Movement purpose determination device, movement purpose determination method, and movement purpose determination program

Abstract

To provide a movement purpose determination device capable of determining whether the movement of a passenger using a railroad is for a purpose of transfer or for a purpose of stay.SOLUTION: A movement purpose determination device 10 includes a data acquisition unit 12, a collection unit 13, a histogram creation unit 14, a threshold setting unit 15, and a determination unit 16. The histogram creation unit 14 extracts a combination of exit records and entry records between two stations in the same area from ticket examination machine passage data D1 in a predetermined period collected by the collection unit 13, and creates a histogram showing the distribution of time between exit recording time and entry recording time in the two stations. The threshold setting unit 15 sets a determination threshold for determining whether the movement of each passenger is for a purpose of transfer or for a purpose of stay on the basis of the histogram. The determination unit 16 compares the determination threshold set by the threshold setting unit 15 with the time from the exit record to the entry record for each passenger, and determines whether the movement of each passenger is for a purpose of transfer or for a purpose of stay.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a travel purpose determination device, a travel purpose determination method, and a travel purpose determination program for determining the travel purpose of passengers using railways.

Background Art

[0002] In the use of railways, there are cases where passengers using railways pass through the ticket gate of a railway station and then transfer to enter another railway station through the ticket gate using an electronic ticket (such as an IC card or an IC chip built into a mobile phone). At this time, a unique identifier is assigned to the electronic ticket. And based on the identifier of the electronic ticket, a system is provided that uses the passage history and purchase history of the ticket gate of the station to obtain route information of the transportation means used by each user, and provides information to the user according to the obtained route information.

[0003] Also, several methods have been proposed for aggregating the transfer time outside the ticket gate of passengers using railways based on the obtained route information. For example, in Patent Document 1, an entry data including the date and time when a user of a transportation means entered the ticket gate of a station, the identifier of the entry station, and the identifier of the entry ticket gate, and an exit data including the date and time when the user exited the ticket gate of the station after using the transportation means, the identifier of the exit station, and the identifier of the exit ticket gate are held. Based on the user identifier, the exit data and the immediately subsequent entry data are combined, and a stay data generation unit that generates stay data including the stay time obtained by subtracting the entry date and time from the exit date and time, and a stay time aggregation unit that aggregates the stay time under at least one condition of time zone, station, and ticket gate using the generated stay data are provided. The stay time aggregation unit discloses a transfer time calculation system that aggregates the transfer time by excluding data that entered and exited through the same ticket gate from the stay data and aggregating the stay time.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2012-242996 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] However, the conventional transfer time calculation system described above has the following problems. In other words, the transfer time calculation system disclosed in the above-mentioned publication can calculate the transfer time from exiting the ticket gate of one railway station to re-entering the ticket gate of another railway station. However, with this system configuration, even if it was possible to determine the transfer time from exiting one train station's ticket gate to re-entering another train station's ticket gate, it was not possible to obtain information about the purpose of travel, such as whether the purpose was a transfer or a stay.

[0006] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a travel purpose determination device, a travel purpose determination method, and a travel purpose determination program that can determine whether the travel of a passenger using the railway is for the purpose of transfer or for the purpose of staying. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The first invention relates to a travel purpose determination device that determines the travel purpose of a passenger using a railway, and comprises a data acquisition unit, an aggregation unit, a histogram creation unit, a threshold setting unit, and a determination unit. The data acquisition unit acquires ticket gate passage data recorded when a passenger passes through an automatic ticket gate installed at a railway station for each passenger. The aggregation unit aggregates the ticket gate passage data for a predetermined period. The histogram creation unit extracts combinations of exit records and entry records between two stations in the same area from the ticket gate passage data aggregated by the aggregation unit for the predetermined period, and creates a histogram showing the time distribution between the exit record time and the entry record time at those two stations. The threshold setting unit sets a determination threshold for determining whether each passenger's travel is for a transfer or for a stay, based on the histogram created by the histogram creation unit. The determination unit compares the determination threshold set by the threshold setting unit with the time from the exit record to the entry record for each passenger to determine whether each passenger's travel is for a transfer or for a stay.

[0008] Here, a threshold value is set based on the data from passing through the ticket gates to estimate the purpose of each passenger's movement, determining whether each passenger's movement is for a transfer or a longer stay. For example, if the threshold value is 10 minutes, a time of 10 minutes or less between the exit record and the entry record is determined to be a transfer, while a time exceeding 10 minutes is determined to be a longer stay. Here, ticket gate passage data refers to data acquired, for example, when a passenger using the railway passes through a ticket gate, including the entry station, entry time, exit station, and exit time for each individual passenger.

[0009] A transfer refers to travel where, for example, there is no particular business at the departure station, and the purpose is simply to change to a train station of another railway company. "Staying" refers to travel where, for example, you have errands to run at the departure station, such as shopping or work, and remain in the vicinity of that station for a certain period of time or longer. This allows the system to determine whether each passenger's travel is for transfer purposes or for a longer stay, using a threshold value set based on data from ticket gate passages to estimate each passenger's travel purpose. As a result, it is possible to determine whether the travel of passengers using the railway is for transit purposes or for the purpose of staying overnight.

[0010] The movement purpose determination device according to the second invention is the movement purpose determination device according to the first invention, further comprising an output unit that outputs the determination result from the determination unit. As a result, the output unit can output the determination result of each passenger's travel purpose. For example, by providing the output data to a railway company, the railway company can understand the travel purposes of passengers using the railway.

[0011] The movement purpose determination device according to the third invention is a movement purpose determination device according to the first or second invention, wherein the threshold setting unit, based on the histogram created by the histogram creation unit, sets the time difference between the exit record time and the immediately following entry record time between two stations in the same area as x (minutes), the time difference that takes the mode as m (minutes), the ratio of the number of cases at this time as h(m) using the function h, and when the time difference x is increased sequentially from the initial value m as m+1, m+2, ..., (A)h(x) <h(x+1)、 (B) h(x) is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold T1. x that satisfies both conditions (A) and (B) is set as a threshold for determining whether each passenger's travel is for transit purposes or for staying overnight.

[0012] Here, the threshold setting unit sets appropriate thresholds to determine whether each passenger's movement is for transit purposes or for the purpose of staying overnight. The reason for requiring both conditions (A) and (B) to be met here is that, for example, if the created histogram has multiple large peaks that satisfy condition (A), condition (A) alone would extract values ​​from the histogram containing only the first peak. However, by considering condition (B), it becomes possible to extract values ​​from the histogram containing the first peak and subsequent peaks, and then set x. In this case, the threshold T1 in condition (B) can be set arbitrarily. By setting x that satisfies both conditions (A) and (B) as the determination threshold value, an appropriate determination threshold value can be set, and a highly accurate movement purpose can be determined.

[0013] The movement purpose determination device according to the fourth invention is a movement purpose determination device according to any one of the first to second inventions. The threshold value setting unit sets, based on the histogram created by the histogram creation unit, the time difference between the departure record time and the immediately subsequent entry record time between two stations within the same area as x (minutes), and the time difference taking the most frequent value as m (minutes). At this time, the case ratio is set as h(m) using the function h. When the time difference x starts from the initial value m and is sequentially increased as m + 1, m + 2,..., (C) h(x) becomes less than or equal to a predetermined threshold value T2 (where T2 < T1), x that satisfies the condition is set as the determination threshold value for determining whether the movement of each passenger is for transfer purposes or for staying purposes.

[0014] Here, the threshold value setting unit sets an appropriate threshold value for determining whether the movement of each passenger is for transfer purposes or for staying purposes. Here, when (C) is used as a condition, for example, when the peak of the histogram decreases gently and even if the condition (A) h(x) < h(x + 1) is not satisfied, but it is determined that the peak has become sufficiently small, the threshold value T2 is arbitrarily set under the condition T2 < T1. By setting x that satisfies the condition (C) as the determination threshold value, a determination threshold value suitable for the situation can be set, and an appropriate movement purpose can be determined.

[0015] The movement purpose determination device according to the fifth invention is a movement purpose determination device according to any one of the first to second inventions. The threshold value setting unit calculates the determination threshold values for the distribution for transfer purposes and the distribution for staying purposes using the Otsu method and the K-means method. Here, the threshold setting unit calculates the determination thresholds for the distribution for transfer purposes and the distribution for staying purposes, for example, using the Otsu method or the K-means method.

[0016] The Otsu method is a technique for automatically obtaining a threshold by obtaining an approximately optimal binarization threshold for each object. The K-means method is a technique for obtaining an appropriate threshold by clustering objects with similar features into a plurality of similar object groups. Thereby, when a passenger using the railway exits from the ticket gate of a railway station and enters through the ticket gate of another railway station, the threshold setting unit calculates the determination thresholds for the distribution for transfer purposes and the distribution for staying purposes, thereby being able to determine an appropriate purpose of movement.

[0017] The movement purpose determination device according to the sixth invention is a movement purpose determination device according to any one of the first to second inventions, and the threshold setting unit further includes a threshold update unit that updates the determination threshold based on a histogram to which data obtained in a predetermined period before the passage date when the passenger passed through the automatic ticket gate in the data acquisition unit is added.

[0018] Thereby, the threshold update unit updates the determination threshold based on a histogram to which data obtained in a predetermined period before the passage date when the passenger passed through the ticket gate in the data acquisition unit is added, so that, for example, even when there is a sudden event such as a concert, an appropriate determination threshold can be set, and a highly accurate purpose of movement can be determined.

[0019] The movement purpose determination device according to the seventh invention is a movement purpose determination device according to any one of the first to second inventions, and further includes a storage unit that stores data of two stations existing within the same area. Thereby, the storage unit stores data of two stations existing within the same area, so that, for example, it is possible to grasp a combination of two stations located within the walking range in the same area where a certain passenger may once exit outside the ticket gate and enter through the ticket gate of another railway station.

[0020] The moving purpose determination device according to the eighth invention is the moving purpose determination device according to any one of the first to second inventions, and the data acquisition unit acquires ticket gate passing data every day. Thereby, by acquiring the ticket gate passing data every day, the data acquisition unit can set an appropriate determination threshold even when there are influences such as weather such as rain or wind, and can determine a moving purpose with high accuracy.

[0021] The moving purpose determination device according to the ninth invention is the moving purpose determination device according to any one of the first to second inventions, and the data acquisition unit acquires ticket gate passing data every month. Thereby, by acquiring the ticket gate passing data every month, the data acquisition unit can set a determination threshold with less variation, for example, as compared with the case of acquiring it every day, and can determine a moving purpose with high accuracy.

[0022] The moving purpose determination device according to the tenth invention is the moving purpose determination device according to any one of the first to second inventions, and the data acquisition unit acquires ticket gate passing data every day of the week. Thereby, by acquiring the ticket gate passing data every day of the week, the data acquisition unit can set an appropriate determination threshold for each day of the week, such as weekdays, Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, etc., and can determine a moving purpose with high accuracy.

[0023] The moving purpose determination device according to the eleventh invention is the moving purpose determination device according to any one of the first to second inventions, and the data acquisition unit acquires ticket gate passing data every season. Thereby, by acquiring the ticket gate passing data every season, the data acquisition unit can set an appropriate determination threshold even when there are annual events such as Christmas or long vacations such as summer vacations, and can determine a moving purpose with high accuracy.

[0024] The twelfth invention relates to a method for determining the purpose of travel of a passenger using a railway, and comprises a data acquisition step, an aggregation step, a histogram creation step, a threshold setting step, and a determination step. The data acquisition step acquires ticket gate passage data recorded when a passenger passes through an automatic ticket gate installed at a railway station for each passenger. The aggregation step aggregates the ticket gate passage data for a predetermined period. The histogram creation step extracts combinations of exit records and entry records between two stations in the same area from the ticket gate passage data aggregated in the aggregation step for the predetermined period, and creates a histogram showing the time distribution between the exit record time and the entry record time at the two stations. The threshold setting step sets a determination threshold for determining whether each passenger's travel is for a transfer or for a stay, based on the histogram created in the histogram creation step. The determination step compares the determination threshold set in the threshold setting step with the time from the exit record to the entry record for each passenger to determine whether each passenger's travel is for a transfer or for a stay. Here, a threshold value is set based on the data from passing through the ticket gates to estimate the purpose of each passenger's movement, determining whether each passenger's movement is for a transfer or a longer stay. For example, if the threshold value is 10 minutes, a time of 10 minutes or less between the exit record and the entry record is determined to be a transfer, while a time exceeding 10 minutes is determined to be a longer stay.

[0025] Here, ticket gate passage data refers to data acquired, for example, when a passenger using the railway passes through a ticket gate, including the entry station, entry time, exit station, and exit time for each individual passenger. A transfer refers to travel where, for example, there is no particular business at the departure station, and the purpose is simply to change to a train station of another railway company. A "stay" refers to travel where, for example, you have errands to run at the departure station, such as shopping or work, and remain in the vicinity of that station for a certain period of time or longer. This allows the system to determine whether each passenger's travel is for transfer purposes or for a longer stay, using a threshold value set based on data from ticket gate passages to estimate each passenger's travel purpose. As a result, it is possible to determine whether the travel of passengers using the railway is for transit purposes or for the purpose of staying overnight.

[0026] The 13th invention is a travel purpose determination program for determining the travel purpose of a passenger using a railway, and comprises a data acquisition step, an aggregation step, a histogram creation step, a threshold setting step, and a determination step. The data acquisition step acquires ticket gate passage data recorded when a passenger passes through an automatic ticket gate installed at a railway station for each passenger. The aggregation step aggregates the ticket gate passage data for a predetermined period. The histogram creation step extracts combinations of exit records and entry records between two stations in the same area from the ticket gate passage data aggregated in the aggregation step for the predetermined period, and creates a histogram showing the time distribution between the exit record time and the entry record time at those two stations. The threshold setting step sets a determination threshold for determining whether each passenger's travel is for a transfer or for a stay, based on the histogram created in the histogram creation step. The determination step compares the determination threshold set in the threshold setting step with the time from the exit record to the entry record for each passenger to determine whether each passenger's travel is for a transfer or for a stay.

[0027] Here, a threshold value is set based on the data from passing through the ticket gates to estimate the purpose of each passenger's movement, determining whether each passenger's movement is for a transfer or a longer stay. For example, if the threshold value is 10 minutes, a time of 10 minutes or less between the exit record and the entry record is determined to be a transfer, while a time exceeding 10 minutes is determined to be a longer stay. Here, ticket gate passage data refers to data acquired, for example, when a passenger using the railway passes through a ticket gate, including the entry station, entry time, exit station, and exit time for each individual passenger.

[0028] A transfer refers to travel where, for example, there is no particular business at the departure station, and the purpose is simply to change to a train station of another railway company. A "stay" refers to travel where, for example, you have errands to run at the departure station, such as shopping or work, and remain in the vicinity of that station for a certain period of time or longer. This allows the system to determine whether each passenger's travel is for transfer purposes or for a longer stay, using a threshold value set based on data from ticket gate passages to estimate each passenger's travel purpose.

[0029] As a result, it is possible to determine whether the travel of passengers using the railway is for transit purposes or for the purpose of staying overnight. [Effects of the Invention]

[0030] According to the travel purpose determination device of the present invention, it is possible to determine whether the travel of a passenger using the railway is for the purpose of transfer or for the purpose of staying overnight. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0031] [Figure 1] A control block diagram showing the configuration of a movement purpose determination device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 shows the ticket gate passage data, which includes data estimated to indicate the transfer purpose, transmitted to the movement purpose determination device and acquired by the ticket gate. [Figure 3] Figure 1 shows the ticket gate passage data, which includes data estimated to indicate the purpose of stay, transmitted to the movement purpose determination device and acquired by the ticket gate. [Figure 4] Figure 1 shows area information data, including data on combinations of two stations located within walking distance of each other in the same area, which are stored in the movement purpose determination device. [Figure 5] Figure 1 shows a histogram as an example of the time distribution between the recorded departure time and the recorded entry time between two stations within the same area, as created by the histogram generation unit included in the movement purpose determination device. [Figure 6]A flowchart showing the processing flow of the movement purpose determination method implemented by the movement purpose determination device in Figure 1. [Figure 7] A flowchart showing the processing flow of the transfer time threshold calculation method used in the step of calculating the transfer time determination threshold in Figure 6. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0032] A movement purpose determination device 10 and movement purpose determination method according to one embodiment of the present invention will be explained below with reference to Figures 1 to 7. In this embodiment, unnecessary details may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of already well-known matters or redundant explanations of substantially identical configurations may be omitted. This is to avoid the following explanation becoming unnecessarily verbose and to facilitate understanding for those skilled in the art. Furthermore, the applicant provides the accompanying drawings and the following description so that those skilled in the art may fully understand the present invention, and not intends to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

[0033] (1) Configuration of the movement purpose determination device 10 The travel purpose determination device 10 according to this embodiment determines whether each passenger's travel is for transfer purposes or for staying overnight, using determination thresholds set based on ticket gate passage data D1 to estimate each passenger's travel purpose.

[0034] As shown in Figure 1, the movement purpose determination device 10 is connected to the input device 2, the display device 3, and the data server 4. Input device 2 is, for example, a keyboard, and receives input of area information data D2 to be stored in the movement purpose determination device 10. Area information data D2, as shown in Figure 4, is data concerning two stations located within the same area.

[0035] Here, two stations located in the same area refer to a combination of two stations within walking distance of each other, where, for example, a passenger might exit through the ticket gate of one railway station and re-enter through the ticket gate of another railway station. Furthermore, the data input from the input device 2 may be transmitted to the data acquisition unit 12 without being stored in the storage unit 11 of the movement purpose determination device 10.

[0036] The display device 3 is, for example, a personal computer (PC) owned by a railway company, and displays the predicted travel purpose of each passenger as predicted by the travel purpose determination device 10. The data server 4 stores the ticket gate passage data D1. As shown in Figure 1, the ticket gate passage data D1 is generated based on the entry and exit records to and from the railway station collected from the automatic ticket gates 5 installed at each railway station.

[0037] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the ticket gate passage data D1 records the passenger's medium ID (for example, an identifier embedded in an electronic ticket), entry and exit records, station name, and time of passage through the ticket gate. Here, the ticket gate passage data D1 is an aggregate of multiple trip data. Each trip data is a set of data including an entry record and a corresponding exit record. The entry record includes the entry station and the time of passing through the automatic ticket gate 5 installed at the entry station. The exit record includes the exit station and the time of passing through the automatic ticket gate 5 installed at the exit station.

[0038] Entry and exit records are acquired at different locations and times by automatic ticket gates 5. Upon acquisition by automatic ticket gates 5, the entry and exit records include ticket ID information assigned to each ticket used to pass through automatic ticket gates 5 (enter or exit). The collected entry and exit records are linked to each other via the ticket ID information to form trip data and are stored on the data server 4.

[0039] Trip data shows what kind of ticket a particular passenger used, when and at which station they entered and when and at which station they exited, identifying a single trip using the railway from entry to exit. Each trip corresponds one-to-one with a single "passenger" as the subject. Automatic ticket gates 5 are installed one or more times at railway stations and, when a passenger passes through, they write information to the IC card or other device held by the passenger, or read the information and process the fare payment.

[0040] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, the movement purpose determination device 10 of this embodiment includes a storage unit 11, a data acquisition unit 12, a data aggregation unit 13, a histogram creation unit 14, a threshold setting unit 15, a determination unit 16, a threshold update unit 17, and an output unit 18. The memory unit 11 stores various types of data, such as area information data D2 input from the input device 2.

[0041] This allows us to identify, for example, two stations located in the same area within walking distance of each passenger. Furthermore, if, for example, a new station is established and a new combination of two stations located within walking distance of each other, as included in the area information data D2, is generated, the memory unit 11 may add or modify that combination of two stations to the list.

[0042] This allows the movement purpose determination device 10 to set a determination threshold using newly added area information data D2 in response to changes in the surrounding environment, such as the installation of a new station. The data acquisition unit 12 acquires the ticket gate passage data D1 transmitted from the data server 4 to the data acquisition unit 12.

[0043] At this time, the data acquisition unit 12 acquires, for example, ticket gate passage data D1 for a predetermined period every day, in order to set a more accurate determination threshold in the threshold setting unit 15, which will be described later. This allows, for example, when acquiring ticket gate passage data D1 on a daily basis, to take into account the effects of weather conditions such as rain and wind and set an appropriate threshold for judgment.

[0044] Furthermore, the data acquisition unit 12 acquires area information data D2 stored in the storage unit 11. Alternatively, the data acquisition unit 12 acquires area information data D2 that is input from the input device 2 and transmitted to the data acquisition unit 12 without being stored in the storage unit 11. The aggregation unit 13 aggregates the ticket gate passage data D1 acquired from the data acquisition unit 12 for a predetermined period (e.g., one day).

[0045] The histogram creation unit 14 extracts combinations of exit records and entry records between two stations within the same area from the ticket gate passage data D1 aggregated by the aggregation unit 13 for a predetermined period, and creates a histogram showing the time distribution between the exit record time and the entry record time at those two stations, as shown in Figure 5. In this case, the histogram may have the vertical axis representing the ratio of events and the horizontal axis representing the time difference between the exit time and the entry time.

[0046] Furthermore, data collected after a predetermined time may be aggregated into a single peak. For example, in the case of Figure 5, data collected after 60 minutes may be included in the 60-minute peak. The threshold setting unit 15 sets a threshold for determining whether a passenger's movement between two stations within the same area is for transfer purposes or for staying overnight, based on the histogram created by the histogram creation unit 14.

[0047] Specifically, the threshold setting unit 15, for example, based on the histogram created by the histogram creation unit 14, sets x (minutes) as the time difference between the exit record time and the immediately following entry record time between two stations in the same area, sets m (minutes) as the time difference that takes the mode, sets h(m) as the ratio of the number of occurrences at this time using the function h, and when the time difference x is increased sequentially from the initial value m to m+1, m+2, ..., (A)h(x) <h(x+1)、 (B) h(x) is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold T1. x that satisfies both conditions (A) and (B) is set as a threshold for determining whether each passenger's travel is for transit purposes or for staying overnight.

[0048] Here, as an example of a case that satisfies (A), as shown in Figure 5, the time difference between the exit time and the entry time that takes the mode is m = 5 (minutes), and the ratio of cases in this case is h(m) = 0.16. Starting from the point obtained above, when we substitute 5, 6, ... into (A), when m = 14 (minutes), the coefficient ratio = 0.006, and when m = 15 (minutes), the coefficient ratio = 0.007, so the condition of (A) is satisfied.

[0049] Furthermore, under the above conditions, if a threshold T1 is arbitrarily set to T1=0.02, then condition (B) is satisfied. Therefore, in the case of the histogram shown in Figure 5, the threshold setting unit 15 sets the determination threshold as x=14 (minutes) when both conditions (A) and (B) described above are met.

[0050] As a result, the determination unit 16 uses the determination threshold (14 minutes) set in the threshold setting unit 15 to determine that if the time difference between the exit time and the entry time is 14 minutes or less, the travel is for the purpose of transfer, and if it exceeds 14 minutes, the travel is for the purpose of stay. In other words, as shown in the second and third lines from the top of Figure 2, the passenger corresponding to media ID "1234567" exited Station B at 7:21 on January 30, 2022, and entered Station C at 7:25 on January 30, 2022. Therefore, the time difference between the exit time and the entry time is 4 minutes, and the determination unit 16 determines that the purpose was a transfer.

[0051] Similarly, as shown in the second and third rows from the top of Figure 3, the passenger corresponding to media ID "7654321" exited Station B at 7:21 on January 30, 2022, and entered Station C at 8:01 on January 30, 2022. Therefore, the time difference between the exit time and the entry time is 40 minutes, and the determination unit 16 determines that the purpose was to stay. Realistically, it is unnatural for it to take 40 minutes to travel between two stations within walking distance for the purpose of transferring, so it is thought that the passenger was staying for sightseeing, shopping, etc.

[0052] The reason for requiring both conditions (A) and (B) to be met is, for example, to set an appropriate threshold for judgment by including multiple large peaks that satisfy (A) after starting from the time difference between the most frequent entry time and entry time in the created histogram. Furthermore, the threshold setting unit 15, based on the histogram created by the histogram creation unit 14, sets x (minutes) as the time difference between the exit record time and the immediately following entry record time between two stations in the same area, m (minutes) as the time difference that takes the mode, h(m) as the ratio of the number of occurrences at this time using the function h, and when the time difference x is increased sequentially from the initial value m to m+1, m+2, ..., (C)h(x) is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold T2 (however T2 <T1)、 x that satisfies the above conditions may be set as a threshold for determining whether each passenger's travel is for transit purposes or for the purpose of staying overnight.

[0053] Here, as a case where (C) is satisfied, for example, when an arbitrary threshold value T2 is set and T2 = 0.005, the threshold value setting unit 15 sets the time difference x between the departure time and the arrival time that satisfies the condition of (C) as the determination threshold value. When (C) is used as a condition, for example, even when the peak of the histogram gradually decreases and does not satisfy the above-described condition (A) h(x) < h(x + 1), but when it is determined that the peak has become sufficiently small, the threshold value setting unit 15 sets an arbitrary threshold value to set a determination threshold value according to the situation, and the determination unit 16 determines an appropriate movement purpose.

[0054] Note that the threshold value setting unit 15 may set determination threshold values for the distribution for the purpose of transfer and the distribution for the purpose of staying based on the histogram created by the histogram creation unit 14, for example, using the K-means method. When using the K-means method, an appropriate determination threshold value can be obtained by clustering objects with similar features into a plurality of similar object groups. Thereby, when a passenger using the railway departs from the ticket gate of a certain railway station and enters through the ticket gate of another railway station, the threshold value setting unit 15 calculates determination threshold values for the distribution for the purpose of transfer and the distribution for the purpose of staying. Thereby, the determination unit 16 can determine an appropriate movement purpose.

[0055] As described above, the determination unit 16 compares the determination threshold value set by the threshold value setting unit 15, the time from the departure record to the arrival record of the medium ID (passenger) shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the arrival station and the departure station within the walking range shown in FIG. 4, to determine whether the movement of each passenger between two stations within the same area is for the purpose of transfer or for the purpose of staying. Also, when the determination threshold value set by the threshold value setting unit 15 is updated in the threshold value update unit 17 described later, the determination unit 16 can determine again whether the movement of the passenger is for the purpose of transfer or for the purpose of staying.

[0056] The threshold update unit 17 updates the determination threshold set in the threshold setting unit 15 based on a histogram to which data obtained in the data acquisition unit 12 during a predetermined period prior to the day the passenger passed through the ticket gate has been added. For example, if a transfer or stay determination is to be made later based on the ticket gate passage data D1 for the target day, the threshold update unit 17 may add data obtained in the data acquisition unit 12 on the day the passenger passed through the ticket gate to the histogram. As a result, even in the case of sudden events such as concerts, the threshold setting unit 15 can set an appropriate threshold for determination by using a histogram created with the most recent ticket gate passage data D1, and the determination unit 16 can determine the purpose of travel with high accuracy.

[0057] The output unit 18 outputs the determination result from the determination unit 16 to, for example, each railway company that owns the railway line including the two railway stations within the same area. As a result, the user of the travel purpose determination device 10 can provide the data containing the determination results of each passenger's travel purpose via the output unit 18 to, for example, a railway company, which can then understand the travel purposes of passengers using the railway.

[0058] As shown in Figure 1, the travel purpose determination device 10 of this embodiment is a device for determining the travel purpose of passengers using the railway, and comprises a data acquisition unit 12, an aggregation unit 13, a histogram creation unit 14, a threshold setting unit 15, and a determination unit 16. The data acquisition unit 12 acquires ticket gate passage data D1 recorded when a passenger passes through an automatic ticket gate 5 installed at a railway station for each passenger. The aggregation unit 13 aggregates the ticket gate passage data D1 for a predetermined period. The histogram creation unit 14 extracts combinations of exit records and entry records between two stations in the same area from the ticket gate passage data D1 aggregated by the aggregation unit 13 for the predetermined period, and creates a histogram showing the time distribution between the exit record time and the entry record time at those two stations. The threshold setting unit 15 sets a determination threshold for determining whether each passenger's travel is for transfer purposes or for stay purposes, based on the histogram created by the histogram creation unit 14. The determination unit 16 compares the determination threshold set in the threshold setting unit 15 with the time from the exit record to the entry record for each passenger to determine whether each passenger's movement is for transit purposes or for the purpose of staying overnight.

[0059] This allows the system to determine whether each passenger's travel is for transfer purposes or for a longer stay, using a threshold value set based on the ticket gate passage data D1 to estimate each passenger's travel purpose. As a result, it is possible to determine whether the travel of passengers using the railway is for transit purposes or for the purpose of staying overnight.

[0060] <How to determine the purpose of movement> The movement purpose determination device 10 of this embodiment executes the movement purpose determination method according to the flowcharts shown in Figures 6 and 7. In other words, as shown in Figure 6, the method for determining the purpose of travel in this embodiment involves acquiring ticket gate passage data D1 (for one day) of railway passengers who have passed through the automatic ticket gate 5 in step S1.

[0061] Next, in step S2, the aggregation unit 13 acquires area information data D2, which includes stations in the same area and has been input to the input device 2 and stored in the storage unit 11, via the data acquisition unit 12, and selects the combination of exit / entry stations within the same area to be estimated. Next, in step S3, the aggregation unit 13 acquires the ticket gate passage data D1 obtained in step S1 and the area information data D2 entered in step S2 via the data acquisition unit 12, and aggregates the ticket gate passage data D1 for each medium ID.

[0062] Next, in step S4, the aggregation unit 13 extracts the ticket gate passage data D1 for a certain medium ID (a certain passenger) from the ticket gate passage data D1 aggregated in step S3. Next, in step S5, the aggregation unit 13 sorts the ticket gate passage data D1 of a certain medium ID (a certain passenger) extracted in step S4 by the time of passage through the ticket gate. Next, in step S6, the aggregation unit 13 determines whether or not there is an "exit data => entry data" for the estimated exit / entry station combination in the ticket gate passage data D1 sorted in step S5. If no such combination exists, the process proceeds to step S4; if it does exist, the process proceeds to step S7.

[0063] Next, in step S7, the aggregation unit 13 determines in step S6 that "exit data => entry data" exists for the estimated exit / entry station combination, and therefore extracts the "exit data => entry data" for the estimated exit / entry station combination. Next, in step S8, the aggregation unit 13 aggregates the data extracted in step S7, calculating (entry time - exit time) as the time taken to travel between the exit station and the entry station.

[0064] Next, in step S9, the aggregation unit 13 determines whether the aggregation of the data aggregated in step S8 has been completed with respect to the total ticket gate passage data D1. If the aggregation is not completed, the process proceeds to step S4; if it is completed, the process proceeds to step S10. Next, in step S10, the aggregation unit 13 aggregates the estimated travel time for each combination of departure / entry stations based on the data aggregated in step S9.

[0065] Next, in step S11, the histogram creation unit 14 creates a histogram based on the data compiled by the aggregation unit 13. Next, in step S12, the threshold setting unit 15 calculates a threshold for determining the transfer time based on the histogram created by the histogram creation unit 14. The method for calculating the threshold for determining transfer time will be explained later.

[0066] Next, in step S13, the determination unit 16 determines whether the travel of each passenger between two stations within the same area is for transfer purposes or for staying overnight, based on the determination threshold set in the threshold setting unit 15 or the threshold update unit 17, and the output unit 18 outputs the determination result of the purpose of the travel. Here, the method for calculating the judgment threshold calculated in step S12 shown in Figure 6 will be explained in more detail using the flowchart in Figure 7.

[0067] In other words, as shown in Figure 7, in step S21, the threshold setting unit 15 extracts the mode m (in minutes) of the histogram based on the histogram created by the histogram creation unit 14. Next, in step S22, the threshold setting unit 15 initializes the entry / exit time x minutes with m, using the mode m (minutes) of the histogram extracted in step S21.

[0068] Next, in step S23, the threshold setting unit 15 calculates the ratio of entries at x minutes h(x) and the ratio of entries at x+1 minutes h(x+1), using the entry / exit time x minutes initialized in step S22 by the mode m(minutes) of the histogram. Next, in step S24, the threshold setting unit 15 determines whether the number ratio h(x) for x minutes and the number ratio h(x + 1) for x + 1 minutes calculated in step S23 satisfy the condition h(x) < h(x + 1). Here, if the condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S26, and if the condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S25.

[0069] Next, in step S25, the threshold setting unit 15 determines whether the number ratio h(x) for x minutes calculated in step S23 satisfies the condition h(x) ≤ T1. Here, if the condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S27, and if the condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S28. Here, when there are a plurality of large peaks where the number ratio h(x) for x minutes and the number ratio h(x + 1) for x + 1 minutes calculated in step S23 satisfy the condition h(x) < h(x + 1), the threshold setting unit 15 includes the plurality of large peaks that satisfy the above condition in order to set an appropriate determination threshold. Therefore, the threshold T1 is arbitrarily set.

[0070] Next, in step S26, since the threshold setting unit 15 determines in step S24 that the number ratio h(x) for x minutes and the number ratio h(x + 1) for x + 1 minutes calculated in step S23 do not satisfy the condition h(x) < h(x + 1), the threshold setting unit 15 determines whether the number ratio h(x) satisfies the condition h(x) ≤ T2. Here, if the condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S27, and if the condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S28.

[0071] Here, when it is determined that the number ratio h(x) for x minutes and the number ratio h(x + 1) for x + 1 minutes calculated in step S23 do not satisfy the condition h(x) < h(x + 1), but the peak is sufficiently small, the threshold setting unit 15 arbitrarily sets the threshold T2 under the condition T2 < T1 in order to set an appropriate determination threshold. Next, in step S27, since the number ratio h(x) for x minutes and the number ratio h(x + 1) for x + 1 minutes calculated in step S23 satisfy the condition h(x) < h(x + 1) in step S24, but it is determined in step S25 that the number ratio h(x) does not satisfy the condition h(x) ≤ T1, the entrance / exit time x minutes initialized by the mode value m (minutes) of the histogram in step S22 is substituted with x + 1 minutes. Then, the process returns to step S23, and the processes after step S23 are repeatedly executed.

[0072] Also, since the number ratio h(x) for x minutes and the number ratio h(x + 1) for x + 1 minutes calculated in step S23 do not satisfy the condition h(x) < h(x + 1) in step S24, and it is determined in step S26 that the number ratio h(x) does not satisfy the condition h(x) ≤ T2, the threshold setting unit 15 substitutes the entrance / exit time x minutes initialized by the mode value m (minutes) of the histogram in step S22 with x + 1 minutes. Then, the process returns to step S23, and the processes after step S23 are repeatedly executed.

[0073] Next, in step S28, since the number ratio h(x) for x minutes and the number ratio h(x + 1) for x + 1 minutes calculated in step S23 satisfy the condition h(x) < h(x + 1) in step S24, and it is determined in step S25 that h(x) satisfies the condition h(x) ≤ T1, the determination threshold is set to x minutes. Also, since the number ratio h(x) for x minutes and the number ratio h(x + 1) for x + 1 minutes calculated in step S23 do not satisfy the condition h(x) < h(x + 1) in step S24, and it is determined in step S26 that h(x) satisfies the condition h(x) ≤ T2, the threshold setting unit 15 sets the determination threshold to x minutes. Thereby, the threshold setting unit 15 can calculate the determination threshold for the transfer time.

[0074] [Other Embodiments] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. (A) In the above embodiments, examples of the present invention were described as a movement purpose determination device and a movement purpose determination method. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0075] For example, the present invention may be implemented as a program for determining the purpose of movement that causes a computer to execute the above-described method for determining the purpose of movement. This movement purpose determination program is stored in the memory (storage unit) installed in the movement purpose determination device. The CPU reads the movement purpose determination program stored in memory and causes the hardware to execute each step. More specifically, the CPU reads the movement purpose determination program and executes the data acquisition step, aggregation step, histogram creation step, threshold setting step, and determination step described above, thereby achieving the same effect as above. Furthermore, the present invention may be implemented as a recording medium that stores a movement purpose determination program.

[0076] (B) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which an output unit 18 is provided within the travel purpose determination device 10 that outputs a determination result of whether the travel of each passenger between two stations in the same area, as determined by the determination unit 16, is for the purpose of transfer or for the purpose of stay. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in addition to outputting the result of the movement purpose determination to an external source from the output unit, the result can also be used simply by saving it as data in the movement purpose determination device. In other words, the movement purpose determination device of the present invention may be configured without an output unit.

[0077] (C) In the above embodiment, an example was given in which thresholds for determining the distribution for transit purposes and the distribution for stay purposes were set using the K-means method based on the histogram created in the histogram creation unit 14. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0078] For example, it is not always necessary to use the K-means method; the Otsu method can also be used. In this case, using the Otsu method, the judgment threshold can be automatically determined by finding the approximately optimal binarization threshold for each object. Even in this case, the threshold setting unit calculates thresholds for determining whether a passenger using the railway is traveling for the purpose of transfer or for the purpose of staying, when the passenger exits through the ticket gate of one railway station and enters through the ticket gate of another railway station. The determination unit can then determine the appropriate purpose of travel.

[0079] (D) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which a threshold update unit 17 is provided within the travel purpose determination device 10 to update the determination threshold set in the threshold setting unit 15 based on a histogram to which data obtained in the data acquisition unit 12 during a predetermined period prior to the day on which the passenger passed through the ticket gate has been added. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, since a threshold for determination can be set from one day's worth of data, the movement purpose determination device of the present invention may be configured without a threshold update unit.

[0080] (E) In the above embodiment, an example was described in which the storage unit 11 for storing the area information data D2 acquired by the data acquisition unit 12 is provided within the movement purpose determination device 10. However, the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0081] For example, the storage unit for area information data may be located on a server or the like, located outside the movement purpose determination device. In other words, the movement purpose determination device of the present invention may not have a storage unit, as long as it is configured to acquire the necessary data from an external storage device or the like. Even in this case, the data acquisition unit can obtain area information data from a server located outside the movement purpose determination device, thereby achieving the same effect as described above.

[0082] (F) In the above embodiment, an example was given in which daily ticket gate passage data D1 is acquired in order to set a more accurate determination threshold in the threshold setting unit 15. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the device could acquire data not only on a daily basis, but also on a monthly basis, by day of the week, or by season.

[0083] Even in this case, when the threshold setting unit acquires ticket gate passage data for each day of the week, it can take into account the influence of different days of the week, such as weekdays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, where the number of passengers and the attributes of passengers are expected to differ, and set an appropriate threshold for determination. Furthermore, when acquiring ticket gate passage data seasonally, it is possible to set appropriate threshold values ​​for each purpose by taking into account the effects of annual events such as Christmas and long holidays such as summer vacation.

[0084] Furthermore, if ticket gate passage data is acquired on a monthly basis, it is possible to set a threshold for judgment from an accurate histogram with less variability by using average passenger flow data over a long period of one month. [Industrial applicability]

[0085] The travel purpose determination device of the present invention has the effect of being able to determine whether the travel of a passenger using the railway is for the purpose of transfer or for the purpose of staying, and is therefore widely applicable to various devices used by railway companies to predict the flow of passengers using the railway. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] 2 Input devices 3 Display device 4 Data Servers 5. Automatic ticket gates 10 Movement purpose determination device 11 Storage section 12 Data Acquisition Unit 13. Aggregation Department 14. Histogram Creation Section 15. Threshold setting section 16 Judgment section 17. Threshold update section 18 Output section D1 Ticket gate passage data D2 Area Information Data

Claims

1. A travel purpose determination device that determines the travel purpose of passengers using the railway, A data acquisition unit that acquires ticket gate passage data recorded when a passenger passes through an automatic ticket gate installed at a railway station for each passenger, A compilation unit that aggregates the data of ticket gate passages during a predetermined period, A histogram creation unit extracts combinations of exit records and entry records between two stations within the same area from the ticket gate passage data aggregated by the aggregation unit during the predetermined period, and creates a histogram showing the time distribution between the exit record time and the entry record time at those two stations. A threshold setting unit sets a threshold for determining whether each passenger's movement is for transit purposes or for staying overnight, based on the histogram created in the histogram creation unit. A determination unit compares the determination threshold set in the threshold setting unit with the time from the exit record to the entry record for each passenger to determine whether the passenger's movement is for transfer purposes or for stay purposes, A device for determining the purpose of movement, equipped with the following features.

2. The system further includes an output unit that outputs the determination result from the determination unit. The device for determining the purpose of movement according to claim 1.

3. The threshold setting unit, based on the histogram created by the histogram creation unit, sets x (minutes) as the time difference between the exit record time and the immediately following entry record time between two stations in the same area, m (minutes) as the time difference that takes the mode, h(m) as the ratio of the number of cases at this time using the function h, and when the time difference x is increased sequentially from the initial value m to m+1, m+2, ..., (A) h(x)<h(x+1), (B) h(x) is a predetermined threshold T １ The following applies: x that satisfies both conditions (A) and (B) is set as the threshold value for determining whether the passenger's movement is for transit or for a longer stay. A device for determining the purpose of movement according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The threshold setting unit, based on the histogram created by the histogram creation unit, sets x (minutes) as the time difference between the exit record time and the immediately following entry record time between two stations in the same area, m (minutes) as the time difference that takes the mode, h(m) as the ratio of the number of cases at this time using the function h, and when the time difference x is increased sequentially from the initial value m to m+1, m+2, ..., (C) h(x) is a predetermined threshold T ２ The following applies (however, T ２ <T １ ), The value x that satisfies the conditions is set as the threshold value for determining whether the passenger's movement is for transit or for a longer stay. The device for determining the purpose of movement according to claim 3.

5. The threshold setting unit sets the threshold values ​​for determining the distribution intended for transfers and the distribution intended for stays, using the Otsu method and the K-means method. A device for determining the purpose of movement according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The threshold setting unit further includes a threshold updating unit that updates the determination threshold based on the histogram to which data obtained by the data acquisition unit during a predetermined period prior to the day on which the passenger passed through the automatic ticket gate has been added. A device for determining the purpose of movement according to claim 1 or 2.

7. It further includes a memory unit for storing data for two stations located within the same area. A device for determining the purpose of movement according to claim 1 or 2.

8. The data acquisition unit acquires the ticket gate passage data on a daily basis. A device for determining the purpose of movement according to claim 1 or 2.

9. The data acquisition unit acquires the ticket gate passage data every month. A device for determining the purpose of movement according to claim 1 or 2.

10. The data acquisition unit acquires the ticket gate passage data for each day of the week. A device for determining the purpose of movement according to claim 1 or 2.

11. The data acquisition unit acquires the ticket gate passage data seasonally. A device for determining the purpose of movement according to claim 1 or 2.

12. A method for determining the purpose of travel of passengers using railways, which is performed by a computer to determine the purpose of travel of passengers using railways, A data acquisition step involves acquiring ticket gate passage data recorded when the passenger passes through the automatic ticket gate installed at the railway station for each passenger, A aggregation step of aggregating the data of ticket gate passages during a predetermined period, A histogram creation step involves extracting combinations of exit records and entry records from the ticket gate passage data collected in the aforementioned aggregation step for the predetermined period, between two stations within the same area, and creating a histogram showing the time distribution between the exit record time and the entry record time at those two stations. A threshold setting step, based on the histogram created in the histogram creation step, sets a threshold for determining whether each passenger's movement is for transit purposes or for staying overnight. A determination step in which the determination threshold set in the threshold setting step is compared with the time from the exit record to the entry record for each passenger to determine whether the travel for each passenger is for transit purposes or for staying overnight, A method for determining the purpose of movement, which includes the following features.

13. A travel purpose determination program that determines the travel purpose of passengers using the railway, A data acquisition step involves acquiring ticket gate passage data recorded when the passenger passes through the automatic ticket gate installed at the railway station for each passenger, A aggregation step of aggregating the data of ticket gate passages during a predetermined period, A histogram creation step involves extracting combinations of exit records and entry records from the ticket gate passage data collected in the aforementioned aggregation step for the predetermined period, between two stations within the same area, and creating a histogram showing the time distribution between the exit record time and the entry record time at those two stations. A threshold setting step, based on the histogram created in the histogram creation step, sets a threshold for determining whether each passenger's movement is for transit purposes or for staying overnight. A determination step in which the determination threshold set in the threshold setting step is compared with the time from the exit record to the entry record for each passenger to determine whether the travel for each passenger is for transit purposes or for staying overnight, A program for determining the purpose of movement that causes a computer to execute a method for determining the purpose of movement that includes the following features.

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