Guidance support device, guidance support method, program, and recording medium

Abstract

To provide a guide support device capable of guiding to a specific area in consideration of an attribute of a visitor.SOLUTION: A guide support device comprises: a section information storage portion including section information containing section identification information for identifying a section in a specific area, and preferential section information ; a use state determination portion that acquires use state information about the section in the specific area and determines whether the section is in use or unused on the basis of the use state information; a visitor information acquisition portion that acquires visitor information on a visitor who enters the specific area; an attribute information extraction portion that extracts visitor attribute information on the visitor from the visitor information; a preferential section determination portion that determines whether or not an unused section includes at least one preferential section on the basis of the visitor attribute information and the section information; a guide information generation portion that generates preferential guide information for preferentially guiding the visitor to the preferential section when the unused section includes the preferential section ; and an output portion that outputs the preferential guide information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a guidance support device, a guidance support method, a program, and a recording medium.

Background Art

[0002] In commercial facilities and the like, a parking lot for those who come to the store by vehicle is provided. In such a parking lot, for entry / exit management, there are often few entry routes compared to the number of vehicles that can be accommodated in the parking lot, and traffic jams are likely to occur. Therefore, a system for efficiently guiding vehicles entering the parking lot is known (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The technology of Patent Document 1 guides a route on the surrounding road based on the traffic jam situation on the roads around the parking lot. However, in a parking lot in a commercial facility, not only does it cause traffic jams on the surrounding roads before entry, but it also takes time to find an empty space after entry. In addition, in a parking lot in a commercial facility, there may be spaces (sections) where vehicles with specific attributes, such as spaces for the physically disabled and spaces for light motor vehicles, can park preferentially. Even if an empty space is found after entry, there is a problem that if the vehicle being driven does not have the corresponding attribute, the empty section cannot be used. Such problems are the same not only in parking lots but also in various situations where it is necessary to search for an unused section from a predetermined section, such as in a restaurant or an eat-in corner of a commercial facility.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a guidance support device that can guide visitors to a specific area while taking into account their attributes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the guidance support device of the present invention is It includes a section information storage unit, a usage status determination unit, an entrant information acquisition unit, an attribute information extraction unit, a priority section determination unit, a guidance information generation unit, and an output unit. The partition information storage unit includes partition information of partitions in the specified area, The said partition information includes partition identification information that identifies a partition in the specified area, and priority partition information. The usage status determination unit acquires usage status information for the section in a specific area, and determines whether the section is in use or unused based on the usage status information. The aforementioned visitor information acquisition unit acquires visitor information of visitors entering a specific area, The attribute information extraction unit extracts the visitor attribute information of the visitor from the visitor information, The priority area determination unit determines, based on the visitor attribute information and the area information, whether or not at least one priority area is included in the unused area. The guidance information generation unit generates priority guidance information if the priority area is included in the unused area. The aforementioned priority guidance information is information that guides the visitors to the priority area preferentially. The output unit outputs the priority guidance information.

[0007] The guidance support method of the present invention is This process includes a usage status determination step, an entry information acquisition step, an attribute information extraction step, a priority area determination step, a guidance information generation step, and an output step. Using the partition information of the partitions in the aforementioned specific area, The said partition information includes partition identification information that identifies a partition in the specified area, and priority partition information. The usage status determination step involves acquiring usage status information for the section in a specific area, and determining whether the section is in use or unused based on the usage status information. The aforementioned visitor information acquisition process acquires visitor information of visitors entering a specific area, The attribute information extraction step extracts the visitor attribute information of the visitor from the visitor information, The priority area determination step determines, based on the visitor attribute information and the area information, whether or not at least one priority area is included in the unused area. The guidance information generation step generates priority guidance information if the priority area is included in the unused area. The aforementioned priority guidance information is information that guides the visitors to the priority area preferentially. The output step outputs the priority guidance information.

[0008] The program of the present invention, This includes a procedure for determining the usage status, a procedure for acquiring visitor information, a procedure for extracting attribute information, a procedure for determining priority areas, a procedure for generating guidance information, and an output procedure. Using the partition information of the partitions in the aforementioned specific area, The said partition information includes partition identification information that identifies a partition in the specified area, and priority partition information. The usage status determination procedure involves acquiring usage status information for the section in a specific area, and determining whether the section is in use or unused based on the usage status information. The aforementioned procedure for obtaining visitor information obtains visitor information of visitors entering a specific area, The attribute information extraction procedure extracts the visitor attribute information of the visitor from the visitor information, The priority area determination procedure determines whether at least one priority area is included in the unused area based on the visitor attribute information and the area information, The guidance information generation procedure generates priority guidance information if the priority area is included in the unused area. The aforementioned priority guidance information is information that guides the visitors to the priority area preferentially. The output procedure outputs the priority guidance information, Each of the procedures is a program executed by a computer.

[0009] The recording medium of the present invention is a computer-readable recording medium recording the program of the present invention.

Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to guide an entrant to a specific area in consideration of the attributes of the entrant.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a guidance support device according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the guidance support device according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of processing in the guidance support device according to Embodiment 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a parking lot where parking guidance is performed by the guidance support device according to Embodiment 1.

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0014] Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. In the following drawings, the same parts are denoted by the same reference numerals. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the descriptions of each embodiment can be used interchangeably with those of the others, and unless otherwise specified, the configurations of each embodiment can be combined.

[0015] [Embodiment 1] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the guidance support device 10 of this embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the device 10 includes a partition information storage unit 11, a usage status determination unit 12, an entrant information acquisition unit 13, an attribute information extraction unit 14, a priority partition determination unit 15, a guidance information generation unit 16, and an output unit 17.

[0016] The device 10 may be, for example, a single device including the aforementioned parts, or it may be a device in which each of the aforementioned parts can be connected via a communication network. Furthermore, the device 10 can be connected to an external device described later via the communication network. The communication network is not particularly limited and can use a known network, for example, it may be wired or wireless. Examples of the communication network include the Internet, WWW (World Wide Web), telephone lines, LAN (Local Area Network), SAN (Storage Area Network), DTN (Delay Tolerant Networking), LPWA (Low Power Wide Area), L5G (Local 5G), etc. Examples of wireless communication include Wi-Fi (registered trademark), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Local 5G, LPWA, etc. The wireless communication may be in the form of direct communication between devices (Ad Hoc communication), infrastructure communication, indirect communication via an access point, etc. The device 10 may be, for example, incorporated into a server as a system. Furthermore, the device 10 may be, for example, a personal computer (PC, e.g., desktop or notebook type), smartphone, tablet terminal, etc., on which the program of the present invention is installed. The device 10 may also be in the form of cloud computing or edge computing, for example, in which at least one of the above-mentioned parts is on a server and the other parts are on a terminal.

[0017] Figure 2 illustrates a block diagram of the hardware configuration of the device 10. The device 10 includes, for example, a CPU 101, memory 102, bus 103, storage device 104, input device 106, output device 107, communication device 108, etc. Each part of the device 10 is interconnected via the bus 103 through its respective interface (I / F).

[0018] The CPU 101 operates in conjunction with other components via controllers (system controller, I / O controller, etc.) and is responsible for the overall control of the device 10. In the device 10, the CPU 101 executes, for example, the program 105 of the present invention and other programs, and also reads and writes various types of information. Specifically, for example, the CPU 101 functions as a usage status determination unit 12, an entrant information acquisition unit 13, an attribute information extraction unit 14, a priority area determination unit 15, a guidance information generation unit 16, and an output unit 17. The device 10 is equipped with a CPU as its computing device, but it may also be equipped with other computing devices such as a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) or an APU (Accelerated Processing Unit), or a combination of the CPU and these.

[0019] Bus 103 can also be connected to external devices, for example. Examples of such external devices include emotion estimation devices such as the emotion estimation device of the present invention described later, external storage devices (external databases, etc.), printers, external input devices, external display devices, external imaging devices, etc. The device 10 can be connected to an external network (the aforementioned communication network) by a communication device 108 connected to bus 103, for example, and can also be connected to other devices via the external network.

[0020] Memory 102 may be, for example, main memory. When the central processing unit 101 performs processing, memory 102 reads various operational programs, such as the program of the present invention, stored in the storage device 104 (described later), and the central processing unit 101 receives data from memory 102 and executes the program. The main memory may be, for example, RAM (random access memory). Alternatively, memory 102 may be, for example, ROM (read-only memory).

[0021] The storage device 104 is also called an auxiliary storage device, for example, in relation to the main memory (primary memory). As described above, the storage device 104 stores an operation program 105 that includes the program of the present invention. The storage device 104 may be, for example, a combination of a recording medium and a drive that reads and writes to the recording medium. The recording medium is not particularly limited and may be internal or external, for example, an HD (hard disk), CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, MO, DVD, flash memory, memory card, etc. The storage device 104 may be, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD) in which the recording medium and the drive are integrated, or a solid state drive (SSD). The storage device 104 functions, for example, as a partition information storage unit 11 and stores partition information 111, which will be described later.

[0022] In this device 10, the memory 102 and storage device 104 can also store various types of information, such as log information, information obtained from an external database (not shown) or external devices, information generated by this device 10, and information used by this device 10 when executing processing. In this case, the memory 102 and storage device 104 may store at least one piece of information selected from a group consisting of, for example, visitor information, visitor attribute information, and area usage status information, which will be described later. At least some of the information may be stored on an external server other than the memory 102 and storage device 104, or it may be stored in a distributed manner across multiple terminals using blockchain technology or the like.

[0023] The device 10 further includes, for example, an input device 106 and an output device 107. The input device 106 may include, for example, a pointing device such as a touch panel, trackpad, or mouse; a keyboard; imaging means such as a camera or scanner; a card reader such as an IC card reader or magnetic card reader; an audio input means such as a microphone; and so on. The output device 107 may include, for example, a display device such as an LED display or liquid crystal display; an audio output device such as a speaker; a printer; and so on. In this embodiment 1, the input device 106 and the output device 107 are configured separately, but the input device 106 and the output device 107 may be configured as an integrated unit, such as a touch panel display.

[0024] Next, an example of the guidance support method of this embodiment will be described based on the flowchart in Figure 3. The guidance support method of this embodiment is implemented as follows, for example, using the guidance support device 10 in Figure 1 or Figure 2. Note that the guidance support method of this embodiment is not limited to the use of the guidance support device 10 in Figure 1 or Figure 2. Furthermore, in the following description, the example given is that the specific area is a parking lot with normal lanes (also called normal entrances) and priority lanes (also called priority entrances), and the entrant is a vehicle entering the parking lot, but the present invention is not limited in any way to the following examples.

[0025] First, the section information storage unit 11 is pre-stored with section identification information for sections within the specified area. The section identification information includes section identification information that identifies a section within the specified area, and priority section information. The section identification information is, for example, information that can identify each section. The section identification information may include, for example, a parking number. The priority section information is information for determining whether a section is a priority section, and includes section identification information for each section and priority section information that specifies whether or not it is a priority section. Furthermore, the priority section information includes, for example, information that links the section identification information with the type of visitor attribute information that allows the section to be used preferentially for a section that is a priority section. In the case of a priority section, the number of visitor attribute information linked with the section identification information may be, for example, one type or two or more types. The priority section information can be set to any attribute information according to, for example, the type of the specified area, the characteristics of each section, etc. Specifically, the case of each section in a parking lot, i.e., each parking space, will be explained using Table 1 below as an example. Table 1 below shows an example of priority parking space information for parking spaces identified by parking numbers (space identification information) 1 to 6. As shown in Table 1 below, for parking spaces 1 to 4, which are of the type of space, the information that they are not priority spaces, i.e., regular spaces, is associated with them. For parking space 5, which is of the type of space for light vehicles, the information that it is a priority space is associated with the attribute information of the priority-targeted visitor, namely that the vehicle is a light vehicle. For parking space 6, which is of the type of space for disabled persons, the information that it is a priority space is associated with the attribute information of the priority-targeted visitor, namely that the vehicle has a disability sign and / or that the vehicle is a welfare vehicle. The aforementioned priority parking space information is not limited to the examples shown in Table 1. In addition, for example, for spaces that are relatively easy to park in, such as those that do not require turning around, the information that they are priority spaces and the attribute information of the priority-targeted visitor, namely that the vehicle has a novice driver sign, may be set.

[0026] [Table 1]

[0027] Furthermore, the section information may include, for example, section priority information. The priority information is, for example, information on the priority (indicator) for selecting a section when guiding visitors to an unused section. The priority can be set appropriately according to, for example, the usage rate, popularity, and congestion level of the section. Specifically, for example, in a parking lot, sections close to the store entrance are popular sections, so the closer a section is to the store entrance, the higher its priority can be set, and the further away a section is from the store entrance, the lower its priority can be set. Also, when setting the priority according to the congestion level, the usage rate around the unused section, that is, the priority of an unused section with many occupied sections among its neighbors can be set lower, and the priority of an unused section with many unused sections among its neighbors can be set higher.

[0028] Next, the usage status determination unit 12 acquires usage status information for the section in the specific area and determines whether the section is in use or unused based on the usage status information (S1, usage status determination step). The usage status information is, for example, information on whether or not the section in the specific area is in use. Specific examples of the usage status information include, for example, information on whether or not a vehicle is parked in each section of a parking lot. The usage status determination unit 12 can acquire the usage status information from, for example, a device that manages the usage status of the sections in the specific area. The device that manages the usage status is not particularly limited, and for example, a suitable device can be used depending on the type of specific area. Specific examples of the device that manages the usage status include, for example, a system device that manages the occupancy status of a parking lot. The usage status determination unit 12 may also acquire the usage status information from, for example, a sensor that determines the usage status of each section in the specific area, or from a terminal of the administrator of the specific area.

[0029] Next, the visitor information acquisition unit 13 acquires visitor information for the specific area (S2, visitor information acquisition step). The visitor information is, for example, information of a visitor who intends to enter the specific area, and may include the visitor's image information, text information containing the visitor's information, etc. The visitor information acquisition unit 13 may acquire visitor information for one visitor, or it may acquire visitor information for two or more visitors, but it is preferable to acquire visitor information for multiple visitors. The visitor information acquisition unit 13 may acquire the visitor information from a terminal held by the visitor, from a terminal device provided in the specific area, or from a terminal held by a person in charge of the specific area.

[0030] The visitor information may include, for example, other information. This other information may include, for example, visitor identification information, visitor date and time information, visitor location information, etc. The visitor identification information is information that can identify the visitor, and may include, for example, the visitor's name; visitor identification number; image of the visitor; visitor's device ID; etc. If the visitor information includes the other information, it is preferable that, for example, the visitor information and the other information are linked to each other.

[0031] Next, the attribute information extraction unit 14 extracts visitor attribute information of the visitor from the visitor information (S3, attribute information extraction step). The attribute information extraction unit 14 can extract visitor attribute information using a suitable method depending on the type of visitor information acquired. If the visitor attribute information is text information, text analysis means such as morphological analysis can be used, and if the visitor attribute information is image information, image analysis means can be used. Appropriate information can be used for the visitor attribute information depending on the type of visitor. For example, if the visitor is a vehicle that is about to enter the parking lot, specific examples of the visitor attribute information include, for example, vehicle class such as segment; vehicle type such as light vehicle, regular vehicle, motorcycle, car, welfare vehicle, etc.; presence or absence of signs (marks) affixed to the vehicle such as novice driver signs (e.g., beginner mark, young leaf mark, etc.), elderly driver signs (e.g., silver mark, senior citizen mark, etc.), disabled person signs, hearing impaired person signs, wheelchair marks, and other international symbols. The attribute information extraction unit 14 may, for example, extract one type of visitor attribute information for each visitor, or it may extract two or more types of visitor attribute information.

[0032] Next, the priority area determination unit 15 determines, based on the visitor attribute information and the area information, whether or not the unused area includes a priority area suitable for the visitor (S4, priority area determination step). Specifically, the priority area determination unit 15 compares the priority area information included in the area information of the area determined to be an unused area in S1 with the visitor attribute information, and can determine that an area to which at least one type of visitor attribute information of the visitor extracted in S3 as the priority area information is associated is the visitor's priority area. The priority area determination unit 15 may, for example, determine one area as the priority area, or it may determine two or more areas as the priority area.

[0033] Next, the guidance information generation unit 16 generates priority guidance information (S5, guidance information generation step) if the unused area includes the priority area (S4, Yes). The priority guidance information is information that preferentially guides the entrant to the priority area. Specifically, the priority guidance information may include, for example, information that guides the entrant's vehicle to a priority lane.

[0034] The output unit 17 then outputs the priority guidance information (S6, output step). The output unit 17 may, for example, output the priority guidance information to the visitor, or to a device installed in the specific area. In the former case, for example, the output unit 17 can output the priority guidance information to an in-vehicle terminal installed in the visitor's vehicle, a smartphone held by the driver of the vehicle, or other terminal. In the latter case, for example, the priority guidance information can be output to a parking management system installed in the parking lot. The parking management system that has received the guidance information may, for example, issue a parking ticket printed with the priority guidance information, display the priority guidance information on a display device provided in the parking management system, or notify the visitor of the priority guidance information using an audio output means such as a speaker.

[0035] The guidance support device 10 may terminate the process if the priority area is not included in the unused area (S4, No) (END). However, it is not limited to this, and for example, the output unit 17 may output the area identification information of the unused area as guidance information. This allows visitors to know the area identification information of the unused area, enabling them to be smoothly guided to the unused area.

[0036] The processes in S4 to S6 will be explained with specific examples. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing parking lot 1, which includes parking spaces 2 numbered 1 to 6 (No. 1 to No. 6) as shown in Table 1. Parking lot 1 includes parking spaces 2 and two entrance lanes. One of the entrance lanes is a normal lane (also called a normal entrance) 3, and the other is a priority lane (also called a priority entrance) 4. Normal entrance 3 is, for example, the entrance for visitors to parking lot 1, i.e., vehicle 5, to normally enter, and priority entrance 4 is, for example, an entrance that is normally closed and is opened when there is a vehicle to be guided to the priority area. In this example, as shown in Figure 4, we assume that vehicles 5a and 5b are lined up waiting to enter parking lot 1 at normal entrance 3. Vehicle 5a is a regular passenger car, and vehicle 5b is a welfare vehicle.

[0037] As shown in Figure 4, of the parking spaces 2 numbered 1 to 6 in Table 1, parking spaces 1 to 4 are occupied because vehicle 5c is present, while parking spaces 5 and 6 are unused. As previously mentioned, vehicle 5a is a regular passenger car, and vehicle 5b is a welfare vehicle. As shown in Table 1, among the unused spaces, parking space 5 is a space for a light vehicle, so the priority space information is associated with vehicle type: light vehicle, and parking space 6 is a space for a disabled person, so the priority space information is associated with vehicle type: welfare vehicle. Therefore, the priority space determination unit 15 determines that parking space 2 of parking space 6, which is an unused space, is the priority space for vehicle 5b, based on the visitor attribute information of vehicle 5b (vehicle type: welfare vehicle) and the space information of parking space 6 (where the priority space information is associated with vehicle type: welfare vehicle). Next, the guidance information generation unit 16 generates information to guide vehicle 5b from the normal lane 3 to the priority lane 4 as priority guidance information, and the output unit 17 outputs the priority guidance information to the on-board device of vehicle 5b. In this example, regular passenger car vehicle 5a is lined up ahead of welfare vehicle vehicle 5b, but the only unused parking spaces are the spaces reserved for light vehicles and the spaces for disabled persons, so vehicle 5a has no space to park. Although vehicle 5b can park in the space for disabled persons, it is lined up behind vehicle 5a, so it will have to wait until vehicle 5a enters the parking lot 1, which is inefficient. According to the guidance support device 10 of the present invention, welfare vehicle vehicle 5b can be guided to the priority lane 4 and then to the parking space with parking space number 6.

[0038] In this embodiment of the guidance support method, the case in which steps S1 to S6 are executed sequentially has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the present invention, for example, steps S1 to S3 only need to be performed in a process upstream of S4, and steps S1 to S3 may be executed simultaneously or separately. In the latter case, the order in which they are executed is not particularly limited and is arbitrary.

[0039] According to this device 10, priority guidance information can be generated and output when a suitable priority area is not available for an entrant, based on the entrant attribute information and area information of the entrant.

[0040] [Example 1] Modification 1 is another example of the use of the guidance support device of the present invention. In Modification 1, the specific area is an eat-in space of a commercial facility, rather than the parking lot of Embodiment 1, and the person entering is a customer of the commercial facility who has come to the eat-in space. Modification 1 is the same as Embodiment 1 except for these points, and its explanation can be applied by reference.

[0041] First, the section information storage unit 11 is pre-stored with section identification information for the sections within the specified area. In the modified example 1, the section identification information may include, for example, seat numbers. The priority section information includes the types of visitor attribute information that can be used preferentially for the section. Specifically, we will explain using Table 2 below as an example, taking into account each section, i.e., each seat, within the eat-in space. Table 2 below shows an example of priority section information for seats identified by seat numbers (section identification information) 1 to 6. As shown in Table 2 below, for seats 1 to 4, which are table seats, information indicating that they are not priority sections, i.e., regular sections, is associated with them. For seat 5, which is a counter seat, information indicating that it is a priority section is associated with the attribute information of the priority target occupant, namely that there is one person. Furthermore, for seat 6, which is a table seat with a child seat, information indicating that it is a priority section is associated with the attribute information of the priority target occupant, namely that there are four or more people and that the customer is accompanied by an infant. The aforementioned priority section information is not limited to the examples shown in Table 2, and appropriate information can be combined and set according to the store's customer base, seat type, etc.

[0042] [Table 2]

[0043] Furthermore, the section information may include, for example, section priority information. The priority information is, for example, information on the priority (indicator) for selecting a section when guiding visitors to an unused section. The priority can be set appropriately according to, for example, the usage rate, popularity, and congestion level of the section. Specifically, for example, in an eat-in space, sections close to each store located in the eat-in space are popular sections, so sections closer to each store can be given a higher priority, and sections further away from the stores can be given a lower priority. In addition, for example, in an eat-in space, seats close to toilets and trash cans are less popular sections, so sections closer to toilets and trash cans can be given a lower priority, and sections further away from stores and trash cans can be given a higher priority. Furthermore, when setting the priority according to the congestion level, the usage rate around the unused section, that is, unused sections with many occupied sections among adjacent sections can be given a lower priority, and unused sections with many unused sections among adjacent sections can be given a higher priority.

[0044] Next, the usage status determination unit 12 acquires usage status information for the section of the specific area and determines whether the section is in use or unused based on the usage status information (S1, usage status determination step). The usage status information is, for example, information on whether or not the section of the specific area is in use. A specific example of the usage status information is, for example, information on whether or not there are customers using each seat in the eat-in space. The usage status determination unit 12 can acquire the usage status information from, for example, a device that manages the usage status of the sections of the specific area. A specific example of a device that manages the usage status is, for example, a seat management system device that manages the seat usage status of restaurants, etc. Alternatively, the usage status determination unit 12 may acquire the usage status information from, for example, a sensor that determines the usage status of each section of the specific area, or it may acquire the usage status information from a terminal of the manager of the specific area (for example, a store employee).

[0045] Next, the visitor information acquisition unit 13 acquires visitor information for the specific area (S2, visitor information acquisition step). The visitor information is, for example, information of a visitor who intends to enter the specific area, and may include the visitor's image information, text information containing the visitor's information, etc. The visitor information acquisition unit 13 may acquire visitor information for one visitor, or it may acquire visitor information for two or more visitors, but it is preferable to acquire visitor information for multiple visitors. The visitor information acquisition unit 13 may acquire the visitor information from a terminal held by the visitor, from a terminal device provided in the specific area, or from a terminal held by a person in charge of the specific area.

[0046] The visitor information may include, for example, other information. This other information may include, for example, visitor identification information, visitor date and time information, visitor location information, etc. The visitor identification information is information that can identify the visitor, and may include, for example, the visitor's name; visitor identification number; image of the visitor; visitor's device ID; etc. If the visitor information includes the other information, it is preferable that, for example, the visitor information and the other information are linked to each other.

[0047] Next, the attribute information extraction unit 14 extracts visitor attribute information of visitors from the visitor information (S3, attribute information extraction step). The attribute information extraction unit 14 can extract visitor attribute information using a suitable method depending on the type of visitor information acquired. If the visitor attribute information is text information, text analysis means such as morphological analysis can be used, and if the visitor attribute information is image information, image analysis means can be used. Appropriate information can be used for the visitor attribute information depending on the type of visitor. Specific examples of the visitor attribute information include: number of people; gender; age; body type; information on accompanying persons such as children, infants, and the elderly; presence or absence of disabilities such as physical disabilities, hearing impairments, and visual impairments; presence or absence of pets or working animals such as guide dogs; etc. The attribute information extraction unit 14 may, for example, extract one type of visitor attribute information for each visitor, or it may extract two or more types of visitor attribute information. The attribute information extraction unit 14 may, for example, extract one type of visitor attribute information for each visitor, or it may extract two or more types of visitor attribute information.

[0048] Next, the priority area determination unit 15 determines, based on the visitor attribute information and the area information, whether or not the unused area includes a priority area suitable for the visitor (S4, priority area determination step). Specifically, the priority area determination unit 15 compares the priority area information included in the area information of the area determined to be an unused area in S1 with the visitor attribute information, and can determine that an area to which at least one type of visitor attribute information of the visitor extracted in S3 as the priority area information is associated is the visitor's priority area. The priority area determination unit 15 may, for example, determine one area as the priority area, or it may determine two or more areas as the priority area.

[0049] Next, the guidance information generation unit 16 generates priority guidance information (S5, guidance information generation step) if the priority area is included in the unused area (S4, Yes). The priority guidance information is information that guides visitors to the priority area preferentially. Specifically, the priority guidance information may include, for example, information that guides customers in order of their queue.

[0050] The output unit 17 then outputs the priority guidance information (S6, output step). The output unit 17 may, for example, output the priority guidance information to the visitor, or to a device installed in the specific area. In the former case, for example, the output unit 17 can output the priority guidance information to a terminal such as a smartphone held by the visitor. In the latter case, for example, the priority guidance information can be output to a seat management device installed in the eat-in space. The seat management device that has received the guidance information may, for example, notify the visitor by displaying the priority guidance information on a display device provided in the seat management device, or it may notify the visitor of the priority guidance information by an audio output means such as a speaker.

[0051] The guidance support device 10 may terminate the process if the priority area is not included in the unused area (S4, No) (END). However, it is not limited to this, and for example, the output unit 17 may output the area identification information of the unused area as guidance information. This allows visitors to know the area identification information of the unused area, enabling them to be smoothly guided to the unused area.

[0052] According to the processing method of Modified Example 1, for example, when multiple groups are waiting in line in an eat-in space, the appropriate seats can be guided to them preferentially when suitable seats become available, based on the attributes of each group (e.g., solo customers, customers with children, etc.). This makes it possible to improve the efficiency of seat utilization, for example.

[0053] [Embodiment 2] The program of this embodiment is a program that causes a computer to execute each step of the guidance support method described above. Specifically, the program of this embodiment is a program that causes a computer to execute a usage status determination procedure, an entry information acquisition procedure, an attribute information extraction procedure, a priority area determination procedure, a guidance information generation procedure, and an output procedure.

[0054] The program of this embodiment uses the partition information of the partitions in the specified area, The said partition information includes partition identification information that identifies a partition in the specified area, and priority partition information. The usage status determination procedure involves acquiring usage status information for the section in a specific area, and determining whether the section is in use or unused based on the usage status information. The aforementioned procedure for obtaining visitor information obtains visitor information of visitors entering a specific area, The attribute information extraction procedure extracts the visitor attribute information of the visitor from the visitor information, The priority area determination procedure determines whether at least one priority area is included in the unused area based on the visitor attribute information and the area information, The guidance information generation procedure generates priority guidance information if the priority area is included in the unused area. The aforementioned priority guidance information is information that guides the visitors to the priority area preferentially. The output procedure outputs the priority guidance information.

[0055] Furthermore, the program of this embodiment can also be described as a program that causes a computer to function as a procedure for determining the usage status, acquiring visitor information, extracting attribute information, determining priority areas, generating guidance information, and outputting information.

[0056] The first program of this embodiment can be derived by reference to the description in the above-mentioned guidance support device and guidance support method of the present invention. Each of the above steps can be read as, for example, "step" or "process". The program of this embodiment may also be recorded on, for example, a computer-readable recording medium. The recording medium is, for example, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The recording medium is not particularly limited and includes, for example, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disk (HD), optical disk, floppy disk (FD), and the like.

[0057] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various modifications to the configuration and details of the present invention can be understood by those skilled in the art within the scope of the present invention.

[0058] <Note> Some or all of the above embodiments may be described as follows, but are not limited to the following: (Note 1) It includes a section information storage unit, a usage status determination unit, an entrant information acquisition unit, an attribute information extraction unit, a priority section determination unit, a guidance information generation unit, and an output unit. The partition information storage unit includes partition information of partitions in the specified area, The said partition information includes partition identification information that identifies a partition in the specified area, and priority partition information. The usage status determination unit acquires usage status information for the section in a specific area, and determines whether the section is in use or unused based on the usage status information. The aforementioned visitor information acquisition unit acquires visitor information of visitors entering a specific area, The attribute information extraction unit extracts the visitor attribute information of the visitor from the visitor information, The priority area determination unit determines, based on the visitor attribute information and the area information, whether or not at least one priority area is included in the unused area. The guidance information generation unit generates priority guidance information if the priority area is included in the unused area. The aforementioned priority guidance information is information that guides the visitors to the priority area preferentially. The output unit is a guidance support device that outputs the priority guidance information. (Note 2) The guidance information generation unit, if the unused area includes the priority area, selects at least one priority area and generates priority guidance information. The guidance support device described in Appendix 1, wherein the priority guidance information is information that guides the visitor to the priority area preferentially, and includes area identification information of the selected priority area. (Note 3) The aforementioned partition information includes partition priority information, The guidance information generation unit is a guidance support device according to Appendix 1 or 2, which, when there are multiple priority areas suitable for the visitor, selects a priority area based on the priority information. (Note 4) The usage status determination unit acquires the usage status information at predetermined intervals and determines whether the section is in use or unused. If there is a change in the usage status of the priority area selected by the guidance information generation unit, If there is a change in the usage status information of the selected priority area, the guidance information generation unit will select an unused area based on the latest usage status information and generate guidance information. The output unit outputs the guidance information. Guidance support device as described in any of Appendix 1 to 3. (Note 5) The aforementioned visitor information is image information, The attribute information extraction unit is a guidance support device according to any one of the appendices 1 to 4, which extracts attribute information of the visitor by image analysis. (Note 6) The aforementioned specific area is a parking lot. The aforementioned visitors are vehicles parked in the aforementioned parking lot. The guidance support device according to any one of the appendices 1 to 5, wherein the priority guidance information generated by the guidance information generation unit includes information for guiding the vehicle to a priority lane. (Note 7) The aforementioned specific area is a restaurant, The aforementioned visitor is a customer of the aforementioned restaurant, The guidance support device according to any one of the appendices 1 to 5, wherein the priority guidance information generated by the guidance information generation unit includes information that prioritizes guiding customers in the order they are lined up. (Note 8) This process includes a usage status determination step, an entry information acquisition step, an attribute information extraction step, a priority area determination step, a guidance information generation step, and an output step. Using the partition information of the partitions in the aforementioned specific area, The said partition information includes partition identification information that identifies a partition in the specified area, and priority partition information. The usage status determination step involves acquiring usage status information for the section in a specific area, and determining whether the section is in use or unused based on the usage status information. The aforementioned visitor information acquisition process acquires visitor information of visitors entering a specific area, The attribute information extraction step extracts the visitor attribute information of the visitor from the visitor information, The priority area determination step determines, based on the visitor attribute information and the area information, whether or not at least one priority area is included in the unused area. The guidance information generation step generates priority guidance information if the priority area is included in the unused area. The aforementioned priority guidance information is information that guides the visitors to the priority area preferentially. The output step is a guidance support method that outputs the priority guidance information. (Note 9) The guidance information generation step, if the unused area includes the priority area, selects at least one priority area and generates priority guidance information. The priority guidance information is information that guides visitors to the priority area preferentially, and includes area identification information of the selected priority area, as described in Appendix 8, for guidance support method. (Note 10) The aforementioned partition information includes partition priority information, The guidance information generation step is a guidance support method according to Appendix 8 or 9, wherein if there are multiple priority areas suitable for the visitor, the priority area is selected based on the priority information. (Note 11) The usage status determination step involves acquiring the usage status information at predetermined intervals and determining whether the section is in use or unused. If there is a change in the usage status of the priority area selected by the guidance information generation process, The guidance information generation process, when there is a change in the usage status information of the selected priority area, generates guidance information by selecting an unused area based on the latest usage status information. The output step outputs the guidance information. Guidance support method as described in any of appendices 8 to 10. (Note 12) The aforementioned visitor information is image information, The attribute information extraction step is a guidance support method according to any one of appendices 8 to 11, which extracts attribute information of the visitor by image analysis. (Note 13) The aforementioned specific area is a parking lot. The aforementioned visitors are vehicles parked in the aforementioned parking lot. The guidance support method according to any one of the appendices 8 to 12, wherein the priority guidance information generated by the guidance information generation step includes information for guiding the vehicle to a priority lane. (Note 14) The aforementioned specific area is a restaurant, The aforementioned visitor is a customer of the aforementioned restaurant, The guidance support method according to any one of the appendices 8 to 12, wherein the priority guidance information generated by the guidance information generation step includes information that prioritizes guiding customers in the order they are lined up. (Note 15) This includes a procedure for determining the usage status, a procedure for acquiring visitor information, a procedure for extracting attribute information, a procedure for determining priority areas, a procedure for generating guidance information, and an output procedure. Using the partition information of the partitions in the aforementioned specific area, The said partition information includes partition identification information that identifies a partition in the specified area, and priority partition information. The usage status determination procedure involves acquiring usage status information for the section in a specific area, and determining whether the section is in use or unused based on the usage status information. The aforementioned procedure for obtaining visitor information obtains visitor information of visitors entering a specific area, The attribute information extraction procedure extracts the visitor attribute information of the visitor from the visitor information, The priority area determination procedure determines whether at least one priority area is included in the unused area based on the visitor attribute information and the area information, The guidance information generation procedure generates priority guidance information if the priority area is included in the unused area. The aforementioned priority guidance information is information that guides the visitors to the priority area preferentially. The output procedure outputs the priority guidance information, A program in which each of the above steps is performed by a computer. (Note 16) The guidance information generation procedure, if the unused area includes the priority area, selects at least one priority area and generates priority guidance information for it. The program described in Appendix 15 is a program that provides priority guidance information for visitors to the priority area, and includes area identification information for the selected priority area. (Note 17) The aforementioned partition information includes partition priority information, The guidance information generation procedure is a program as described in Appendix 15 or 16, which, if there are multiple priority areas suitable for the visitor, selects a priority area based on the priority information. (Note 18) The aforementioned usage status determination procedure involves acquiring the usage status information at predetermined intervals and determining whether the section is in use or unused. If there is a change in the usage status of the priority area selected by the guidance information generation procedure, The guidance information generation procedure, when there is a change in the usage status information of the selected priority area, generates guidance information by selecting an unused area based on the latest usage status information. The output procedure outputs the guidance information. A program as described in any of appendices 15 to 17. (Note 19) The aforementioned visitor information is image information, The attribute information extraction procedure is a program described in any of Appendix 15 to 18 that extracts attribute information of the visitor by image analysis. (Note 20) The aforementioned specific area is a parking lot. The aforementioned visitors are vehicles parked in the aforementioned parking lot. A program according to any one of appendices 15 to 19, wherein the priority guidance information generated by the guidance information generation procedure includes information for guiding the vehicle to a priority lane. (Note 21) The aforementioned specific area is a restaurant, The aforementioned visitor is a customer of the aforementioned restaurant, The program described in any of Appendix 15 to 19, wherein the priority guidance information generated by the guidance information generation procedure includes information that prioritizes guiding customers in the order they are waiting in line. (Note 22) A computer-readable recording medium containing a program described in any of the appendices 15 to 21. [Industrial applicability]

[0059] According to the present invention, visitors can be guided to specific areas while taking into account their attributes. For this reason, the present invention is widely useful in various fields where it is necessary to guide people to unused areas, such as parking guidance and seating guidance. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 10 Guidance support device 11 Section Information Storage Unit 111 Lot Information 12. Usage status determination unit 13 Attendee information acquisition department 14 Attribute information extraction part 15 Priority Area Determination Unit 16 Guidance information generation section 17 Output section 101 CPU 102 memory 103 Bus 104 Storage device 105 Programs 106 Input device 107 Output device 108 Communication Devices

Claims

1. It includes a section information storage unit, a usage status determination unit, an entrant information acquisition unit, an attribute information extraction unit, a priority section determination unit, a guidance information generation unit, and an output unit. The partition information storage unit includes partition information for partitions in a specific area. The said partition information includes partition identification information that identifies a partition in the specified area, and priority partition information. The aforementioned specific area is a parking lot with regular lanes and priority lanes, The usage status determination unit acquires usage status information for the section in a specific area, and determines whether the section is in use or unused based on the usage status information. The aforementioned visitor information acquisition unit acquires visitor information of visitors entering a specific area, The aforementioned visitors are vehicles parked in the aforementioned parking lot. The attribute information extraction unit extracts the visitor attribute information of the visitor from the visitor information, The priority area determination unit determines, based on the visitor attribute information and the area information, whether or not at least one priority area is included in the unused area. The guidance information generation unit generates priority guidance information if the priority area is included in the unused area. The priority guidance information is information that guides the entrant to the priority area preferentially, and the priority guidance information includes information that guides the vehicle to the priority lane. The output unit is a guidance support device that outputs the priority guidance information.

2. The guidance information generation unit, if the unused area includes the priority area, selects at least one priority area and generates priority guidance information. The guidance support device according to claim 1, wherein the priority guidance information is information for preferentially guiding the visitor to the priority area, and includes area identification information of the selected priority area.

3. The aforementioned partition information includes partition priority information, The guidance information generation unit selects a priority area based on the priority information when there are multiple priority areas suitable for the visitor, as described in claim 1 or 2.

4. The usage status determination unit acquires the usage status information at predetermined intervals and determines whether the section is in use or unused. If there is a change in the usage status of the priority area selected by the guidance information generation unit, If there is a change in the usage status information of the selected priority area, the guidance information generation unit will select an unused area based on the latest usage status information and generate guidance information. The output unit outputs the guidance information. The guidance support device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The aforementioned visitor information is image information, The guidance support device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the attribute information extraction unit extracts attribute information of the visitor by image analysis.

6. The guidance support device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the priority lane in the specific area is normally closed and is an entrance that is opened when there is a vehicle to be guided to the priority area, and the output unit outputs the priority guidance information and opens the entrance to the priority lane.

7. This process includes a usage status determination step, an entry information acquisition step, an attribute information extraction step, a priority area determination step, a guidance information generation step, and an output step. Using the parcel information of a specific area, The said partition information includes partition identification information that identifies a partition in the specified area, and priority partition information. The aforementioned specific area is a parking lot with regular lanes and priority lanes, and the usage status determination step involves acquiring usage status information for the section in the specific area, and determining whether the section is in use or unused based on the usage status information. The aforementioned visitor information acquisition process acquires visitor information of visitors entering a specific area, The aforementioned visitors are vehicles parked in the aforementioned parking lot. The attribute information extraction step extracts the visitor attribute information of the visitor from the visitor information, The priority area determination step determines, based on the visitor attribute information and the area information, whether or not at least one priority area is included in the unused area. The guidance information generation step generates priority guidance information if the priority area is included in the unused area. The priority guidance information is information that guides the entrant to the priority area preferentially, and the priority guidance information includes information that guides the vehicle to the priority lane. The output step is a guidance support method in which each step is performed by a computer to output the priority guidance information.

8. This includes a procedure for determining the usage status, a procedure for acquiring visitor information, a procedure for extracting attribute information, a procedure for determining priority areas, a procedure for generating guidance information, and an output procedure. Using the parcel information of a specific area, The said partition information includes partition identification information that identifies a partition in the specified area, and priority partition information. The aforementioned specific area is a parking lot with regular lanes and priority lanes, The usage status determination procedure involves acquiring usage status information for the section in a specific area, and determining whether the section is in use or unused based on the usage status information. The aforementioned procedure for obtaining visitor information obtains visitor information of visitors entering a specific area, The aforementioned visitors are vehicles parked in the aforementioned parking lot. The attribute information extraction procedure extracts the visitor attribute information of the visitor from the visitor information, The priority area determination procedure determines whether at least one priority area is included in the unused area based on the visitor attribute information and the area information, The guidance information generation procedure generates priority guidance information if the priority area is included in the unused area. The priority guidance information is information that guides the entrant to the priority area preferentially, and the priority guidance information includes information that guides the vehicle to the priority lane. The output procedure outputs the priority guidance information, A program in which each of the above steps is performed by a computer.

9. A computer-readable recording medium that stores the program described in claim 8.

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