 135 determines the contents of the products offered by selecting the product provision information stored in the plan management database that is associated with the attributes of the selected passenger from among the multiple product provision information stored in the plan management database.

[0069] For example, the plan management database stores product provision information, including a first type of product provision information that indicates the contents of a product for a single person (e.g., adjusting the product volume for one person) when the passenger's household consists of one person, and a second type of product provision information that indicates the contents of a product for a family (e.g., adjusting the product volume for 3-4 people) when the passenger's household consists of multiple people.

[0070] In this case, if the selection attribute indicates that the household has one person, the decision unit 135 determines the first product provision information stored in the plan management database as the provision plan for store B. If the selection attribute indicates that the household has multiple people, the decision unit 135 determines the second product provision information stored in the plan management database as the provision plan for store B. In this way, the information processing device 1 can determine the product provision content based on the attributes of the vehicle used.

[0071] The decision unit 135 may determine the content of the benefits to be provided to the user as part of the provision plan. For example, the plan management database stores benefit provision information indicating the content of the benefits for each passenger attribute, and the decision unit 135 determines the content of the benefits by selecting the benefit provision information stored in the plan management database from among the multiple benefit provision information stored in the plan management database in association with the attributes of the selected passenger. In this way, the information processing device 1 can determine the content of the benefits to be provided based on the attributes of the vehicle used.

[0072] The decision unit 135 may decide that a service plan previously presented to another store B is the service plan for store B. Another store B is a different store from store B, for example, a chain store of store B. For example, the storage unit 12 stores other store B, the attributes of other store B's users, and other store service plans that were output to other store B in association with each other. Other store service plans stored in the storage unit 12 are, for example, service plans previously presented to other store B that resulted in increased sales as a result of other store B providing goods or services based on those service plans.

[0073] In this case, if the decision unit 135 finds that among the user attributes stored in the storage unit 12 there is a user attribute that corresponds to a passenger attribute (selected attribute) stored in the attribute management database in association with each of the attributes of the multiple vehicles used that the identification unit 132 has identified, the decision unit 135 determines the service plan of another store B associated with that user attribute as the service plan corresponding to store B. In this way, the information processing device 1 can present store B with a service plan that has resulted in increased sales at the other store B.

[0074] The decision unit 135 may, after determining the provision plan for store B, modify the determined provision plan for store B based on changes in the attributes of people present around store B. Specifically, first, the change information acquisition unit 136 acquires attribute change information corresponding to a predetermined area including store B. The predetermined area is, for example, the region where store B is located, or a predetermined range from store B (for example, within 100 meters). The attribute change information is information for identifying changes in the attributes of people present in the predetermined area including the store, and is, for example, an image captured by a camera (not shown) whose imaging range is the sidewalk, or information indicating the location of a user using a communication service.

[0075] Then, if the attributes of people in a predetermined area immediately before the decision on the provision plan for store B change, and if the attributes of people in the predetermined area change during a predetermined period (e.g., one week, one month, etc.) from the time the provision plan for store B is decided, the decision unit 135 modifies the provision plan for store B based on the changed attributes of people in the predetermined area. For example, if the decision unit 135 has decided on the provision plan for store B based on a selected attribute indicating that the person is male, and then the majority of people in the predetermined area including store B change from male to female, the decision unit 135 will decide on the provision plan for store B based on a selected attribute indicating that the person is female. In this way, the information processing device 1 can take into account situations that may cause changes in people's attributes, such as when an apartment building is constructed around store B, when deciding on the provision plan for store B.

[0076] The output unit 137 outputs the service plan for store B determined by the decision unit 135. The output unit 137, for example, sends the service plan determined by the decision unit 135 to the store server, causing the service plan to be displayed on the store server's display unit. If the decision unit 135 changes the service plan for store B, the output unit 137 outputs the changed service plan for store B, i.e., the latest service plan for store B.

[0077] For example, if the decision unit 135 determines the offering price, the output unit 137 may output the offering price determined by the decision unit 135 to an output device installed in store B. The output device could be, for example, a display device that displays the price of each product on the shelves, a display device (for example, digital signage) installed at the entrance of store B, in the product sales area of ​​store B, or a broadcasting device that broadcasts audio within the building. In this way, the information processing device 1 can immediately execute the determined offering plan.

[0078] The output unit 137 may cause an output device to output an advertisement for a product or service. Specifically, first, the decision unit 135 determines the product or service to be advertised as part of the store B's provision plan. The decision unit 135 determines, for example, a specific product or service for which the offering price has been determined as the product or service to be advertised. Then, the output unit 137 causes an output device to output an advertisement for the product or service that the decision unit 135 has determined as the product or service to be advertised. In this way, the information processing device 1 can immediately execute the determined provision plan.

[0079] In the above example, we described a parking lot P as a facility used by customers of one store B, but this is not limited to this. For example, parking lot P may be a facility used by customers of a commercial facility that includes multiple stores B. In this case, the information processing device 1 may notify the store B corresponding to the attributes of the identified customer of the customer status. For example, the storage unit 12 stores information representing each store B included in the commercial facility, associated with the attributes of the customers of that store B.

[0080] In this case, the output unit 137 notifies store B, which is associated with the user's attribute corresponding to the passenger's attribute (selected attribute) stored in the attribute management database in association with each of the multiple vehicle attributes identified by the identification unit 132 in the storage unit 12, of the customer situation at the commercial facility, which is identified by the identification unit 132 analyzing the captured image. For example, if the number of households of the selected passenger's attribute is multiple people, the output unit 137 notifies store B, which is associated with the selected attribute, of a message indicating that relatively many families are visiting the store as part of the customer situation at the commercial facility. In this way, the information processing device 1 makes it easier for store B, which is expected to have many customers, to prepare its customer service system.

[0081] [Processing flow of Information Processing Device 1] Next, the processing flow of the information processing device 1 will be explained. Figure 5 is a flowchart of the processing flow of the information processing device 1. Figure 5(a) is a flowchart of the recording processing flow. The flowchart shown in Figure 5(a) starts when the image acquisition unit 131 acquires an image from the imaging device C (S11).

[0082] The identification unit 132 analyzes the captured image acquired by the image acquisition unit 131 and identifies the attributes of the vehicle used and the identification number of the vehicle used included in the captured image (S12). The settlement information acquisition unit 133 acquires settlement information from the settlement terminal T (S13).

[0083] The recording unit 134 obtains from the store server provision information indicating the content of the service provided, which is managed in association with the provision identification information included in the settlement information obtained by the settlement information acquisition unit 133, and member information including the member ID, which is managed in association with the said provision identification information (S14). Then, the recording unit 134 records in the attribute management database the attributes of the vehicle used, which are identified by the identification unit 132 along with the identification number of the vehicle used, which is included in the settlement information obtained by the settlement information acquisition unit 133, the information indicating the content of the service provided, which is identified based on the provision identification information included in the settlement information obtained by the settlement information acquisition unit 133, and the obtained member information in association (S15).

[0084] Figure 5(b) is a flowchart showing the output processing flow. The flowchart shown in Figure 5(b) starts when the image acquisition unit 131 acquires an image from the imaging device C, after the recording process has been performed and a certain amount of information has been recorded in the attribute management database (S21).

[0085] The identification unit 132 analyzes the captured image acquired by the image acquisition unit 131 and identifies the attributes of the vehicles used in the captured image (S22). The decision unit 135 determines the service plan for store B based on the attributes of the passengers stored in the attribute management database, which are associated with each of the attributes of the multiple vehicles used identified by the identification unit 132 (S23). Then, the output unit 137 outputs the service plan for store B determined by the decision unit 135 (S24).

[0086] [Effects of this embodiment] As explained above, the information processing device 1 records in the attribute management database the identification number of the vehicle used, which is included in the acquired settlement information and identified along with the vehicle's attributes by analyzing the captured image, and the information indicating the content of the services provided, which is identified based on the provided information included in the acquired settlement information. In this way, the information processing device 1 can associate the attributes of the user's vehicle with the content of the services provided by store B to that user. This allows store B to analyze the relationship between the attributes of the vehicle used in parking lot P and the usage trends of the user of that vehicle. As a result, the information processing device 1 can provide a mechanism for the store to understand the usage trends of users according to the attributes of their vehicles.

[0087] Furthermore, the information processing device 1 determines a service plan for store B based on the attributes of passengers stored in the attribute management database, which are associated with the attributes of each of the multiple vehicles identified by analyzing the captured images, and outputs the determined service plan for store B. In this way, the information processing device 1 can determine a service plan for vehicles that actually used parking lot P to visit the store. This allows the information processing device 1 to improve the accuracy of identifying the passenger attributes used to determine the service plan, i.e., the attributes of store B's users. As a result, the information processing device 1 can improve the profits offered by store B.

[0088] Furthermore, this invention will make it possible to contribute to Goal 9 of the United Nations-led Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), "Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation."

[0089] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of its gist. For example, all or part of the apparatus can be configured by functionally or physically distributing and integrating in any unit. Furthermore, new embodiments resulting from any combination of multiple embodiments are also included in the embodiments of the present invention. The effects of the new embodiments resulting from the combinations are combined with the effects of the original embodiments. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0090] 1. Information Processing Device 11 Communications Department 12 Storage section 13 Control Unit 131 Image acquisition unit 132 Specific part 133 Settlement information acquisition section 134 Records Section 135 Decision Section 136 Fluctuation Information Acquisition Unit 137 Output section Store B C Imaging device Parking T Payment Terminal

Claims

1. A vehicle attribute storage unit that stores the attributes of a vehicle in association with the attributes of the passengers riding in that vehicle, An image acquisition unit that acquires images of vehicles using a parking lot, which is installed in a parking lot used by customers of a store that provides goods or services, The image acquisition unit analyzes the captured image and identifies the attributes of the vehicle being used included in the captured image, A decision unit determines a provision plan for the store to provide goods or services based on the attributes of the passengers stored in the vehicle attribute storage unit in association with the attributes of each of the multiple vehicles identified by the identification unit, An output unit that outputs the provision plan determined by the determination unit, An information processing device having

2. The determination unit determines the provision plan based on the attributes of the vehicle being used, which are identified based on the captured images taken during a predetermined period. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

3. The determination unit determines the provision plan based on the attributes of multiple user vehicles that are parked in the parking lot, among the multiple user vehicles identified by the identification unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

4. The determination unit determines the provision plan based on at least one of the following attributes of the passenger: the passenger's gender, the passenger's age, the passenger's income, the passenger's preferences, the passenger's household size, and the passenger's household composition. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

5. The decision unit determines the price at which the store will provide the goods or services as part of the provision plan. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

6. The output unit causes the price determined by the determination unit to be output to an output device installed in the store. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5.

7. The determination unit determines the placement of the products offered by the store as part of the provision plan. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

8. The aforementioned decision unit determines the product or service to be advertised as part of the provision plan, The output unit causes the output device installed in the store to output an advertisement for the product or service that the decision unit has determined to be the target of the advertisement. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

9. The decision unit determines the contents of the products that the store will offer as the provision plan. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

10. The aforementioned parking lot is a parking lot used by the aforementioned users of a commercial facility that includes multiple aforementioned stores, The information processing device further includes a store attribute storage unit that stores, for each store included in the commercial facility, the attributes of the store and the attributes of the store's users in association with each store. The output unit notifies the store associated with the user's attribute corresponding to the passenger's attribute stored in the vehicle attribute storage unit in association with each of the multiple vehicle attributes identified by the identification unit in the store attribute storage unit, of the customer status of the commercial facility identified by the identification unit through analysis of the captured image. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

11. The information processing device further includes a planning storage unit that stores in association with other stores different from the store, the attributes of the users of the other stores, and the provision plan output to the other stores. The determination unit, if among the user attributes stored in the plan storage unit there exists a user attribute that corresponds to the passenger attribute stored in the vehicle attribute storage unit in association with each of the multiple vehicle attributes identified by the identification unit, determines the provision plan associated with that user attribute as the provision plan corresponding to the store. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

12. The information processing device further includes a change information acquisition unit that acquires information for identifying changes in the attributes of people present in a predetermined area including the store, The decision unit modifies the provision plan based on the changed attributes of the people in the predetermined area if the attributes of the people in the predetermined area change between the time the provision plan is decided and the period of time from when the provision plan is decided until a predetermined period of time has elapsed. The output unit outputs the provision plan modified by the decision unit. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

13. The decision unit determines the content of the benefits to be provided to the user as the provision plan. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1.

14. A computer having a vehicle attribute storage unit that stores vehicle attributes in association with the attributes of the passengers riding in the vehicle performs the following: A camera installed in a parking lot used by customers of a store that provides goods or services captures images of vehicles using the said parking lot, and the camera acquires these images. The steps include: analyzing the acquired image and identifying the attributes of the vehicle being used included in the image; The steps include determining a provision plan for the store to provide goods or services based on the attributes of the passengers stored in the vehicle attribute storage unit in association with the attributes of each of the identified multiple vehicles used, The steps include outputting the determined provision plan, An information processing method having

15. A computer having a vehicle attribute storage unit that stores vehicle attributes in association with the attributes of the passengers riding in the vehicle, An image acquisition unit that acquires images of vehicles using a parking lot, which is installed in a parking lot used by customers of a store that provides goods or services. The image acquisition unit analyzes the captured image and identifies the attributes of the vehicle being used that are included in the captured image. A decision unit that determines a provision plan for the store to provide goods or services based on the attributes of the passengers stored in the vehicle attribute storage unit in association with the attributes of each of the multiple vehicles identified by the identification unit, and An output unit that outputs the provision plan determined by the determination unit, A program designed to function as such.

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