Device and method for identifying analysis area

Abstract

This analysis area identification device that identifies an analysis area for analyzing the movement of an object is provided with: a passage area acquisition unit for acquiring, from a temporary layout, a passage area through which the object passes; and a target layout generation unit for using, as the analysis area, an area which is from the temporary layout and in which at least part of a portion other than the passage area is excluded from an analysis target.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an analysis region specifying apparatus and an analysis region specifying method. [Background Art]

[0002] In recent years, for the purpose of reducing the man-hours required for building design, building design using architectural model data such as BIM (Building Information Modeling) data has been promoted. A building is composed of a plurality of floors, and the floor configuration differs depending on the tenant that occupies the building. For example, even if pillars supporting the floor are common to all floors, the layout of offices, and the positions of walls and doors differ for each floor. When a departure point and a destination are set on a floor, it is required that a person using the building can move smoothly from the departure point to the destination. Therefore, whether a person departing from the departure point can arrive at the destination within the time determined at the building design stage has been examined through simulation processing using architectural model data.

[0003] Here, there is known a technology described in Patent Document 1 for how a robot as a moving body plans a path when a start arrangement and a goal arrangement are given. This Patent Document 1 describes "a global motion path planning method for a robot that performs two-stage path search so that the robot and an obstacle do not interfere with each other". [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-73130 [Summary of the Invention] [Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

[0005] In large buildings, the floor area per floor increases, and the number of floors can reach dozens. Performing pedestrian flow simulations on each floor presents a challenge due to the enormous computation time required. This is because conventional pedestrian flow simulations consider every area of ​​a floor as potentially accessible to people, and therefore process all areas of the floor.

[0006] For example, in conventional pedestrian flow simulations, to verify the conditions for installing an elevator on a floor, evaluation methods such as running the simulation dozens of times with different timings of people entering the floor and taking the average waiting time were used. Also, if one wanted to know the effect of changing the width of automatic doors or the number of security gates on a floor, dozens of simulation processes were required for each condition with these values ​​changed. As a result, the total number of simulations could reach several hundred. Furthermore, the problem of the time required for pedestrian flow simulations could not be solved even when robots were replaced with humans in the technology disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0007] This invention was made in view of these circumstances and aims to reduce the time required for analyzing the movement of objects. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The analysis area identification device according to the present invention identifies an analysis area for analyzing the movement of an object, and includes a passage area acquisition unit that acquires the passage area through which the object passes from a temporary layout, A cut-out area generation unit that generates a cut-out area that is expanded by a predetermined amount from the passage area, From the temporary layout, traffic area The portion of the area other than the cut area We excluded it from the analysis. Target layout Analysis area and The process generates a target layout by excluding the parts other than the cut area from the temporary layout, and then generating the target layout as the analysis area. A layout generation unit for the purpose of, An analysis unit that analyzes the movement of objects using a temporary layout or a target layout, Equipped with The passage area acquisition unit acquires the passage area based on the analysis results obtained by the analysis unit, which analyzes the passage of objects using a temporary layout. The analysis unit outputs a warning when it determines that the object being analyzed has entered the vicinity of the boundary of the cut-out area included in the target layout. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, since the analysis region is defined as the region in which at least a portion of the area other than the passage area is excluded from the analysis target, it becomes possible to analyze the passage of an object using the analysis region, and the time required for analyzing the flow of an object can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an analysis area identification device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a computer according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of a temporary layout related to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of a pedestrian traffic area related to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] This figure shows an example of a cut-out region related to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of a purpose layout related to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] This flowchart shows an example of the analysis area identification process according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] This flowchart shows an example of a process for generating a cut-out region related to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 9] This flowchart shows an example of the process for generating a target layout related to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] This figure shows an example of the display of the enlarged confirmation screen for the cropped area according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 11] This figure shows an example of the display of the analysis results screen for a heatmap analysis according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and the drawings, components having substantially the same function or configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, whereby overlapping explanations are omitted.

[0012] [One Embodiment] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration example of an analysis area specifying device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The analysis area specifying device 100 is an example of an analysis area specifying device having a function of specifying an analysis area for analyzing movement of an object (e.g., a person), and is operated by an operator who designs a floor layout.

[0013] The analysis area specifying device 100 includes a storage unit 110, an arithmetic unit 120, and an input / output unit 130 that are interconnected via a bus 140.

[0014] The storage unit 110 has a set of temporary layout data 111, pedestrian area data 112, cut-out area data 113, and target layout data 114 for each of floors 1 to N of a building.

[0015] The temporary layout data 111 is data indicating an analysis area in which pedestrian flow is analyzed, and indicates passable areas. The temporary layout data 111 is generated from, for example, BIM data, and is temporarily used to create target layout data 114 which will be described later. Further, for example, in a pedestrian flow simulator based on a cellular automaton model, the temporary layout data 111 is configured as layout data on cells.

[0016] In a cellular automaton model of human flow simulator, the distance to the exit (or some cost value proportional to the distance) is calculated for each cell into which the space is divided, and the distance is stored in the cell. Then, the human model refers to the cells around it and updates its position in the direction that decreases the distance to the exit, thereby simulating how people move towards the exit. In a cellular automaton model of human flow simulator, the calculation time increases in proportion to the size of the layout because it is necessary to calculate the distance to the exit for each cell. Similarly, in a model that directly calculates and stores the direction of movement to the destination instead of distance in the cell, the calculation time also increases in proportion to the size of the layout. Therefore, the analysis area identification device 100 according to this embodiment reduces the analysis processing time by generating each data by processing the temporary layout data 111 as follows, and performing the analysis using the target layout data 114 described later.

[0017] Note that the temporary layout data 111 may also be data indicating the heatmap calculation range. Data indicating the heatmap calculation range is data used when calculating a heatmap of pedestrian flow, which is obtained from the results of measuring the actual positions of people.

[0018] The pedestrian traffic area data 112 is data that indicates the areas where people pass through on the temporary layout data 111. In the case of a cellular automaton model pedestrian flow simulator, the pedestrian traffic area data 112 corresponds to a list of cells through which people passed during a certain time period, as a result of performing a pedestrian flow simulation.

[0019] The cut-out area data 113 represents data that creates a cut-out area by expanding the pedestrian traffic area data 112 by a predetermined amount. The cut-out area data 113 may be composed of data in the form of a list of cells, for example.

[0020] The target layout data 114 is data that specifies that the area outside the cut-out region should be excluded from the analysis target by the analysis unit 125. Therefore, the target layout data 114 is a part of the temporary layout data 111. For example, when a pedestrian flow simulation is performed, the target layout data 114 will be data that narrows down the route search range from the starting point to the destination. The target layout data 114 may also be data with cells deleted. Alternatively, the target layout data 114 may be created by setting search restrictions for each destination in the cells.

[0021] The calculation unit 120 includes a temporary layout generation unit 121, a pedestrian traffic area acquisition unit 122, a cut-out area generation unit 123, a target layout generation unit 124, and an analysis unit 125.

[0022] The temporary layout generation unit 121 generates a temporary layout using, for example, floor objects and spatial objects within the BIM data. This temporary layout is stored in the storage unit 110 as temporary layout data 111.

[0023] The pedestrian traffic area acquisition unit 122 acquires pedestrian traffic area data 112 representing areas where people pass from the temporary layout data 111 by having the analysis unit 125 (described later) perform pedestrian flow simulations or by acquiring information measured by sensors attached to the building. The number of people moving during the pedestrian flow simulation can be set by estimating the number of people in the building from the area of ​​the spatial data of the BIM data, for example, using the method shown in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-194318.

[0024] The cut-out area generation unit 123 designates an area that is the same as the pedestrian traffic area, or an area that is an expansion of the pedestrian traffic area, as the cut-out area. For example, the cut-out area generation unit 123 designates an area that is expanded by a certain number of cells in eight directions around a cell in the pedestrian traffic area as the cut-out area. The cut-out area generation unit 123 then generates cut-out area data 113 based on the cut-out area. If the pedestrian traffic area is in the form of a list of cells, the cut-out area generation unit 123 generates a list of cells that represent the cut-out area by storing the cells surrounding each cell in the traffic area in a list without duplication. This cut-out area is stored in the storage unit 110 as cut-out area data 113.

[0025] The target layout generation unit 124 generates target layout data 114, which is configured to exclude data outside the cut-out area from the analysis of the temporary layout data 111. The target layout generation unit 124 then checks whether each cell in the temporary layout data 111 is included in the cell list of the cut-out area. If the target layout generation unit 124 determines that each cell in the temporary layout data 111 is not included in the cell list of the cut-out area, it either deletes the cell from the list of the temporary layout data 111 or generates data with the setting to disable route search to that destination as the target layout. This target layout is stored in the storage unit 110 as target layout data 114.

[0026] The analysis unit 125 has the function of performing various analyses using the target layout data 114 generated based on the temporary layout data 111. In addition, when the temporary layout data 111 is first generated, the analysis unit 125 also performs the process of analyzing pedestrian traffic using the temporary layout of the temporary layout data 111 and passing the analysis results to the pedestrian traffic area acquisition unit 122.

[0027] One example of the analysis processing performed by the analysis unit 125 is the simulation of pedestrian flow. The analysis unit 125 can also perform heat map analysis to analyze areas where many people pass through, based on information obtained from various sensors installed on the floors of existing buildings.

[0028] Furthermore, the analysis unit 125 can also output a warning if it determines that a person who is the subject of the analysis has entered the vicinity 41 of the boundary of the cut-out area 30 included in the target layout 40 (see Figure 6, described later). One example of this warning is the display of the enlarged view screen 50 of the cut-out area, as shown in Figure 10, described later.

[0029] The input / output unit 130 includes an input unit 131 and an output unit 132. The input unit 131 receives data or instructions input by the operator from the input device 206 (see Figure 2, described later) and passes the received data or instructions to the calculation unit 120.

[0030] The output unit 132 outputs screens and other information to the display device 205 (see Figure 2, described later). For example, the output unit 132 may output the temporary layout, pedestrian traffic area, cut-out area, and target layout, or it may output the analysis results of the analysis unit 125, the enlarged view screen 50 of the cut-out area (see Figure 10, described later), and the analysis result screen 60 of the heatmap analysis (see Figure 11, described later). The output unit 132 may also output the above-mentioned data, analysis results, and screens to a mobile terminal connected to the analysis area identification device 100, a cloud server, or a printing device.

[0031] <Example of computer hardware configuration> Next, the hardware configuration of the computer 200 that constitutes the analysis area identification device 100 will be described. Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the computer 200. The computer 200 is an example of hardware used as a computer capable of operating as the analysis domain identification device 100 according to this embodiment. The analysis domain identification device 100 according to this embodiment realizes an analysis domain identification method performed by the cooperation of each functional block shown in Figure 1 when the computer 200 (computer) executes a program.

[0032] Computer 200 comprises a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 201, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 202, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) 203, each connected to a bus 204. Furthermore, computer 200 includes a display device 205, an input device 206, a non-volatile storage 207, and a network interface 208.

[0033] The CPU 201 reads and executes the program code of the software that implements each function of the arithmetic unit 120 according to this embodiment from the ROM 202. Variables, parameters, etc., are temporarily written to the RAM 203 by the CPU 201 and read out as needed.

[0034] The display device 205 displays the results of processing performed by the computer 200 to the operator. The input device 206 allows the operator to perform predetermined operations and give instructions.

[0035] Examples of non-volatile storage 207 include HDDs (Hard Disk Drives), SSDs (Solid State Drives), optical discs, or non-volatile memory. The ROM 202 and non-volatile storage 207 are used as examples of non-transient storage media that can be read by a computer and store programs executed by the computer 200. The storage unit 110 shown in Figure 1 is configured as non-volatile storage 207.

[0036] The network interface 208 can use, for example, a NIC (Network Interface Card), which enables the transmission and reception of various types of data with other analysis domain identification devices 100.

[0037] <Specific examples of layout and area> Next, specific examples of temporary layouts, pedestrian traffic areas, cut-out areas, and target layouts will be explained with reference to Figures 3 to 6.

[0038] Figure 3 shows an example of temporary layout 10.

[0039] The temporary layout generation unit 121 generates a temporary layout 10 based on the placement of floor objects, wall objects, and other elements from the input BIM data.

[0040] As shown in Figure 1, a temporary layout 10 is generated for each floor of the building. The temporary layout 10 then constitutes the shape of the floor using multiple cells. Based on the BIM data, passable cells 11 are generated in which the entire floor surface is included in the calculation. The information of the temporary layout 10 is then stored in the storage unit 110 in list format as temporary layout data 111, as shown in Figure 1.

[0041] Within the temporary layout 10, cells that people can pass through are called passable cells 11. A passable cell 11 is, for example, the floor surface of a room. An entrance cell 12 is provided in the lower left of the temporary layout 10 as an example of a starting point. Also, an exit cell 13 is provided in the upper right of the temporary layout 10 as an example of a destination.

[0042] Furthermore, the temporary layout 10 shows an impassable area 14 where people cannot pass. The impassable area 14 represents an area where people cannot enter, for example, because a wall, shelf, etc. are installed. Therefore, all passable cells 11 excluding the impassable area 14 are passable areas where people can pass and are included in the calculation.

[0043] In the temporary layout 10, unshown impassable areas such as building exteriors located on the outer perimeter of the passable cells 11 are excluded. However, the temporary layout data 111 may include unshown impassable areas such as building exteriors.

[0044] Figure 4 shows an example of a pedestrian traffic area 20.

[0045] The pedestrian traffic area acquisition unit 122 acquires a pedestrian traffic area 20 (an example of a traffic area) where people (an example of an object) pass through from the temporary layout 10 of the temporary layout data 111. For example, the pedestrian traffic area acquisition unit 122 acquires the pedestrian traffic area 20 where people pass through from the temporary layout 10 by acquiring the analysis results of a pedestrian flow simulation performed by the analysis unit 125, or by acquiring information measured by a human presence sensor installed in the building. The pedestrian traffic area 20 is an area that a person has passed through at least once and is acquired for each floor, and is represented by hatched cells in Figure 4. The information of the pedestrian traffic area 20 is then stored in the pedestrian traffic area data 112 shown in Figure 1.

[0046] Typically, people enter the floor from the entrance cell 12, walk towards the exit cell 13, and exit the floor from the exit cell 13. Therefore, not all of the passable cells 11 are occupied by people. Accordingly, the pedestrian traffic area acquisition unit 122 uses the results of a simplified pedestrian flow simulation performed by the analysis unit 125 to acquire from the temporary layout 10 the cells among the passable cells 11 that have been traversed by people at a certain time, as the pedestrian traffic area 20.

[0047] Furthermore, a person model 21 is placed in the pedestrian traffic area 20 at a given time, representing the direction in which people are facing as they pass through the area. The person model 21 is an image icon that combines a round icon representing the head and a triangular icon representing the nose, with the direction of the triangular icon indicating the direction the person is facing. The person model 21 makes it easier to understand which direction people are facing as they pass through the pedestrian traffic area 20. The person model 21 can also be obtained by the pedestrian traffic area acquisition unit 122 from the results of a pedestrian flow analysis performed by the analysis unit 125 using a simplified pedestrian flow simulation.

[0048] Figure 5 shows an example of the cut-out region 30.

[0049] The cut-out area generation unit 123 generates a cut-out area 30 that is expanded by a predetermined amount from the pedestrian traffic area 20 shown in Figure 5, which will be described later. However, if the predetermined amount is set to zero, the cut-out area generation unit 123 may use the same area as the pedestrian traffic area 20 as the cut-out area 30. Information about the cut-out area 30 is stored in the cut-out area data 113 shown in Figure 1.

[0050] Figure 5 shows a pedestrian-passage area 31 traced with a thick line outside the pedestrian-passage area 20 shown in Figure 4. The area inside the pedestrian-passage area 31 represents the area where people pass through. Figure 5 also shows a cut-out area 30, which is an area extended by one cell at a time from the outside of the pedestrian-passage area 31. The cut-out area 30 extends into part of the impassable area 14 shown in the temporary layout 10 of Figure 3. For example, cell 32 in Figure 5 is part of the impassable area 14 in the temporary layout 10. Therefore, when the cut-out area generation unit 123 generates the cut-out area 30, if there is an impassable area 14 consisting of impassable objects such as walls or open spaces within a certain distance from the pedestrian-passage area 20, the cut-out area 30 extends up to the impassable area 14.

[0051] Figure 6 shows an example of the target layout 40.

[0052] The target layout generation unit 124 excludes at least a portion of the area other than the pedestrian traffic area 31 from the temporary layout 10 and defines that area as the analysis area. At this time, the target layout generation unit 124 generates a target layout 40 as the analysis area by excluding the area other than the cut-out area 30 from the temporary layout 10. The information of the target layout 40 is stored in the target layout data 114 shown in Figure 1.

[0053] In the temporary layout 10, there may be an impassable area 14 within a certain range from the pedestrian traffic area 20 where people cannot pass. Therefore, the target layout generation unit 124 generates the target layout 40 by excluding the impassable area 14 from the temporary layout 10.

[0054] The shape of the target layout 40 shown in Figure 6 is approximately identical to the shape of the cut-out area 30. In the target layout 40, an entrance cell 42 and an exit cell 43 are set at positions corresponding to the entrance cell 12 and exit cell 13 shown in Figure 3, respectively. In addition, in the target layout 40, the area near the area represented by hatching for one cell inside the cut-out area 30 is defined as the boundary vicinity 41 in Figure 6.

[0055] In this way, the calculation unit 120 performs pedestrian flow calculations based on the temporary layout data 111, and generates the target layout 40 by excluding areas that are more than a certain distance away from the points where people have passed from the calculation area. The boundary vicinity 41 may be multiple cells inside the cut-out area 30, depending on the size of the cells. Also, the cells in the boundary vicinity 41 do not need to be connected.

[0056] The analysis unit 125 performs a process to simulate human movement using the target layout 40. It is assumed that people move only within the target layout 40. Therefore, the analysis unit 125 does not need to perform calculations to analyze areas other than the target layout 40.

[0057] The target layout generation unit 124 may generate the target layout 40 by setting search restrictions for each destination in the cells. In the case of pedestrian flow simulation, it is necessary to calculate the distance to the exit for each type of destination (each exit) in each cell. Search restriction means omitting the process of calculating the distance and storing it in the cell. Instead of eliminating passable areas, the target layout generation unit 124 sets a setting for the cells that says, "No need to store the distance to the exit here." Then, when the analysis unit 125 actually performs the pedestrian flow simulation, the calculation load of the pedestrian flow simulation can be reduced by omitting the distance calculation process in the set cells. In this embodiment, the target layout 40 is described as separate data from the temporary layout 10, but as described above, if it is generated by adding settings to the temporary layout 10, it may be substantially the same data as the temporary layout 10.

[0058] <Example of processing in the calculation unit and example of screen display> Next, an example of the processing of the calculation unit 120 and an example of the screen display will be explained with reference to Figures 7 to 11.

[0059] <Analysis Area Identification Process> Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the analysis region identification process. This process is an example of an analysis region identification method performed by the analysis region identification device 100.

[0060] First, the temporary layout generation unit 121 generates a temporary layout 10 based on BIM data input from an external device (S1). The temporary layout 10 is stored in the storage unit 110 as temporary layout data 111.

[0061] Next, the analysis unit 125 performs a simulation based on the temporary layout 10 (S2). The simulation results are passed to the pedestrian traffic area acquisition unit 122.

[0062] Next, the pedestrian traffic area acquisition unit 122 acquires the pedestrian traffic area 20 from the temporary layout 10 based on the simulation results (S3). The pedestrian traffic area 20 is stored in the storage unit 110 as pedestrian traffic area data 112.

[0063] Next, the cut-out region generation unit 123 generates the cut-out region 30 by performing the cut-out region generation process shown in Figure 8, which will be described later (S4). The cut-out region 30 is stored in the storage unit 110 as cut-out region data 113.

[0064] Next, the target layout generation unit 124 generates the target layout 40 by performing the target layout generation process shown in Figure 9, which will be described later (S5). The target layout 40 is stored in the storage unit 110 as target layout data 114.

[0065] Next, the analysis unit 125 analyzes the flow of people based on the target layout 40 (S6). Then, the analysis unit 125 determines whether or not people are entering the vicinity 41 of the boundary of the cut-out area 30 (S7).

[0066] If a person enters the vicinity 41 of the boundary of the cut-out area 30 (YES in S7), the analysis unit 125 displays the cut-out area enlargement confirmation screen 50 shown in Figure 10 (described later) via the output unit 132 and warns the operator (S8). The analysis unit 125 then determines via the input unit 131 whether or not an instruction to enlarge the cut-out area has been received (S9).

[0067] If the analysis unit 125 outputs a warning and instructs the system to expand the cut-out area (YES in S9), the process returns to step S4. The cut-out area generation unit 123 then expands the cut-out area 30. In step S5, the target layout generation unit 124 generates the target layout 40 (an example of a second target layout) again based on the expanded cut-out area 30. In step S6, the analysis unit 125 analyzes pedestrian traffic using the regenerated target layout 40.

[0068] On the other hand, if no person entered the vicinity 41 of the boundary of the cut-out area 30 in step S7 (NO in S7), or if there was no instruction to expand the cut-out area in step S9 (NO in S9), the analysis unit 125 outputs the analysis results through the output unit 132 (S10) and terminates this process.

[0069] Steps S8 and S9 may be omitted from this process. In this case, if it is determined in step S7 that a person has entered the vicinity 41 of the boundary of the cut-out area 30, the process automatically returns to step S4 and the process from step S4 onward is repeated. The process of expanding the cut-out area 30 is performed automatically without the operator having to decide whether to expand the cut-out area 30, thus saving the operator the trouble of confirmation.

[0070] <Cropping area generation process> Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the process for generating a cropping area. This process is performed by the cropping area generation unit 123. Here, each cell of the pedestrian traffic area 20 shown in Figure 4 is referred to as cell c.

[0071] In the cropping area generation process, the cropping area generation unit 123 takes one cell from the pedestrian traffic area, stores the coordinate values ​​of that cell and the eight surrounding cells in a list of cells in the cropping area, and then takes the next cell from the pedestrian traffic area and performs the same process. Also, when storing in the list, if there is a cell with exactly the same coordinate values ​​in the existing list, the storage process is omitted. The details of the cropping area generation process are explained below.

[0072] First, the cropping area generation unit 123 starts the process (S11) of repeating this process for each cell c of the pedestrian traffic area 20 acquired by the pedestrian traffic area acquisition unit 122. This process is performed for all cells c in each cell c of the pedestrian traffic area 20.

[0073] Next, the cropping region generation unit 123 sets the cell of interest c and the cells c' surrounding cell c in eight directions as a set C (S12). Then, the cropping region generation unit 123 sets the cells surrounding cell c in eight directions included in set C as cells c' and repeats the processing for each cell c' (S13).

[0074] Here, the cut-out region generation unit 123 determines whether a cell with the same coordinates as cell c', which was the focus of the processing in step S13, is included in the cell list of the cut-out region 30 (S14). If a cell with the same coordinates as cell c' is not included in the cell list of the cut-out region 30 (NO in S14), the cut-out region generation unit 123 returns to step S13, selects another cell c', and repeats the determination in step S14.

[0075] On the other hand, if a cell with the same coordinates as cell c' is included in the cell list of the cut-out area 30 (YES in S14), the cut-out area generation unit 123 stores cell c' in the cell list of the cut-out area (S15). The process of storing cell c' in the cell list of the cut-out area is, for example, a process of storing the coordinate values ​​of cells within the range of the cut-out area in memory as an array. For example, the coordinate values ​​of cells represented as (-1,0), (0,0), (1, 1), (2,1), ... are stored in memory. However, cell c' may be stored in the cell list of the cut-out area using a process other than the process of storing the coordinate values ​​of cells in memory as an array.

[0076] Then, the cut-out region generation unit 123 returns to step S13, selects another cell c', and repeats the determination in step S14. After the processing from step S14 onward is performed for all cells c' in set C, the repeated processing of step S13 ends. Similarly, after the processing from step S12 onward is performed for all cells c in the pedestrian traffic area 20, the repeated processing of step S11 ends.

[0077] As shown in Figure 8, the process of generating the cut-out area stores all cells c included in the pedestrian traffic area into the cut-out area cell list.

[0078] <Target Layout Generation Process> Figure 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the target layout generation process. This process is performed by the target layout generation unit 124.

[0079] First, the target layout generation unit 124 copies all the information of the temporary layout 10 shown in Figure 3 (S21).

[0080] Next, the target layout generation unit 124 repeats the following process for each cell c of the copied temporary layout 10 (S22).

[0081] Here, the target layout generation unit 124 determines whether or not cell c of the temporary layout 10 is included in the cut area cell list (S23). If cell c of the temporary layout 10 is not included in the cut area cell list (NO in S23), the target layout generation unit 124 deletes cell c from the temporary layout 10 (S24). Then, the target layout generation unit 124 returns to step S22, selects another cell c, and repeats the determination in step S23.

[0082] On the other hand, if cell c of temporary layout 10 is included in the list of cells to be cut (YES in S23), the target layout generation unit 124 returns to step S22, selects another cell c, and repeats the determination in step S23. After the processing from step S23 onward is performed on all cells c of the copied temporary layout 10, the repeated processing of step S22 ends.

[0083] The target layout generation process shown in Figure 9 selects only the cells of target layout 40 shown in Figure 6.

[0084] <Example of screen display during analysis processing> After the target layout data 114 is generated, the analysis unit 125 reads the target layout data 114 from the storage unit 110 and performs the analysis. Here, we will explain examples of the screens displayed when the analysis unit 125 performs a pedestrian flow simulation using the target layout data 114 and when it performs a heat map analysis using information obtained from sensors attached to the building.

[0085] (Pedestrian flow simulation) Even after the target layout data 114 has been generated, the analysis unit 125 performs a pedestrian flow simulation by changing the arrangement of equipment on the floor or the time when people enter. For example, if the operator changes the timing of people entering, the width of automatic doors, the number of gates, etc., the movement of people will change, and it is possible that people may enter the vicinity 41 of the boundary of the target layout 40. For this reason, a screen is displayed to the operator to confirm the expansion of the cut-out area.

[0086] Figure 10 shows an example of the display of the enlarged cropping area confirmation screen 50. The enlarged cropping area confirmation screen 50 is an example of a screen output by the output unit 132 shown in Figure 1 and displayed on the display device 205 shown in Figure 2.

[0087] If a person enters the vicinity 41 of the boundary while the analysis unit 125 is performing the analysis, the cropping region generation process shown in Figure 8 may be affecting the calculation results of the analysis. For this reason, the analysis unit 125 outputs a warning through the output unit 132. The analysis unit 125 then displays a cropping region enlargement confirmation screen 50 to confirm whether to enlarge the cropping region 30.

[0088] The cropping area enlargement confirmation screen 50 displays the target layout 40 shown in Figure 6. A message is then displayed to the operator indicating that a person has entered the vicinity 41 of the boundary of the cropping area 30 and prompting them to decide whether or not to enlarge the cropping area 30. When the operator presses the OK button at the bottom of the cropping area enlargement confirmation screen 50, the cropping area generation unit 123 generates cropping area data 113, which is an enlarged cropping area 30. Then, the target layout generation unit 124 regenerates target layout data 114, which is a part of the target layout 40 enlarged in accordance with the enlargement of the cropping area 30. When the operator presses the CANCEL button at the bottom of the cropping area enlargement confirmation screen 50, the cropping area 30 is not enlarged.

[0089] As shown in Figure 1, the temporary layout data 111, the pedestrian traffic area data 112, the cut-out area data 113, and the target layout data 114 are stored in the storage unit 110 as a set for each floor. Therefore, when the cut-out area generation unit 123 expands the cut-out area 30, the cut-out area generation unit 123 overwrites and updates the cut-out area data 113. Furthermore, the target layout generation unit 124 reads the temporary layout data 111 stored in the storage unit 110 and regenerates the target layout 40 using the target layout generation process shown in Figure 9. Then, the target layout generation unit 124 overwrites and updates the original target layout data 114 stored in the storage unit 110 with the target layout data 114 of the regenerated target layout 40.

[0090] The process of expanding the cut-out area 30 and the analysis process may be repeated until the warning message from the analysis unit 125 stops.

[0091] (Heatmap analysis) The analysis unit 125 can use the target layout 40 to perform heatmap analysis using sensor information obtained from sensors installed in the target building of the target layout 40. For example, when changing the layout of an existing building, the analysis unit 125 analyzes when and how people move between floors based on sensor information obtained by installing motion sensors, etc., in the existing building. It then displays areas that many people have passed through in red, and areas that few people have passed through in blue, etc.

[0092] Figure 11 shows an example of the display of the heatmap analysis results screen 60. The heatmap analysis results screen 60 is output by the output unit 132 shown in Figure 1 and is an example of a screen displayed on a display device (not shown).

[0093] The heatmap analysis results screen 60 shows the movement of people, similar to the pedestrian traffic area 20 shown in Figure 4. In the heatmap analysis, the number of people who have passed through each cell is visually represented for each type of hatching. As mentioned above, the number of people who have passed through each cell can also be visually represented by changing the color of each cell. By visually showing the number of people who have passed through each cell at a given time, operators can grasp the flow of people at a glance.

[0094] In the analysis area identification device 100 according to the embodiment described above, the analysis unit 125 focuses on areas where people pass and identifies the analysis area (target layout 40) for which analysis processing is performed. For this purpose, the calculation unit 120 performs a process to acquire pedestrian area data 112 using temporary layout data 111 only once, and then generates cut-out area data 113 and target layout data 114. After that, the analysis unit 125 performs pedestrian flow analysis processing using the target layout data 114. For this purpose, the target layout 40 is generated by removing extra cells where people do not pass from the temporary layout 10 which is generated based on architectural drawing data or BIM data. Then, pedestrian flow analysis is performed using the target layout data 114 of this target layout 40.

[0095] The target layout data 114 has cells that people do not pass through removed in advance. Therefore, the analysis unit 125 does not need to perform analysis on cells that people do not pass through, as in the conventional method, and the analysis time can be greatly reduced.

[0096] Furthermore, the analysis time for each analysis process performed by the analysis unit 125 is shorter than the analysis time for each analysis process performed using conventional temporary layout data. As a result, the analysis time required for the hundreds of simulation processes performed by the analysis unit 125 with various conditions can be reduced, and results can be obtained at a faster speed than before.

[0097] Furthermore, the analysis processing of pedestrian flow by the analysis unit 125 includes, for example, pedestrian flow simulation or heat map analysis. As the analysis time by the analysis unit 125 is reduced and the amount of data from the analysis results is also reduced, it becomes easier to share the analysis results between the device itself and other analysis area identification devices 100.

[0098] [Differentiation] In the embodiments described above, the focus was on the flow of people. However, if the floor is used as a warehouse or the like, the target layout may be generated by focusing on the flow of various items (examples of objects) such as goods and equipment. Furthermore, if robots or the like are used on a floor where people are present, the target layout may be generated by focusing on the movement of the robots (examples of objects).

[0099] Furthermore, if the building being analyzed by the analysis area identification device 100 is large, the analysis area identification process shown in Figure 7 may be automatically performed for many floors. After the target layout 40 is generated for all floors, pedestrian flow is analyzed, and the cutout area expansion confirmation screen 50 is displayed. The operator can instruct the system to expand the cutout area for floors where expansion is deemed necessary. Therefore, the operator can efficiently instruct the system to expand the cutout area only for the necessary floors, without having to input instructions to execute the analysis area identification process for each floor.

[0100] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and it goes without saying that various other applications and modifications can be taken as long as they do not depart from the gist of the present invention as described in the claims. For example, the embodiments described above are detailed and specific explanations of the configuration of the analysis area identification device in order to clearly illustrate the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to having all the configurations described. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace some of the configurations in these embodiments with other configurations. Furthermore, the control lines and information lines shown are those deemed necessary for explanatory purposes, and not all control lines and information lines are necessarily shown in the actual product. In reality, it is safe to assume that almost all components are interconnected. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0101] 10...Temporary layout, 11...Passable cell, 20...Pedestrian traffic area, 30...Cut-out area, 31...Pedestrian traffic area, 40...Target layout, 50...Enlarged confirmation screen, 60...Analysis result screen, 100...Analysis area identification device, 110...Storage unit, 111...Temporary layout data, 112...Pedestrian traffic area data, 113...Cut-out area data, 114...Target layout data, 120...Calculation unit, 121...Temporary layout generation unit, 122...Pedestrian traffic area acquisition unit, 123...Cut-out area generation unit, 124...Target layout generation unit, 125...Analysis unit, 130...Input / output unit, 131...Input unit, 132...Output unit

Claims

1. An analysis region identification device for identifying an analysis region for analyzing the movement of an object, A passage area acquisition unit that acquires the passage area through which the object passes from a temporary layout, A cut-out area generation unit generates a cut-out area that is expanded by a predetermined amount from the aforementioned passage area, A target layout generation unit generates a target layout as the analysis area by excluding the portion other than the cut-out area, including the passage area, from the temporary layout, The system includes an analysis unit that analyzes the movement of the object using the temporary layout or the target layout, The traffic area acquisition unit acquires the traffic area based on the analysis results obtained by the analysis unit using the temporary layout to analyze the movement of the object. The analysis unit outputs a warning when it determines that the object being analyzed has entered the vicinity of the boundary of the cut-out area included in the target layout. Analysis area identification device.

2. The target layout generation unit generates the target layout by excluding the impassable area from the temporary layout if there is an impassable area within a certain range from the passage area where the object cannot pass. The analysis area identification device according to claim 1.

3. When the warning is output, the cropping region generation unit expands the cropping region. The aforementioned objective layout generation unit generates a second objective layout based on the enlarged cut-out area, The analysis unit analyzes the movement of the object using the second objective layout. The analysis area identification device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. It includes a temporary layout generation unit that generates a temporary layout based on the placement of floor objects in the input BIM data. The analysis area identification device according to claim 2.

5. The analysis unit performs a process to simulate the movement of the object using the target layout. The analysis area identification device according to claim 1 or 2.

6. The analysis unit uses the target layout to perform a heatmap analysis using sensor information acquired from sensors installed in the building that is the target of the target layout. The analysis area identification device according to claim 1 or 2.

7. A method for identifying an analysis region for analyzing the movement of an object, The steps include obtaining the area through which an object will pass from a temporary layout, The steps include generating a cutout area that is expanded by a predetermined amount from the aforementioned traffic area, The steps include generating a target layout as the analysis area by excluding the portion of the temporary layout other than the cut-out area, including the passage area, from the analysis target, A step of analyzing the passage of the object using the temporary layout or the target layout, The steps include: acquiring the passage area based on the analysis results obtained by analyzing the passage of the object using the temporary layout; The step of outputting a warning when it is determined that the object to be analyzed has entered the vicinity of the boundary of the cut-out area included in the target layout, including Analysis area identification method.

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