Information provision system and information provision method

Abstract

To provide an information providing system capable of outputting information associated with locations of persons in a space.SOLUTION: An information providing system 10 comprises: a first acquisition unit 44 which acquires position information indicative of the position of a first communication device 20 measured based upon a communication state of wireless communication between the first communication device 20 that a person staying in a space 60 in facilities has and a plurality of second communication devices 30 installed in the space 60; a second acquisition unit 45 which acquires area setting information indicative of definitions of one or more areas included in the space 60; and an output unit 46 which outputs location information associated with positions where persons are in the one or more areas based upon the acquired position information and the acquired area setting information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information providing system and an information providing method. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a positioning device that has a simple configuration and is capable of measuring the position of a moving object with high accuracy. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-053884 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The present invention provides an information providing system and an information providing method capable of outputting information relating to the location of a person in a space. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] An information providing system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a first acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating the location of a first communication device carried by a person located in a space within a facility, the location information indicating the location of the first communication device measured based on a wireless communication state between the first communication device carried by the person located in the space and a plurality of second communication devices installed in the space, a second acquisition unit that acquires area setting information indicating the definition of one or more areas included in the space, and an output unit that outputs location information regarding the location of the person in each of the one or more areas based on the acquired location information and the acquired area setting information.

[0006] An information providing method according to one embodiment of the present invention is an information providing method executed by a computer, and includes a first acquisition step of acquiring location information indicating the location of a first communication device carried by a person located in a space within a facility, measured based on a communication state of wireless communication between the first communication device and a plurality of second communication devices installed in the space, a second acquisition step of acquiring area setting information indicating the definition of one or more areas included in the space, and an output step of outputting location information regarding the location of a person in each of the one or more areas based on the acquired location information and the acquired area setting information.

[0007] A program according to one aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the information providing method. Effect of the Invention

[0008] The information providing system and the information providing method of the present invention can output information relating to the location of a person in a space. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an information providing system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a space to which the information provision system according to the embodiment is applied. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of changing the definition of an area. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the location information output operation. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of location information. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the monitoring operation. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an information providing system according to a modified example. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an indoor space to which an information provision system according to a modified example is applied. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, component arrangement and connection forms, steps, and order of steps shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, among the components in the following embodiments, components that are not described in the independent claims will be described as optional components.

[0011] In addition, each drawing is a schematic diagram and is not necessarily a precise illustration. In each drawing, the same reference numerals are used for substantially the same configurations, and duplicated explanations may be omitted or simplified.

[0012] (Embodiment) [composition] First, a configuration of an information providing system according to an embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the information providing system according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a space to which the information providing system according to an embodiment is applied.

[0013] The information providing system 10 is a system that can measure the position of a person (e.g., person A or person B in FIG. 2) carrying a first communication device 20 in a space 60 and provide location information on the measured position of the person to another system. The position of the person carrying the first communication device 20 is measured based on the communication state between the first communication device 20 and each of a plurality of second communication devices 30 installed in the space 60. The space 60 is, for example, an office space, but may also be a space in a commercial facility or an indoor space in other facilities such as a residential space. The first communication device 20 may also be attached to an object (non-living object). The object is, for example, a forklift.

[0014] 1 and 2, the information providing system 10 includes a plurality of first communication devices 20, a plurality of second communication devices 30, a server system 40, and an information terminal 50. It is sufficient that the information providing system 10 includes at least one first communication device 20. In Fig. 1, other systems such as a lighting system 51, an air conditioning system 52, a power supply system 53, a security system 54, a communication system 55, and a safety management system 56 are also illustrated as systems other than the information providing system 10. The information providing system 10 may further include other systems.

[0015] The first communication device 20 is a beacon receiver (scanner) that receives beacon signals transmitted by radio wave communication from each of the multiple second communication devices 30. The frequency band of the beacon signal is, for example, 2.4 GHz band, but is not particularly limited.

[0016] The first communication device 20 measures a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of the received beacon signal, and measures the position of the first communication device 20 in the space 60 based on the measured received signal strength. The first communication device 20 measures the position of the first communication device 20 at a predetermined time interval of, for example, several seconds to one hour, and transmits position information indicating the measured position to the server system 40. The position information includes the measured position (coordinates) and first identification information for distinguishing the first communication device 20 from other first communication devices 20.

[0017] Specifically, the first communication device 20 can measure the position of the first communication device 20 in the space 60 by converting the received signal strength of each of the multiple beacon signals into distances to the multiple second communication devices 30. The first communication device 20 stores arrangement information indicating the arrangement (installation positions) of the multiple second communication devices 30 in the space 60, and this arrangement information is used to measure the position. Any existing algorithm may be used as a method for measuring the position. The algorithm is, for example, three-point positioning.

[0018] The first communication device 20 is, for example, a portable information terminal (such as a smartphone) capable of operating as a beacon receiver, but may also be a dedicated beacon receiver. As shown in FIG. 2, the first communication device 20 is carried by a person located in the space 60.

[0019] The first communication device 20 may measure the position of the first communication device 20 using the reception angle (AoA: Angle of Arrival) of the beacon signal in addition to the reception signal strength. The first communication device 20 may measure the position of the first communication device 20 by combining the positioning method using the beacon signal with a positioning method called PDR (Pedestrian Dead Reckoning) using an acceleration sensor or the like (a sensor that detects changes in the position of the first communication device 20) provided in the first communication device 20. The first communication device 20 may also measure the position of the first communication device 20 based on UWB (Ultra Wide Band) communication.

[0020] In addition, BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy) is assumed as the communication standard for radio wave communication between the first communication device 20 and the second communication device 30 to measure the position of the first communication device 20, but Wi-Fi (registered trademark) may also be used as the communication standard.

[0021] The second communication device 30 is a beacon transmitter that transmits a beacon signal by radio wave communication. The beacon signal includes second identification information of the second communication device 30. As shown in Fig. 2, the second communication device 30 is detachably connected to a power supply terminal of a lighting device 31 installed on the ceiling of the space 60, for example, and operates by receiving power from the lighting device 31. The power supply terminal is, for example, a USB terminal.

[0022] The second communication device 30 may be built into the lighting device 31 instead of being externally attached to the lighting device 31. The second communication device 30 may be provided in a device other than the lighting device 31, or may be fixed directly to the ceiling of the space 60 without an intervening device. The second communication device 30 may also be fixed to a wall or the like. As shown in FIG. 2, the multiple second communication devices 30 are two-dimensionally distributed when viewed from above. The arrangement (installation positions) of the multiple second communication devices 30 is stored in advance as arrangement information in a memory unit (not shown) of the first communication device 20.

[0023] The server system 40 acquires location information of the first communication device 20 from each of the multiple first communication devices 20, and stores the acquired location information in the storage unit 43. That is, the server system 40 manages the location information of the multiple first communication devices 20. The server system 40 is realized by one or more server devices, and the components of the server system 40 described below may be allocated in any manner to the one or more server devices. Each of the one or more server devices may be, for example, a cloud computer provided outside a facility (building) that constitutes the space 60, but may also be an edge computer provided within the facility. The server system 40 includes a communication unit 41, an information processing unit 42, and a storage unit 43.

[0024] The communication unit 41 is a communication module (communication circuit) for the server system 40 to communicate with a plurality of first communication devices 20. The communication unit 41 receives, for example, location information of the first communication device 20 from each of the plurality of first communication devices 20. The communication performed by the communication unit 41 may be wireless communication or wired communication. There is also no particular limitation on the communication standard used for the communication.

[0025] The information processing unit 42 stores the location information of the multiple first communication devices 20 in the storage unit 43. The location information of each of the multiple first communication devices 20 is stored (updated) at a predetermined time interval of, for example, about several seconds to one hour.

[0026] The information processing unit 42 is specifically realized by a processor or a microcomputer. The information processing unit 42 includes, as functional components, a first acquisition unit 44, a second acquisition unit 45, an output unit 46, and a setting unit 47. The functions of the first acquisition unit 44, the second acquisition unit 45, the output unit 46, and the setting unit 47 are realized by a processor or a microcomputer (hardware) constituting the information processing unit 42 executing a computer program (software) stored in the storage unit 43. The functions of the first acquisition unit 44, the second acquisition unit 45, the output unit 46, and the setting unit 47 will be described in detail later.

[0027] The storage unit 43 is a storage device that stores the location information received by the communication unit 41, the computer program executed by the information processing unit 42, and the like. The storage unit 43 also stores location information of each of the multiple first communication devices 20 measured by the information processing unit 42. Specifically, the storage unit 43 is realized by a semiconductor memory, a hard disk drive (HDD), or the like.

[0028] The information terminal 50 is an information terminal operated by a setter to perform various settings on the server system 40. The information terminal 50 is, for example, a portable information terminal such as a smartphone or a tablet terminal, but may also be a stationary information terminal such as a personal computer. In the following embodiment, the setter may be described as a manager of a facility (hereinafter simply referred to as a facility) that constitutes the space 60, or as an employee of a business operator that uses another system, an employee of a business operator that provides (manages) the server system 40, or an employee of a business operator that provides (manages) another system.

[0029] At least one of the lighting system 51, the air conditioning system 52, the power supply system 53, the security system 54, the communication system 55, the safety management system 56, and the advertisement distribution system 57 is a system that executes control of devices in the space 60. The other system is realized by, for example, at least one of a control device provided within the facility and a server device (cloud server) provided outside the facility. The other system may exist on the same server as the server system 40 that manages the location information.

[0030] The lighting system 51 is a system that performs light emission control of a plurality of lighting devices 31 provided in a space 60. The light emission control here includes on / off control, dimming control, and color adjustment control.

[0031] The air conditioning system 52 is a system that controls a plurality of air conditioners (not shown) provided in the space 60.

[0032] The power supply system 53 is a system that controls the power supply in the space 60. For example, the power supply system 53 communicates with a switch device connected to an outlet provided in the space 60, and controls the on / off of the switch device, thereby controlling the on / off of the power supply from the outlet to a device connected to the switch device. The power supply system 53 may communicate with a wall switch provided in the space 60, and control the on / off of the power supply to the wall switch. The power supply system 53 may also communicate with a switchboard that controls the electrical equipment in the space 60, and control the on / off of the power supply.

[0033] The security system 54 is a system provided by a security service provider. When the security system 54 determines that there is an intruder (a person who should not be in the space 60) in the space 60, the security system 54 notifies the security service provider (more specifically, an operator belonging to the provider) and the facility manager, etc. When the security system 54 determines that there is an intruder, the security system 54 may issue an alarm in the space 60 by controlling an alarm device provided in the space 60, or may lock a door provided in the space 60.

[0034] The communication system 55 is a system that mediates the control of the equipment installed in the facility, in other words, a system that relays information for controlling the equipment. The communication system 55 is, for example, a voice recognition system that converts the voice of a person in the space 60 into a control command for the equipment and provides it to the equipment control system (such as the lighting system 51 or the air conditioning system 52).

[0035] The safety management system 56 is a system provided by a business that provides safety management services. When the safety management system 56 determines that there is an unsafe person (a person in a dangerous area of ​​the space 60) in the space 60, it notifies the business that provides the safety management services (more specifically, an operator belonging to the business) and the facility manager, etc. When the safety management system 56 determines that there is an unsafe person, it may issue an alarm in the space 60 by controlling an alarm device installed in the space 60, or may stop equipment or moving objects installed in the space 60.

[0036] The advertisement distribution system 57 is a system provided by a business operator that provides marketing services. The advertisement distribution system 57 is a system that distributes advertisements to shoppers (people in a specific commercial area of ​​the space 60) when it is determined that there is a shopper in the space 60. When it is determined that there is a shopper, the advertisement distribution system 57 may distribute an advertisement to a portable information terminal (such as a smartphone) carried by the shopper, or may display an advertisement on a display device such as a digital signage device installed in the space 60.

[0037] [Location information output operation] The information providing system 10 can generate location information regarding the location of a person in each of one or more areas included in the space 60, and output (provide) the generated location information to another system. Hereinafter, the location information output operation of the information providing system 10 will be described.

[0038] First, a description will be given of one or more areas included in the space 60. Area setting information indicating definitions of one or more areas is stored in the storage unit 43 of the server system 40. The area setting information is information indicating the number of one or more areas included in the space 60, as well as the position, size, and shape of each area.

[0039] The definition of one or more areas (how to divide the space 60 into one or more areas) can be changed as desired by a facility manager or the like. When the manager or the like performs a setting change operation on the information terminal 50, a change request is transmitted from the information terminal 50 to the server system 40. The setting unit 47 of the server system 40 changes the definition of one or more areas indicated by the area setting information based on the change request received by the communication unit 41. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of changing an area definition.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 3, the administrator etc. can freely change the division of the space 60, for example, into three areas, area A1, area A2, and area A3, or into two areas, area A1 and area A4. The administrator etc. can also set circular or elliptical areas (areas defined by curved lines). The administrator etc. can also set one or more areas in only a part of the space 60 (i.e., the space 60 can include places where no areas are set). As described above, on the premise that the definition of the area in the space 60 is set, the information provision system 10 generates location information and outputs the generated location information according to the flowchart of Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart of the output operation of the location information.

[0041] As described above, the information processing unit 42 of the server system 40 stores, in the memory unit 43, position information indicating the position of each of the multiple first communication devices 20 in the space 60. The first acquisition unit 44 acquires the position information of each of the multiple first communication devices 20 from the memory unit 43 (S11). Furthermore, the second acquisition unit 45 acquires the area setting information from the memory unit 43 (S12). The position information acquired in step S11 and the area setting information acquired in step S12 are the latest (most recent) information.

[0042] The output unit 46 generates location information based on the acquired location information and the acquired area setting information (S13). The output unit 46 regards the location of the first communication device 20 indicated by the location information as the location of the person carrying the first communication device 20, and compiles information on what kind of person is located in each area indicated by the area setting information and in what state. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of location information.

[0043] As shown in Fig. 5, the location information includes information indicating the number of people in each of one or more areas. The information indicating the number of people is also information indicating the presence or absence of people in each of one or more areas. The information indicating the number of people may indicate the total number of people itself, or may indicate an approximate number of people (the total number rounded up or down; the same applies below), such as 1 person for 0-1 people, 5 people for 2-5 people, and 10 people for 6-10 people.

[0044] The location information includes attribute information of people located in each of the one or more areas. As described above, the multiple first communication devices 20 are distinguished by the first identification information of each of the multiple first communication devices 20. Here, if registration information in which the first identification information and the attribute information of the first communication device 20 are associated with each other is stored in the storage unit 43 during user registration (initial setting) of the information providing system 10, the output unit 46 can identify the attribute information of the person who possesses the first communication device 20 by comparing the first identification information with the registration information, and include the identified attribute information of the person in the location information.

[0045] The attribute information specifically includes age and sex, but may include other information. For example, if the attribute information includes a declared value of thermal sensation or a preferred set temperature, the air conditioning system 52 can use the declared value of thermal sensation or the preferred set temperature to determine the set temperature of the air conditioner. The declared value of thermal sensation means a value indicating the degree to which a person is sensitive to heat or cold. The age included in the attribute information does not need to be an exact age, and may indicate an approximate age, such as in one's 40s.

[0046] The location information includes information indicating the moving speed of a person located in each of one or more areas. The output unit 46 can refer to the history of the location information, identify the moving speed of the person (first communication device 20) based on the time displacement of the position indicated by the location information, and include the identified moving speed of the person in the location information. The information indicating the moving speed of the person may indicate the identified moving speed itself, or may indicate an approximate moving speed.

[0047] The output unit 46 may include information indicating the acceleration of the person in the location information instead of or in addition to the moving speed. The output unit 46 can identify the acceleration of the person (first communication device 20) based on the time change of the moving speed, and include the identified acceleration of the person in the location information. When the server system 40 can acquire the acceleration measured by an acceleration sensor included in the first communication device 20 from the first communication device 20, the location information may include information indicating the acceleration measured by the acceleration sensor. The information indicating the acceleration may indicate the identified acceleration itself, or may indicate an approximate acceleration.

[0048] The location information includes information indicating the number of stays of a person located in each of one or more areas. The number of stays here refers to the number of stays on the day the location information is generated, but may be the number of stays in a predetermined period of time such as one week or one month. The output unit 46 can manage the number of stays of a person in an area by, for example, referring to the history of location information and counting up (+1) the number of stays when a person (first communication device 20) moves from outside the area to inside the area. The information indicating the number of stays may indicate the actual counted number of stays, or may indicate an approximate number of stays.

[0049] The location information includes information indicating the stay time. The stay time here is, for example, the stay time of the most recent stay, but may be the cumulative stay time on the day when the location information is generated, or may be the cumulative stay time for a predetermined period such as one week or one month. The output unit 46 can calculate the stay time by referring to the history of the location information. The information indicating the stay time may indicate the calculated stay time itself, or may indicate an approximate stay time.

[0050] 5 is an example, and the location information may include at least one of the pieces of information shown in Fig. 5. The content of the location information may differ depending on the output destination of the location information (e.g., whether the output destination is the lighting system 51 or the air conditioning system 52). For example, the content of the location information may be arbitrarily set by an operator who uses another system that acquires the location information.

[0051] The content of the location information may also differ depending on the time when the location information is output. For example, the content of the location information may differ depending on the time of day, for example, between daytime and nighttime. The content of the location information may also differ depending on the day of the week or the season. In this case, too, the content of the location information depending on the time of year may be arbitrarily set by an operator using another system that acquires the location information.

[0052] Next, the output unit 46 outputs the generated location information (S14). The output unit 46 outputs the location information to at least one of the lighting system 51, the air conditioning system 52, the power supply system 53, the security system 54, and the communication system 55 using the communication unit 41.

[0053] As a result, at least one (other system) of the lighting system 51, the air conditioning system 52, the power supply system 53, the security system 54, and the communication system 55 can receive the location information and control the device based on the received location information. In other words, the location information is used as trigger information for the control executed by the other system.

[0054] For example, the lighting system 51 can perform control such as illuminating areas with more people more brightly (and turning off areas with no people) based on the location information. Similarly, the air conditioning system 52 can perform control such as lowering the cooling or heating temperature setting in areas with more people based on the location information.

[0055] Furthermore, the power supply system 53 can perform control such as turning off the power supply to unoccupied areas of the space 60. The security system 54 can determine the presence or absence of an intruder based on the location information, and perform control (at least one of notification, alarm, and door locking) according to the presence or absence of an intruder.

[0056] The communication system 55 (voice recognition system) can prevent malfunction of equipment by controlling the system so that it does not output a control command even if something resembling a voice is picked up in an area of ​​the space 60 where no one is present.

[0057] Unlike command information, location information is not information that instructs other systems to control devices, and the other systems decide what control to perform using the location information. However, location information may be information that instructs other systems to control devices, like command information.

[0058] When the location information is information that commands another system to control a device, the content of the control is determined by various information (such as information indicating the number of people) that can be included in the location information. For example, when the number of people counted is 0 to 1, location information that commands the device to be turned on is output, when the number of people counted is 2 to 5, location information that commands the device to be turned off is output, and when the number of people counted is 6 to 10, location information that commands the device to remain in the current state is output. In this way, the content of the control is determined according to the number of people.

[0059] As described above, the information providing system 10 includes a first acquisition unit 44 that acquires location information indicating the location of the first communication device 20 measured based on the communication state of wireless communication between a first communication device 20 carried by a person located in a space 60 within a facility and a plurality of second communication devices 30 installed in the space 60, a second acquisition unit 45 that acquires area setting information that indicates the definition of one or more areas included in the space 60, and an output unit 46 that outputs location information regarding the location of the person in each of the one or more areas based on the acquired location information and the acquired area setting information.

[0060] Such an information provision system 10 can detect the position of a person with higher accuracy than a system in which multiple motion sensors (for example, sensors that detect infrared rays emitted from the human body) are installed in the space 60. Furthermore, in a system using such motion sensors, when it is desired to know the location of people in each area, it is necessary to review the installation positions of the motion sensors in conjunction with a change in the definition (floor plan) of the area. In contrast, the information provision system 10 has the advantage that it is (in principle) not necessary to change the installation position of the second communication device 30 if the definition of the area is changed based on the area setting information.

[0061] [Timing of location information output] Next, the output timing of the location information will be described. The server system 40 (output unit 46) outputs the location information periodically (at a predetermined time interval), for example, once an hour. The output unit 46 may also output the location information in response to a request from another system, and may output the location information to the other system when the communication unit 41 receives a request for location information from the other system.

[0062] Furthermore, the output unit 46 may determine whether or not a predetermined requirement related to the presence or absence of people in the space 60 is satisfied, and output the location information when the predetermined requirement is satisfied. The predetermined requirement is a requirement related to at least one of the number of people, attribute information of the people, the movement speed of the people, the acceleration of the people, the number of times the people stay, and the stay time of the people (i.e., a requirement related to the presence or absence of people in the space 60).

[0063] Specifically, the predetermined requirement is that an area without people (no one) has occurred in one or more areas, or that an area with a predetermined number of people or more has occurred in one or more areas (i.e., a crowded area has occurred). The predetermined requirement may also be that a person with specific attribute information has entered a specific area among one or more areas.

[0064] The predetermined requirements may be the same regardless of the time of year, or may be different depending on the time of year. For example, the predetermined requirements may be different depending on the time of day, for example, between daytime and nighttime. The predetermined requirements may also be different depending on the day of the week or the season.

[0065] The predetermined requirement may be the same regardless of the output destination of the location information, or may be different for each output destination of the location information.

[0066] Such a predetermined requirement is, for example, determined in advance by a designer of the information providing system 10 or the like, but may be arbitrarily set by an operator using another system through the information terminal 50. Specifically, it is conceivable to change the predetermined requirement according to the output destination of the location information, such that location information is output to the lighting system 51 when requirement A is satisfied, and location information is output to the air conditioning system 52 when requirement B different from requirement A is satisfied.

[0067] In this way, when output unit 46 outputs location information in response to a given requirement being satisfied, the location information does not need to include specific content ( FIG. 5 ) regarding the presence or absence of people in space 60. For example, when the given requirement is that area A among one or more areas is free of people, the location information does not need to specify the number of people in area A, and the location information may simply be information indicating that the given requirement has been satisfied (information without substantial content).

[0068] [Monitoring operation] When the space 60 is a space in a house and the first communication device 20 is held by a person to be watched over (such as an elderly person or a child), the information providing system 10 can perform a watching operation. Fig. 6 is a flowchart of the watching operation.

[0069] The information processing unit 42 of the server system 40 stores location information indicating the location of the first communication device 20 in the space 60 in the memory unit 43 at predetermined time intervals. The first acquisition unit 44 acquires the latest location information of the first communication device 20 from the memory unit 43 (S21). In addition, the second acquisition unit 45 acquires area setting information from the memory unit 43 (S22).

[0070] The output unit 46 judges whether or not there is an abnormality in the location of the person in the space 60 based on the latest acquired location information and the history of location information stored in the storage unit 43 (more specifically, the judgment criteria determined by the history of location information) (S23). For example, the output unit 46 judges that there is an abnormality in the location of the person when the number of visits in the most recent day in a specific area (e.g., one area specified in the area setting information) in the space 60 is clearly greater than the average number of visits per day up to that point. The output unit 46 can judge that there is an abnormality, for example, when the number of visits in the most recent day is equal to or greater than the average number of visits plus a predetermined number, or is equal to or greater than a predetermined multiple of the average number of visits.

[0071] In addition, the output unit 46 may determine that there is something abnormal about a person's whereabouts when the number of times a person has stayed in a specific area of ​​the space 60 (for example, an area specified in the area setting information) in the most recent day is clearly less than the average number of times a person has stayed in a specific area in the space 60 up to that point in time.

[0072] When the output unit 46 determines that there is an abnormality in the location of the person in the space 60 (Yes in S23), it outputs abnormality notification information (information for notifying of the abnormality) (S24). The output abnormality notification information is transmitted by the communication unit 41 to a notification destination registered in advance (such as a mobile device of the family of the person being watched over). Furthermore, if the security system 54 is a system used by a business that provides a watching service, the abnormality notification information may be transmitted to the security system 54. On the other hand, when the output unit 46 determines that there is no abnormality in the location of the person in the space 60 (No in S23), it does not output abnormality notification information.

[0073] It is not essential that the presence or absence of an abnormality is determined based on the number of stays. For example, the presence or absence of an abnormality may be determined based on the movement order, which means how the person moved through multiple areas included in the space 60. When the most recent movement order differs from a standard movement order determined by the history of position information, the output unit 46 can determine that there is an abnormality in the location of the person in the space 60.

[0074] Furthermore, the presence or absence of an abnormality may be determined based on the position of the person (the position of the first communication device 20) not moving (or barely moving) for a long period of time. In other words, the output unit 46 may determine that there is an abnormality when the position of the person 20 does not move (or barely moves) for a long period of time.

[0075] As described above, the information providing system 10 can perform a monitoring operation.

[0076] [Health management actions] Furthermore, the information providing system 10 can perform health management operations. The output unit 46 of the server system 40 can measure the moving distance of a person based on the change over time of the position indicated by the position information acquired by the first acquisition unit 44, and store the measured distance in the storage unit 43. That is, the information providing system 10 can manage the moving distance of a person.

[0077] Furthermore, the output unit 46 can identify the time a person stays in a specific area based on the position information acquired by the first acquisition unit 44. The output unit 46 can regard the time a person stays in a bedroom (an example of a specific area) as the person's sleeping time and store the sleeping time in the storage unit 43. In other words, the information providing system 10 can manage the person's sleeping time.

[0078] [Use of information system] Incidentally, it is assumed that the first business entity that uses (operates) the information providing system 10 and the second business entity that uses (operates) another system are different business entities. Here, the first business entity provides the second business entity with an information acquisition means (means for the second business entity to receive information provided by the first business entity). The information acquisition means is, for example, an API (Application Programming Interface) or a Webhook. In addition, by providing an SDK to the second business entity, the first business entity can easily build a system for receiving and processing location information from the information providing system 10, i.e., the first business entity can make the information providing system 10 a relatively open system.

[0079] Furthermore, the first business operator may provide the second business operator with an SDK for developing a setting program for setting area settings, contents of location information, output timing of location information, etc. The second business operator uses such an SDK to create a setting program and installs it in the information terminal 50, which enables the information terminal 50 to transmit a setting request or the like in a predetermined format (defined by the SDK) to the information providing system 10. In other words, by providing the SDK, the second business operator can easily change settings related to location information.

[0080] [System configuration variations] The information providing system 10 (first communication device 20) measures the position of the first communication device 20 based on the received signal strength at the first communication device 20 of a beacon signal transmitted by each of the multiple second communication devices 30. However, the information providing system 10 may measure the position of the first communication device based on the received signal strength at each of the multiple second communication devices 30 of a beacon signal transmitted by the first communication device 20. The functional configuration of the information providing system 10 according to such a modified example will be described below. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the information providing system according to the modified example. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a space 60 to which the information providing system according to the modified example is applied.

[0081] As shown in Fig. 7 and Fig. 8, the information providing system 10a includes a plurality of first communication devices 20a, a plurality of second communication devices 30a, a server system 40a, and an information terminal 50. The information providing system 10a may include at least one first communication device 20a. Fig. 7 also illustrates other systems, such as a lighting system 51, an air conditioning system 52, a power supply system 53, a security system 54, and a communication system 55, as systems other than the information providing system 10a. The information providing system 10a may further include other systems.

[0082] The first communication device 20a is a beacon transmitter that transmits a beacon signal. The first communication device 20a is, for example, a portable information terminal (such as a smartphone) that can operate as a beacon transmitter, but may also be a dedicated beacon transmitter such as a beacon tag. As shown in Fig. 8, the first communication device 20a is held by a person located in a space 60. The beacon signal includes first identification information of the first communication device 20a.

[0083] The second communication device 30a is a beacon receiver (scanner) that receives a beacon signal transmitted by the first communication device 20a. The second communication device 30a also measures the received signal strength (RSSI) of the received beacon signal, and transmits to the server system 40a signal strength information that associates the measured received signal strength with first identification information included in the beacon signal and second identification information of the second communication device 30a itself.

[0084] As shown in FIG. 8, the second communication device 30a is detachably connected to a power supply terminal of a lighting device 31 installed on the ceiling of the space 60, for example, and operates by receiving power from the lighting device 31. The power supply terminal is, for example, a USB terminal. The second communication device 30a may be provided in a device other than the lighting device 31, or may be fixed directly to the ceiling of the space 60 without using a device. The second communication device 30a may also be fixed to a wall or the like. Note that, as shown in FIG. 8, the multiple second communication devices 30a are two-dimensionally distributed when viewed from above. The arrangement (installation positions) of the multiple second communication devices 30a is stored in advance in the storage unit 43a as arrangement information.

[0085] The server system 40a acquires a plurality of pieces of signal strength information corresponding to a plurality of second communication devices 30a from the plurality of second communication devices 30a, and measures the position of the first communication device 20a located in the space 60 based on the acquired plurality of pieces of signal strength information. The server system 40a is realized by one or more server devices, and the components of the server system 40a described below may be distributed in any manner to the one or more server devices. Each of the one or more server devices may be, for example, a cloud computer provided outside the facility, or an edge computer provided within the facility. The server system 40a includes a communication unit 41a, an information processing unit 42a, and a storage unit 43a.

[0086] The communication unit 41a is a communication module (communication circuit) for the server system 40a to communicate with the multiple second communication devices 30a. The communication unit 41a receives, for example, multiple pieces of signal strength information corresponding to the multiple second communication devices 30a from each of the multiple second communication devices 30a. The communication performed by the communication unit 41a may be wireless communication or wired communication. There is also no particular limitation on the communication standard used for the communication.

[0087] The information processing unit 42a measures the position of each of the multiple first communication devices 20a in the space 60, and stores the measured position in the storage unit 43a. For example, the information processing unit 42a measures the position of the first communication device 20a based on multiple pieces of signal strength information corresponding to the multiple second communication devices 30a transmitted by the multiple second communication devices 30a and arrangement information indicating the arrangement (installation position) of the multiple second communication devices 30a in the space 60, and stores the position information in which the measured position is associated with the first identification information of the first communication device 20a in the storage unit 43a. The position information of each of the multiple first communication devices 20a is measured and stored at a predetermined time interval of, for example, several seconds to one hour. Note that any existing algorithm may be used as a method of measuring the position based on the multiple pieces of signal strength information and the arrangement information. The algorithm is, for example, three-point positioning.

[0088] The information processing unit 42a is specifically realized by a processor or a microcomputer. The information processing unit 42a includes a first acquisition unit 44, a second acquisition unit 45, an output unit 46, and a setting unit 47 as functional components. The functions of the first acquisition unit 44, the second acquisition unit 45, the output unit 46, and the setting unit 47 are realized by a processor or a microcomputer (hardware) constituting the information processing unit 42a executing a computer program (software) stored in the storage unit 43a. The details of the functions of the first acquisition unit 44, the second acquisition unit 45, the output unit 46, and the setting unit 47 are as described above.

[0089] The storage unit 43a is a storage device that stores the signal strength information received by the communication unit 41a, the arrangement information indicating the arrangement of the second communication devices 30a, the computer program executed by the information processing unit 42a, etc. The storage unit 43a also stores the position information of each of the first communication devices 20a measured by the information processing unit 42a. Specifically, the storage unit 43a is realized by a semiconductor memory, a HDD, or the like.

[0090] In this way, the information providing system 10a can measure the position of the first communication device 20a based on the received signal strength at the first communication device 20a of the beacon signal transmitted by each of the multiple second communication devices 30a. The information providing system 10 in the above embodiment may be appropriately read as the information providing system 10a.

[0091] [Effects, etc.] Hereinafter, examples of inventions that can be obtained from the disclosure of this specification will be given, and the effects and the like that can be obtained from the inventions will be described.

[0092] Invention 1 is an information providing system 10 comprising a first acquisition unit 44 that acquires location information indicating the location of a first communication device 20 carried by a person located in a space 60 within a facility, the location information indicating the location of a first communication device 20 measured based on the communication state of wireless communication between a first communication device 20 carried by a person located in the space 60 and a plurality of second communication devices 30 installed in the space 60, a second acquisition unit 45 that acquires area setting information indicating the definition of one or more areas included in the space 60, and an output unit 46 that outputs location information regarding the location of the person in each of the one or more areas based on the acquired location information and the acquired area setting information.

[0093] Such an information providing system 10 can output information regarding the location of people in the space 60.

[0094] Invention 2 is the information providing system 10 of Invention 1, in which each of the multiple second communication devices 30 is provided in a lighting device 31 installed in a space 60.

[0095] Such an information providing system 10 can acquire location information indicating the location of the first communication device 20 measured using the lighting device 31.

[0096] Invention 3 is the information providing system 10 of Invention 1 or 2, in which the position of the first communication device 20 is measured based on the reception state at the first communication device 20 of signals wirelessly transmitted by each of the multiple second communication devices 30.

[0097] Such an information providing system 10 can acquire location information indicating the location of the first communication device 20 measured based on the reception state at the first communication device 20 of signals wirelessly transmitted by each of the multiple second communication devices 30.

[0098] Invention 4 is the information providing system 10 of Invention 1 or 2, in which the position of the first communication device 20 is measured based on the reception state of a signal wirelessly transmitted by the first communication device 20 at each of a plurality of second communication devices 30. In other words, Invention 4 is a system equivalent to the information providing system 10a.

[0099] Such an information providing system 10 can acquire location information indicating the location of the first communication device 20 measured based on the reception state of a signal wirelessly transmitted by the first communication device 20 at each of multiple second communication devices 30.

[0100] A fifth aspect of the present invention is the information providing system 10 of any one of the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, further comprising a setting unit 47 that changes the definition of one or more areas indicated by the area setting information.

[0101] Such an information providing system 10 can change the definition of one or more areas included in the space 60.

[0102] Invention 6 is the information providing system 10 of any one of Inventions 1 to 5, wherein the location information includes information indicating the number of people in each of one or more areas.

[0103] Such an information providing system 10 can output information indicating the number of people in the space 60.

[0104] A seventh aspect of the present invention is the information providing system 10 of any one of the first to sixth aspects of the present invention, wherein the location information includes attribute information of people located in each of one or more areas.

[0105] Such an information providing system 10 can output attribute information of people located in the space 60.

[0106] An eighth invention is the information providing system 10 of any one of the first to seventh inventions, wherein the location information includes information indicating a moving speed or an acceleration of a person located in each of one or more areas.

[0107] Such an information providing system 10 can output information indicating the moving speed or acceleration of a person in the space 60.

[0108] A ninth aspect of the present invention is the information providing system 10 of any one of the first to eighth aspects of the present invention, wherein the location information includes information indicating the number of visits or duration of visits of people located in each of one or more areas.

[0109] Such an information providing system 10 can output information indicating the number of times or duration of stay of people located in each of one or more areas included in the space 60.

[0110] Invention 10 is the information providing system 10 of any one of Inventions 1 to 9, in which the output unit 46 outputs the location information when a predetermined requirement is satisfied.

[0111] Such an information providing system 10 can output information about the location of people in the space 60 in accordance with predetermined requirements.

[0112] Invention 11 is the information providing system 10 of Invention 10, in which the predetermined requirements vary depending on the time period.

[0113] Such an information providing system 10 can output information about the location of people in the space 60 according to different requirements depending on the time of year.

[0114] Invention 12 is an information providing system 10 of any of Inventions 1 to 11, in which the output unit 46 outputs abnormality notification information when it determines that there is an abnormality in the location of a person in the space 60 based on the acquired current location information and the location information history.

[0115] Such an information providing system 10 can notify that there is something abnormal about the location of a person in the space 60.

[0116] Invention 13 is an information providing system 10 of any of Inventions 1 to 12, in which the output unit 46 outputs location information to at least one of a lighting system 51, an air conditioning system 52, a power supply system 53, a security system 54, a communication system 55, a safety management system 56, and an advertising delivery system 57.

[0117] Such an information providing system 10 can output information regarding a person's location in space 60 to at least one of the following systems: a lighting system 51, an air conditioning system 52, a power supply system 53, a security system 54, a communication system 55, a safety management system 56, and an advertising delivery system 57.

[0118] Invention 14 is an information providing method executed by a computer such as the information providing system 10. The information providing method includes a first acquisition step of acquiring location information indicating the location of the first communication device 20 measured based on the communication state of wireless communication between a first communication device 20 carried by a person located in a space 60 within a facility and a plurality of second communication devices 30 installed in the space 60, a second acquisition step of acquiring area setting information indicating the definition of one or more areas included in the space 60, and an output step of outputting location information regarding the location of the person in each of the one or more areas based on the acquired location information and the acquired area setting information.

[0119] Such an information providing method can output information regarding a person's location in the space 60.

[0120] (Other embodiments) Although the information providing system and the information providing method according to the embodiment have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

[0121] In the above embodiment, the information providing system is realized by a plurality of devices. In this case, each component of the information providing system may be distributed to the plurality of devices in any manner. For example, a function for measuring a person's position and a function for providing location information may be provided in different server devices.

[0122] Furthermore, the information providing system may be realized as a single device. For example, the information providing system may be realized as a single device corresponding to a server device included in a server system.

[0123] In the above embodiment, the process executed by a specific processing unit may be executed by another processing unit. The order of multiple processes may be changed, or multiple processes may be executed in parallel.

[0124] In the above embodiment, each component may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component. Each component may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or a processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or a semiconductor memory.

[0125] Furthermore, each component may be realized by hardware. For example, each component may be a circuit (or an integrated circuit). These circuits may form a single circuit as a whole, or each may be a separate circuit. Furthermore, each of these circuits may be a general-purpose circuit, or a dedicated circuit.

[0126] Furthermore, the general or specific aspects of the present invention may be realized as a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, or a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, or may be realized as any combination of a system, an apparatus, a method, an integrated circuit, a computer program, and a recording medium.

[0127] For example, the present invention may be realized as an information providing method executed by a computer such as an information providing system, etc. Also, the present invention may be realized as a program for causing a computer to execute the information providing method, or as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium on which such a program is stored.

[0128] In addition, the present invention also includes forms obtained by applying various modifications to each embodiment that a person skilled in the art may think of, or forms realized by arbitrarily combining the components and functions of each embodiment within the scope that does not deviate from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0129] 10, 10a Information system 20, 20a First communication device 30, 30a Second communication device 31 Lighting Equipment 44 First Acquisition Department 45 Second Acquisition Department 46 Output section 47 Setting section 51 Lighting System 52 Air Conditioning System 53 Power System 54 Security Systems 55 Communication Systems 56 Safety Management System 57 Advertising distribution system 60 space

Claims

1. a first acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating a location of a first communication device carried by a person located in a space within a facility, the location information being measured based on a communication state of wireless communication between the first communication device carried by the person located in the space and a plurality of second communication devices installed in the space; A second acquisition unit that acquires area setting information indicating a division of one or more areas included in the space; an output unit that outputs location information regarding a location of a person in each of the one or more areas based on the acquired position information and the acquired area setting information; a setting unit that changes the classification of the one or more areas indicated by the area setting information based on an operation of a user related to the facility after the facility starts to be used. Information provision system.

2. a first acquisition unit that acquires location information indicating a location of a first communication device carried by a person located in a space within a facility, the location information being measured based on a communication state of wireless communication between the first communication device carried by the person located in the space and a plurality of second communication devices installed in the space; A second acquisition unit that acquires area setting information indicating a division of one or more areas included in the space; an output unit that outputs location information regarding a location of a person in each of the one or more areas based on the acquired position information and the acquired area setting information; a setting unit that changes a classification of the one or more areas indicated by the area setting information based on a user operation, The setting unit is capable of providing a location in the space where the one or more areas are not set. Information provision system.

3. Each of the plurality of second communication devices is provided in a lighting device installed in the space.

3. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The location of the first communication device is measured based on a reception state of a signal wirelessly transmitted by each of the plurality of second communication devices at the first communication device.

3. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2.

5. The location of the first communication device is measured based on a reception state of a signal wirelessly transmitted by the first communication device at each of the plurality of second communication devices.

3. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The location information includes information indicating the number of people in each of the one or more areas.

3. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2.

7. The location information includes attribute information of people located in each of the one or more areas.

3. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2.

8. The location information includes information indicating a moving speed or an acceleration of a person located in each of the one or more areas.

3. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2.

9. The location information includes information indicating the number of times or duration of stay of a person located in each of the one or more areas.

3. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2.

10. The output unit outputs the location information when a predetermined requirement is satisfied.

3. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2.

11. The above-mentioned predetermined requirements vary depending on the time period. The information providing system according to claim 10.

12. The predetermined requirements differ depending on the output destination of the location information. The information providing system according to claim 10.

13. The output unit outputs abnormality notification information when it determines that there is an abnormality in the location of the person in the space based on the acquired current position information and the history of the position information.

3. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2.

14. The output unit outputs the location information to at least one of a lighting system, an air conditioning system, a power supply system, a security system, a communication system, a safety management system, and an advertisement distribution system.

3. The information providing system according to claim 1 or 2.

15. 1. A computer-implemented method for providing information, comprising: a first acquisition step of acquiring location information indicating a location of a first communication device carried by a person located in a space within a facility, the location information being measured based on a communication state of wireless communication between the first communication device carried by the person located in the space and a plurality of second communication devices installed in the space; A second acquisition step of acquiring area setting information indicating a division of one or more areas included in the space; an output step of outputting location information regarding a location of a person in each of the one or more areas based on the acquired position information and the acquired area setting information; and changing the classification of the one or more areas indicated by the area setting information based on an operation of a user related to the facility after the user starts using the facility. Information provision method.

16. 1. A computer-implemented method for providing information, comprising: a first acquisition step of acquiring location information indicating a location of a first communication device carried by a person located in a space within a facility, the location information being measured based on a communication state of wireless communication between the first communication device carried by the person located in the space and a plurality of second communication devices installed in the space; A second acquisition step of acquiring area setting information indicating a division of one or more areas included in the space; an output step of outputting location information regarding a location of a person in each of the one or more areas based on the acquired position information and the acquired area setting information; and a setting step of changing a classification of the one or more areas indicated by the area setting information based on a user operation, In the setting step, it is possible to provide a location in the space where the one or more areas are not set. Information provision method.

17. 17. A program for causing a computer to execute the information providing method according to claim 15 or 16.

Images