AC Determination System, Management Device, AC Determination Method, and AC Determination Program

Abstract

An interaction determination system, a management device, an interaction determination method, and an interaction determination program are provided that can determine the interaction status between users with higher accuracy. [Solution] In the interaction determination system 1, the management device 10 includes a collection unit 11, a calculation unit 13, and an interaction determination unit 15. The collection unit collects location information of corresponding users 3a-3c and interaction elements that indicate the state of interaction from terminal devices 4a-4c. The calculation unit calculates interaction ranges 17a-17c of the users using the user's interaction elements, and updates the user's interaction range in response to updates to the user's interaction elements. The user's interaction range is based on the user's location information. The interaction determination unit determines the interaction status of a pair of users based on the overlap of the interaction ranges of the users.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an AC determination system, a management device, an AC determination method, and an AC determination program. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a system that provides personal connection information about members of an organization. In this system, a contact time acquisition unit acquires contact time, which is information about the amount of time each member spent face-to-face in contact, stored in a personal information storage unit, and stores the information in the contact time storage unit. An intimacy calculation unit calculates the intimacy between each member stored in the personal information storage unit based on the contact time acquired by the contact time acquisition unit and stored in the contact time storage unit. The intimacy calculation unit calculates the intimacy between two people based on the total measured contact time. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-63617 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The system of Patent Document 1 determines that a state in which members who are users of the system are approaching each other within a predetermined distance is a state in which the users are in face-to-face contact, i.e., a state in which they are interacting. However, since the relationship between users, such as the distance between them when they interact, can change depending on the situation in which the interaction takes place, determining the interaction status based only on the relationship between the distance between users and a certain distance threshold may result in an erroneous determination of the interaction status.

[0005] The present disclosure relates to solving such problems, and provides an interaction determination system, a management device, an interaction determination method, and an interaction determination program that can determine the interaction status between users with higher accuracy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The management device according to the present disclosure is a management device that corresponds to one of a plurality of users who may interact with each other in a facility and is capable of communicating with each of a plurality of terminal devices carried by the corresponding users, and is equipped with: a collection unit that collects, from each of the plurality of terminal devices, location information of the corresponding user and interaction elements that represent the state of interaction; a calculation unit that, for each of the plurality of users, calculates the interaction range of the target user based on the user's location information using the interaction elements collected by the collection unit, thereby updating the interaction range of the target user in accordance with updates to the interaction elements of the target user; and an interaction determination unit that, for a first user and a second user among the plurality of users, determines the interaction status of the first user and the second user based on the overlap between the interaction range of the first user and the interaction range of the second user, and the calculation unit anisotropically updates the interaction range of the target user so that it shrinks behind the target user in accordance with the interaction elements collected by the collection unit for the target user. The management device according to the present disclosure is a management device that corresponds to one of a plurality of users who may interact with each other in a facility and is capable of communicating with each of a plurality of terminal devices carried by the corresponding users, and includes a collection unit that collects, from each of the plurality of terminal devices, location information of the corresponding user and interaction elements that represent the state of interaction; a calculation unit that, for each of the plurality of users, calculates an interaction range of the target user based on the location information of the user using the interaction elements collected by the collection unit, thereby updating the interaction range of the user in accordance with updates to the interaction elements of the user; and an interaction determination unit that determines the interaction status of the first user and the second user based on the overlap between the interaction range of the first user and the interaction range of the second user, and a facility memory unit that stores information on a plurality of areas that have been preset for the facility, wherein the plurality of areas include a first area and a second area that have been preset as a set of areas that do not allow interaction with each other, and when the interaction range of a user in the first area overlaps with both the first area and the second area, the calculation unit corrects the interaction range of the user to be reduced to a range that does not overlap with at least the second area. The management device according to the present disclosure is a management device capable of communicating with each of a plurality of terminal devices carried by the corresponding users, each of which corresponds to one of a plurality of users who may interact with each other at a facility. The management device comprises: a collection unit that collects, from each of the plurality of terminal devices, location information of the corresponding user and interaction elements that indicate the state of interaction; a calculation unit that, for each of the plurality of users, calculates the interaction range of the target user based on the user's location information using the interaction elements collected by the collection unit, thereby updating the interaction range of the user in accordance with updates to the user's interaction elements; an interaction determination unit that, for a first user and a second user among the plurality of users, determines the interaction status of the first user and the second user based on the overlap between the interaction range of the first user and the interaction range of the second user; and a facility memory unit that stores information on a plurality of areas that have been preset for the facility. The plurality of areas include interaction areas that have been preset as areas where interactions are likely to occur. When the interaction area and the interaction range of a user overlap, the calculation unit corrects the interaction range of the user to expand the overlap between the interaction area and the interaction range of the user. The management device according to the present disclosure is a management device that corresponds to one of a plurality of users who may interact with each other in a facility and is capable of communicating with each of a plurality of terminal devices carried by the corresponding users, and is equipped with: a collection unit that collects, from each of the plurality of terminal devices, location information of the corresponding user and interaction elements that represent the state of interaction; a calculation unit that, for each of the plurality of users, calculates the interaction range of the target user based on the user's location information using the interaction elements collected by the collection unit, thereby updating the interaction range of the target user in accordance with updates to the user's interaction elements; an interaction determination unit that, for a first user and a second user among the plurality of users, determines the interaction status of the first user and the second user based on the overlap between the interaction range of the first user and the interaction range of the second user; and a user memory unit that stores information on interaction characteristics for each of the plurality of users, and the calculation unit calculates the interaction range of the target user in accordance with the interaction characteristics stored in the user memory unit for the target user. The interaction determination system according to the present disclosure includes a plurality of terminal devices, each corresponding to one of a plurality of users who may interact with each other in a facility, carried by the corresponding user, and a plurality of terminal devices that can communicate with each of the plurality of terminal devices. , above a management device, and each of the plurality of terminal devices includes a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information of a corresponding user, and an interaction element acquisition unit that acquires an interaction element that represents an interaction state of the corresponding user. R .

[0008] The interaction determination method according to the present disclosure is a method in which a computer system, each corresponding to one of a plurality of users who may interact with each other in a facility and capable of communicating with each of a plurality of terminal devices carried by the corresponding users, collects, from each of the plurality of terminal devices, location information of the corresponding user and interaction elements that indicate the state of interaction; targets each of the plurality of users, calculates the interaction range of the target user based on the user's location information using the interaction elements collected for the target user, thereby updating the interaction range of the user in accordance with updates to the interaction elements of the user; and, for a first user and a second user among the plurality of users, determines the interaction status of the first user and the second user based on the overlap between the interaction range of the first user and the interaction range of the second user. and the computer system anisotropically updates the interaction range of the target user in accordance with the interaction elements collected about the target user so as to shrink the interaction range behind the user. . The interaction determination method according to the present disclosure is an interaction determination method in which a computer system, each corresponding to one of a plurality of users who may interact with each other in a facility and capable of communicating with each of a plurality of terminal devices carried by the corresponding users, performs the following steps: stores information on a plurality of pre-defined areas for the facility; collects, from each of the plurality of terminal devices, location information of the corresponding user and interaction elements that indicate the state of interaction; calculates, for each of the plurality of users, the interaction range of the target user based on the user's location information using the interaction elements collected for the target user, thereby updating the interaction range of the user in accordance with updates to the interaction elements; and determines the interaction status of a first user and a second user among the plurality of users based on an overlap between the interaction range of the first user and the interaction range of the second user; the plurality of areas includes a first area and a second area that are pre-defined as a set of areas in which users cannot interact with each other; and when the interaction range of a user in the first area overlaps with both the first area and the second area, the computer system corrects the interaction range of the user so that it is reduced to a range that does not overlap with at least the second area. The interaction determination method according to the present disclosure is a method in which a computer system, each corresponding to one of a plurality of users who may interact with each other at a facility and capable of communicating with each of a plurality of terminal devices carried by the corresponding users, performs the following steps: stores information on a plurality of pre-defined areas for the facility; collects, from each of the plurality of terminal devices, location information of the corresponding user and interaction elements that indicate the state of interaction; calculates, for each of the plurality of users, the interaction range of the target user based on the user's location information using the interaction elements collected for the target user, thereby updating the interaction range of the user in accordance with updates to the interaction elements; and determines the interaction status of a first user and a second user among the plurality of users based on an overlap between the interaction range of the first user and the interaction range of the second user; the plurality of areas includes an interaction area that has been pre-defined as an area where interactions are likely to occur; and when the interaction area and the interaction range of a user overlap, the computer system corrects the interaction range of the user to expand it so that the overlap between the interaction area and the interaction range of the user becomes greater. The interaction determination method according to the present disclosure is an interaction determination method in which a computer system, each corresponding to one of a plurality of users who may interact with each other in a facility and capable of communicating with each of a plurality of terminal devices carried by the corresponding users, performs the following steps: stores information on interaction characteristics for each of the plurality of users; collects, from each of the plurality of terminal devices, location information of the corresponding user and interaction elements that represent the interaction state of the corresponding user; calculates, for each of the plurality of users, the interaction range of the target user based on the user's location information using the interaction elements collected for the target user, thereby updating the interaction range of the user in accordance with updates to the interaction elements of the target user; and determines the interaction status of a first user and a second user among the plurality of users based on the overlap between the interaction range of the first user and the interaction range of the second user; the computer system calculates the interaction range of the target user in accordance with the interaction characteristics stored for the target user.

[0009] The interaction determination program according to the present disclosure is provided to a computer system, each of which corresponds to one of a plurality of users who may interact with each other in a facility and is capable of communicating with each of a plurality of terminal devices carried by the corresponding users, by: The above AC determination method Execute the following. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the interaction determination system, management device, interaction determination method, or interaction determination program of the present disclosure, it becomes possible to determine the interaction status between users with higher accuracy. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a configuration diagram of an AC determination system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of calculation of an AC range in the AC determination system according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of calculation of an AC range in the AC determination system according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 4] 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of calculation of an AC range in the AC determination system according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 5] 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of calculation of an AC range in the AC determination system according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of the AC determination system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 1 is a hardware configuration diagram of a main part of an AC determination system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of an AC determination system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 9] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of correction of an AC range in the AC determination system according to the second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of correction of an AC range in the AC determination system according to the second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of an AC determination system according to the second embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of an AC determination system according to a third embodiment. [Figure 13]10 is a diagram illustrating an example of adjustment of AC characteristics in the AC determination system according to the third embodiment. FIG. [Figure 14] 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of adjustment of AC characteristics in the AC determination system according to the third embodiment. FIG. [Figure 15] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of processing of an AC determination system according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The following describes embodiments of the subject matter of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each drawing, identical or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations are appropriately simplified or omitted. Note that the subject matter of the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and any component of the embodiments may be modified or omitted within the scope of the gist of the present disclosure.

[0013] Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an AC determination system 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0014] The interaction determination system 1 is a system that determines the interaction status between human users. The interaction determination system 1 is used in organizations including, for example, companies, associations, or other groups. An organization may be a part of an organization, such as a branch or department of a company, or may include multiple groups. An organization includes multiple members, each of whom is a human. The interaction determination system 1 determines the interaction status between users, with each member of the organization being considered a user. The members of the organization are, for example, company employees. The interaction between users of the organization takes place in a facility 2. The facility 2 is, for example, the organization's office, building, or business location. FIG. 1 shows users 3a, 3b, and 3c. Here, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between individual users such as users 3a, 3b, and 3c, they will simply be referred to as user 3.

[0015] Each user 3 of the exchange determination system 1 possesses a terminal device. The terminal device possessed by a user 3 corresponds to the user 3. The terminal device 4a possessed by user 3a corresponds to user 3a. The terminal device 4b possessed by user 3b corresponds to user 3b. The terminal device 4c possessed by user 3c corresponds to user 3c. Here, when there is no particular distinction between individual terminal devices such as terminal devices 4a, 4b, and 4c, they are simply referred to as terminal devices 4. Some or all of the multiple terminal devices 4 used in the exchange determination system 1 may be internal devices included in the exchange determination system 1, or may be external devices outside the system that can cooperate with the exchange determination system 1. The terminal device 4 is, for example, a portable, general-purpose information processing terminal device such as a smartphone or a smartwatch. The terminal device 4 may be a device owned by the corresponding user 3 or a device provided to the corresponding user 3 by an organization. A user 3 may possess multiple terminal devices 4. A user 3 may simultaneously carry, for example, a terminal device 4 that is a smartphone and another terminal device 4 that is a wearable device. Application software compatible with the AC determination system 1 is pre-installed in each terminal device 4. Each terminal device 4 operates in accordance with the software program, etc., to realize the functions of the AC determination system 1. The terminal device 4 includes a communication unit 5, a location information acquisition unit 6, and an AC element acquisition unit 7.

[0016] The communication unit 5 of the terminal device 4 is connected to a communication network 8 by wireless communication or wired communication so as to be able to communicate information with devices external to the terminal device 4. The communication network 8 includes, for example, a wide area network such as the Internet or a telephone network, or a local area network such as a LAN (Local Area Network). The terminal device 4 may directly communicate wirelessly with external devices such as other terminal devices 4.

[0017] The location information acquisition unit 6 of the terminal device 4 is a part that acquires location information of the user 3 corresponding to the terminal device 4. Because the terminal device 4 is carried by the user 3 and moves along with the user 3, the location of the user 3 is identified by the location of the terminal device 4 corresponding to the user 3. That is, the location information acquisition unit 6 of the terminal device 4 acquires the location of the terminal device 4 itself as location information of the user 3 corresponding to the terminal device 4. The location information acquisition unit 6 acquires the location information by, for example, indoor positioning, satellite positioning, autonomous navigation, or other methods. The location information acquisition unit 6 may acquire the location information based on, for example, a wireless signal transmitted from an external device such as a wireless beacon (not shown) installed in the facility 2. The location information acquisition unit 6 may acquire the location information using, for example, a satellite positioning system such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) or the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS). The location information acquisition unit 6 may acquire the location information based on, for example, a measurement value of an acceleration sensor (not shown) installed in the terminal device 4. When multiple terminal devices 4 correspond to one user 3, priority may be set for location information among the multiple terminal devices 4. For example, location information acquired by a terminal device 4 that is a wearable device worn by the user 3 may be prioritized over location information acquired by another terminal device 4, such as a smartphone, that corresponds to the user 3.

[0018] The interaction element acquisition unit 7 of the terminal device 4 is a part that acquires interaction elements of the user 3 corresponding to the terminal device 4. The interaction elements of the user 3 are information that represents the state of interaction of the user 3. The interaction elements of the user 3 may be, for example, information that represents the state of the user 3, which may change depending on whether or not the user 3 interacts with other users 3. The interaction elements of the user 3 include, for example, behavioral information, voice information, or biometric information of the user 3. The behavioral information of the user 3 includes, for example, information such as the user's gestures, the face or body orientation of the user 3, the direction, speed, or acceleration of the user's movement, or the user's facial expression. The voice information of the user 3 includes, for example, information such as the volume of the voice emitted by the user 3. The biometric information of the user 3 includes, for example, information such as the user's heart rate. The interaction elements of the user 3 may also include information such as the user's facial expression. When multiple terminal devices 4 correspond to one user 3, the multiple terminal devices 4 may acquire different types of interaction elements for the user 3.

[0019] The AC element acquisition unit 7 digitizes the acquired AC elements. For example, the AC element acquisition unit 7 digitizes the volume of the voice of the user 3 as a sound pressure level. The AC element acquisition unit 7 may digitize past time changes in the AC elements as time-series data including numerical values ​​representing the AC elements at each time. The AC element acquisition unit 7 performs normalization processing so that the values ​​of the digitized AC elements fall within a preset range. For example, the AC element acquisition unit 7 performs normalization processing so that the values ​​of the digitized AC elements fall within a range from -1 to 1. In this example, the AC element acquisition unit 7 outputs the AC elements after digitization and normalization to the outside.

[0020] One or more cameras 9 are installed in the facility 2. Each camera 9 captures images of users 3 and the like in the facility 2. Some or all of the cameras 9 may be internal devices included in the interaction determination system 1, or may be external devices outside the system that can cooperate with the interaction determination system 1. Each camera 9 is connected to the communication network 8 by wireless communication, wired communication, or the like so that the captured images can be output to an external device.

[0021] The AC determination system 1 includes a management device 10. The management device 10 is a device that performs functions such as information processing in the AC determination system 1. The management device 10 is, for example, a computer system including one or more computers. The management device 10 is, for example, configured with one or more server devices. When the management device 10 is configured with multiple server devices, some or all of the multiple server devices may be installed in different locations. Some or all of the functions of the management device 10 may be implemented on a virtual computer on a cloud service, or may be implemented by processing, storage, or other resources on the cloud service. The management device 10 is connected to a communication network 8 so as to be able to communicate information with external devices. The management device 10 includes a collection unit 11, an image processing unit 12, a calculation unit 13, a user storage unit 14, an AC determination unit 15, and an output unit 16.

[0022] The collection unit 11 is a part that collects information from multiple terminal devices 4 and the like. The collection unit 11 collects information from each terminal device 4 via the communication network 8, for example, at predetermined regular or irregular timing. The collection unit 11 may collect information by receiving information voluntarily transmitted by each terminal device 4. The collection unit 11 may collect information by receiving responses to requests transmitted to each terminal device 4. The collection unit 11 collects, from each terminal device 4, for example, location information of the user 3 corresponding to the terminal device 4, acquired by the location information acquisition unit 6, and interaction elements of the user 3 corresponding to the terminal device 4, acquired by the interaction element acquisition unit 7. The collection unit 11 may collect other information from the terminal device 4. The collection unit 11 may digitize and normalize the interaction elements. In this case, the interaction element acquisition unit 7 outputs the interaction elements before digitization and normalization to the collection unit 11. In this example, the collection unit 11 collects images taken by each camera 9 via the communication network 8, for example, at predetermined regular or irregular timing.

[0023] The image processing unit 12 is a unit that performs processing such as image recognition on the image captured by the camera 9. For example, the image processing unit 12 identifies the user 3 captured in the image. For example, the image processing unit 12 may acquire interaction elements such as gestures or facial expressions of the user 3 captured in the image.

[0024] The calculation unit 13 is a part that calculates the interaction range of each user 3 as a target. The calculation unit 13 calculates the interaction range using the interaction elements collected by the collection unit 11. The calculation unit 13 calculates the interaction range 17a of user 3a using the interaction elements of user 3a. The calculation unit 13 calculates the interaction range 17b of user 3b using the interaction elements of user 3b. The calculation unit 13 calculates the interaction range 17c of user 3c using the interaction elements of user 3c. Here, when there is no particular distinction between the individual interaction ranges such as the interaction range 17a, the interaction range 17b, and the interaction range 17c, they are simply referred to as the interaction range 17. The interaction range 17 of a user 3 is a spatial range based on the location of the user 3 and is a potential target for interaction by the user 3. The interaction range 17 of a user 3 includes the location of the user 3. In this example, the interaction range 17 is a single two-dimensional closed area representing an area on a map of the facility 2. The interaction range 17 is, for example, an area inside a polygon defined by a plurality of vertices 18. In this case, the calculation unit 13 calculates the interaction range 17 of the user 3 by calculating the positions of the vertices 18 of the polygon, for example, on relative coordinates based on the position of the user 3. In this example, the interaction range 17 is an area inside a rectangle defined by four vertices 18. When the interaction elements of the user 3 are updated, the calculation unit 13 recalculates the interaction range 17 of the user 3, thereby updating the interaction range 17 of the user 3 in accordance with the update of the interaction elements of the user 3. In this example, when calculating the interaction range 17 of a certain user 3, the calculation unit 13 does not use information such as the interaction elements of other users 3.

[0025] The user storage unit 14 is a unit that stores information. The user storage unit 14 stores information about each user 3. The user storage unit 14 may be configured with multiple storage areas, etc. The user storage unit 14 stores information in a location information DB, an interaction element DB, and an interaction range DB as a database (DB) that stores information. The location information DB stores location information about each user 3 collected by the collection unit 11. The interaction element DB stores, for example, interaction elements about each user 3 collected by the collection unit 11. The interaction element DB may also store interaction elements about each user 3 acquired by the image processing unit 12. The interaction range DB stores information about the interaction range 17 about each user 3 calculated by the calculation unit 13. The information stored in the location information DB and the interaction element DB is updated, for example, every time the collection unit 11 collects information. The information stored in the interaction element DB is used for calculating the interaction range 17 by the calculation unit 13. The calculation unit 13 uses information on the interaction elements of the target user 3 read from the interaction element DB to calculate the interaction range 17 of the user 3. The information stored in the interaction range DB is updated, for example, every time the calculation unit 13 calculates the interaction range 17.

[0026] The interaction determination unit 15 is a unit that determines the interaction status between users 3. In this example, the interaction determination unit 15 determines whether or not two users 3 are interacting with each other as the interaction status. One of the users 3 is an example of a first user. The other user 3 is an example of a second user. The interaction determination unit 15 determines the interaction status between the users 3 based on the overlap between the interaction range 17 of one user 3 and the interaction range 17 of the other user 3. The interaction determination unit 15 determines the interaction status using location information and interaction elements read from the location information DB and the interaction element DB. For example, the interaction determination unit 15 may determine the interaction status for all combinations of multiple users 3. For example, the interaction determination unit 15 may narrow down combinations of users 3 that may interact based on location information, work attendance status, or other information, and then determine the interaction status for the narrowed down combinations of users 3.

[0027] The interaction determination unit 15 determines the interaction status of the users 3a and 3b, for example, as follows. For example, when the interaction range 17a of the user 3a is expressed in relative coordinates based on the position of the user 3a, the interaction determination unit 15 converts the interaction range 17a into a representation in coordinates on the map of the facility 2 based on the position information of the user 3a. The interaction determination unit 15 similarly converts the interaction range 17b of the user 3b into a representation in coordinates on the map of the facility 2. The interaction determination unit 15 determines whether the interaction range 17a and the interaction range 17b overlap in coordinates on the map of the facility 2. In this example, the interaction range 17a and the interaction range 17b overlap each other. At this time, the interaction determination unit 15 measures the time during which the interaction range 17a and the interaction range 17b overlap each other. When the interaction range 17a and the interaction range 17b continue to overlap for more than a predetermined reference time, the interaction determination unit 15 determines that an interaction exists between the users 3a and 3b. On the other hand, when the overlapping time of the interaction range 17a and the interaction range 17b does not exceed the reference time, the interaction determination unit 15 determines that there is no interaction between the user 3a and the user 3b.

[0028] The interaction determination unit 15 determines the interaction status of the users 3a and 3c, for example, as follows: The interaction determination unit 15 converts the interaction range 17a of the user 3a and the interaction range 17c of the user 3c into a representation in coordinates on the map of the facility 2. The interaction determination unit 15 determines whether the interaction range 17a and the interaction range 17c overlap in coordinates on the map of the facility 2. In this example, the interaction range 17a and the interaction range 17c do not overlap each other. In this case, the interaction determination unit 15 determines that there is no interaction between the users 3a and 3c.

[0029] The output unit 16 is a part that outputs the result of the determination by the AC determination unit 15. The output unit 16 outputs the result of the determination by the AC determination unit 15, for example, to a database inside or outside the AC determination system 1. The output unit 16 may output the result of the determination through the communication network 8.

[0030] Next, an example of calculation of the AC range 17 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5 are diagrams showing examples of calculation of the AC range 17 in the AC determination system 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0031] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of updating the exchange range 17 by the calculation unit 13. In FIG.

[0032] The calculation unit 13 updates the interaction range 17 of the target user 3 so as to expand or contract the range 17 anisotropically according to the interaction elements collected by the collection unit 11 for the target user 3. For example, when the target user 3 has large gestures and a loud voice, the calculation unit 13 calculates the interaction range 17 of the target user 3 to be longer in the front-to-back direction. Here, the front-to-back direction of the user 3 is set based on the orientation of the user 3's face or body, the direction of movement of the user 3, or the like. In this example, the calculation unit 13 updates the interaction range 17 of the user 3 so as to expand it in front of the user 3. For example, when the interaction range 17 of the user 3 is a polygon, the calculation unit 13 moves the vertex 18 in front of the user 3 in a direction away from the user 3. The calculation unit 13 may also update the interaction range 17 of the user 3 so as to shrink it behind the user 3. For example, when the interaction range 17 of a user 3 is a polygon, the calculation unit 13 moves the vertices 18 behind the user 3 in a direction approaching the user 3. The calculation unit 13 may impose a restriction such as an upper limit or a penalty on the area of ​​the interaction range 17. In this case, the calculation unit 13 may shrink the interaction range 17 in the left-right direction in accordance with the extension of the interaction range 17 in the front-to-back direction so as to suppress the expansion of the area of ​​the interaction range 17. For example, when the interaction range 17 of a user 3 is a polygon, the calculation unit 13 moves the vertices 18 on the left and right of the user 3 in a direction approaching the user 3.

[0033] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing another example of updating the exchange range 17 by the calculation unit 13. In FIG.

[0034] When a target user 3 speaks while facing multiple directions, the calculation unit 13 calculates the communication range 17 of the user 3 to be longer in the left-right direction. The calculation unit 13 determines whether the user 3 speaks while facing multiple directions, for example, based on the frequency of changes in the direction of the user 3's face or body and the amplitude of the changes. In this example, the calculation unit 13 updates the communication range 17 of the user 3 to expand it in the left-right direction of the user 3. For example, when the communication range 17 of the user 3 is a polygon, the calculation unit 13 moves the left and right vertices 18 of the user 3 in directions away from the user 3. At this time, the calculation unit 13 may shrink the communication range 17 in the front-to-back direction in accordance with the extension of the communication range 17 in the left-to-right direction so as to suppress the expansion of the area of ​​the communication range 17. Here, the calculation unit 13 may update the communication range 17 of the user 3 so that it shrinks behind the user 3 and maintains it without shrinking in front of the user 3.

[0035] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the interaction range 17 of the user 3.

[0036] In this example, the calculation unit 13 calculates the interaction range 17 as the area inside a rectangle defined by four vertices 18. The interaction range 17 of the user 3 is defined by a vertex 18 in front of the user 3, a vertex 18 behind the user 3, and two vertices 18 on the left and right sides of the user 3. The front vertex 18 is represented by a forward distance df, which is the distance from the position of the user 3 to the front. The rear vertex 18 is represented by a rear distance db, which is the distance from the position of the user 3 to the rear. The left vertex 18 is represented by a left distance dl, which is the distance from the position of the user 3, and a left angle θl, which is the angle from the left side of the user 3 to the front. The right vertex 18 is represented by a right distance dr, which is the distance from the position of the user 3, and a right angle θr, which is the angle from the right side of the user 3 to the front. The calculation unit 13 calculates the values ​​of the forward distance df, the rearward distance db, the leftward distance dl, the leftward angle θl, the rightward distance dr, and the rightward angle θr using the AC elements of the user 3, thereby calculating the AC range 17 of the user 3. The calculation unit 13 may calculate these values ​​independently of each other, or may calculate these values ​​under preset conditions such as the relationship between the values.

[0037] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of calculation of the exchange range 17. In FIG.

[0038] In this example, the calculation unit 13 calculates the values ​​of the forward distance df, the rearward distance db, the leftward distance dl, the leftward angle θl, the rightward distance dr, and the rightward angle θr using a decision tree. FIG. 5 shows an example of a decision tree for determining the forward distance df. The values ​​of the leaf nodes of the decision tree and the thresholds of the conditional branches are set in advance based on, for example, simulations and historical data. The historical data includes multiple pairs of previously acquired interaction elements and interaction situations in which the presence or absence of interaction at that time has been determined in advance. The determination of the presence or absence of interaction in the historical data may be performed manually by an administrator of the interaction determination system 1, or may be automatically determined based on the schedule of each user 3 or other information on other interaction elements. The values ​​of the leaf nodes of the decision tree and the thresholds of the conditional branches are examples of parameters used when calculating the interaction range 17 from the interaction elements. In this example, the parameters are set in common regardless of the user 3.

[0039] The calculation unit 13 may calculate any of the forward distance df, the rearward distance db, the left distance dl, the left angle θl, the right distance dr, and the right angle θr without using a decision tree. For example, if there is no AC element available for determining the values ​​of the left angle θl and the right angle θr, the calculation unit 13 may randomly set the values ​​of the left angle θl and the right angle θr within a preset small angle range, for example, from -5° to 5°.

[0040] Furthermore, the calculation unit 13 may calculate some or all of the values ​​of the forward distance df, the rearward distance db, the leftward distance dl, the leftward angle θl, the rightward distance dr, and the rightward angle θr using a preset function. For example, the calculation unit 13 calculates the forward distance df as a function of a quantified and normalized AC element. The coefficients, exponents, or other parameters in the function are set in advance based on simulations, historical data, etc. These parameters are calculated, for example, by optimization calculations using the reproducibility of the determination of the AC situation in the historical data as an objective function. These parameters are examples of parameters used when calculating the AC range 17 from the AC elements. In this example, the parameters are set commonly regardless of the user 3.

[0041] Next, an example of processing in the AC determination system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the AC determination system 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0042] In step S01, the location information acquisition unit 6 of the terminal device 4 acquires the location information of the user 3 corresponding to the terminal device 4. After that, the processing of the terminal device 4 proceeds to step S02.

[0043] In step S02, the interaction element acquisition unit 7 of the terminal device 4 acquires the interaction element of the user 3 corresponding to the terminal device 4. After that, the processing of the terminal device 4 proceeds to step S03.

[0044] In step S03, the communication unit 5 transmits the acquired location information and interaction element to the management device 10. After that, the processing of the terminal device 4 proceeds to step S01.

[0045] In step S04 of the management device 10, the collection unit 11 collects the location information and interaction elements transmitted by the terminal devices 4. The collection unit 11 may repeat the process of step S04 for each user 3. Thereafter, the process of the management device 10 proceeds to step S05.

[0046] In step S05, the calculation unit 13 updates the interaction range 17 of the user 3 by calculating it based on the interaction elements of the user 3 collected by the collection unit 11. The calculation unit 13 may repeat the process of step S05 for each user 3. Thereafter, the process of the management device 10 proceeds to step S06.

[0047] In step S06, the interaction determination unit 15 determines the interaction status between the users 3 based on the overlap of the interaction ranges 17 calculated by the calculation unit 13. The interaction determination unit 15 may repeat the process of step S06 for each combination of multiple users 3. Thereafter, the process of the management device 10 proceeds to step S07.

[0048] In step S07, the output unit 16 outputs the determination result made by the AC determination unit 15. After that, the processing of the management device 10 proceeds to step S04.

[0049] As described above, the interaction determination system 1 according to the first embodiment includes a plurality of terminal devices 4 and a management device 10. Each of the terminal devices 4 corresponds to one of a plurality of users 3 who may interact with each other in the facility 2. Each of the terminal devices 4 is carried by the corresponding user 3. Each of the terminal devices 4 includes a location information acquisition unit 6 and an interaction element acquisition unit 7. The location information acquisition unit 6 acquires location information of the user 3 corresponding to the terminal device 4. The interaction element acquisition unit 7 acquires interaction elements that represent the state of interaction of the user 3 corresponding to the terminal device 4. The management device 10 is a device that can communicate with each of the terminal devices 4. The management device 10 includes a collection unit 11, a calculation unit 13, and an interaction determination unit 15. The collection unit 11 collects, from each of the terminal devices 4, the location information and interaction elements of the corresponding user 3. The calculation unit 13 calculates the interaction range 17 of the target user 3 using the interaction elements collected by the collection unit 11 for that user 3, and updates the interaction range 17 of that user 3 in accordance with updates to the interaction elements of that user 3. The interaction range 17 of a user 3 is a range based on the location information of that user 3. The interaction determination unit 15 determines the interaction status of a set of users 3 based on the overlap of the interaction ranges 17 of each user 3.

[0050] The interaction determination system 1 determines the interaction status based on the interaction range 17, which is updated in response to updates to the interaction elements that represent the interaction status of the users 3. This allows the interaction status to be determined in accordance with the status of the users 3, so that the interaction status between the users 3 can be determined with higher accuracy.

[0051] Furthermore, the calculation unit 13 defines the interaction range 17 of the user 3 as the range of a polygon that includes the position of the user 3. The calculation unit 13 calculates the interaction range 17 of the user by calculating the positions of the vertices 18 of the polygon.

[0052] With this configuration, the calculation unit 13 can easily perform anisotropic deformation of the interaction range 17 of the user 3 in accordance with the interaction element of the user 3. In addition, the interaction determination unit 15 can easily determine whether or not the interaction ranges 17 overlap each other.

[0053] The interaction elements also include behavior information of the user 3. The behavior information of the user 3 includes the gestures, orientation, or movement of the user 3. The calculation unit 13 uses the behavior information of the user 3 to calculate the interaction range 17 of the user 3. The calculation unit 13 updates the interaction range 17 of the user 3 so that it extends in the direction in which the user 3 is facing or moving, for example. For example, when the gestures of the user 3 are larger, the calculation unit 13 updates the interaction range 17 of the user 3 so that it becomes wider or extends farther. The interaction elements also include voice information of the user 3. The voice information of the user 3 includes the voice volume of the user 3. The calculation unit 13 uses the voice information of the user 3 to calculate the interaction range 17 of the user 3. For example, when the voice volume of the user 3 is louder, the calculation unit 13 updates the interaction range 17 of the user 3 so that the interaction range 17 of the user 3 becomes wider or extends farther. The interaction element also includes biometric information of the user 3. The biometric information of the user 3 includes the heart rate of the user 3. The calculation unit 13 uses the biometric information of the user 3 to calculate the interaction range 17 of the user 3. For example, when the heart rate of the user 3 is higher, the calculation unit 13 updates the interaction range 17 of the user 3 so that the interaction range 17 of the user 3 becomes wider or extends farther.

[0054] With this configuration, the calculation unit 13 updates the interaction range 17 of the user 3 according to the interaction element of the user 3, so that the interaction range 17 in which the user 3 can interact can be calculated with higher accuracy. As a result, the interaction status between users 3 can be determined with higher accuracy.

[0055] Furthermore, the interaction determination unit 15 determines that a pair of users 3 are interacting when the interaction ranges 17 of the pair of users 3 overlap continuously for more than a preset time.

[0056] With this configuration, the interaction determination unit 15 can determine interaction between users 3 using simple determination criteria. Furthermore, the interaction determination unit 15 is less likely to erroneously determine the interaction status even when users 3 simply pass each other. The interaction determination unit 15 may determine the interaction status using the size of the overlap of the interaction ranges 17 of a pair of users 3. The size of the overlap of the interaction ranges 17 may be, for example, the area of ​​the overlapping portion of the interaction ranges 17. For example, the interaction determination unit 15 may weight the time during which the interaction ranges 17 of a pair of users 3 overlap each other by multiplying the size of the overlap of the interaction ranges 17, and determine that the pair of users 3 are interacting when the weighted time exceeds a preset criterion.

[0057] Furthermore, the calculation unit 13 anisotropically updates the interaction range 17 of the target user 3 so as to expand the interaction range 17 in front of the user 3, according to the interaction elements collected by the collection unit 11 for the target user 3.

[0058] With this configuration, even in cases where a user 3 interacts with other users 3 who are far away, the interaction range 17 of the user 3 is calculated according to the interaction elements of the user 3 that correspond to such a situation. This reduces the risk of missing a scene where interaction occurs, and the interaction situation between users 3 can be determined with higher accuracy.

[0059] Furthermore, the calculation unit 13 anisotropically updates the interaction range 17 of the target user 3 so as to shrink behind the user 3, according to the interaction elements collected by the collection unit 11 for the target user 3.

[0060] With this configuration, even in a situation where there are other users 3 nearby who the user 3 does not interact with, the interaction range 17 of the user 3 is calculated according to the interaction elements of the user 3 corresponding to such a situation. This prevents a situation where there is no interaction from being erroneously determined to be interaction, and the interaction situation between users 3 can be determined with higher accuracy.

[0061] Next, an example of the hardware configuration of the AC determination system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a hardware configuration diagram of the main part of the AC determination system 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0062] Each function of the AC determination system 1 may be realized by a processing circuit. The processing circuit includes at least one processor 100a and at least one memory 100b. The processing circuit may include at least one dedicated hardware 200 in addition to or in place of the processor 100a and the memory 100b.

[0063] When the processing circuit includes a processor 100a and a memory 100b, each function of the AC determination system 1 is realized by software, firmware, or a combination of software and firmware. At least one of the software and firmware is written as a program. The program is stored in the memory 100b. The processor 100a realizes each function of the AC determination system 1 by reading and executing the program stored in the memory 100b. The program may be a program package including multiple subprograms, modules, libraries, or the like. The program may be a product itself, such as a program product, or may be included in the product.

[0064] The processor 100a is also called a CPU (Central Processing Unit), processing device, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, or DSP. The memory 100b is configured by, for example, a non-volatile or volatile semiconductor memory such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, EPROM, or EEPROM.

[0065] Where the processing circuitry comprises dedicated hardware 200, the processing circuitry may be implemented, for example, as a single circuit, multiple circuits, a programmed processor, parallel programmed processors, an ASIC, an FPGA, or a combination thereof.

[0066] Each function of the AC determination system 1 can be realized by a processing circuit. Alternatively, each function of the AC determination system 1 can be realized collectively by a processing circuit. Some of the functions of the AC determination system 1 may be realized by dedicated hardware 200, and other parts may be realized by software or firmware. In this way, the processing circuit realizes each function of the AC determination system 1 by dedicated hardware 200, software, firmware, or a combination of these.

[0067] In each of the embodiments described below, differences from examples disclosed in other embodiments will be described in particular detail. Features not described in each of the following embodiments may be any feature of the examples disclosed in other embodiments.

[0068] Embodiment 2 FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of an AC determination system 1 according to the second embodiment.

[0069] A plurality of areas are set in advance in the facility 2. Each area is a portion of the facility 2, such as a room, a conference room, or a meeting space. The plurality of areas includes a pair of areas that cannot interact with each other. A pair of areas that cannot interact with each other is, for example, a pair of two areas corresponding to two rooms adjacent to each other separated by a wall. At least some of the areas are set in advance as interaction areas where interaction is likely to occur. The interaction areas are set in places where interaction between users 3 occurs, such as conference rooms and meeting spaces.

[0070] The management device 10 includes a facility memory unit 19. The facility memory unit 19 is a unit that stores information. The facility memory unit 19 stores information about the facility 2. The facility memory unit 19 may be composed of multiple memory areas, etc. Part or all of the facility memory unit 19 may be integrated with part or all of the user memory unit 14. The facility memory unit 19 stores information in an area DB as a database for storing information. The area DB stores information about each area set in the facility 2. The area DB stores information such as the area and attributes of each area. The area DB stores information on whether or not interaction between each area is possible. The area DB stores information on whether or not each area is an interaction area, etc.

[0071] The management device 10 includes an area determination unit 20. The area determination unit 20 is a part that determines the area in which each user 3 and its interaction range 17 are located. The area determination unit 20 determines the area in which the user 3 is located, for example, based on the position information of the user 3 on the map of the facility 2 and information stored in the area DB. For example, if the interaction range 17 of the user 3 is a polygon, the area determination unit 20 determines the area in which the interaction range 17 of the user 3 overlaps, based on the coordinates of the vertices 18 of the polygon on the map of the facility 2 and information stored in the area DB. The determination result by the area determination unit 20 is used by the calculation unit 13 to correct the interaction range 17 of the user 3, etc.

[0072] Next, an example of correction of the AC range 17 will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10 are diagrams showing an example of correction of the AC range 17 in the AC determination system 1 according to the second embodiment.

[0073] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of correction of the AC range 17 by the calculation unit 13. In FIG.

[0074] The calculation unit 13 provisionally calculates the interaction range 17 of the user 3 based on the interaction factors of the user 3 in room A. Here, room A and room B are a pair of areas separated by a wall and in which interaction is not possible. Room A is an example of a first area. Room B is an example of a second area. When the provisionally calculated interaction range 17 of the user 3 overlaps with both room A and room B, the calculation unit 13 corrects the interaction range 17 of the user 3 to be reduced to a range that does not overlap with room B where the user 3 is not present.

[0075] In this example, the calculation unit 13 provisionally calculates the coordinates of vertices 18 of the interaction range 17 of user 3, which is a polygon. The calculation of the provisional interaction range 17 is performed based on the interaction elements, without reference to area information of the facility 2, etc. Therefore, for example, when user 3 is in room A near the boundary between room A and room B, one of the vertices 18 of the provisional interaction range 17 may extend into the position of room B, where user 3 is not present. In this case, the calculation unit 13 corrects the provisional interaction range 17 of user 3 by moving the vertex 18 located in room B to the position of room A. For example, the calculation unit 13 moves the vertex 18 to a position inside room A so as to move closer to user 3 in a direction perpendicular to the edge that is closest to the target vertex 18 among the edges that form the boundary between rooms A and B. For example, the calculation unit 13 moves the target vertex 18 in the direction of the position where user 3 is located, to a position inside room A so as to move closer to user 3. The calculation unit 13 may move the target vertex 18 to the boundary between rooms A and B, or may move it to a position inside room A. As a result, the interaction range 17 of user 3 will be within room A where the user 3 is located. In this example, the calculation unit 13 stores the interaction range 17 after correction in the interaction range DB. Note that if correction is not necessary, the calculation unit 13 may store the interaction range 17 that was provisionally calculated before correction in the interaction range DB.

[0076] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of correction of the AC range 17 by the calculation unit 13. In FIG.

[0077] The calculation unit 13 provisionally calculates the interaction range 17 of the user 3 based on the interaction factors of the user 3 who is in front of the meeting space. Here, the meeting space is an example of a predetermined interaction area. When the meeting space and the interaction range 17 of the user 3 overlap, the calculation unit 13 corrects the interaction range 17 of the user 3 so as to expand it. The calculation unit 13 expands the interaction range 17 of the user 3 so that the overlap between the meeting space and the interaction range 17 of the user 3 becomes larger.

[0078] In this example, the calculation unit 13 provisionally calculates the coordinates of the vertices 18 of the interaction range 17 of the user 3, which is a polygon. When the user 3 is in front of the meeting space, one of the vertices 18 of the provisional interaction range 17 may be located within the meeting space. In this case, the calculation unit 13 corrects the provisional interaction range 17 of the user 3 by moving the vertices 18 located within the meeting space. For example, the calculation unit 13 moves the target vertex 18 to the side opposite the side that is closest to the location of the user 3, among the sides that form the boundary of the meeting space. The calculation unit 13 moves the target vertex 18 to the midpoint, end point, or other point of the side that forms the boundary of the meeting space. For example, the calculation unit 13 may move the target vertex 18 to the point diagonally opposite the point that is closest to the location of the user 3, among the end points of the side that forms the boundary of the meeting space. For example, the calculation unit 13 may move the target vertex 18 from the direction of the location of the user 3 to a position on the boundary of the meeting space so as to move the vertex 18 away from the user 3. The calculation unit 13 may move the target vertex 18 to the boundary of the meeting space, or may move it to the inside or outside of the meeting space. The meeting space may be a meeting desk or a space accessible to the user 3, such as a meeting booth. For an accessible meeting space, the user 3 may be inside the meeting space. In this example, the calculation unit 13 stores the corrected interaction range 17 in the interaction range DB. Note that if correction is not necessary, the calculation unit 13 may store the provisionally calculated interaction range 17 before correction in the interaction range DB.

[0079] Next, an example of processing in the AC determination system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the AC determination system 1 according to the second embodiment.

[0080] The AC determination system 1 according to the second embodiment performs the same processes from step S01 to step S05 and from step S06 to step S07 as the AC determination system 1 according to the first embodiment. After the calculation unit 13 provisionally calculates the AC range 17 in step S05, the process of the AC determination system 1 according to the second embodiment proceeds to step S08.

[0081] In step S08 of the management device 10, the area determination unit 20 determines the area in which the user 3 and each vertex 18 of the user's interaction range 17 are located. After that, the processing of the management device 10 proceeds to step S09.

[0082] In step S09, the calculation unit 13 determines whether area-based correction is necessary for the provisionally calculated interaction range 17 of the user 3. The calculation unit 13 determines that area-based correction is necessary, for example, when both of a pair of areas where users cannot interact with each other overlap with the interaction range 17 of the user 3 in one of the areas. The calculation unit 13 determines that area-based correction is necessary, for example, when the interaction area overlaps with the interaction range 17 of the user 3. When area-based correction is necessary, the processing of the management device 10 proceeds to step S10. On the other hand, when area-based correction is not necessary, the processing of the management device 10 proceeds to step S06.

[0083] In step S10, the calculation unit 13 performs an area-based correction on the provisionally calculated interaction range 17 of the user 3. For example, when both of a pair of areas where users cannot interact with each other overlap with the interaction range 17 of a user 3 in one of the areas, the calculation unit 13 performs an area-based correction by reducing the interaction range 17 of the user 3. For example, when an interaction area overlaps with the interaction range 17 of the user 3, the calculation unit 13 performs an area-based correction by expanding the interaction range 17 of the user 3. The management device 10 may repeat the processes from step S08 to step S10 for each user 3. Thereafter, the process of the management device 10 proceeds to step S06.

[0084] As described above, the management device 10 of the interaction determination system 1 according to the second embodiment includes a facility storage unit 19. The facility storage unit 19 stores information on a plurality of areas that are set in advance for the facility 2. When both of a pair of areas that cannot interact with each other overlap with the interaction range 17 of a user 3 in one of the areas, the calculation unit 13 corrects the interaction range 17 of the user 3 so as to reduce the interaction range 17 to a range that does not overlap with the other area.

[0085] With this configuration, the interaction ranges 17 of users 3 in areas where they cannot interact with each other are less likely to overlap, which reduces the chance of incorrectly determining that there is interaction when there is no interaction. This allows the interaction status between users 3 to be determined with higher accuracy.

[0086] In addition, when a predetermined interaction area overlaps with the interaction range 17 of the user 3, the calculation unit 13 corrects the interaction range 17 of the user 3 to expand it so that the overlap between the interaction area and the interaction range 17 of the user 3 becomes larger.

[0087] With this configuration, when a user 3 is in an interaction area that encourages interaction, it is easier to determine that the user 3 is interacting. This reduces the risk of missing an interaction scene, allowing the interaction status between users 3 to be determined with higher accuracy.

[0088] Embodiment 3 FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of an AC determination system 1 according to the third embodiment.

[0089] The interaction elements that reflect the state of interaction when users 3 interact with each other vary depending on the individual user 3, such as their habits or tendencies. Therefore, the interaction determination system 1 adjusts the interaction range 17 in accordance with such individual differences, thereby improving the accuracy of determining the interaction situation.

[0090] The user storage unit 14 stores information in an exchange characteristic DB as a database for storing information. The exchange characteristic DB stores information on exchange characteristics for each user 3. The exchange characteristic is information that represents the characteristics of each user 3 when the state of the exchange appears as an exchange element. The exchange characteristic reflects the habits or tendencies of the user 3. The exchange characteristic is, for example, a correction factor that corrects the exchange range 17 of the user 3 provisionally calculated by the calculation unit 13. The correction factor is, for example, a correction coefficient, a correction bias, or other correction parameters used for correction.

[0091] The management device 10 includes an adjustment unit 21. The adjustment unit 21 is a part that adjusts the AC characteristics of the user 3 according to individual differences such as habits of the user 3. The adjustment unit 21 adjusts the AC characteristics at predetermined regular or irregular timing. The timing for adjusting the AC characteristics may be different for each user 3, or may be the same for each user 3. The timing for adjusting the AC characteristics may be when a start operation is performed by an administrator of the AC determination system 1, for example. The adjustment unit 21 adjusts the AC characteristics, for example, as follows.

[0092] The adjustment unit 21 stores a trained model that has been trained in advance based on, for example, historical data. The trained model is trained in advance by, for example, supervised learning or other machine learning techniques. The trained model is, for example, a model that outputs an interaction situation when an interaction element is input. The trained model is set in common regardless of the user 3.

[0093] The adjustment unit 21 extracts users 3 whose interaction situation has low accuracy of determination based on the trained model. The accuracy of the interaction situation determination is, for example, the degree of agreement between the interaction situation output from the trained model using the interaction elements of the history data as input and the interaction situation determined based on the interaction range 17 calculated from the interaction elements of the history data. The calculation of the interaction range 17 from the interaction elements of the history data and the determination of the interaction situation may be performed by the calculation unit 13 and the interaction determination unit 15, respectively.

[0094] For a user 3 whose interaction status has been determined with low accuracy, the adjustment unit 21 estimates the cause of the erroneous determination based on the interaction elements of that user 3 in the scene where the erroneous determination occurred when the interaction status in the history data was determined to be correct. The adjustment unit 21 adjusts the interaction characteristics of that user 3 according to the estimated cause. The interaction characteristics adjusted by the adjustment unit 21 are stored for each user 3 in the interaction characteristics DB.

[0095] Next, an example of adjusting AC characteristics will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 and 14 are diagrams showing examples of adjustment of AC characteristics in the AC determination system 1 according to the third embodiment.

[0096] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of adjustment of AC characteristics by the adjustment unit 21. In FIG.

[0097] For example, if a user 3 has a habit of frequently changing the orientation of their body, the interaction range 17 of that user 3 will vibrate in accordance with the orientation of that user's body, and this habit of that user 3 may be a factor in erroneous determination of the interaction situation. For example, when the interaction range 17 of a user 3 vibrates and overlaps intermittently with the interaction ranges 17 of other users 3, the adjustment unit 21 estimates that the cause of the erroneous determination of the interaction situation for that user 3 is the habit of that user 3 changing the orientation of their body. In this case, the adjustment unit 21 adjusts, as an AC characteristic, a correction coefficient or the like corresponding to the width of the interaction range 17 of that user 3, so as to increase the width of the interaction range 17 of that user 3 in the left-right direction, for example.

[0098] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing another example of adjustment of AC characteristics by the adjuster 21. In FIG.

[0099] For example, if a user 3 has a wide personal space and tends to keep a distance from other users 3, the interaction range 17 of the user 3 is unlikely to overlap with the interaction ranges 17 of other users 3, and this tendency of the user 3 may be a factor in erroneous determination of the interaction situation. For example, when the interaction range 17 of the user 3 is far enough away so as not to overlap with the interaction ranges 17 of other users 3, the adjustment unit 21 estimates that the factor in erroneous determination of the interaction situation of the user 3 is the user 3's tendency to keep a distance. In this case, the adjustment unit 21 adjusts, as an AC characteristic, a correction coefficient corresponding to the forward distance df of the interaction range 17 of the user 3, for example, so as to extend the interaction range 17 of the user 3 forward.

[0100] Next, an example of processing in the AC determination system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing of the AC determination system 1 according to the third embodiment.

[0101] The AC determination system 1 according to the third embodiment performs the same processes as the AC determination system 1 according to the second embodiment in steps S01 to S05, steps S06 to S07, and steps S08 to S10. When it is determined in step S09 that correction based on the area is not necessary, the process of the AC determination system 1 according to the third embodiment proceeds to step S11.

[0102] In step S11, the calculation unit 13 corrects the provisionally calculated communication range 17 of the user 3 based on the AC characteristics of the user 3. The calculation unit 13 reads out the AC characteristics of the user 3 from the AC characteristics DB in the user storage unit 14 and uses them to correct the communication range 17 of the user 3. For example, when the calculation unit 13 reads out a correction coefficient for the forward distance df of the communication range 17 as the AC characteristic, the calculation unit 13 corrects the communication range 17 by multiplying the read correction coefficient by the forward distance df. The management device 10 may repeat the processes from step S08 to step S11 for each user 3. Thereafter, the process of the management device 10 proceeds to step S06.

[0103] As described above, the management device 10 of the exchange determination system 1 according to the third embodiment includes the user storage unit 14. The user storage unit 14 stores information on exchange characteristics for each user 3. The calculation unit 13 calculates the exchange range 17 of a target user 3 according to the exchange characteristics stored in the user storage unit 14 for that user 3. The user storage unit 14 stores, as the exchange characteristics for each user 3, a correction factor for correcting the calculated exchange range 17. The calculation unit 13 corrects the exchange range 17 provisionally calculated for the target user 3 using the correction factor stored in the user storage unit 14 for that user 3.

[0104] With this configuration, the interaction range 17 is adjusted according to individual differences such as the habits or tendencies of the users 3, so that the interaction status between users 3 can be determined with higher accuracy. Also, in this example, correction based on the correction factor for each user 3 is performed when area-based correction is not performed. This prevents the interaction range 17 of the user 3 from again extending beyond the area where the user 3 is located into an area where interaction is not possible due to correction based on the correction factor for the user 3.

[0105] The management device 10 may adjust the exchange range 17 for each user 3 using a method other than the correction factor. For example, the exchange characteristic DB may store, as the exchange characteristics, parameters used by the calculation unit 13 to calculate the exchange range 17 from the exchange factors for each user 3. The parameters may be, for example, the value of a leaf node of a decision tree and a threshold value for a conditional branch when calculating the exchange range 17, or a coefficient, exponent, or other parameter in a function when calculating the exchange range 17. In this case, the adjustment unit 21 adjusts the parameters for each user 3 as the exchange characteristics. Furthermore, the calculation unit 13 reads the parameters for each user 3 from the exchange characteristic DB and calculates the exchange range 17 from the exchange factors. The calculation unit 13 may provisionally calculate the exchange range 17 using the parameters for each user 3, and then perform area-based correction as necessary.

[0106] Furthermore, the adjustment unit 21 may adjust the interaction characteristics without analyzing erroneous determinations of the interaction situation, etc. For example, the adjustment unit 21 may adjust the interaction characteristics of the user 3 based on options selected by the user 3 himself / herself. The option selection by the user 3 is collected, for example, from the terminal device 4 owned by the user 3 to the management device 10 via the communication network 8 and the collection unit 11. The options selected by the user 3 are, for example, the size of personal space, the volume of voice, and other habits or tendencies.

[0107] To summarize the above explanation, possible configurations of the technology according to the present disclosure include the configurations listed below as appendices. (Appendix 1) a plurality of terminal devices each corresponding to one of a plurality of users who may interact with each other in the facility and carried by the corresponding user; a management device capable of communicating with each of the plurality of terminal devices; Equipped with Each of the plurality of terminal devices a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information of a corresponding user; an interaction element acquisition unit that acquires an interaction element that represents an interaction state of a corresponding user; Equipped with The management device a collection unit that collects location information and interaction elements of corresponding users from each of the plurality of terminal devices; a calculation unit that calculates, for each of the plurality of users, an interaction range of the user based on the user's location information using the interaction elements collected by the collection unit for the target user, thereby updating the interaction range of the user in accordance with updates to the interaction elements of the user; an interaction determination unit that determines the interaction status of a first user and a second user among the plurality of users based on an overlap between the interaction range of the first user and the interaction range of the second user; Equipped with AC determination system. (Appendix 2) the calculation unit defines the user's interaction range as a polygonal range that includes the user's position inside, and calculates the positions of the vertices of the polygon to calculate the user's interaction range; 10. The exchange determination system of claim 1. (Appendix 3) The calculation unit calculates the interaction range of the user using behavior information of the user, including gestures, orientation, or movement of the user, as at least a part of the interaction elements of the user. 10. The AC determination system of claim 1 or 2. (Appendix 4) the calculation unit calculates the interaction range of the user using voice information of the user including a voice volume of the user as at least a part of the interaction element of the user; 4. The AC determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. (Appendix 5) the calculation unit calculates the interaction range of the user using biological information of the user including the user's heart rate as at least a part of the interaction elements of the user; 5. The AC determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 4. (Appendix 6) the interaction determination unit determines that the first user and the second user are interacting when an interaction range of the first user and an interaction range of the second user continuously overlap for more than a preset time period. 6. The AC determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 5. (Appendix 7) The calculation unit anisotropically updates the interaction range of the target user so as to expand the interaction range in front of the user in accordance with the interaction elements collected by the collection unit for the target user. 7. The AC determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 6. (Appendix 8) The calculation unit anisotropically updates the interaction range of the target user so as to shrink behind the user, according to the interaction elements collected by the collection unit for the target user. 8. The AC determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 7. (Appendix 9) a facility storage unit that stores information on a plurality of areas that are preset for the facility; Equipped with the plurality of areas include a first area and a second area that are preset as a pair of areas that cannot interact with each other; When both the first area and the second area overlap with an interaction range of a user in the first area, the calculation unit corrects the interaction range of the user so as to reduce the interaction range of the user to a range that does not overlap with at least the second area. 9. The AC determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 8. (Appendix 10) a facility storage unit that stores information on a plurality of areas that are preset for the facility; Equipped with the plurality of areas includes an interaction area that is preset as an area where interaction is likely to occur, When the interaction area overlaps with the interaction range of the user, the calculation unit corrects the interaction range of the user to expand the interaction range so that the overlap between the interaction area and the interaction range of the user becomes larger. 9. The AC determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 8. (Appendix 11) a user storage unit that stores information on AC characteristics for each of the plurality of users; Equipped with the calculation unit calculates an interaction range of the target user according to the interaction characteristics of the target user stored in the user storage unit; 11. The AC determination system according to any one of claims 1 to 10. (Appendix 12) the user storage unit stores a correction factor for correcting the calculated AC range as an AC characteristic for each user; The calculation unit corrects the calculated interaction range for the target user using a correction factor stored in the user storage unit for the target user. 12. The AC determination system of claim 11. (Appendix 13) the user storage unit stores, for each user, parameters used by the calculation unit to calculate an AC range from an AC element as AC characteristics; The calculation unit calculates the interaction range of the target user using parameters stored in the user storage unit for the target user. 12. The AC determination system of claim 11. (Appendix 14) a management device that corresponds to one of a plurality of users who may interact with each other in the facility and is capable of communicating with each of a plurality of terminal devices carried by the corresponding user; a collection unit that collects, from each of the plurality of terminal devices, location information of a corresponding user and an interaction element that represents an interaction state; a calculation unit that calculates, for each of the plurality of users, an interaction range of the user based on the user's location information using the interaction elements collected by the collection unit for the target user, thereby updating the interaction range of the user in accordance with updates to the interaction elements of the user; an interaction determination unit that determines the interaction status of a first user and a second user among the plurality of users based on an overlap between the interaction range of the first user and the interaction range of the second user; A management device comprising: (Appendix 15) a computer system, each corresponding to one of a plurality of users who may interact with each other in a facility and capable of communicating with each of a plurality of terminal devices possessed by the corresponding user; collecting location information of corresponding users and interaction elements representing interaction situations from each of the plurality of terminal devices; For each of the plurality of users, calculating an interaction range of the user based on the location information of the user using the interaction elements collected about the target user, thereby updating the interaction range of the user in accordance with updates to the interaction elements of the user; For a first user and a second user among the plurality of users, determining the interaction status of the first user and the second user based on an overlap between the interaction range of the first user and the interaction range of the second user; An AC determination method that performs the above. (Appendix 16) A computer system is provided, each of which corresponds to one of a plurality of users who can interact with each other in the facility and is capable of communicating with each of a plurality of terminal devices carried by the corresponding user, collecting location information of corresponding users and interaction elements representing interaction situations from each of the plurality of terminal devices; For each of the plurality of users, calculating the interaction range of the user based on the location information of the user using the interaction elements collected about the target user, thereby updating the interaction range of the user in accordance with updates to the interaction elements of the user; For a first user and a second user among the plurality of users, determining the interaction status of the first user and the second user based on an overlap between the interaction range of the first user and the interaction range of the second user; An exchange determination program that executes the above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0108] 1 AC determination system, 2 Facility, 3, 3a, 3b, 3c User, 4, 4a, 4b, 4c Terminal device, 5 Communication unit, 6 Location information acquisition unit, 7 AC element acquisition unit, 8 Communication network, 9 Camera, 10 Management device, 11 Collection unit, 12 Image processing unit, 13 Calculation unit, 14 User memory unit, 15 AC determination unit, 16 Output unit, 17, 17a, 17b, 17c AC range, 18 Vertex, 19 Facility memory unit, 20 Area determination unit, 21 Adjustment unit, 100a Processor, 100b Memory, 200 Dedicated hardware

Claims

1. a management device that corresponds to one of a plurality of users who may interact with each other in the facility and is capable of communicating with each of a plurality of terminal devices carried by the corresponding user; a collection unit that collects, from each of the plurality of terminal devices, location information of a corresponding user and an interaction element that represents an interaction state; a calculation unit that calculates, for each of the plurality of users, an interaction range of the user based on the user's location information using the interaction elements collected by the collection unit for the target user, thereby updating the interaction range of the user in accordance with updates to the interaction elements of the user; an interaction determination unit that determines an interaction status of a first user and a second user among the plurality of users based on an overlap between an interaction range of the first user and an interaction range of the second user; Equipped with The calculation unit anisotropically updates the interaction range of the target user so as to shrink behind the user, according to the interaction elements collected by the collection unit for the target user. Management device.

2. a management device that corresponds to one of a plurality of users who may interact with each other in the facility and is capable of communicating with each of a plurality of terminal devices carried by the corresponding user; a collection unit that collects, from each of the plurality of terminal devices, location information of a corresponding user and an interaction element that represents an interaction state; a calculation unit that calculates, for each of the plurality of users, an interaction range of the user based on the user's location information using the interaction elements collected by the collection unit for the target user, thereby updating the interaction range of the user in accordance with updates to the interaction elements of the user; an interaction determination unit that determines an interaction status of a first user and a second user among the plurality of users based on an overlap between an interaction range of the first user and an interaction range of the second user; a facility storage unit that stores information on a plurality of areas that are preset for the facility; Equipped with the plurality of areas include a first area and a second area that are preset as a pair of areas that cannot interact with each other; When both the first area and the second area overlap with an interaction range of a user in the first area, the calculation unit corrects the interaction range of the user so as to reduce the interaction range of the user to a range that does not overlap with at least the second area. Management device.

3. a management device that corresponds to one of a plurality of users who may interact with each other in the facility and is capable of communicating with each of a plurality of terminal devices carried by the corresponding user; a collection unit that collects, from each of the plurality of terminal devices, location information of a corresponding user and an interaction element that represents an interaction state; a calculation unit that calculates, for each of the plurality of users, an interaction range of the user based on the user's location information using the interaction elements collected by the collection unit for the target user, thereby updating the interaction range of the user in accordance with updates to the interaction elements of the user; an interaction determination unit that determines an interaction status of a first user and a second user among the plurality of users based on an overlap between an interaction range of the first user and an interaction range of the second user; a facility storage unit that stores information on a plurality of areas that are preset for the facility; Equipped with the plurality of areas includes an interaction area that is preset as an area where interaction is likely to occur, When the interaction area overlaps with the interaction range of the user, the calculation unit corrects the interaction range of the user to expand the interaction range so that the overlap between the interaction area and the interaction range of the user becomes larger. Management device.

4. a management device that corresponds to one of a plurality of users who may interact with each other in the facility and is capable of communicating with each of a plurality of terminal devices carried by the corresponding user; a collection unit that collects, from each of the plurality of terminal devices, location information of a corresponding user and an interaction element that represents an interaction state; a calculation unit that calculates, for each of the plurality of users, an interaction range of the user based on the user's location information using the interaction elements collected by the collection unit for the target user, thereby updating the interaction range of the user in accordance with updates to the interaction elements of the user; an interaction determination unit that determines an interaction status of a first user and a second user among the plurality of users based on an overlap between an interaction range of the first user and an interaction range of the second user; a user storage unit that stores information on AC characteristics for each of the plurality of users; Equipped with the calculation unit calculates an interaction range of the target user according to the interaction characteristics of the target user stored in the user storage unit; Management device.

5. The user storage unit stores a correction factor for correcting the calculated AC range as an AC characteristic for each user, The calculation unit corrects the calculated interaction range for the target user using a correction factor stored in the user storage unit for the target user. The management device according to claim 4 .

6. The user storage unit stores, for each user, parameters used by the calculation unit to calculate the AC range from the AC elements as AC characteristics; The calculation unit calculates the interaction range of the target user using parameters stored in the user storage unit for the target user. The management device according to claim 4 .

7. The calculation unit calculates the user's interaction range by defining the range of a polygon that includes the user's position inside the polygon and calculating the positions of the vertices of the polygon. The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The calculation unit calculates the interaction range of the user using behavior information of the user, including the user's gesture, orientation, or movement, as at least a part of the user's interaction elements. The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

9. The calculation unit calculates the interaction range of the user using voice information of the user, including the user's voice volume, as at least a part of the user's interaction factors. The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

10. The calculation unit calculates the interaction range of the user using biometric information of the user, including the user's heart rate, as at least a part of the user's interaction factors. The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

11. The interaction determination unit determines that the first user and the second user are interacting when the interaction range of the first user and the interaction range of the second user continuously overlap for more than a predetermined time. The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

12. The calculation unit anisotropically updates the interaction range of the target user so as to expand the interaction range in front of the user in accordance with the interaction elements collected by the collection unit for the target user. The management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

13. a plurality of terminal devices each corresponding to one of a plurality of users who may interact with each other in the facility and carried by the corresponding user; a management device according to claim 1 that is capable of communicating with each of the plurality of terminal devices; Equipped with Each of the plurality of terminal devices a location information acquisition unit that acquires location information of a corresponding user; an interaction element acquisition unit that acquires an interaction element that represents an interaction state of a corresponding user; Equipped with AC determination system.

14. a computer system, each corresponding to one of a plurality of users who may interact with each other in a facility and capable of communicating with each of a plurality of terminal devices possessed by the corresponding user; collecting location information of corresponding users and interaction elements representing interaction situations from each of the plurality of terminal devices; For each of the plurality of users, calculating an interaction range of the user based on the location information of the user using the interaction elements collected about the target user, thereby updating the interaction range of the user in accordance with updates to the interaction elements of the user; For a first user and a second user among the plurality of users, determining the interaction status of the first user and the second user based on an overlap between the interaction range of the first user and the interaction range of the second user; An AC determination method that performs The computer system anisotropically updates the interaction range of the target user in accordance with the interaction elements collected about the target user so as to shrink the interaction range behind the user. AC determination method.

15. a computer system, each corresponding to one of a plurality of users who may interact with each other in a facility and capable of communicating with each of a plurality of terminal devices possessed by the corresponding user; storing information on a plurality of areas preset for the facility; collecting location information of corresponding users and interaction elements representing interaction situations from each of the plurality of terminal devices; For each of the plurality of users, calculating an interaction range of the user based on the location information of the user using the interaction elements collected about the target user, thereby updating the interaction range of the user in accordance with updates to the interaction elements of the user; For a first user and a second user among the plurality of users, determining the interaction status of the first user and the second user based on an overlap between the interaction range of the first user and the interaction range of the second user; An AC determination method that performs the plurality of areas include a first area and a second area that are preset as a pair of areas that cannot interact with each other; When both the first area and the second area overlap with an interaction range of a user in the first area, the computer system corrects the interaction range of the user so as to reduce the interaction range of the user to a range that does not overlap with at least the second area. AC determination method.

16. a computer system, each corresponding to one of a plurality of users who may interact with each other in a facility and capable of communicating with each of a plurality of terminal devices possessed by the corresponding user; storing information on a plurality of areas preset for the facility; collecting location information of corresponding users and interaction elements representing interaction situations from each of the plurality of terminal devices; For each of the plurality of users, calculating an interaction range of the user based on the location information of the user using the interaction elements collected about the target user, thereby updating the interaction range of the user in accordance with updates to the interaction elements of the user; For a first user and a second user among the plurality of users, determining the interaction status of the first user and the second user based on an overlap between the interaction range of the first user and the interaction range of the second user; An AC determination method that performs the plurality of areas includes an interaction area that is preset as an area where interaction is likely to occur, When the communication area overlaps with the user's communication range, the computer system corrects the communication range of the user to expand the communication range so that the overlap between the communication area and the user's communication range becomes larger. AC determination method.

17. a computer system, each corresponding to one of a plurality of users who may interact with each other in a facility and capable of communicating with each of a plurality of terminal devices possessed by the corresponding user; storing information on interaction characteristics for each of the plurality of users; collecting location information of corresponding users and interaction elements representing interaction situations from each of the plurality of terminal devices; For each of the plurality of users, calculating an interaction range of the user based on the location information of the user using the interaction elements collected about the target user, thereby updating the interaction range of the user in accordance with updates to the interaction elements of the user; For a first user and a second user among the plurality of users, determining the interaction status of the first user and the second user based on an overlap between the interaction range of the first user and the interaction range of the second user; An AC determination method that performs the computer system calculates the interaction range of the target user according to the interaction characteristics stored about the target user; AC determination method.

18. The computer system stores a correction factor for correcting the calculated AC range as an AC characteristic for each user, The computer system corrects the calculated interaction range for the target user using a correction factor stored for the target user. The AC determination method according to claim 17.

19. The computer system stores parameters for calculating the AC range from the AC elements as AC characteristics for each user, The computer system calculates the user's interaction range using parameters stored about the target user. The AC determination method according to claim 17.

20. A computer system is provided, each of which corresponds to one of a plurality of users who can interact with each other in the facility and is capable of communicating with each of a plurality of terminal devices carried by the corresponding user, An AC determination program for executing the AC determination method according to any one of claims 14 to 19.

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