Estimation device, estimation system, estimation method, and computer program

Abstract

An estimation device according to the present disclosure comprises: a progress acquisition means that acquires progress information indicating the meal progress status for a customer who is using a table in a restaurant; an action acquisition means that acquires action information indicating action of the customer; an estimation means that estimates, on the basis of the progress information and the action information, leaving estimation time, which is the time until the customer leaves the restaurant; and an output means that outputs an estimation result having been estimated.

Description

Estimation device, estimation system, estimation method, and recording medium

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an estimation device, an estimation system, an estimation method, and a recording medium.

[0002] There is technology in restaurants that estimates and displays real-time seat availability and waiting times.

[0003] For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a method for calculating an estimated time each user will use a seat based on data on remaining food obtained by image recognition. Patent Literature 2 discloses a method for estimating an estimated time a customer will leave a restaurant by correcting a customer's stay time, which is estimated based on information on the customer's attributes, based on information on the pace at which the customer eats and drinks.

[0004] JP 2019-003361 A JP 2022-041715 A

[0005] In the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the estimated time of leaving the restaurant is estimated based on the customer's eating status, but the estimated time of leaving the restaurant may change due to other factors.

[0006] An example of an objective of the present disclosure is to provide an estimation device that can further improve the estimation accuracy of an estimated store exit time.

[0007] An estimation device in one aspect of the present disclosure includes a progress acquisition means for acquiring progress information indicating the progress of a customer's meal while using a seat in the store, an action acquisition means for acquiring action information indicating the customer's actions, an estimation means for estimating an estimated time until the customer leaves the store based on the progress information and the action information, and an output means for outputting the estimated estimation result.

[0008] An estimation system in one aspect of the present disclosure is an estimation system having the above-mentioned estimation device and a photographing device installed in a position where it can photograph the movements of customers while using seats in the store, and the movement acquisition means acquires movement information indicating the movements of the customers by analyzing the images captured by the photographing device.

[0009] In one aspect of the present disclosure, the estimation method involves a computer acquiring progress information indicating the progress of a customer's meal while seated in a restaurant, acquiring action information indicating the customer's actions, estimating an estimated time until the customer leaves the restaurant based on the progress information and the action information, and outputting the estimated result.

[0010] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a recording medium stores a program that causes a computer to execute a process of acquiring progress information indicating the progress of a customer's meal while using a seat in a restaurant, acquiring action information indicating the customer's actions, estimating an estimated time until the customer leaves the restaurant based on the progress information and the action information, and outputting the estimated result.

[0011] According to the present disclosure, an estimation device can be provided that can further improve the estimation accuracy of the estimated store exit time.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example configuration including an estimation device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration in which the estimation device according to the first embodiment is realized by a computer device and its peripheral devices. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of a usage scene according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is an example of output of an estimated store exit time by an output unit according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the estimation device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example configuration including an estimation device according to a second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the estimation device according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the operation of an estimation device according to a modified example of the second embodiment.

[0013] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, embodiments of an estimation device, an estimation system, an estimation method, and a non-transitory recording medium for recording a program according to the present disclosure will be described in detail. The disclosed technology is not limited to these embodiments.

[0014] First Embodiment First, a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an estimation device 100 in an estimation system 10 according to the first embodiment. The estimation system 10 is connected, via a network, to an image capturing device 200 installed in a position where the estimation device 100 can capture images of the behavior of customers occupying seats in a store, and an output device 300 that outputs estimation results.

[0015] The estimation device 100 is a device for estimating an estimated time of exit of a customer who is eating in a restaurant. The invention of the present disclosure is applicable to restaurants in general, but is particularly intended for restaurants such as cafes and family restaurants where customers stay for purposes other than eating.

[0016] Referring to FIG. 1 , the estimation device 100 includes a progress acquisition unit 101, an action acquisition unit 102, an estimation unit 103, and an output unit 104. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration in which the estimation device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure is realized by a computer device 500 including a processor. As illustrated in FIG. 2 , the estimation device 100 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 501, memories such as a read-only memory (ROM) 502 and a random access memory (RAM) 503, a storage device 505 such as a hard disk for storing a program 504, a communication interface 508 for network connection, and an input / output interface 509 for inputting and outputting data. In the first embodiment, the estimation device 100 is connected to each component via a bus 510. The estimation device 100 according to the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 can also be configured using cloud computing or the like.

[0017] The CPU 501 runs an operating system to control the entire estimation device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The CPU 501 also reads programs and data into memory from a recording medium 506 mounted in, for example, a drive device 507. The CPU 501 also functions as the progress acquisition unit 101, the action acquisition unit 102, the estimation unit 103, and the output unit 104 in the first embodiment, or as part of these, and executes processing or commands in the flowchart shown in FIG. 5 (described later) based on the program.

[0018] The recording medium 506 is, for example, an optical disk, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk, an external hard disk, or a semiconductor memory. The semiconductor memory or the like that is part of the recording medium is a non-volatile storage device that stores the program. The program may also be downloaded from an external computer (not shown) that is connected to a communication network.

[0019] As described above, the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1 is realized by the computer hardware shown in Fig. 2. However, the means for realizing each unit included in the estimation device 100 in Fig. 1 is not limited to the configuration described above. Furthermore, the estimation device 100 may be realized by a single physically coupled device, or may be realized by a system consisting of two or more physically separated devices connected by wire or wirelessly.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a usage scenario of this embodiment. In this embodiment, after a customer enters the restaurant, an employee enters customer information, such as the table number and age, number of customers, or information indicating the relationship between customers, into a POS (Point of Sale) terminal and then starts up a tablet terminal placed at the table. The tablet terminal is equipped with a photographing device 200, which captures images of the customer's table and their movements. If the tablet terminal has an image analysis function, the above-mentioned customer information may be automatically entered by analyzing the images captured by the photographing device 200. In addition, menu information ordered by the customer on the tablet terminal is stored in the POS terminal via a network.

[0021] The progress acquisition unit 101 is a means for acquiring progress information indicating the progress of a customer's meal while seated in the restaurant. In this embodiment, the progress information includes information that allows the progress of an order and a meal to be understood. The progress information may include at least one of information regarding the remaining amount of food on the customer's table, the order item category, the number of items ordered, and the length of time the customer stayed. The progress acquisition unit 101 acquires the remaining amount of food on the customer's table and the order item category by analyzing an image of the customer's table captured by the image capture device 200. The progress acquisition unit 101 also acquires the number of items ordered and the length of time the customer stayed from the POS terminal. However, the method of acquiring this information is not limited to the above example.

[0022] The progress acquisition unit 101, for example, analyzes images acquired from the image capture device 200 to determine whether tableware is present and the amount of food remaining on the table, and acquires the meal progress status based on the image, with the completion of eating being considered as 100%. The progress acquisition unit 101 may also analyze the rate at which food is being consumed from the images, and determine that the meal is finished if the food has not been consumed for a predetermined period of time. The progress acquisition unit 101 may also estimate the meal progress status from the average stay time based on attributes, for example. The progress acquisition unit 101 acquires the order progress status based on, for example, the number of items ordered or the order item category. The order item category is a category that allows the progress status of orders, such as appetizers, main courses, and desserts, to be grasped. The progress acquisition unit 101 acquires the progress status from the number of items ordered based on, for example, the average number of items ordered by attributes. The progress acquisition unit 101 outputs the acquired progress information to the estimation unit 103.

[0023] The motion acquisition unit 102 is a means for acquiring motion information indicating a customer's motion. In this embodiment, the customer's state refers to the customer's current motion, such as eating, drinking, napping, working on a PC, reading a book, talking, or putting on a jacket. The motion acquisition unit 102 acquires the motion information by analyzing an image of the customer captured by an image capture device 200, such as a tablet terminal or a security camera in a store. For example, the motion acquisition unit 102 acquires the customer's motion by reading from the storage device 505 a motion analysis rule that associates the customer's posture extracted from image features with a motion pattern. If the image includes personal belongings such as a PC, book, or jacket, the motion acquisition unit 102 may analyze the customer's motion based on these belongings. Furthermore, if the customer has been performing the same motion for a long time and an accurate estimated store exit time cannot be estimated, the motion acquisition unit 102 may exclude that customer from the estimation target. However, the method by which the motion acquisition unit 102 acquires customer motion information is not limited to the above-described method. The motion acquisition unit 102 outputs the acquired motion information to the estimation unit 103 .

[0024] The estimation unit 103 is a means for estimating an estimated restaurant exit time based on the progress information and the behavior information. Specifically, the estimation unit 103 estimates the time until a customer finishes their meal based on the progress information and corrects the customer's estimated restaurant exit time based on the customer's behavior information. For example, if a customer has finished their meal but is about to start or is currently working on a PC or other device, the estimation unit 103 estimates the estimated restaurant exit time by taking into account the time spent working on the PC. The estimation device 100 stores information on the average stay time of customers who have started each behavior in the storage device 505, and the estimation unit 103 estimates the estimated restaurant exit time based on the average stay time. On the other hand, if the customer still has food on their table but is getting ready to leave by putting on a jacket, the estimation unit 103 shortens the estimated restaurant exit time to, for example, 0 to 5 minutes.

[0025] The output unit 104 is a means for outputting the estimated result. In this embodiment, the output unit 104 outputs an estimated exit time. The output unit 104 displays the estimated exit time on an output device 300, such as a display, installed in the backroom of the store. FIG. 4 shows an example of an estimated exit time output by the output unit 104 in this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4 , the estimated exit time is linked to customer information such as table number, age, and number of customers, number of ordered items, order category, table status, and progress information on stay time, as well as behavior information, and the estimated exit times are sorted and output in ascending order. In the example of FIG. 4 , for example, the estimation unit 103 estimated that customer No. 6 had no tableware and had finished their meal, but because they were working on a PC, the estimated exit time was estimated to be 40 minutes later.

[0026] The output unit 104 may change the output mode of the estimated exit time based on the accuracy of the estimated exit time estimated by the estimation unit 103. Examples of the output mode include changing the color or size of the text, highlighting, etc. For example, the output unit 104 may highlight information for which the estimated exit time is within a predetermined time or within a predetermined turn in a different mode from other waiting times. In the example of FIG. 4, information for which the estimated exit time is within 15 minutes is underlined.

[0027] 5 is a flowchart showing an outline of the operation of the estimating device 100 according to the first embodiment. The processing according to this flowchart may be executed based on program control by the processor described above. This flow is executed, for example, when an instruction is given to the estimating device 100 to estimate the estimated time of a customer leaving a store.

[0028] As shown in Fig. 5, first, the progress acquisition unit 101 acquires progress information indicating the progress of a customer's meal while seated in the restaurant (step S101). Next, the action acquisition unit 102 acquires action information indicating the customer's actions (step S102). Next, the estimation unit 103 estimates an estimated restaurant exit time based on the progress information and the action information (step S103). Finally, the output unit 104 outputs the estimated restaurant exit time (step S104). This completes the estimation process for the estimation device 100.

[0029] In the estimation device 100 of this embodiment, the estimation unit 103 estimates an estimated restaurant exit time based on the progress information and the behavior information. The output unit 104 outputs the estimated restaurant exit time. This allows the estimation of the estimated restaurant exit time to take into account, for example, the possibility that the customer may stay even after finishing their meal. Therefore, the estimation device 100 can further improve the accuracy of the estimated restaurant exit time.

[0030] [Variation of the First Embodiment] In the first embodiment described above, the estimation unit 103 estimates the estimated store exit time based on the progress information and the behavior information. The estimation unit 103 may further estimate the estimated store exit time based on customer information or the type of store. Customer information is information indicating the age, gender, and number of customers, or relationships between customers such as family, work, or friends. The estimation unit 103 acquires customer information from, for example, a POS terminal. The estimation unit 103 estimates the estimated store exit time based on the customer information using a known method. For example, the estimation unit 103 acquires customer information and estimates the estimated store exit time based on the average stay time recorded for each age group or gender. Furthermore, if a predetermined number of customers or more visit the store, the estimation unit 103 may estimate the estimated store exit time to be longer than the average stay time.

[0031] The estimation unit 103 also acquires information indicating the type of business of the store, such as breakfast, lunch, or dinner, from the POS terminal. For example, the estimation unit 103 may estimate a shorter estimated time of exit for customers who visit the store during lunch than for customers who visit the store during dinner.

[0032] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 6 is a block diagram of an estimation system 11 including an estimation device 110 according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the store is full and there is a waiting line to enter the store.

[0033] In the following, to the extent that the description of this embodiment is not unclear, the description of the same content as the above description will be omitted. As with the computer device shown in Figure 2, the functions of each component in each embodiment of the present disclosure can be realized not only by hardware but also by a computer device or software based on program control.

[0034] The estimation device 110 in this embodiment includes a progress acquisition unit 111, an action acquisition unit 112, an estimation unit 113, a visiting customer acquisition unit 114, and an output unit 115. That is, the estimation device 110 differs from the estimation device 100 at least in that it includes the visiting customer acquisition unit 114. The progress acquisition unit 111 and the action acquisition unit 112 in this embodiment have the same configurations as the progress acquisition unit 101 and the action acquisition unit 102 in the first embodiment.

[0035] The visiting customer acquisition unit 114 is a means for acquiring information on the order in which customers who visit the store will enter the store when the store is full. For example, the visiting customer acquisition unit 114 acquires information indicating the order in which customers will enter the store when they register for entry at a ticket machine installed at the store entrance. The ticket machine also issues numbered tickets indicating the order in which customers will enter the store. Furthermore, if a store entry reservation can be made on the store's application program, the visiting customer acquisition unit 114 may acquire information indicating the order in which customers will enter the store when a reservation for entry from a visiting customer is accepted. The visiting customer acquisition unit 114 outputs the information on the order in which customers will enter the store to the estimation unit 113.

[0036] In addition to the functions of the first embodiment, the estimation unit 113 estimates the waiting time of visiting customers based on the estimated exit time of a customer whose exit order corresponds to the order of entry when the current customers are sorted in order of earliest estimated exit time. That is, for example, if the customer whose entry order is input from the visiting customer acquisition unit 114 is first, the estimation unit 113 estimates the waiting time of the visiting customer as the estimated exit time of the customer whose exit order is first when the current customers are sorted in order of earliest estimated exit time. Similarly, for example, if the customer whose entry order is input from the visiting customer acquisition unit 114 is second, the estimation unit 113 estimates the waiting time of the visiting customer as the estimated exit time of the customer whose exit order is second when the current customers are sorted in order of earliest estimated exit time. Furthermore, the estimation unit 113 may calculate the waiting time by adding a predetermined time to the estimated estimated exit time. The predetermined time to be added may be the average time required for an employee to clear a table after a customer leaves the restaurant.

[0037] The output unit 115 outputs the waiting time. For example, in the example of FIG. 4 , the output unit 115 notifies the first customer waiting to enter the store that the waiting time is five minutes, based on the estimated time of the first customer to leave, which is five minutes later. Similarly, the output unit 104 notifies the second customer waiting to enter the store that the waiting time is ten minutes, based on the estimated time of the second customer to leave, which is ten minutes later. The output unit 115 may change the output mode of the waiting time based on the accuracy of the waiting time estimated by the estimation unit 113. Examples of the output mode include changing the color or size of the text, highlighting, etc. For example, the output unit 115 may highlight waiting times within a predetermined time using a color or font size different from other waiting times.

[0038] The output unit 115 may output the waiting times of visiting customers along with the order of entry onto numbered tags issued to the customers by a ticket issuing machine, or may output a list of waiting times linked to the numbered tags onto an output device 310 installed in the store. Furthermore, the output unit 115 may output the waiting times of visiting customers along with the order of entry onto an application program.

[0039] 7 is a flowchart showing an outline of the operation of the estimation device 110 according to the second embodiment. The process according to this flowchart may be executed based on program control by the processor described above. For example, the process according to this flow is executed when estimating the waiting time of customers before entering a store when the store is full.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 7 , the progress acquisition unit 111 first acquires progress information indicating the progress of a customer currently seated at a table in the restaurant (step S201). Next, the action acquisition unit 112 acquires action information indicating the customer's actions (step S202). Next, the estimation unit 113 estimates the estimated restaurant exit time based on the progress information and the action information (step S203). Next, the visiting customer acquisition unit 114 acquires visiting customer information, including information on the order in which the customers entered the restaurant (step S204). Next, the estimation unit 113 estimates the waiting time of the visiting customers based on the estimated restaurant exit time of the customers whose exit order corresponds to their entry order when the current customers are sorted in order of their estimated restaurant exit time (step S205). Finally, the output unit 115 outputs the waiting time (step S206). This completes the estimation process for the estimation device 110.

[0041] In this embodiment, the estimation unit 113 estimates the waiting time of visiting customers based on the estimated exit time of customers whose exit order corresponds to their entry order when the current customers are sorted in order of earliest estimated exit time. The output unit 115 outputs the waiting time of visiting customers. This makes it possible to notify customers who arrive at the store when it is full of their waiting time, estimated based on the estimated exit time with high estimation accuracy.

[0042] [Variation of the Second Embodiment] Next, a variation of the second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described, focusing on differences from the second embodiment. In this variation, when a restaurant is fully booked, it is estimated whether a visiting customer will be able to make it to their scheduled time even if they dine at the restaurant. In this variation, the visiting customer acquisition unit 114 further acquires information about the visiting customer's desired time of leaving the restaurant as information about the visiting customer. In this variation, the storage device 505 stores a customer ID, the customer's biometric authentication information, and transportation information about the transportation the customer plans to use, linked to the customer ID.

[0043] The visiting customer acquisition unit 114 acquires information about the visiting customer's desired exit time. The desired exit time is the time by which the visiting customer must finish their meal at the restaurant and leave in order to be on time for their scheduled schedule. The visiting customer acquisition unit 114, for example, accepts input of information about the desired exit time when the visiting customer registers for entry at a ticket machine installed at the restaurant entrance and acquires the information. Furthermore, if a reservation for entry can be made through the restaurant's application program, the visiting customer acquisition unit 114 may accept input of information about the desired exit time when accepting the reservation for entry and acquire the information. Furthermore, if input of menu information to be ordered by the visiting customer along with the desired exit time is accepted when the visiting customer registers for entry or makes a reservation for entry, the visiting customer acquisition unit 114 may acquire the menu information.

[0044] Furthermore, the visiting customer acquisition unit 114 may calculate the desired store exit time based on, for example, the visiting customer's schedule information. In this case, the visiting customer acquisition unit 114 may acquire, for example, schedule information stored on a terminal carried by the visiting customer. The schedule information includes a planned destination and the planned time. The visiting customer acquisition unit 114 uses a known method to calculate a desired store exit time that allows the visiting customer to arrive at the planned destination at the planned time.

[0045] For example, if the schedule information is about boarding a means of transportation, the customer acquisition unit 114 acquires the schedule information by reading the boarding information stored on the ticket. In detail, for example, a two-dimensional code is printed on the ticket, storing information that can identify the boarding location and departure time of the means of transportation, such as an airplane, train, or bus, that the customer plans to board, and the customer acquisition unit 114 acquires the schedule information by reading the two-dimensional code with a reader provided in a ticket issuing machine or the like. In this embodiment, if the store is a restaurant in an airport and the means of transportation is an airplane, the two-dimensional code may store information that can identify the boarding gate and the closing time for security checkpoint.

[0046] Furthermore, if the ride information and biometric authentication information are linked, the visiting customer acquisition unit 114 reads the visiting customer's biometric authentication information and acquires the ride information linked to the visiting customer's customer ID from the storage device 505. The biometric authentication information is not particularly limited, and may be any biometric authentication information that can identify the visiting customer, such as facial authentication information, iris authentication information, fingerprint authentication information, or vein authentication information. When acquiring facial authentication information, the visiting customer acquisition unit 114 acquires facial feature data of the visiting customer from an image captured by a photographing device installed in a ticket machine, for example. Next, the visiting customer acquisition unit 114 identifies a customer ID that matches the facial feature data of the visiting customer from the storage device 505 and acquires the ride information linked to the customer ID. However, the means for identifying the customer ID is not limited to this.

[0047] In addition to the functions of the first and second embodiments, the estimation unit 113 estimates whether or not the customer will arrive in time for their desired store exit time based on the customer's waiting time and their planned stay time at the store. The estimation unit 113 acquires the waiting time in the same manner as the estimation unit 113 in the second embodiment. The estimation unit 113 also estimates the customer's planned stay time at the store based on their average stay time. The average stay time is stored in the storage device 505, for example, in association with the number of customers or their attributes. Next, the estimation unit 113 estimates whether or not the customer will arrive in time for their desired store exit time based on whether the time when the waiting time and planned stay time at the store have elapsed, calculated from the current time, is before or after the customer's desired store exit time.

[0048] If the customer acquisition unit 114 has acquired information about the menu items ordered by the customers, the estimation unit 113 may estimate the average values ​​of the food provision time and meal time for each menu item instead of the average stay time. In this embodiment, a known method is used to acquire the food provision time and meal time for each menu item. For example, the food provision time is the time from the time an order is placed at the POS terminal until the ordered food is served at the table, and food serving is detected by analyzing an image captured by the image capture device 210. The meal time is the time from the time the ordered food is served at the table until the food is completely eaten, and the completely eaten food is detected by analyzing an image of the plate. The average values ​​of the food provision time and meal time acquired in this manner are associated with the menu item name and stored in the storage device 505.

[0049] Furthermore, the estimation unit 113 may estimate menu information that will be available in time for the desired time of leaving the restaurant. The estimation unit 113 determines the time until the desired time of leaving the restaurant minus the waiting time as the available stay time, and estimates menu information that can be ordered within the available stay time using the average values ​​of the food serving time and meal time associated with each menu. Note that the average meal time may be calculated for each attribute such as gender or age.

[0050] The output unit 115 outputs the estimation result of whether or not the customer will arrive in time for the desired store leaving time. Furthermore, if the output unit 115 estimates that the menu information will arrive in time for the desired store leaving time, the output unit 115 may output the menu information.

[0051] 8 is a flowchart showing an outline of the operation of the estimation device 110 according to the modification of the second embodiment. Note that the processing according to this flowchart may be executed based on program control by the processor described above.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 8 , the progress acquisition unit 111 first acquires progress information indicating the progress of a customer currently seated at a table in the restaurant (step S301). The motion acquisition unit 112 then acquires motion information indicating the customer's motion (step S302). The estimation unit 113 then estimates an estimated restaurant exit time based on the progress information and the motion information (step S303). The visiting customer acquisition unit 114 then acquires information about the visiting customers, including their entry order and desired exit time (step S304). The estimation unit 203 then estimates the waiting time of the visiting customers based on the estimated exit time of the customers whose exit order corresponds to their entry order when the current customers are sorted in order of earliest estimated exit time (step S305). Next, if the customer acquisition unit 114 has received the menu item information (S306; YES), the estimation unit 113 estimates whether the customer will arrive at the desired exit time based on the waiting time and the average stay time for each menu item (step S307). On the other hand, if the customer acquisition unit 114 has not received the menu item information (S306; NO), the estimation unit 113 estimates whether the customer will arrive at the desired exit time based on the waiting time and the average stay time for each menu item (step S308). If the estimation unit 113 estimates that the customer will arrive at the desired exit time (S308; YES), it estimates menu information that will allow the customer to arrive at the desired exit time (step S309). If the estimation unit 113 estimates that the customer will not arrive at the desired exit time (S308; NO), the flow proceeds to step S310. Finally, the output unit 115 outputs the estimation result (step S310). This concludes the processing of the estimation device 110.

[0053] In this embodiment, the customer acquisition unit 114 further acquires information on the customer's desired restaurant exit time, and the estimation unit 113 estimates whether the customer will arrive in time for the desired restaurant exit time based on the customer's waiting time and the customer's planned stay time at the restaurant. This allows the customer to understand whether they will be able to keep to their scheduled schedule even if they dine at the restaurant. Furthermore, in this embodiment, if the estimation unit 113 has received menu order information from the customer, it estimates whether they will arrive in time for the desired restaurant exit time based on the customer's waiting time and the average stay time for each menu item. This allows the customer to understand whether they will be able to keep to their scheduled schedule even if they order a menu item they want to eat. Furthermore, if the estimation unit 113 has not received menu order information, it estimates menu information that will allow the customer to arrive in time for the desired restaurant exit time. This allows the customer to keep to their scheduled schedule even if they dine at the restaurant by ordering that menu item.

[0054] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to various embodiments, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments. The configuration and details of each of the present disclosures may include embodiments incorporating various modifications that would be apparent to those skilled in the art within the scope of the present disclosure. The present disclosure may also include embodiments in which the features described herein are appropriately combined or substituted as necessary. For example, features described using a specific embodiment may also be applied to other embodiments to the extent that no inconsistencies arise. For example, although multiple operations are described in sequence in flowchart format, the order of description does not limit the order in which the multiple operations are performed. Therefore, when implementing each embodiment, the order of the multiple operations may be changed as long as it does not interfere with the content. For example, in a variation of the second embodiment, the output unit 115 may display a list of average meal times for each menu item based on customer attributes. In this case, for example, restaurant employees may be encouraged to review their menu items, such as by discontinuing the offering of menu items with average meal times exceeding a certain time during lunch hours to increase turnover.

[0055] Some or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as follows: However, some or all of the above-described embodiments are not limited to the following.

[0056] (Supplementary Note 1) An estimation device comprising: a progress acquisition means for acquiring progress information indicating the progress of a customer's meal while seated in a restaurant; a motion acquisition means for acquiring motion information indicating the motion of the customer; an estimation means for estimating an estimated time until the customer leaves the restaurant based on the progress information and the motion information; and an output means for outputting the estimated result.

[0057] (Supplementary Note 2) The estimation device according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the progress acquisition means acquires progress information on at least one of the remaining amount of food on the customer's table, the ordered item category, the number of ordered items, and the length of time the customer stayed.

[0058] (Supplementary Note 3) The estimation device according to Supplementary Note 1 or Supplementary Note 2, wherein the estimation means further estimates a time until the customer leaves the store based on customer information.

[0059] (Supplementary Note 4) The estimation device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 3, wherein the estimation means further estimates a time until the customer leaves the store based on information indicating a business type of the store.

[0060] (Supplementary Note 5) The estimation device according to any of Supplementary Notes 1 to 4, further comprising: a customer acquisition means for acquiring information about customers who have entered the store when the store is full; the estimation means for estimating the waiting time of the customers based on the estimated exit time of the customers whose exit order corresponds to the order in which the customers entered the store when the customers are sorted in order of earliest estimated exit time; and the output means for outputting the waiting time as the estimation result.

[0061] (Supplementary Note 6) The estimation device described in Supplementary Note 5, wherein the visiting customer acquisition means further acquires information on the visiting customer's desired store exit time, the estimation means estimates whether the visiting customer will be able to make the desired store exit time based on the visiting customer's waiting time and planned stay time in the store, and the output means outputs the estimation result.

[0062] (Supplementary Note 7) The estimation device according to Supplementary Note 6, wherein the visiting customer acquisition means further acquires menu information ordered by the visiting customer, and the estimation means further estimates menu information that will be available in time for the desired time of leaving the store.

[0063] (Supplementary Note 8) The estimation device according to Supplementary Note 6 or Supplementary Note 7, wherein the visiting customer acquisition means calculates the desired store exit time based on schedule information of the visiting customer.

[0064] (Supplementary Note 9) The estimation device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 8, wherein the output means changes an output mode of the estimation result based on accuracy of the estimated store exit time estimated by the estimation means.

[0065] (Supplementary Note 10) An estimation system having the estimation device described in any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 9 and a photographing device installed in a position capable of photographing the actions of a customer using a seat in the store, wherein the action acquisition means acquires action information indicating the actions of the customer by analyzing the photographed image taken by the photographing device.

[0066] (Supplementary Note 11) An estimation method in which a computer acquires progress information indicating the progress of a customer's meal while seated in a restaurant, acquires motion information indicating the customer's motion, estimates an estimated time until the customer leaves the restaurant based on the progress information and the motion information, and outputs the estimated result.

[0067] (Appendix 12) A recording medium storing a program that causes a computer to execute the following processes: acquire progress information indicating the progress of a customer's meal while seated in a restaurant; acquire motion information indicating the customer's motion; estimate an estimated time until the customer leaves the restaurant based on the progress information and the motion information; and output the estimated result.

[0068] 10, 11 Estimation system 100, 110 Estimation device 101, 111 Progress acquisition unit 102, 112 Action acquisition unit 103, 113 Estimation unit 104, 115 Output unit 114 Visiting customer acquisition unit 200, 210 Photography device 300, 310 Output device 500 Computer device 501 CPU 502 ROM 503 RAM 504 Program 505 Storage device 506 Recording medium 507 Drive device 508 Communication interface 509 Input / output interface 510 Bus

Claims

1. a progress acquisition means for acquiring progress information indicating the progress of a meal of a customer currently using a seat in the restaurant; a motion acquisition means for acquiring motion information indicating the motion of the customer; an estimation means for estimating an estimated store exit time until the customer leaves the store based on the progress information and the action information; and an output means for outputting the estimated result.

2. The estimation device according to claim 1 , wherein the progress acquisition means acquires the progress information including at least one of information on the remaining amount of food placed on the customer's table, the ordered item category, the number of ordered items, and the length of time the customer stayed.

3. The estimation device according to claim 1 , wherein the estimation means further estimates a time until the customer leaves the store based on customer information.

4. a customer acquisition means for acquiring information about customers who have come to the store, including information about the order in which the customers entered the store, when the store is full; the estimation means, when rearranging the customers in order of earliest estimated exit time, estimates a waiting time of the visiting customer based on the estimated exit time of a customer whose entry order number and exit order number are the same; The estimation device according to claim 1 , wherein the output means outputs the waiting time as the estimation result.

5. The visiting customer acquisition means further acquires information on the visiting customer's desired time of leaving the store, the estimation means estimates whether the customer will arrive in time for the desired store exit time based on the waiting time of the customer and the expected time spent in the store; The estimation device according to claim 4 , wherein the output means outputs the estimation result.

6. The customer acquisition means further acquires menu information ordered by the customer; The estimation device according to claim 5 , wherein the estimation means further estimates menu information that will be available in time for the desired time of leaving the restaurant.

7. The estimation device according to claim 5 , wherein the visiting customer acquisition means calculates the desired store exit time based on schedule information of the visiting customer.

8. An estimation system comprising the estimation device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 and a photographing device installed in a position capable of photographing the actions of a customer using a seat in the store, The motion acquisition means acquires motion information indicating the motion of the customer by analyzing the image captured by the imaging device.

9. The computer Acquire progress information indicating the progress of a customer's meal while seated in the restaurant, acquiring motion information indicating the motion of the customer; estimating an estimated store exit time until the customer leaves the store based on the progress information and the operation information; The estimation method outputs the estimated results.

10. Acquire progress information indicating the progress of a customer's meal while seated in the restaurant, acquiring motion information indicating the motion of the customer; estimating an estimated store exit time until the customer leaves the store based on the progress information and the operation information; A computer program that causes a computer to execute a process of outputting the estimated estimation result.

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