Area determination system, area determination method, and program

Abstract

The present invention addresses the problem of improving the determination accuracy of the presence / absence of a mobile object in a target area. A detection unit detects the position of a mobile object (40) on the basis of the reception strength of radio signals (W10) transmitted to and received from the mobile object (40), and acquires mobile object position information. A first determination unit determines whether the mobile object (40) is present in the target area on the basis of the mobile object position information. An acquisition unit acquires a presence determination count (n), that is the number of presence determinations in which the first determination unit has determined that the mobile body (40) is present in the target area during a target period having a prescribed length (T). A second determination unit determines that the mobile body (40) was present in the target area during the target period if the presence determination count (n) is equal to or greater than a prescribed count (N), and determines that the mobile body (40) was not present in the target area during the target period if the presence determination count (n) is less than the prescribed count (N). A control unit controls the determination result or the determination process of the second determination unit by using one or more of the prescribed length (T), the prescribed count (N), and the time difference between the plurality of presence determinations during the target period.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an area determination system, an area determination method, and a program, and more particularly, to an area determination system, an area determination method, and a program for determining whether or not a moving object is present in a target area. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 describes a method for determining whether a transmitter such as a beacon tag is in the vicinity of a receiver (for example, whether a beacon tag carried by a child is present or absent in a location such as a school where a receiver is installed) based on a threshold for the number of receptions within an area, the interval between non-receptions, etc.

[0003] In recent years, open spaces such as open conference rooms have come into use. In open spaces, there are often no walls at the boundaries between areas, making it easy to move across the boundaries between areas, such as spilling into an adjacent area or passing through other areas to enter or leave. Therefore, if the technology described in Patent Document 1 is used in an open space, there is a possibility that the accuracy of determining the presence / absence of a moving object such as a beacon tag in a target area may decrease. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-180972 A Summary of the Invention

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to provide an area determination system, an area determination method, and a program that can improve the accuracy of determining whether a moving object is present or absent in a target area.

[0006] An area determination system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a detection unit, a first determination unit, an acquisition unit, a second determination unit, and a control unit. The detection unit detects the position of the moving object based on the reception strength of a radio signal transmitted to and received from the moving object, and acquires moving object position information indicating a detection result. The first determination unit determines whether the moving object is present in a target area based on the moving object position information. The acquisition unit acquires the number of presence determinations. The number of presence determinations is the number of presence determinations in which the first determination unit determines that the moving object is present in the target area during a target period having a predetermined length. When the number of presence determinations is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, the second determination unit determines that the moving object was present in the target area during the target period, and when the number of presence determinations is less than the predetermined number, the second determination unit determines that the moving object was not present in the target area during the target period. The control unit controls the determination process or the determination result of the second determination unit by using one or more of the time difference between a plurality of presence determinations during the target period, the predetermined length, and the predetermined number.

[0007] An area determination method according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes a detection step, a first determination step, an acquisition step, a second determination step, and a control step. In the detection step, the position of the moving object is detected based on the reception strength of a radio signal transmitted to and received from the moving object, and moving object position information indicating the detection result is acquired. In the first determination step, it is determined whether the moving object is present in the target area based on the moving object position information. In the acquisition step, the number of presence determinations is acquired. The number of presence determinations is the number of presence determinations in which the moving object is determined to be present in the target area in the first determination step during a target period having a predetermined length. In the second determination step, if the number of presence determinations is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, it is determined that the moving object was present in the target area during the target period, and if the number of presence determinations is less than the predetermined number, it is determined that the moving object was not present in the target area during the target period. In the control step, the determination process or the determination result in the second determination step is controlled using one or more of the time difference between a plurality of presence determinations during the target period, the predetermined length, and the predetermined number.

[0008] A program according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a program for causing one or more processors to execute the above-described area determination method. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an area determination system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a server included in the area determination system. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a top view showing a target area of ​​the area determination system. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a part (position detection and first determination) of the operation of the server in the above embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing another part (second determination and control: method 1) of the operation of the server according to the embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the position detection in the above embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7A is a timing diagram showing an example of the result of control by the method 1 in the embodiment, and FIG. 7B is a timing diagram showing another example of the result of control by the method 1 in the embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing a first modification (method 2) of the above control. [Figure 9] FIG. 9A is a timing diagram showing an example of the result of the second judgment (when control of method 2 is not performed) for comparison with the result of control by method 2 described above, and FIG. 9B is a timing diagram showing an example of the result of control by method 2 described above. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the second modification (method 3) of the control according to the above embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11A is a timing diagram showing an example of the result of control by the method 3 of the embodiment, and FIG. 11B is a timing diagram showing another example of the result of control by the method 3 of the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] The configurations described in the following embodiments are merely examples of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and various modifications are possible depending on the design, etc., as long as the effects of the present disclosure can be achieved.

[0011] (1) Main part 1 to 3, a main part of an area determination system 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. The area determination system 10 includes a server 20, and the server 20 is provided with a detection unit 221, a first determination unit 222, an acquisition unit 223, a second determination unit 224, and a control unit 225.

[0012] (1-1) Position detection The detector 221 detects the position of the moving object 40 based on the reception strength of a wireless signal W10 transmitted to and received from the moving object 40, and obtains moving object position information indicating the detection result.

[0013] The mobile body 40 here is, for example, one of the five mobile bodies 40 shown in FIG. 1, and transmits and receives wireless signals W10 between each of the four terminals 30 shown in FIG. 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as "terminals 30").

[0014] In this embodiment, the mobile object 40 typically has a transmitter and the terminal 30 has a receiver, as will be described in detail later. The detection unit 221 in this embodiment detects the position of the mobile object 40 via the terminal 30 having the receiver, based on the reception strength of the wireless signal W10 by the receiver. However, the terminal 30 may have the transmitter and the mobile object 40 may have the receiver. Also, for example, the server 20 may have the receiver, in which case position detection is possible without going through the terminal 30.

[0015] (1-1-1) Radio signal The wireless signal W10 is transmitted from a transmitter (not shown) possessed by one of the terminal 30 and the mobile body 40 (e.g., the mobile body 40) and is received by a receiver (not shown) possessed by the other of the terminal 30 and the mobile body 40 (e.g., the terminal 30). The wireless signal W10 is usually a signal conforming to a short-range wireless communication method, such as Bluetooth (registered trademark).

[0016] (1-1-2) Location detection based on reception strength The reception strength is, for example, a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), and the position detection is, for example, positioning based on the RSSI. In this embodiment, the position of the terminal 30 is known, and terminal position information indicating the position of the terminal 30 is stored in advance in a memory.

[0017] The detection unit 221 acquires mobile object location information indicating the location of the mobile object 40, for example, based on the RSSI value and the terminal location information. For example, based on three or more pieces of terminal location information corresponding to three or more terminals 30 and three or more pieces of radio wave intensities corresponding to three or more terminals 30, the three-dimensional coordinates of the mobile object 40 can be acquired.

[0018] The detection unit 221 in this embodiment acquires the two-dimensional coordinates of the moving object 40 based on, for example, four pieces of terminal position information corresponding to the four terminals 30 and four pieces of radio wave intensities corresponding to the four terminals 30.

[0019] The acquired mobile object position information is usually stored in a memory, but may be merely temporarily held without being stored.

[0020] (1-2) First judgment: Presence / absence judgment based on mobile object location information The first determination unit 222 determines whether or not the mobile object 40 is present (present / absent) in a target area (for example, area A10 shown in FIG. 3, hereinafter referred to as “target area A10”) based on the mobile object location information acquired by the detection unit 221.

[0021] In detail, area position information indicating the position of the target area A10 is pre-stored in memory, and the first judgment unit 222 judges the presence / absence of the moving body 40 in the target area A10 based on the moving body position information acquired by the detection unit 221 and the area position information stored in the memory.

[0022] (1-3) Accumulation of presence / absence information The first determination unit 222 performs the first determination as described above, and acquires presence information or absence information. Presence information is information indicating a determination result of presence (that a presence determination has been made). In this embodiment, the presence information is, for example, a flag "1". Absence information is information indicating a determination result of absence (that a absence determination has been made). In this embodiment, the absence information is, for example, a flag "0".

[0023] The first determination unit 222 stores the presence information or absence information in a memory in association with a set of, for example, time information, a moving object identifier, and an area identifier. Note that the presence / absence information and the like may be only temporarily stored.

[0024] The mobile object identifier is information for identifying the mobile object 40. The mobile object identifier is, for example, a MAC (Media Access Control) address, an ID, etc. The area identifier is information for identifying an area. The area identifier is, for example, an area name (conference room name, room number, etc.), an ID associated with the area name (serial number, an array of letters or symbols, etc.), etc.

[0025] In this way, by storing the presence information or absence information in association with the time information, it is possible to obtain the number of presence determinations after the fact by referring to the storage destination (memory) and counting the number of time information that belongs to a predetermined period and is associated with the presence information. It also becomes easy to obtain the time difference (for example, the maximum difference Δt) between multiple presence determinations. Furthermore, it is possible to facilitate control using one or more of the time difference, the predetermined length T, and the predetermined number N.

[0026] (1-4) Acquisition of presence determination count The acquisition unit 223 acquires the presence determination count n. The presence determination count n is the number of times that the first determination unit 222 determines that the moving object 40 is present in the target area A10 during a target period having a predetermined length T.

[0027] The acquisition unit 223 in this embodiment counts the number of presence determinations n in real time, for example, by incrementing a variable “n” indicating the number of presence determinations in response to the presence determination by the first determination unit 222. However, the number of presence determinations n may be acquired ex post, for example, by counting the number of pieces of presence information stored in the memory.

[0028] (1-4-1) Predetermined length The predetermined length T is a parameter indicating the length of the target period. In this embodiment, the predetermined length T is usually a fixed value, for example, 180 seconds. However, the predetermined length T can be changed by the control unit 225 (see Modification 2).

[0029] (1-4-2) Target period The target period is a period during which the presence determination count n is acquired. The target period is specified by period information. The period information is information related to a period. The period information includes, for example, a set of a start time ts and an end time te.

[0030] The start time ts is the time at which the target period starts. The start time ts is obtained from a built-in clock of the processor or an NTP (Network Time Protocol) server (not shown) in response to, for example, the start of the area determination system 10 (the start of the area determination process shown in FIG. 4).

[0031] The end time te is the time at which the target period ends. The end time te is obtained, for example, by adding a predetermined length T to the start time te (te=ts+T). However, at least one of the start time ts and the end time te can be changed by the control unit 225 (see Modification 2).

[0032] The period information usually further includes a period identifier. The period identifier is information for identifying a period. The period identifier is, for example, a consecutive number such as "1" or "2", but may also be an ID formed by combining letters and symbols. In this embodiment, for convenience, reference symbols such as "P1", "P2", and "P3" are used as period identifiers.

[0033] Note that two adjacent target periods (i.e., the above target period and the next target period) may partially overlap each other. In other words, the end of the above target period may be located between the start and end of the next target period.

[0034] (1-5) Second judgment: Presence / absence judgment based on the number of presence judgments The second determination unit 224 determines whether the moving object 40 is present or absent in the target area A10 during the target period, based on the presence determination count n acquired by the acquisition unit 223.

[0035] (1-5-1) Existence determination The second determination unit 224 determines that the moving object 40 was present in the target area A10 during the target period, for example, when the presence determination count n is equal to or greater than a predetermined count N. In response to such a presence determination, the second determination unit 224 associates presence information (for example, a flag "1") with period information (in this embodiment, a set of a moving object identifier, an area identifier, and period information).

[0036] (1-5-2) Absence determination Furthermore, the second determination unit 224 determines that the moving object 40 was not present in the target area A10 during the target period when the presence determination count n is less than the predetermined count N. In response to such an absence determination, the second determination unit 224 associates absence information (e.g., a flag "0") with period information (in the embodiment, a set of a moving object identifier, an area identifier, and period information), for example.

[0037] (1-5-3) Prescribed number of times The predetermined number of times N is a parameter that serves as a threshold for judgment by the second judgment unit 224. The value of the predetermined number of times N is a predetermined integer of 2 or more, and is usually a fixed value (e.g., "3") (Method 1 and Method 2: see Modification 1 for the latter). However, the value of the predetermined number of times N can be changed by the control unit 225 (Method 3: see Modification 2).

[0038] The second determination unit 224 passes the thus acquired set of period information etc. and presence information, or the set of period information etc. and absence information, or both of these two sets to the output unit 23 (described later).

[0039] (1-6) Control of the second judgment process or the processing result The control unit 225 controls the determination process or the determination result of the second determination unit 224 using one or more of the time difference between multiple presence determinations in the target period (the maximum difference Δt described later), the predetermined length T, and the predetermined number of times N.

[0040] The control unit 225 controls the determination process or the determination result of the second determination unit 224, for example, by the following three methods.

[0041] (1-6-1) Method 1: Use the maximum difference In method 1, the judgment process of the second judgment unit 224 is controlled using the maximum difference Δt between multiple times corresponding to multiple presence judgments by the first judgment unit 222. Specifically, even if the number of presence judgments n is equal to or greater than a predetermined number N, if the maximum difference Δt exceeds a threshold value Δt0, the second judgment unit 224 is made to judge "absent."

[0042] (1-6-2) Method 2: Control of the period length T using the judgment result of the second judgment unit 224 and the judgment result of the first judgment unit 222 immediately thereafter In method 2, if the first judgment unit 222 obtains a judgment result equivalent to the judgment result of the second judgment unit 224 for the target period within a predetermined time ΔT from the end of the target period, the target period is extended (the period length T is increased) by delaying the end of the target period. Note that, as the end of the target period is delayed, the start (boundary) of the next target period is also delayed, but the start of the next target period does not have to be delayed (the current target period and the next target period may partially overlap).

[0043] (1-6-3) Method 3: Changing the predetermined length T, etc. in the next target period according to the judgment result of the second judgment unit in the target period In method 3, at least one of the predetermined length T and the predetermined number of times N in the next target period is changed based on the judgment result (or the number of presence judgments n) of the second judgment unit 224 in the target period. For example, at least one of shortening T and increasing N is performed in the period after the absence period, and at least one of extending T and decreasing N is performed in the period after the presence period.

[0044] Note that the control unit 225 in this embodiment normally employs method 1, but may employ method 2 (see modified example 1) or method 3 (see modified example 2). Also, each of methods 2 and 3 may be used in combination with method 1. Furthermore, any one of the three methods 1 to 3 may be selectively employed. That is, for example, the reception unit 21 (described later) may receive an operation to select any one of the three methods 1 to 3, or a set of two methods 1 and 2, or a set of two methods 1 and 3, and the control unit 225 may employ the selected method or set.

[0045] In this way, the area determination system 10 of this embodiment periodically or irregularly performs a first determination of whether or not a mobile object 40 is present (presence / absence) in a target area (e.g., area A10), and performs a second determination of whether the target period is a presence period or an absence period based on a comparison of the number of presence determinations n and the predetermined number N in a target period of predetermined length T. Then, when performing the second determination, the area determination system 10 controls the second determination or the result of the second determination using one or more of the time difference between presence determinations (e.g., maximum difference Δt), the predetermined length T, and the predetermined number N. This can improve the accuracy of determining whether the mobile object 40 is present / absent in a target area (e.g., area A10).

[0046] (2)Details Next, details of the area determination system 10 will be described. The area determination system 10 includes, for example, a server 20, three or more (four here) terminals 30, and one or more (five here) mobile objects 40, as shown in Fig. 1. The terminals 30 are installed in a target area (e.g., area A10) or in its vicinity. The mobile object 40 may be present in the target area (e.g., area A10) or in its vicinity.

[0047] (2-1) Target area The target area is, for example, one (for example, area A10) of seven areas A10 to A16 (described later) shown in Fig. 3. The vicinity of the target area is, for example, space A1 including the seven areas A10 to A16.

[0048] (2-2) Space The four terminals 30 are arranged in a space A1 surrounded by a wall 100, for example, as shown in Fig. 3. The space A1 is, for example, inside a room in a building, and the four terminals 30 are arranged, for example, distributed on the ceiling (not shown) of the room.

[0049] 3, the space A1 is divided into seven areas A10 to A16. Of the seven areas A10 to A16, six areas A10 to A15 are conference rooms, and area A16 is a passageway.

[0050] In the space A1 in Fig. 3, there are usually no walls at the boundaries between the areas indicated by the dotted lines. However, at least a portion of the boundaries between the areas may have movable dividers such as partitions or curtains that can be opened or closed.

[0051] (2-3) Communication connection The server 20 is communicatively connected to each of the three or more terminals 30 via a first network 50. The first network 50 is, for example, a narrow area network such as a Local Area Network (LAN) or a Power Line Communication (PLC) network.

[0052] The terminal 30 can be connected to one or more mobile objects 40 (hereinafter simply referred to as "mobile object 40") via a short-range wireless communication system. The short-range wireless communication system here is, for example, the Bluetooth (registered trademark: the same applies below) system, and in particular, the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) system.

[0053] Furthermore, the server 20 can be communicatively connected to a service providing system 70 via a second network 60. The second network 60 is, for example, a wide area network such as the Internet or a communication line network.

[0054] The service providing system 70 can be communicatively connected to a terminal device 80 via a second network 60 .

[0055] (2-4) Radio signals and their transmitters and receivers The wireless signal W10 in this embodiment is, for example, a signal conforming to the BLE system. The moving object 40 has one of a transmitter that transmits the wireless signal W10 and a receiver that receives the wireless signal W10 (neither is shown). The terminal 30 has the other of the transmitter and the receiver.

[0056] In this embodiment, the mobile object 40 has a transmitter, and the terminal 30 has a receiver. That is, the receiver of the terminal 30 receives a wireless signal W10 transmitted from the transmitter of the mobile object 40. The transmitter of the mobile object 40 transmits a wireless signal W10 including a mobile object identifier of the mobile object 40, for example.

[0057] However, the terminal 30 may have a transmitter, and the mobile body 40 may have a receiver. That is, the wireless signal W10 transmitted from the transmitter of the terminal 30 may be received by the receiver of the mobile body 40. In this case, the transmitter of the terminal 30 transmits the wireless signal W10 including the terminal identifier of the terminal 30, for example.

[0058] The transmitter emits a radio signal W10 periodically or irregularly.

[0059] The transmitter in this embodiment periodically transmits the wireless signal W10. The interval (transmission cycle) of transmission of the wireless signal W10 is, for example, one second, but may be ten seconds, one minute, etc. However, the transmitter may transmit the wireless signal W10 irregularly (for example, in response to a request from the terminal 30).

[0060] The receiver receives the wireless signal W10 transmitted by the transmitter. The receiver may receive only a portion of the wireless signal W10 periodically transmitted from the transmitter. Specifically, when the transmitter transmits the wireless signal W10 at one-second intervals, the receiver may receive the wireless signal W10 at ten-second intervals, for example.

[0061] (2-5) Terminal The terminal 30 in this embodiment receives the wireless signal W10 via a receiver, detects the reception strength, and acquires reception strength information.

[0062] The reception strength information is information related to reception strength. The reception strength information includes a numerical value indicating reception strength. The reception strength information in this embodiment further includes, for example, a terminal identifier of the mobile object 40 that transmitted the wireless signal W10 and a terminal identifier of the terminal 30 that received the wireless signal W10.

[0063] The terminal 30 receives one or more (here, five) wireless signals W10 corresponding to one or more (here, five) moving objects 40, and acquires one or more (here, five) pieces of reception strength information corresponding to the one or more (here, five) moving objects 40. Then, the terminal 30 transmits the acquired one or more (here, five) pieces of reception strength information to the server 20 via the first network 50.

[0064] The terminal 30 typically further includes a processor and a memory (neither of which are shown in the figure). The memory stores information such as a terminal identifier and a program, and the processor operates based on the information in the memory to realize the above-mentioned functions of the terminal 30.

[0065] The terminal 30 is, for example, a scanner, a beacon receiver, etc. The terminal 30 is typically a fixed terminal, but may be mobile, provided that its current location is known.

[0066] When the terminal 30 has a transmitter, the terminal 30 transmits, for example, a wireless signal W10 including the terminal identifier of the terminal 30.

[0067] (2-6) Mobile As described above, the moving object 40 in this embodiment transmits a wireless signal W10 including the moving object identifier of the moving object 40 via a transmitter.

[0068] The mobile unit 40 further includes a processor and a memory (neither of which is shown in the figure). The memory stores information such as a mobile unit identifier and a program, and the processor operates based on the information in the memory to realize the above-mentioned functions of the mobile unit 40.

[0069] The mobile object 40 is a device that is carried by a person and moves with the person. The mobile object 40 is, for example, a beacon transmitter, a mobile terminal, etc. The mobile terminal is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a mobile phone, etc.

[0070] The mobile object 40 may further include, for example, a communication module for performing communication via at least one of the first network 50 and the second network 60. When the mobile object 40 includes a receiver, the reception strength information acquired by the mobile object 40 may be transmitted to the server 20 via the first network 50 or the second network 60.

[0071] (2-7) Service provision system and terminal device The service providing system 70, for example, receives information such as the results of area determination (determination result information: described later) from the server 20, acquires information such as space utilization rate based on the received information, and provides services such as building space management based on the acquired information via the terminal device 80.

[0072] The space utilization rate can be obtained, for example, by identifying the space in which one or more (e.g., five) moving bodies 40 exist based on one or more (e.g., 35) pieces of judgment result information received from the server 20, and counting the number of moving bodies 40 existing in each of one or more areas (e.g., seven areas A10 to A16).

[0073] Each of the service providing system 70 and the terminal device 80 has a communication module, a processor, and a memory (none of which are shown) for communicating via the second network 60. Information such as a program is stored in the memory, and the processor operates based on the information in the memory to realize each of the functions of the service providing system 70 and the terminal device 80.

[0074] (2-8) Server The server 20 receives reception strength information from one of the terminal 30 and the mobile object 40, and performs area determination (first determination and second determination) for the mobile object 40. Then, the server 20 transmits the result of the area determination (usually the result of the second determination) to the service providing system 70 via the second network 60.

[0075] The server 20 in this embodiment receives three or more (e.g., 20) pieces of reception intensity information corresponding to a combination of three or more (e.g., four) terminals 30 and one or more (e.g., five) moving bodies 40, performs one or more (e.g., 35) area determinations corresponding to a combination of one or more areas (e.g., seven areas A10-A16 in the space A1) and one or more (e.g., five) moving bodies 40, and acquires one or more (e.g., 35) determination results. The server 20 then transmits one or more (e.g., 35) pieces of determination result information corresponding to the acquired one or more (e.g., 35) determination results to the service providing system 70 via the second network 60.

[0076] The determination result information is information related to the determination result (usually the result of the second determination). The determination result information includes, for example, presence information (e.g., flag "1") or absence information (e.g., flag "0"), and a pair of an area identifier and a terminal identifier.

[0077] The server 20 has a communication module, a processor, and a memory (none of which are shown) for communicating via each of the first network 50 and the second network 60. The memory stores information such as area location information, terminal location information, and programs, and the processor operates based on the information in the memory to realize the above-mentioned functions of the server 20 (for example, each unit shown in FIG. 2).

[0078] (2-9) Server components 2, the server 20 includes a receiving unit 21, a processing unit 22, and an output unit 23. The processing unit 22 includes a detecting unit 221, a first determination unit 222, an acquiring unit 223, a second determination unit 224, and a control unit 225.

[0079] (2-9-1) Reception The reception unit 21 receives various types of information, such as reception intensity information, and setting values ​​of various parameters such as the predetermined length T and the predetermined number of times N.

[0080] Reception is, for example, the reception of information transmitted via the first network 50 or the second network 60, but may also include the reception of information entered via an input device such as a keyboard or touch panel, or the reception of information read from a recording medium such as a memory.

[0081] The reception unit 21 in this embodiment receives the reception strength information transmitted from the terminal 30 via the first network 50. When the area determination system 10 has the configuration as shown in Fig. 1, 20 pieces of reception strength information corresponding to a combination of four terminals 30 and five mobile objects 40 are received simultaneously or approximately simultaneously.

[0082] Furthermore, the accepting unit 21 accepts, for example, setting values ​​(for example, numerical values ​​such as the predetermined length T and the predetermined number of times N: fixed values ​​or initial values) input via an input device.

[0083] (2-9-2) Processing section The processing unit 22 executes various types of processing. The various types of processing are, for example, the processing related to the above-mentioned area determination, and specifically, the processing of the above-mentioned main parts (the detection unit 221, the first determination unit 222, the acquisition unit 223, the second determination unit 224, and the control unit 225). The processing unit 22 also performs some of the various determinations described in the flowcharts of Figs. 4 to 6, etc.

[0084] 1, 35 area determinations are executed in parallel, corresponding to the combination of the seven areas A10 to A16 and the five moving bodies 40. Note that "in parallel" means, for example, time-division processing by one processor, but may also mean parallel processing by multiple processors.

[0085] (2-9-3) Output section The output unit 23 outputs various information such as the result of area determination.

[0086] The output unit 23 outputs, for example, the determination result (for example, the above-mentioned determination result information) of the second determination unit 224. When the area determination system 10 has the configuration as shown in Fig. 1, 35 pieces of determination result information corresponding to the above-mentioned 35 area determinations by the processing unit 22 are output.

[0087] The output is, for example, transmission to the service providing system 70 via the second network 60, but may also include display on a display, audio output from a speaker, recording on a recording medium, and the like.

[0088] (2-10) Memory and information in memory For example, four pieces of terminal location information corresponding to four terminals 30 and seven pieces of area location information corresponding to seven areas A10 to A11 are pre-stored in a memory (not shown) of the server 20. The terminal location information is information related to the location of the terminal 30, and the area location information is information related to the location of the target area (A10 to A17).

[0089] The terminal position information is, for example, coordinates. The coordinates in this embodiment are two-dimensional coordinates (x, y). The two-dimensional coordinates (x, y) are, for example, coordinates in an xy plane defined by two axes, the x axis and the y axis (neither of which are shown in the figure) along the bottom surface of the space A1 shown in FIG. 3. However, the coordinates may be, for example, three-dimensional coordinates (x, y, z) in an xyz plane defined by three axes, including the x axis, the y axis, and the z axis in the height direction, or may be one-dimensional coordinates (x) along the x axis.

[0090] The area position information is, for example, a set of two coordinates corresponding to the start point and end point of the area. For example, the area position information corresponding to the area A10 may be "(X10s, Y10s) to (X10e, Y10e)".

[0091] The memory in which the terminal location information and the like is stored may be, for example, the memory of the terminal 30, the memory of the service providing system 70, etc., and the location of the memory does not matter as long as it is accessible by the processor of the server 20.

[0092] Furthermore, the memory does not have to be a single memory. The memory may be, for example, a collection of multiple memory elements, and various types of information such as terminal location information may be stored in a distributed manner in the multiple memory elements.

[0093] (2-11) Position detection based on information in memory and storage of detection results The above-mentioned position detection by the detection unit 221 is performed based on the reception strength of the wireless signal W10 received by the receiver of the terminal 30 and the terminal position information stored in the memory.

[0094] That is, the detection unit 221 detects the position of a single moving body 40 based on four pieces of reception strength information corresponding to four terminals 30 and the terminal position information stored in the memory, for a wireless signal W10 from the single moving body 40.

[0095] Furthermore, when the detection unit 221 detects the position of the moving object 40 and acquires the moving object position information, it acquires time information indicating the time when the position detection was performed from a built-in clock or the like, and stores the time information in memory in association with the moving object position information. The acquired set of moving object position information and time information is usually stored in memory in association with the moving object identifier.

[0096] In this way, each time the position of the moving body 40 is detected, time information is acquired, and a set of the acquired moving body position information and time information is stored in the memory in association with the moving body identifier.

[0097] The set of mobile object location information and time information is stored, for example, in the memory of the server, but may be stored in other memory, and the storage destination is not important.

[0098] (2-12) Control method of the control unit (2-12-1) Method 1 In this embodiment, when the presence determination count n is equal to or greater than a predetermined count N, the control unit 225 calculates the difference between two pieces of time information corresponding to two pieces of adjacent presence information for a plurality of pieces of presence information acquired during a target period. This allows one or more differences to be calculated.

[0099] In addition, in this embodiment, as described above, since the initial value of the predetermined number of times N is "3", when the number of presence determination times n is "2", the calculation of the difference is not performed. However, even when the number of presence determination times n is "2", the calculation of the difference may be performed.

[0100] The control unit 225 acquires the maximum difference (Δt), which is the maximum value among the one or more differences calculated in this way. Then, even when the number of presence determination times n is greater than or equal to the predetermined number of times N, if the maximum difference Δt exceeds the threshold value Δt0, the control unit 225 causes the second determination unit 224 to determine that the moving body 40 did not exist in the target area (for example, area A10) during the target period.

[0101] The threshold value Δt0 is, for example, k times (0 < k < 1) the period length T of the target period. k is, for example, "1 / 2", "2 / 3", etc.

[0102] (2-12-2) Operation of the area determination system (server) corresponding to Method 1 The area determination system 10 (in this embodiment, the server 20) executes processing according to the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 to 6. Note that the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 to 6 are started in response to the activation of the area determination system 10 (server 20).

[0103] In addition, the flowcharts of FIGS. 4 to 6 are for processing for one combination (for example, a combination of 35 sets) of one or more (for example, 5) moving bodies 40 and one or more areas (for example, 7 areas A10 to A16). In the area determination system 10, processing similar to this processing is executed for each combination of the moving body identifier and the area identifier. Specifically, for example, the processing unit 22 of the server 20 executes 35 processes corresponding to 35 combinations of the moving body identifier and the area identifier in parallel.

[0104] The processing unit 22 acquires time information from a built-in clock or the like (not shown) and sets it in a variable ts indicating the start time (step S1). Next, the processing unit 22 sets an initial value "0" in a variable n indicating the number of presence determination times (step S2).

[0105] Next, the processing unit 22 judges whether or not a time corresponding to the above-mentioned predetermined length T (hereinafter, referred to as "time T") has elapsed since the start time ts (step S3). If the time T has not yet elapsed since the start time ts (i.e., it is judged as No in step S3), the processing unit 22 performs a position process to detect the position of the moving body 40 (step S4). The position detection process will be described later.

[0106] Next, the first determination unit 222 determines whether or not the position detected in step S4 is within the target area A10 (step S5). If the detected position is within the target area A10 (i.e., if the determination in step S5 is Yes), the processing unit 22 associates the presence information "1" with the position information acquired in step S1 (step S6). Next, the processing unit 22 increments the variable n (step S7). After that, the process returns to step S3.

[0107] If the location detected in step S4 is not within the target area A10 (i.e., if the result of step S5 is No), the processing unit 22 associates the absence information "0" with the location information acquired in step S1 (step S8). After that, the process returns to step S3.

[0108] If the time T has already passed since the start time ts (i.e., if the answer to step S3 is Yes), the processing unit 22 adds the time T to the end time te (step S9). Next, the second determination unit 224 determines whether the presence determination count n is equal to or greater than a predetermined count N (step S10).

[0109] If the presence determination count n is equal to or greater than the predetermined count N (i.e., if it is determined as Yes in step S10), the acquisition unit 223 acquires the maximum difference Δt between adjacent "presence" times (step S11). Next, the control unit 225 determines whether the maximum difference Δt acquired in step S11 is equal to or less than a threshold value Δt0 (step S12).

[0110] If the maximum difference Δt is equal to or smaller than the threshold value Δt0 (that is, if it is determined as Yes in step S12), the second determination unit 224 associates the presence information "1" with the period information "ts~te" which is a set of the start time ts and the end time te (step S13).

[0111] If the number of presence determinations n is not equal to or greater than the predetermined number N (i.e., if the determination is No in step S10), the second determination unit 224 associates the absence information "0" with the period information "ts~te" (step S14). Also, if the number of presence determinations n is equal to or greater than the predetermined number N but the maximum difference Δt is not equal to or less than the threshold value Δt0 (i.e., if the determination is No in step S12), the control unit 225 instructs the second determination unit 224 to associate the absence information "0" with the period information "ts~te", thereby executing step S13.

[0112] After step S13 or step S14 is executed, the process ends. When the process has been completed for all combinations of mobile unit identifiers and area identifiers, the process starts for the next target period.

[0113] The position detection process in step S4 is executed, for example, according to the flowchart of FIG.

[0114] The detection unit 221 determines whether or not the wireless signal W10 from the moving object 40 has been received by three or more (four in this case) terminals 30 corresponding to three or more (four in this case) terminals 30 (step S41).

[0115] If four terminals 30 receive a wireless signal W10 from a moving body 40 (i.e., if Yes is determined in step S41), the detection unit 221 detects the position of the moving body 40 based on the four reception intensities corresponding to the four received wireless signals W10, and acquires moving body position information (step S42).

[0116] Next, the detection unit 221 acquires time information at the time when the position detection is performed in step S42 from an internal memory or the like, and stores the time information in association with the moving object position information acquired in step S42 (step S43). After that, the process returns to the upper level process (see FIG. 4 and FIG. 5).

[0117] (2-12-3) Example corresponding to Method 1 In this example, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the predetermined length T is 180 seconds, the predetermined number of times N is 3, and the threshold value Δt0 is 110 seconds.

[0118] In the target period "ts~te", the end time te is the start time ts plus 180 seconds (te=ts+180). The location information is acquired in a 20-second cycle, and 10 pieces of location information are acquired in the 180 seconds from the start time ts to the end time te. Note that, for convenience, the location information is acquired in a 20-second cycle in this example, but typically location information is acquired in shorter cycles (for example, every second).

[0119] Of the 10 pieces of location information obtained, the first piece of location information is associated with time information “ts”, the second piece of location information is associated with time information “ts+20”, ..., the tenth piece of location information is associated with time information te.

[0120] Then, the presence information "1" or the absence information "0" is associated with each of the 10 pieces of location information "ts", "ts+20",... "te" corresponding to the 10 pieces of location information. In the example of Fig. 7A, the presence information "1" is associated with the first, sixth and tenth three pieces of location information, and the absence information "0" is associated with the other seven pieces of location information. In the example of Fig. 7B, the presence information "1" is associated with the first, seventh and tenth three pieces of location information, and the absence information "0" is associated with the other seven pieces of location information.

[0121] 7A, the difference between the first and sixth time information is 100 seconds, and the difference between the sixth and tenth time information is 80 seconds, and the maximum difference Δt is 100 seconds. Since this Δt (=100 seconds) is smaller than the threshold Δt0 (=110 seconds), the target period is determined to be a "residence period."

[0122] 7B, the difference between the first and seventh time information pieces is 120 seconds, and the difference between the seventh and tenth time information pieces is 60 seconds, so the maximum difference Δt is 120 seconds. Since this Δt (=120 seconds) is greater than or equal to the threshold Δt0 (=110 seconds), the target period is determined to be an "absent period."

[0123] Thus, according to this embodiment (method 1), even if the number of presence determinations is the same (n=3), if the time interval between presence determinations (e.g., the maximum difference Δt) is greater than or equal to a threshold value (Δt0), it is determined to be an absence period, thereby improving the accuracy of determination, for example, when a person leaves the room near the end of the target period.

[0124] Therefore, in this embodiment, by utilizing the maximum difference Δt between a plurality of times corresponding to a plurality of presence determinations in the target period, it is possible to improve the determination accuracy.

[0125] (2-12-4) Control variation 1: Method 2 The control unit 225 extends the target period when the first determination unit 222 still obtains a determination result equivalent to the determination result of the second determination unit 224 during the target period even after the target period has elapsed.

[0126] An example of a case where a judgment result is obtained after the target period has passed is a case where a judgment result equivalent to the judgment result of the second judgment unit 224 during the target period is re-acquired by the first judgment unit 222 within a predetermined time ΔT from the end of the target period.

[0127] The extension of the target period means, for example, delaying the end of the target period by a predetermined time ΔT. However, the extension amount of the target period may be longer or shorter than the predetermined time ΔT.

[0128] In this embodiment, the control unit 225 delays the start and end of the next target period by ΔT in response to delaying the end of the target period by a predetermined time ΔT. As a result, the next target period is delayed by ΔT while maintaining the period length T.

[0129] However, when the control unit 225 delays the end of a target period by ΔT, the control unit 225 may not delay the start and end of the next target period at all, which results in a partial overlap between the target period and the next target period.

[0130] Alternatively, when the control unit 225 delays the end of a target period by ΔT, it may delay only the start of the next target period by ΔT, and not delay the end of the next target period at all. This causes no overlap between the target period and the next target period, and shortens the period length T of the next target period to "T-ΔT".

[0131] In this way, according to control variant example 1 (method 2), if the same judgment result by the first judgment unit 222 continues even after the second judgment unit 224 obtains a judgment result for the target period, the judgment accuracy can be improved by extending the target period.

[0132] (2-12-5) Extension of period when presence determination is continued Specifically, for example, when the first judgment unit 222 determines that the moving body 40 is present in the target area A10 within a predetermined time ΔT after the second judgment unit 224 determines that the moving body 40 was present in the target area (e.g., area A10) during the target period, the control unit 225 delays the end of the target period by a predetermined time ΔT.

[0133] That is, when the second determination unit 224 acquires the presence information during the target period, and the first determination unit 222 acquires the presence information again within a predetermined time ΔT after the end time te, which is the end of the target period (time "te+ΔT"), the control unit 225 delays the end of the target period by the predetermined time ΔT. When the presence information is not acquired again within the predetermined time ΔT, for example, the end of the target period becomes the start of the next target period.

[0134] In this way, if the presence determination by the first determination section 222 continues even after the presence determination for the target period is obtained by the second determination section 224, the determination accuracy can be improved by extending the target period.

[0135] (2-12-6) Extension of period when absence determination continues In addition, when the first judgment unit 222 determines that the moving body 40 is not present in the target area A10 within a predetermined time ΔT after the second judgment unit 224 determines that the moving body 40 was not present in the target area (e.g., area A10) during the target period, the control unit 225 delays the end of the target period by a predetermined time ΔT.

[0136] That is, if absence information is acquired by the second determination unit 224 during the target period, and the absence information is acquired again by the first determination unit 222 within a predetermined time ΔT after the end time te, which is the end of the target period (time "te+ΔT"), the control unit 225 delays the end of the target period by the predetermined time ΔT. If absence information is not acquired again within the predetermined time ΔT, for example, the end of the target period becomes the start of the next target period.

[0137] The predetermined time ΔT when determining whether to reacquire the absence information and the predetermined time ΔT when determining whether to reacquire the presence information are usually the same length, but may be different lengths.

[0138] In this way, if the absence determination by the first determination unit 222 continues even after the second determination unit 224 obtains an absence determination for the target period, the accuracy of the determination can be improved by extending the target period.

[0139] (2-12-7) Operation of the area determination system (server) corresponding to method 2 The area determination system 10 (the server 20 in this embodiment) executes processing according to the flowcharts of Figures 4, 6 and 8. Since Figures 4 and 6 have already been explained, the processing of Figure 8 will be explained.

[0140] The process in FIG. 8 is obtained by deleting two steps S11 and S12 from the process in FIG. 5 and adding six steps S15, S4, S5, and S16 to S18.

[0141] As described above, in step S10, it is determined whether the presence determination count n is equal to or greater than the predetermined count N. If the determination in step S10 is Yes, the process proceeds to step S13. If the determination in step S10 is No, the process proceeds to step S14.

[0142] As described above, in step S13, the presence information "1" is associated with the period information "ts~te", and in step S14, the absence information "0" is associated with the period information "ts~te". After step S13 or step S14, the control unit 225 determines whether a predetermined time ΔT has elapsed from the end time te (step S15).

[0143] If the predetermined time ΔT has not yet elapsed from the end time (i.e., if step S15 is judged as No), steps S4 and S5 are executed. As described above, in step S4, the position of the moving object 40 is detected, and in step S5, it is determined whether the detected position is within the target area A10.

[0144] If the detected location is within the target area A10 (i.e., if the result of step S5 is Yes), the control unit 225 determines whether the presence information "1" corresponds to the period information "ts~te" (step S16). If the detected location is not within the target area A10 (i.e., if the result of step S5 is No), the control unit 225 determines whether the absence information "0" corresponds to the period information "ts~te" (step S17).

[0145] If the period information "ts~te" corresponds to the presence information "1" (i.e., if the answer is Yes in step S16), or if the period information "ts~te" corresponds to the absence information "0" (i.e., if the answer is Yes in step S17), the control unit 225 changes the period information "ts~te" to "ts~te+ΔT" (step S18).

[0146] If the determination in step S16 is No, or if the determination in step S17 is No, the process returns to step S15.

[0147] After step S18 is executed, or if a predetermined time ΔT has already elapsed since the end time te (i.e., if the answer is Yes in step S15), the process ends. When the process is completed for all combinations of mobile identifiers and area identifiers, the process starts for the next target period.

[0148] (2-12-8) Example of method 2 Figures 9A and 9B show an example of the judgment results of the first judgment unit 222 (white diamonds corresponding to presence "1" and black diamonds corresponding to absence "0") during the target period and the next target period, as well as an example of the judgment results of the second judgment unit 224 ("presence period" or "absence period").

[0149] The examples of Figures 9A and 9B correspond to a case in which a moving body 40 is present in area A10 throughout the target period "ts~te" and leaves area A10 approximately 50 seconds after the end te of the target period (= the start ts of the next target period).

[0150] In this example, the predetermined time ΔT is 20 seconds, as shown in Fig. 9B. Note that Fig. 9A shows, for comparison, a case in which the control of method 2 (extension of the target period) is not performed.

[0151] In this example, as shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the predetermined length T is 180 seconds and the predetermined number of times N is 3, similarly to the specific example corresponding to method 1 (see FIGS. 7A and 7B).

[0152] Also, although not shown in the figure, in the target period "ts~te", the end time te is the start time ts plus 180 seconds (te=ts+180), the location information acquisition period is 20 seconds, and 10 pieces of location information are acquired in the 180 seconds from the start time ts to the end time te.

[0153] In Fig. 9A, the number of presence determinations n in the target period "ts~te" is "3", and the number of presence determinations n in the next target period "ts~te" is also "3". In the target period "ts~te", presence information "1" is acquired in three determinations, the 1st, 7th, and 10th, and absence information "0" is acquired in seven determinations, the 2nd to 6th, 8th, and 9th. In the next target period "ts~te", presence information "1" is acquired in three determinations, the 1st to 3rd, and absence information "0" is acquired in seven determinations, the 4th to 10th.

[0154] Therefore, if the control of method 2 (extension of the target period) is not performed, the target period and the next target period are both determined to be a presence period, as shown in Fig. 9A. In other words, the next target period is determined to be a presence period, even though the entire period from 50 seconds from the start point onwards is determined to be an absence period.

[0155] In contrast, as shown in FIG. 9B, when control of method 2 is performed, after the second judgment unit 224 judges that the target period "ts~te" is a presence period, the first judgment unit 222 reacquires the presence information "1" within the predetermined time ΔT (=20 seconds) from the end te of the target period "ts~te", so the control unit 225 extends the target period "ts~te" by the predetermined time ΔT (20 seconds).

[0156] 9B, with the extension of the target period "ts~te", the next target period "ts~te" is delayed by a predetermined time ΔT (=20 seconds). Therefore, the presence determination count n in the next target period "ts~te" becomes "2", and since the presence determination count n does not meet the predetermined count N, the second determination unit 224 determines that the next target period "ts~te" is an absent period.

[0157] In this way, according to the control variation 1 (method 2), a determination result is obtained that reflects that the entire period from 50 seconds from the start of the next target period is determined to be an absence period, thereby improving the determination accuracy.

[0158] (2-12-9) Control variation 2: Method 3 In this example, the control unit 225 adopts a weighted value that weights the value in the target period for at least one of the specified length T and the specified number of times N in the next target period, depending on the judgment result of the second judgment unit 224 in the target period.

[0159] (2-12-10) Adoption of the first weighted value and / or the second weighted value after the absence determination In detail, for example, when the second judgment unit 224 judges that the moving body 40 was not present in the target area (e.g., area A10) during the target period, the control unit 225 adopts at least one of the first weighted value for the specified length T and the second weighted value for the specified number of times N in the next target period.

[0160] The first weighting value is the value (α1×T: where α1<1) obtained by multiplying the value of a predetermined length T in the target period by a weighting coefficient α1 smaller than 1. The second weighting value is the value (β1×N: where β1>1) obtained by multiplying the value of a predetermined number of occurrences N in the target period by a weighting coefficient β1 larger than 1 (β1>1).

[0161] In this way, by adopting at least one of the first weighting value (α1×T: where α1<1) and the second weighting value (β1×N: where β1>1) in the next target period depending on the absence judgment for the target period, the accuracy of the judgment can be improved.

[0162] (2-12-11) First weighted value adopted after absence determination during reservation period When the second determination unit 224 determines that the moving body 40 was not present in the target area (e.g., area A10) during the target period and the next target period overlaps with the reservation period for the target area A10, the control unit 225 adopts the first weighted value for the specified length T during the next target period.

[0163] In detail, for example, reservation information is stored in the memory. The reservation information is information capable of identifying the reservation period of the target area (for example, area A10). The reservation information includes, for example, reservation period information. The reservation period information is information indicating the reservation period. The reservation period information is, for example, a set of a start time and an end time, but may also be a set of a start time and a usage time.

[0164] In this embodiment, seven pieces of reservation information corresponding to the seven areas A10 to A16 shown in Fig. 3 are stored in memory in association with the area identifiers. However, the reservation information may include vacant period information indicating an unreserved vacant period instead of or in addition to the reservation period information. Alternatively, the reservation information may simply be information indicating the presence or absence of a reservation.

[0165] In this way, when the next target period overlaps with the reservation period, the accuracy of the judgment can be improved by adopting the first weighting value in the next target period depending on the absence judgment for the target period.

[0166] In addition to adopting the first weight value for the predetermined length T, a second weight value for the predetermined number of times N may be adopted.

[0167] (2-12-12) Adoption of the third and / or fourth weighted values ​​after presence determination When the second determination unit 224 determines that the moving body 40 was present in the target area (e.g., area A10) during the target period, the control unit 225 adopts at least one of the third weighted value for the specified length T and the fourth weighted value for the specified number of times N in the next target period.

[0168] The third weighting value is the value obtained by multiplying the value of a predetermined length T in the target period by a weighting coefficient α2 greater than 1 (α2×T: where α2>1). The fourth weighting value is the value obtained by multiplying the value of a predetermined number of occurrences N in the target period by a weighting coefficient β2 less than 1 (β2×N: where β2<1).

[0169] In this way, by adopting at least one of the third weighting value (α2×T: where α2>1) and the fourth weighting value (β2×N: where β2<1) in the next target period depending on the presence determination for the target period, it is possible to improve the accuracy of the determination.

[0170] (2-12-13) Adoption of the third weighted value after determining the presence during the reservation period When the second determination unit 224 determines that the moving body 40 was present in a target area (e.g., area A10) during the target period and the next target period overlaps with the reservation period for the target area A10, the control unit 225 adopts the third weighted value for the specified length T in the next target period.

[0171] In this way, when the next target period overlaps with the reservation period, the accuracy of the judgment can be improved by adopting the third weighting value (α2×T: where α2>1) in the next target period depending on the presence judgment for the target period.

[0172] In addition to adopting the third weighting value (α2×T: where α2>1) for the predetermined length T, a fourth weighting value (β2×N: where β2<1) for the predetermined number of times N may be adopted.

[0173] (2-12-14) Operation of the area determination system (server) corresponding to method 3 The area determination system 10 (the server 20 in this embodiment) executes processing according to the flowcharts of Figures 4, 6 and 10. Since Figures 4 and 6 have already been explained, the processing of Figure 10 will be explained.

[0174] The process of Figure 10 is the same as that of Figure 8 (Method 2) except that six steps S15, S4, S5, and S16 to S18 are deleted, and step S13a, which is executed after step S13, and step S14a, which is executed after step S14, are added.

[0175] In step S13a, at least one of setting the variable T to "α2×T" (where α2>1) and setting the variable N to "β2×N" (where β2<1) is executed.

[0176] In step S14a, at least one of setting the variable T to "α1×T" (where α1<1) and setting the variable N to "β1×N" (where β1>1) is executed.

[0177] After step S13a or step S14a is executed, the process ends. When the process is completed for all combinations of mobile unit identifiers and area identifiers, the process starts for the next target period.

[0178] (2-12-15) Example of Method 3 Figures 11A and 11B show an example of the judgment results of the first judgment unit 222 (white diamonds corresponding to presence "1" and black diamonds corresponding to absence "0") and the judgment results of the second judgment unit 224 ("presence period" or "absence period") for three consecutive target periods P1 to P3.

[0179] The examples of Figures 11A and 11B correspond to a case in which a moving body 40 is not present in area A10 during the first target period P1 "ts~te", enters area A10 approximately 30 seconds after the end te of target period P1 (= the beginning ts of the next target period P2), and is present in area A10 throughout the remaining 150 seconds of the next target period P2 "ts~te" and the 180 seconds of the next target period P3 "ts~te".

[0180] 11A, the control target of the control unit 225 is a predetermined number of times N. The predetermined number of times N changes, such as N1 in the target period P1, N2 in the target period P2, and N3 in the target period P3. Note that the predetermined length T is constant (=180 seconds) throughout the target periods P1 to P3.

[0181] During the target period P1, the predetermined number N1 is "2", while the presence determination count n is "1" as shown in FIG. 11A. Therefore, n < N1, and the target period P1 is determined to be an absence period. In response to this determination result, the control unit 225 adopts the second weighted value "β1 × N" (β1 > 1: β1 = 2 in this example) for the predetermined number N (see step S14a). As a result, the predetermined number N2 in the next target period P2 becomes twice that of the predetermined number N1 in the target period P1 (N2 = 2 × N1 = 4).

[0182] During the target period P2, the predetermined number N2 is "4", while the presence determination count n is "4". Therefore, n ≥ N2, and the target period P2 is determined to be a presence period. In response to this determination result, the control unit 225 adopts the fourth weighted value "β2 × N" (β2 < 1: β2 = 0.5 in this example) for the predetermined number N (see step S13a). As a result, the predetermined number N3 in the next target period P3 becomes 0.5 times that of the predetermined number N2 in the target period P2 (N3 = 0.5 × N2 = 2).

[0183] During the target period P3, the predetermined number N3 is "2", while the presence determination count n is "2". Therefore, n ≥ N3, and the target period P3 is determined to be a presence period. Note that in response to this determination result, the control unit 225 may adopt the second weighted value "β1 × N" (however, β1 < 1: β2 = 0.5 in this example) for the predetermined number N. As a result, the predetermined number (N4) in the next target period (P4), not shown in the figure, becomes 0.5 times that of the predetermined number N3 in the target period P3 (N4 = 0.5 × N3 = 1).

[0184] In this way, in the next target period after the absence period, since it is necessary to accurately determine the change from the absence state to the presence state, by adopting the second weighted value "β1 × N" (where β1 > 1) and increasing the predetermined number N, it is possible to improve the determination accuracy of the change from absence to presence.

[0185] Also, in the next target period following the presence period, since it is highly likely that the presence state continues, the first weighted value "β2 × N" (where β2 < 1) is adopted, and by decreasing the predetermined number N, it is possible to improve the determination accuracy of the change from presence to absence. In other words, in a situation where it is highly likely that the presence state continues, if the predetermined number N is decreased, it is possible to expect a reduction in the misjudgment of the change from presence to absence (that is, being erroneously judged as having changed from presence to absence even though the presence state continues).

[0186] Note that the determination of the change from the presence state to the absence state generally does not require as high an accuracy as the determination of the change from the absence state to the presence state. Therefore, even if the determination accuracy decreases due to the decrease in the predetermined number N, it may be acceptable.

[0187] Therefore, by changing the predetermined number N in the next target period according to the determination result of the second determination unit 224 in the target period, the determination accuracy can be improved.

[0188] In the example of FIG. 11B, among the three target periods P1 to P3, two target periods P2 and P3 belong to the reservation period, and the control target of the control unit 225 is the predetermined length T. The predetermined length T changes as T1 in the target period P1, T2 in the target period P2, and T3 in the target period P3. Note that the predetermined number N is constant (= 2) throughout the target periods P1 to P3.

[0189] In the target period P1, while the predetermined length T1 is "180 seconds", since the number of presence determinations n is "1" as shown in FIG. 11B, n < N, and the target period P1 is determined to be an absence period. In response to this determination result, the control unit 225 adopts the first weighted value "the first weighted value α1 × T" (α1 < 1: in this example, α1 = 0.5) for the predetermined length T (see step S14a). As a result, the predetermined length T2 in the next target period P2 becomes 0.5 times the predetermined length T1 in the target period P1 (T2 = 0.5 × T1 = 90 seconds).

[0190] In the target period P2 having the predetermined length T2 (=90 seconds), the predetermined number of times N is "2", while the presence determination number of times n is "2", so n≧N, and the target period P2 is determined to be a presence period. In response to this determination result, the control unit 225 adopts a third weight value "α2×T" (α2>1: α2=4 in this example) for the predetermined length T (see step S13a). As a result, the predetermined length T3 in the next target period P3 is four times the predetermined length T2 in the target period P2 (T3=4×T2=360 seconds).

[0191] In the target period P3, the predetermined number of times N is "2", while the presence determination number of times n is "4", so n≧N, and the target period P3 is determined to be a presence period. In response to this determination result, the control unit 225 may adopt a third weight value "α2×T" (where α2>1: α2=4 in this example) for the predetermined length T. As a result, the predetermined length (T4) in the next target period (P4) not shown in the figure is four times the predetermined length T3 in the target period P3 (T4=4×T3=1440 seconds).

[0192] In this way, it is necessary to accurately determine the change from an absent state to a present state in the target period following the absent period (particularly since the two target periods P2 and P3 belong to the reservation period, there is a high possibility that a change from an absent state to a present state will occur in the target period P2), so by adopting the first weighting value "α1×T" (where α1<1) and lengthening the specified length T, the accuracy of determining the change from absent to present can be improved.

[0193] In addition, since it is generally highly likely that the presence state will continue in the target period following the presence period (particularly, since the two target periods P2 and P3 belong to the reservation period, the presence state is more likely to continue in target period P3), the third weight value "α2×T" (where α2>1) is adopted and the predetermined length T is lengthened, thereby improving the accuracy of determining the change from presence to absence. In other words, by lengthening the predetermined length T in a situation where it is highly likely that the presence state will continue, it is expected that the erroneous determination of the change from presence to absence can be reduced.

[0194] In addition, since the determination of a change from a present state to an absent state generally does not require as high accuracy as the determination of a change from an absent state to a present state, it is acceptable for the determination accuracy to decrease due to the extension of the specified length T.

[0195] Therefore, by changing the predetermined length T in the next target period depending on the determination result of the second determination unit 224 in the target period, the determination accuracy can be improved.

[0196] In this example, at least one of an upper limit value (e.g., 10) and a lower limit value (e.g., 2) may be set in advance for the predetermined number of times N. If the predetermined number of times N exceeds the upper limit value, the predetermined number of times N becomes the upper limit value, and if the predetermined number of times N does not reach the lower limit value, the predetermined number of times N becomes the lower limit value. Similarly, at least one of a lower limit value (e.g., 60 seconds) and an upper limit value (e.g., 600 seconds) may be set in advance for the predetermined length T. If the predetermined length T does not reach the lower limit value, the predetermined length T becomes the lower limit value, and if the predetermined length T exceeds the upper limit value, the predetermined length T becomes the upper limit value.

[0197] In this example, when the second weight value "β1×N" (where β1>1) is continuously used, the weighting coefficient β1 in the subsequent second weight value "β1×N" may be smaller than the weighting coefficient β1 in the previous second weight value "β1×N". This makes it possible to suppress an increase due to the continuous use of the second weight value "β1×N".

[0198] Similarly, when the third weight value "α2×T" (where α2>1) is continuously used, the weighting coefficient α2 in the subsequent third weight value "α2×T" may be smaller than the weighting coefficient α2 in the previous third weight value "α2×T." This makes it possible to suppress an increase due to the continuous use of the third weight value "α2×T."

[0199] Furthermore, when the first weight value "α1×T" (where α1<1) is used consecutively, the weighting coefficient α1 in the subsequent first weight value "α1×T" may be greater than the weighting coefficient α1 in the previous first weight value "α1×T." This makes it possible to suppress a decrease due to the consecutive use of the first weight value "α1×T."

[0200] Furthermore, when the fourth weight value "β2×N" (where β2<1) is used consecutively, the weighting coefficient β2 in the subsequent fourth weight value "β2×N" may be greater than the weighting coefficient β2 in the previous fourth weight value "β2×N." This makes it possible to suppress a decrease due to the consecutive use of the fourth weight value "β2×N."

[0201] In this way, according to control variant example 2 (method 3), the accuracy of judgment can be improved by weighting at least one of the specified length T and the specified period T in the next target period depending on the judgment result for the target period.

[0202] (3) Modifications to the area determination system The area determination system 10 may not include the server 20, and any one of the three or more terminals 30 may have the functions of the server 20. In other words, the area determination system 10 may be composed of three or more terminals 30 including one terminal 30 having a server function.

[0203] The number of terminals 30 constituting the area determination system 10 may be two or one. Furthermore, the area determination system 10 may not include a terminal 30, and the server 20 may have the functions of one terminal 30. In other words, the area determination system 10 can be realized with only the server 20.

[0204] (4) Area determination method and program Note that functions similar to those of the area determination system 10 (server 20) according to this embodiment may be embodied in an added value improvement method, a (computer) program, or a non-transitory recording medium on which a program is recorded, etc. Note that the area determination method is a method including, among the various steps described above, at least step S4 (detection step), step S5 (first determination step), step S7 (acquisition step), steps S10, S13 and S14 (second determination step), steps S11 and S12, steps S15 and S18, and steps S13a and S14b (control steps).

[0205] The program is a program for causing one or more processors to execute the above-mentioned area determination method. The one or more processors may be, for example, a processor of the server 20, but may also include three or more processors corresponding to three or more terminals 30, or may further include a processor of the mobile body 40 and a processor of the service providing system 70. Alternatively, the one or more processors may be, for example, a processor of one of the three or more terminals 30.

[0206] (5) Summary The area determination system (10) according to the first aspect of the present disclosure includes a detection unit (221), a first determination unit (222), an acquisition unit (223), a second determination unit (224), and a control unit (225). The detection unit (221) detects the position of the moving object (40) based on the reception strength of a wireless signal (W10) transmitted and received between the moving object (40) and acquires moving object position information indicating the detection result. The first determination unit (222) determines whether or not the moving object (40) is present in the target area (A10) based on the moving object position information. The acquisition unit (223) acquires the presence determination count (n). The presence determination count (n) is the number of presence determinations in which the first determination unit (222) determines that the moving object (40) is present in the target area (A10) during a target period having a predetermined length (T). The second determination unit (224) determines that the moving object (40) was present in the target area (A10) during the target period when the number of presence determinations (n) is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (N), and determines that the moving object (40) was not present in the target area (A10) during the target period when the number of presence determinations (n) is less than the predetermined number (N). The control unit (225) controls the determination process or the determination result of the second determination unit (224) using one or more of the time difference between multiple presence determinations during the target period, the predetermined length (T), and the predetermined number (N).

[0207] According to this embodiment, it is possible to improve the accuracy of determining whether the mobile object (40) is present or absent in the target area.

[0208] In the area determination system (10) according to the second aspect, in the first aspect, a moving body (40) has one of a transmitter that periodically or irregularly transmits a wireless signal (W10) and a receiver that receives the wireless signal (W10). A detection unit (221) detects the position of the moving body (40) based on the reception strength of the wireless signal (W10) by the receiver via a terminal (30) that has the other of the transmitter and the receiver.

[0209] According to this embodiment, it is possible to provide a server (20) capable of improving the accuracy of determining the presence / absence of a mobile object (40) in a target area via the terminal (30).

[0210] In the area determination system (10) according to the third aspect, in the first or second aspect, the detection unit (221) acquires time information indicating the time when the position detection was performed and stores the information in association with the moving object position information. The first determination unit (222) stores presence information indicating a determination result of "presence" or absence information indicating a determination result of "non-existence" in association with the time information.

[0211] According to this aspect, by referring to the storage destination (memory) and counting the number of time information that belongs to a predetermined period and is associated with presence information, it is possible to obtain the number of presence determinations after the fact. Also, it is easy to obtain the time difference (for example, the maximum difference Δt) between multiple presence determinations. Furthermore, it is easy to control using one or more of the time difference, the predetermined length (T), and the predetermined number of times (N).

[0212] In the area determination system (10) according to the fourth aspect, in the third aspect, the control unit (225) calculates a difference between two pieces of time information corresponding to two adjacent pieces of presence information for a plurality of pieces of presence information acquired during the target period when the number of presence determinations (n) is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (N), and acquires a maximum difference (Δt) that is the maximum value among the one or more calculated differences. Then, the control unit (225) causes the second determination unit (224) to determine that the moving object (40) was not present in the target area (A10) during the target period when the maximum difference (Δt) exceeds a threshold value (Δt0), even when the number of presence determinations (n) is equal to or greater than the predetermined number (N).

[0213] According to this aspect (method 1), by using the maximum difference (Δt), which is the maximum value among the time differences between a plurality of presence determinations in the target period, it is possible to improve the determination accuracy.

[0214] In the area determination system (10) according to the fifth aspect, in any of the first to fourth aspects, the control unit (225) extends the target period when the first determination unit (222) is still obtaining a determination result equivalent to the determination result of the second determination unit (224) during the target period even after the target period has passed.

[0215] According to this aspect (Method 2: can be used in conjunction with Method 1), if the same judgment result is still obtained by the first judgment unit (222) even after the second judgment unit (224) obtains the judgment result for the target period, the judgment accuracy can be improved by extending the target period.

[0216] In the area determination system (10) according to the sixth aspect, in the fifth aspect, when the first determination unit (222) determines that the moving body (40) is present in the target area (A10) within a predetermined time (ΔT) after the second determination unit (224) determines that the moving body (40) was present in the target area (A10) during the target period, the control unit (225) delays the end of the target period by a predetermined time (ΔT).

[0217] According to this aspect, if the presence determination by the first determination unit (222) continues even after the presence determination for the target period is obtained by the second determination unit (224), the accuracy of the determination can be improved by extending the target period.

[0218] In the area determination system (10) according to the seventh aspect, in the fifth or sixth aspect, if the first determination unit (222) determines that the moving body (40) is not present in the target area (A10) within a predetermined time (ΔT) after the second determination unit (224) determines that the moving body (40) was not present in the target area (A10) during the target period, the control unit (225) delays the end of the target period by a predetermined time (ΔT).

[0219] According to this embodiment, if the absence determination by the first determination unit (222) continues even after the second determination unit (224) obtains an absence determination for the target period, the accuracy of the determination can be improved by extending the target period.

[0220] In the area determination system (10) according to the eighth aspect, in any of the first to fourth aspects, the control unit (225) adopts a weighted value obtained by weighting the value in the target period for at least one of the predetermined length (T) and the predetermined number of times (N) in the next target period according to the determination result of the second determination unit (224) in the target period.

[0221] According to this aspect (Method 3: can be used in conjunction with Method 1), the accuracy of judgment can be improved by weighting at least one of the specified length (T) and the specified period (T) in the next target period depending on the judgment result for the target period.

[0222] In the area determination system (10) according to the ninth aspect, in the eighth aspect, when the second determination unit (224) determines that the moving object (40) was not present in the target area (A10) during the target period, the control unit (225) adopts at least one of the first weighting value (α1×T) and the second weighting value (β1×N) during the next target period. The first weighting value (α1×T) is a weighting value obtained by multiplying the value (T) during the target period by a weighting coefficient smaller than 1 (α1:α1<1) for a predetermined length (T). The second weighting value (β1×N) is a weighting value obtained by multiplying the value during the target period by a weighting coefficient larger than 1 (β1:β1>1) for a predetermined number of times (N).

[0223] According to this aspect, the accuracy of the judgment can be improved by adopting at least one of the first weighting value (α1×T: where α1<1) and the second weighting value (β1×N: where β1>1) in the next target period depending on the absence judgment for the target period.

[0224] In the area determination system (10) according to the tenth aspect, in the ninth aspect, when the second determination unit (224) determines that the moving body (40) was not present in the target area (A10) during the target period and the next target period overlaps with a reservation period for the target area (A10), the control unit (225) employs a first weighting value (α1×T) for a predetermined length (T) during the next target period.

[0225] According to this aspect, the first weighting value (α1×T) is adopted in the next target period depending on the absence determination for the target period and the overlap between the next target period and the reservation period, thereby improving the determination accuracy.

[0226] In the area determination system (10) according to an eleventh aspect, in the ninth or tenth aspect, when the second determination unit (224) determines that the moving object (40) was present in the target area (A10) during the target period, the control unit (225) employs at least one of the third weighting value (α2×T) and the fourth weighting value (β2×N) in the next target period. The third weighting value (α2×T) is a weighting value obtained by multiplying the value (T) in the target period by a weighting coefficient (α2:α2>1) greater than 1 for a predetermined length (T). The fourth weighting value (β2×N) is a weighting value obtained by multiplying the value in the target period by a weighting coefficient (β2:β2>1) less than 1 for a predetermined number of times (N).

[0227] According to this aspect, at least one of the third weighting value (α2×T) and the fourth weighting value (β2×N) is adopted in the next target period depending on the presence determination for the target period, thereby improving the determination accuracy.

[0228] In the area determination system (10) according to the twelfth aspect, in the eleventh aspect, when the second determination unit (224) determines that the moving body (40) was present in the target area (A10) during the target period and the next target period overlaps with a reservation period for the target area (A10), the control unit (225) employs a third weighting value (α2×T) for a predetermined length (T) during the next target period.

[0229] According to this aspect, by adopting the third weighting value (α1×T) in the next target period depending on the presence determination for the target period and the overlap between the next target period and the reservation period, it is possible to improve the determination accuracy.

[0230] The area determination method according to the thirteenth aspect includes a detection step (S4), a first determination step (S5), an acquisition step (S7), a second determination step (S10, S13, and S14), and control steps (S11, S12, S15, S18, and S13a and S14b). In the detection step (S4), the position of the moving body (40) is detected based on the reception strength of a wireless signal (W10) transmitted to and received from the moving body (40), and moving body position information indicating the detection result is acquired. In the first determination step (S5), it is determined whether or not the moving body (40) is present in the target area (A10) based on the moving body position information. In the acquisition step (S7), the presence determination count (n) is acquired. The presence determination count (n) is the number of presence determinations in which it is determined that the moving body (40) is present in the target area (A10) in the first determination step (S5) during a target period having a predetermined length (T). In the second determination steps (S10, S13, and S14), if the number of presence determinations (n) is equal to or greater than a predetermined number (N), it is determined that the moving object (40) was present in the target area (A10) during the target period, and if the number of presence determinations (n) is less than the predetermined number (N), it is determined that the moving object (40) was not present in the target area (A10) during the target period. In the control steps (S11, S12, S15, and S18, as well as S13a and S14b), the determination process or the determination result in the second determination steps (S10, S13, and S14) is controlled using one or more of the time difference between multiple presence determinations during the target period, the predetermined length (T), and the predetermined number (N).

[0231] According to this embodiment, it is possible to improve the accuracy of determining whether the moving object (40) is present or absent in the target area (A10).

[0232] A program according to a fourteenth aspect is a program for causing one or more processors to execute the area determination method according to the thirteenth aspect.

[0233] According to this embodiment, it is possible to improve the accuracy of determining whether the moving object (40) is present or absent in the target area (A10). [Explanation of symbols]

[0234] 10 Area Judgment System 20 Servers 21 Reception 22 Processing section 221 Detection unit 222 1st Judgment Department 223 Acquisition Department 224 Second Judgment Section 225 Control Unit 23 Output section 30 Terminals 40 Mobile T Predetermined length N specified number of times Δt maximum difference Δt0 threshold ΔT Predetermined time W10 wireless signal A10~A16 Target area

Claims

1. a detection unit that detects the position of a moving object based on the reception strength of a wireless signal transmitted to and received from the moving object, and acquires moving object position information indicating a detection result; a first determination unit that determines whether the moving object is present in a target area based on the moving object position information; an acquisition unit that acquires a presence determination count, which is the number of presence determinations in which the first determination unit has determined that the moving object is present in the target area during a target period having a predetermined length; a second determination unit that determines that the moving object was present in the target area during the target period when the number of presence determinations is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, and that the moving object was not present in the target area during the target period when the number of presence determinations is less than the predetermined number; and a control unit that controls the determination process or the determination result of the second determination unit by using one or more of a time difference between a plurality of presence determinations in the target period, the predetermined length, and the predetermined number of times. Area determination system.

2. the mobile object has one of a transmitter that periodically or irregularly transmits the wireless signal and a receiver that receives the wireless signal; the detection unit detects the position of the moving body based on a reception strength of the wireless signal by the receiver via a terminal having the other of the transmitter and the receiver. The area determination system according to claim 1 .

3. the detection unit acquires time information indicating a time when the position detection was performed, and stores the time information in association with the moving object position information; The first determination unit accumulates presence information indicating a determination result of "existence" or absence information indicating a determination result of "non-existence" in association with the time information. The area determination system according to claim 1 .

4. The control unit is When the presence determination count is equal to or greater than the predetermined count, a difference between two pieces of time information corresponding to two pieces of presence information adjacent to each other is calculated for the plurality of pieces of presence information acquired during the target period, and a maximum difference that is a maximum value among the calculated one or more differences is acquired; When the maximum difference exceeds a threshold value even if the number of presence determinations is equal to or greater than the predetermined number, the second determination unit determines that the moving object was not present in the target area during the target period. The area determination system according to claim 3 .

5. The control unit extends the target period when the first determination unit has obtained a determination result equivalent to a determination result of the second determination unit during the target period even after the target period has elapsed. The area determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. When the first determination unit determines that the moving object is present in the target area within a predetermined time after the second determination unit determines that the moving object is present in the target area during the target period, the control unit delays an end of the target period by the predetermined time. The area determination system according to claim 5 .

7. When the first determination unit determines that the moving object is not present in the target area within a predetermined time after the second determination unit determines that the moving object was not present in the target area during the target period, the control unit delays an end of the target period by the predetermined time. The area determination system according to claim 5 .

8. The control unit adopts a weighted value obtained by weighting a value in the target period for at least one of the predetermined length and the predetermined number of times in a target period next to the target period according to a determination result of the second determination unit in the target period. The area determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

9. When the second determination unit determines that the moving object was not present in the target area during the target period, the control unit adopts, in the next target period, at least one of a first weighted value obtained by multiplying a value in the target period by a weighting coefficient smaller than 1 for the predetermined length and a second weighted value obtained by multiplying a value in the target period by a weighting coefficient larger than 1 for the predetermined number of times. The area determination system according to claim 8 .

10. the control unit adopts the first weighting value for the predetermined length in the next target period when the second determination unit determines that the moving object was not present in the target area during the target period and the next target period overlaps with a reservation period for the target area. The area determination system according to claim 9 .

11. when the second determination unit determines that the moving object was present in the target area during the target period, the control unit adopts, in the next target period, at least one of a third weighted value obtained by multiplying a value in the target period by a weighting coefficient greater than 1 for the predetermined length and a fourth weighted value obtained by multiplying a value in the target period by a weighting coefficient less than 1 for the predetermined number of times. The area determination system according to claim 9 .

12. the control unit adopts the third weighting value for the predetermined length in the next target period when the second determination unit determines that the moving object was present in the target area during the target period and the next target period overlaps with a reservation period for the target area. The area determination system according to claim 11.

13. a detection step of detecting a position of the moving object based on a reception strength of a wireless signal transmitted to and received from the moving object, and acquiring moving object position information indicating a detection result; a first determination step of determining whether or not the moving object is present in a target area based on the moving object position information; an acquisition step of acquiring a presence determination count, which is the number of times that it is determined in the first determination step that the moving object is present in the target area during a target period having a predetermined length; a second determination step of determining that the moving object was present in the target area during the target period when the number of presence determinations is equal to or greater than a predetermined number, and determining that the moving object was not present in the target area during the target period when the number of presence determinations is less than the predetermined number; and a control step of controlling the determination process or the determination result of the second determination step by using one or more of a time difference between a plurality of presence determinations in the target period, the predetermined length, and the predetermined number of times. Area determination method.

14. A program for causing one or more processors to execute the area determination method according to claim 13.

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