Device and method

Abstract

This device comprises: an available energy acquisition unit that acquires available energy of a target user at a specific location, the available energy being estimated on the basis of the energy consumption of the target user at a location other than the specific location; an activity energy consumption acquisition unit that acquires, on the basis of the position of a terminal of the target user and the position of the specific location, activity energy consumption to be consumed by the target user in order to perform an activity at the specific location; and a determination unit that determines, on the basis of the available energy and the activity energy consumption, whether or not to output recommendation information relating to the content of activities that can be pursued by the target user at the specific location.

Description

Apparatus and method

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method.

[0002] Patent Document 1 below discloses a technology for generating suggested sightseeing routes based on user-set values ​​for sightseeing parameters. The sightseeing parameters include a physical strength parameter relating to remaining physical strength, a monetary parameter relating to remaining money, a time parameter relating to remaining time, and a satisfaction parameter relating to the level of satisfaction gained from sightseeing.

[0003] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-159596

[0004] In the invention described in Patent Document 1, suggested tourist routes are generated based on tourist parameters set by the user. Therefore, the tourist parameters cannot reflect information about energy consumption in the daily lives of users who live outside of specific locations, including tourist destinations, and it may be impossible to generate recommended information that is in line with the user's actual situation. Therefore, it may be possible that the recommended information provided to the user is inappropriate.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to appropriately provide recommendation information to users.

[0006] The device according to the present disclosure includes an actionable energy acquisition unit that acquires the actionable energy of the target user in a specific location estimated based on the energy consumed by the target user outside the specific location, an actionable energy acquisition unit that acquires the actionable energy consumed by the target user to act in the specific location based on the location of the terminal held by the target user and the location of the specific location, and a determination unit that determines whether or not to output recommendation information regarding the actions that the target user can take in the specific location based on the actionable energy and the actionable energy.

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately provide recommendation information to a user.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of processing in this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a device according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of travel behavior information. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing included in a method according to this embodiment. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of processing for estimating available energy included in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of processing for determining whether or not recommendation information included in FIG. 4 can be output. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the device and method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same elements are designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a diagram for explaining an overview of the processing in this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the information processing system 1 is a system that evaluates the state of the environmental load of a vehicle traveling in a specific section for a user. In the processing in this embodiment, a device 10 included in the information processing system 1 provides recommendation information to the user. In the example shown in Fig. 1, the device 10 provides recommendation information based on data obtained in a specific area SA and a residential area UA that is an area other than the specific area SA.

[0011] The specific area SA refers to an area occupying a predetermined area. The specific area SA includes at least one facility or area, which is a recommendation candidate RT. The specific area SA is, for example, an area where the target user TU does not normally live. The specific area SA is, for example, a tourist spot.

[0012] The living area UA refers to an area that is different from the specific area SA and occupies a certain area. The living area UA is, for example, the area where the target user TU normally lives. "Normally living" refers to the period of time spent in the living area UA being longer than the period of time spent in the specific area SA. "Normally living" refers to activities such as commuting to work, school, shopping, etc. in the living area UA. General users GU, who are users other than the target user TU, stay in the living area UA.

[0013] Before the target user TU visits the specific location SA, at least one general user GU is staying in the specific location SA. The general user GU staying in the specific location SA may, for example, tour the specific location SA and visit at least one recommendation candidate RT.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the device 10 acquires travel behavior information, including energy consumption, for a target user TU in a living area UA. The device 10 acquires travel behavior information, including standard energy consumption, for a general user GU in the living area UA. The device 10 acquires travel behavior information, including standard activity energy, for a general user GU in a specific area SA. The device 10 acquires candidate information, including activity consumption energy. Based on the acquired information, the device 10 acquires the target user's available activity energy. Based on the available activity energy and activity consumption energy, the device 10 determines whether to output recommendation information regarding the activities that the target user TU can perform in the specific area SA. Based on the determination, the device 10 outputs the recommendation information to the terminal 13 of the target user TU.

[0015] Next, a process of providing recommendation information to a user will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a device according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, an information processing system 1 is a system that provides recommendation information to a user. The information processing system 1 includes a device 10, a candidate information server 11, a travel behavior information server 12, and a terminal 13. The device 10 is communicatively connected to the candidate information server 11, the travel behavior information server 12, and the terminal 13. The device 10 includes an actionable energy acquisition unit 20, an action consumption energy acquisition unit 30, a determination unit 40, and an output unit 50.

[0016] The candidate information server 11 is a server that stores candidate information. The candidate information is information about a recommended candidate RT in a specific area SA. The candidate information includes the candidate location name, location information of the recommended candidate RT, information about an access method, etc. The candidate information server 11 includes, for example, information about a plurality of recommended candidate RTs as candidate information.

[0017] The target user TU has a terminal 13. In this embodiment, the general user GU also has the same terminal as the terminal 13 owned by the target user TU. Hereinafter, the terminal owned by the general user GU may also be referred to as the terminal 13. The terminal 13 is communicatively connected to the device 10 and the travel behavior information server 12. The terminal 13 may also be communicatively connected to the candidate information server 11. The terminal 13 is configured to be able to acquire location information. The terminal 13 transmits the acquired location information, the time when the location information was acquired, and a user ID which is an identifier of the terminal 13 to the travel behavior information server 12. The location information may be coordinates acquired by a GPS (Global Positioning System).

[0018] The travel behavior information server 12 is a server that stores travel behavior information of target users TU and general users GU. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of travel behavior information. As shown in FIG. 3, travel behavior information is information indicating details of behavior involving travel from one point to another for each of the target users TU and general users GU (hereinafter, simply referred to as "users" as a term that refers to both). The travel behavior information includes, for example, travel start time, travel end time, travel start point, travel end point, means of transportation, travel distance, etc. The travel behavior information further includes, for example, a user ID and user information. The user information includes, for example, user attribute information. The user information includes, for example, gender, weight, etc.

[0019] The travel behavior information is generated based on information acquired from the terminal 13. The travel behavior information server 12 determines whether the target user TU and general user GU who own the terminal 13 have moved, based on the location information acquired from the terminal 13 and the time when the location information was acquired. If the travel behavior information server 12 determines that the user has moved, it calculates the movement start time, movement end time, movement start point, movement end point, means of transportation, movement distance, etc. included in the travel behavior information, based on the location information and the time when the location information was acquired. Means of transportation include, for example, car, train, bicycle, walking, etc.

[0020] The specific configuration of the device 10 will be described below. The mobility available energy acquisition unit 20 acquires the mobility available energy of the target user TU in the specific area SA, which is estimated based on the energy consumed by the target user TU in a living area UA other than the specific area SA. The mobility available energy acquisition unit 20 includes a setting unit 21, a reference energy acquisition unit 22, a detection unit 23, and an estimation unit 24.

[0021] The setting unit 21 sets one specific area SA from among a plurality of specific areas SA other than the living area UA as a target specific area. The setting unit 21 acquires candidate information including a recommended candidate RT from the candidate information server 11. The setting unit 21 sets a specific area SA from among the plurality of specific areas SA included in the candidate information. The specific area SA set as the target specific area includes at least one recommended candidate RT. The setting unit 21 sets one of the recommended candidate RTs from among the plurality of recommended candidate RTs as content that the target user TU can act on.

[0022] The setting unit 21 sets a specific location SA that the target user TU plans to visit. The setting unit 21 acquires information about the specific location SA that the target user TU plans to visit in response to a user operation on the terminal 13 of the target user TU. The setting unit 21 sets a specific location SA that includes a recommendation candidate RT that the target user TU plans to visit. The plan to visit refers to, for example, a schedule included in a calendar app of the terminal 13 of the target user TU, and the inclusion of at least one of the specific location SA and the recommendation candidate RT included in the specific location SA in the search history of the search browser of the terminal 13 of the target user TU.

[0023] Furthermore, the setting unit 21 sets output conditions for outputting recommendation information to the terminal 13. The output conditions include at least one of a condition regarding whether to output from the output unit 50 to the terminal 13 and the recommendation information to be output from the output unit 50 to the terminal 13. The condition regarding whether to output includes a threshold value when comparing the actionable energy with the action-expended energy. The threshold value may be a positive or negative value, or may be zero.

[0024] The recommendation information is, for example, information in the recommendation candidate RT set by the setting unit 21. The recommendation information includes, for example, travel behavior information from the current location of the target user TU to the recommendation candidate RT, information on the content that the target user TU can experience in the recommendation candidate RT, etc. The travel behavior information includes, for example, at least one piece of information such as travel distance, travel route, estimated arrival time, means of transportation, and fare required for travel. The content that the target user TU can experience includes at least one piece of information such as event information in the recommendation candidate RT, estimated required time for the experience, and cost. The setting unit 21 sets at least one piece of information to be output to the terminal 13 from the above-mentioned information that may be included in the recommendation information.

[0025] The reference energy acquisition unit 22 acquires the reference energy consumption of a plurality of general users GU in a living area UA other than the specific area SA, and the reference activity energy of a plurality of general users GU in the specific area SA. The reference energy acquisition unit 22 acquires travel behavior information from the travel behavior information server 12.

[0026] The reference energy acquisition unit 22 acquires a distribution of reference behavior energy based on the travel behavior information of multiple general users GU. The reference behavior energy indicates the amount of energy each of multiple general users GU spends in a predetermined time in a specific location SA. The predetermined time may be, for example, a day, a daytime period, or a predetermined time. The reference behavior energy may be the total amount of energy spent traveling to a recommended candidate RT or the like during the predetermined time. The reference energy acquisition unit 22 calculates the reference behavior energy based on the amount of METs corresponding to the means of transportation included in the travel behavior information of each of multiple general users GU in the specific location SA, the weight and travel time included in the user information, etc. The reference energy acquisition unit 22 calculates the reference behavior energy by multiplying the amount of METs, weight, and travel time by 1.05. For example, if a general user GU weighing 60 kg walks for 30 minutes, the amount of METs for walking is 4.0, and the reference activity energy is calculated as 4.0 x 60 x 0.5 x 1.05 = 126 (kcal). The reference energy acquisition unit 22 derives a distribution of the reference activity energy, with the horizontal axis representing energy and the vertical axis representing the number of users.

[0027] The reference energy acquisition unit 22 acquires a distribution of reference energy consumption based on travel behavior information of multiple general users GU. The reference energy consumption indicates the amount of energy consumed by each of the multiple general users GU in a predetermined time period in the living area UA. The predetermined time period is the same as the unit time of the reference activity energy. The reference energy acquisition unit 22 calculates the reference energy consumption based on the amount of METs corresponding to the means of transportation included in the travel behavior information of the multiple general users GU in the living area UA, the weight and travel time included in the user information, etc. The calculation method of the reference energy consumption is, for example, the same as the calculation method of the reference activity energy. The reference energy acquisition unit 22 derives a distribution of the reference energy consumption, with the horizontal axis representing energy and the vertical axis representing the number of users. Note that the distribution of the reference energy consumption may be calculated based on the travel behavior information of the target user TU in addition to the travel behavior information of the multiple general users GU.

[0028] The detection unit 23 detects the energy consumption of the target user TU in a living area UA other than the specific area SA. The detection unit 23 detects a characteristic amount of the energy consumption based on the travel behavior information of the target user TU. The energy consumption indicates the amount of energy spent by the target user TU in a predetermined time in the living area UA. The predetermined time is the same as the unit time of the standard behavioral energy. The detection unit 23 calculates the energy consumption based on the amount of METs corresponding to the means of transportation included in the travel behavior information of the target user TU in the living area UA, the weight and travel time included in the user information, etc. The calculation method of the energy consumption is, for example, the same as the calculation method of the standard behavioral energy.

[0029] The detection unit 23 calculates a feature of the consumed energy based on the energy consumed by the target user TU per a plurality of unit times. The detection unit 23 calculates an average value or a median value of the consumed energy of the target user TU as the feature of the consumed energy.

[0030] The estimation unit 24 estimates the available energy of the target user TU in the specific area SA based on the energy consumed by the target user TU. The available energy refers to the energy with which the target user TU can perform activities such as moving in the specific area SA. The available energy includes the energy with which the target user TU can move from the current location to the recommended candidate RT in the specific area SA. Note that the available energy may also include the energy with which the target user TU can perform activities in the recommended candidate RT.

[0031] The estimation unit 24 estimates the available energy for a target user TU based on the reference energy consumption of multiple users, the reference activity energy of multiple users, and the energy consumption of the target user TU. The estimation unit 24 estimates the available energy for a target user TU based on the deviation value of the energy consumption of the target user TU from the distribution of the reference energy consumption and the distribution of the reference activity energy.

[0032] The estimation unit 24 derives a deviation value of the energy consumption of the target user TU detected by the detection unit 23 in the distribution of the reference energy consumption acquired by the reference energy acquisition unit 22. The estimation unit 24 derives a value corresponding to the deviation value in the distribution of the reference behavioral energy as the actionable energy. The distribution of the reference behavioral energy may be approximated by a function formula based on the reference behavioral energies of multiple general users GU.

[0033] Furthermore, the estimation unit 24 estimates the travel energy consumed by the target user TU moving within the target specific location (specific location SA). The estimation unit 24 acquires travel behavior information of the target user TU within the above-mentioned unit time and within the target specific location from the travel behavior information server 12. The estimation unit 24 estimates the travel energy of the target user TU within the above-mentioned unit time based on the travel behavior information. The calculation method of the travel energy is, for example, the same as the calculation method of the reference behavior energy. The estimation unit 24 derives the remaining amount of available energy for action by subtracting the travel energy from the available energy for action.

[0034] The behavioral energy consumption acquisition unit 30 acquires behavioral energy consumption consumed by the target user TU to act in the specific area SA based on the location of the terminal 13 owned by the target user TU and the location of the specific area SA. The behavioral energy consumption includes energy consumed by the target user TU when moving from the current location of the target user TU to a location of the recommended candidate RT in the specific area SA. The behavioral energy consumption may also include energy estimated to be consumed when the target user TU is active in the recommended candidate RT.

[0035] The behavioral energy consumption acquisition unit 30 estimates behavioral energy consumption when the target user TU visits a specific location SA, based on location information transmitted from the terminal 13 owned by the target user TU. The behavioral energy consumption acquisition unit 30 identifies the current location of the target user TU, based on the location information transmitted from the terminal 13 owned by the target user TU.

[0036] The behavioral consumption energy acquisition unit 30 acquires the location information of the recommended candidate RT set by the setting unit 21 from the candidate information server 11. The behavioral consumption energy acquisition unit 30 estimates travel behavior information from the current location of the target user TU to the recommended candidate RT. The travel behavior information includes the travel distance and means of transportation from the current location of the target user TU to the recommended candidate RT.

[0037] The behavioral energy consumption acquisition unit 30 identifies at least one mode of transportation assumed for traveling from the current location of the target user TU to the recommendation candidate RT as the mode of transportation. The behavioral energy consumption acquisition unit 30 may acquire the at least one mode of transportation using conventional technology. When multiple modes of transportation are assumed, the behavioral energy consumption acquisition unit 30 may select one mode of transportation from the multiple modes of transportation based on criteria predetermined by the target user TU. The criteria predetermined by the target user TU include criteria related to at least one of the cost and time that the target user TU can tolerate for traveling. The behavioral energy consumption acquisition unit 30 may acquire at least one criterion from the terminal 13. The behavioral energy consumption acquisition unit 30 may estimate behavioral energy consumption for each of the multiple modes of transportation.

[0038] The behavioral energy consumption acquisition unit 30 acquires user information of the target user TU from the terminal 13 of the target user TU. The behavioral energy consumption acquisition unit 30 estimates behavioral energy consumption based on the user information of the target user TU, an estimated travel distance, an estimated means of transportation, etc. The calculation method of the behavioral energy consumption is, for example, the same as the calculation method of the reference behavioral energy.

[0039] The determination unit 40 determines whether to output recommendation information regarding the content of the activities that the target user TU can perform in the specific area SA based on the available energy and the activity energy consumption. The determination unit 40 compares the available energy with a value obtained by adding a threshold to the activity energy consumption to determine whether to output recommendation information. The determination unit 40 decides to output recommendation information, for example, when it determines that the available energy is greater than the activity energy consumption and exceeds the threshold set by the setting unit 21, or when it determines that the available energy is equal to or greater than the value obtained by adding the activity energy consumption to the threshold set by the setting unit 21.

[0040] The output unit 50 outputs recommendation information based on the determination of the determination unit 40. The output unit 50 outputs, for example, a notification regarding the recommendation information to the terminal 13. In this case, the terminal 13 receives a push notification regarding the recommendation candidate RT from the output unit 50. The terminal 13 displays the recommendation information in response to a user operation on the push notification. The output unit 50 may output recommendation information corresponding to each of the multiple recommendation candidate RTs to the terminal 13. The output unit 50 may issue a push notification regarding the recommendation candidate RT among the multiple recommendation candidate RTs in response to a user operation on the terminal 13 until detailed recommendation information is viewed. The output unit 50 may store the recommendation information in a server (not shown).

[0041] Next, a method MT executed by the device 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of processing included in the method according to this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 4, the method MT includes steps S10, S20, S30, and S40.

[0042] First, in step S10, the setting unit 21 sets a target specific location. The setting unit 21 sets a specific location SA that the target user TU plans to visit as the target specific location. The setting unit 21 acquires the specific location SA that the target user TU plans to visit from the terminal 13, and acquires candidate information from the candidate information server 11. The setting unit 21 acquires information about the specific location SA that the target user TU plans to visit from the candidate information, and sets the specific location SA as the target specific location.

[0043] Next, in step S20, the setting unit 21 sets an output condition for outputting recommendation information to the terminal 13. The setting unit 21 sets a threshold value for comparing the available energy for action with the energy consumed for action, and recommendation information to be output to the terminal 13.

[0044] Subsequently, in step S30, the device 10 acquires energy available for action, as will be described in detail later.

[0045] Next, in step S40, the device 10 acquires the behavioral energy consumption and determines whether or not to output recommendation information. Details will be described later.

[0046] Next, the process executed as step S30 in the device 10 according to this embodiment will be described using the flowchart in Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the process for estimating the available energy included in Fig. 4. As shown in Fig. 5, first, in step S31, the reference energy acquisition unit 22 acquires travel behavior information of general users GU in a living area UA other than the target specific area. The reference energy acquisition unit 22 acquires travel behavior information of multiple general users GU in the living area UA from the travel behavior information server 12.

[0047] Next, in step S32, the reference energy acquisition unit 22 acquires the reference energy consumption of the general users GU in the living area UA. The reference energy acquisition unit 22 calculates the reference energy consumption of the multiple general users GU based on the travel behavior information of the multiple general users GU in the living area UA. In this way, the reference energy acquisition unit 22 acquires the distribution of the reference energy consumption of the general users GU in the living area UA.

[0048] Next, in step S33, the reference energy acquisition unit 22 acquires travel behavior information of general users GU in the target specific location (specific location SA). The reference energy acquisition unit 22 acquires travel behavior information of multiple general users GU in the target specific location from the travel behavior information server 12.

[0049] Next, in step S34, the reference energy acquisition unit 22 acquires the reference behavior energy of the general users GU in the target specific location. The reference energy acquisition unit 22 calculates the reference behavior energy of the multiple general users GU based on the travel behavior information of the multiple general users GU in the target specific location. In this way, the reference energy acquisition unit 22 acquires the distribution of the reference behavior energy of the general users GU in the target specific location.

[0050] Next, in step S35, the detection unit 23 acquires travel behavior information of the target users TU in the living area UA other than the target specific area. The reference energy acquisition unit 22 acquires travel behavior information of the target users TU in the living area UA from the travel behavior information server 12.

[0051] Next, in step S36, the detection unit 23 acquires a feature amount of energy consumption of the target user TU in the living area UA. The detection unit 23 calculates the energy consumption of the target user TU per multiple unit times (time periods) based on the travel behavior information of the target user TU in the living area UA. In this way, the detection unit 23 calculates the feature amount of energy consumption of the target user TU in the living area UA.

[0052] Next, in step S37, the estimation unit 24 estimates the remaining energy for the target user TU based on the reference energy consumption of the plurality of general users GU, the reference behavioral energy of the plurality of general users GU, and the energy consumption of the target user TU. The estimation unit 24 estimates the remaining energy for the target user TU based on the deviation value of the energy consumption of the target user TU from the distribution of the reference energy consumption, and the distribution of the reference behavioral energy. Step S30 ends when the estimation unit 24 estimates the remaining energy for the target user TU.

[0053] Next, the process executed as step S40 in the device 10 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the process included in Fig. 4 for acquiring behavioral energy consumption and determining whether or not to output recommendation information.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 6 , first, in step S41, the determination unit 40 determines whether the target user TU has visited the target specific location. The determination unit 40 determines whether the target user TU has visited the target specific location based on the location information of the terminal 13 of the target user TU. If it is determined that the location of the terminal 13 of the target user TU is located within the target specific location, the determination unit 40 determines that the target user TU has visited the target specific location and proceeds to step S42. If it is determined that the location of the terminal 13 of the target user TU is not located within the target specific location, the determination unit 40 determines that the target user TU has not visited the target specific location and ends step S40.

[0055] In step S42, the behavioral expenditure energy acquisition unit 30 acquires user information such as the weight of the target user TU.

[0056] In step S43, the estimation unit 24 of the actionable energy acquisition unit 20 estimates the remaining actionable energy of the target user TU. The estimation unit 24 estimates the movement energy based on the movement behavior information of the target user TU within a unit time in a target specific location. The estimation unit 24 estimates the remaining actionable energy by subtracting the movement energy from the actionable energy.

[0057] In step S44, the setting unit 21 sets a recommended candidate RT within the target specific location from the candidate information. The setting unit 21 acquires candidate information including at least one recommended candidate RT within the target specific location from the candidate information server 11. The setting unit 21 sets one recommended candidate RT within the target specific location.

[0058] In step S45, the behavioral energy consumption acquisition unit 30 estimates behavioral energy consumption when moving to the recommended candidate RT. The behavioral energy consumption acquisition unit 30 estimates behavioral energy consumption when moving to the recommended candidate RT set in step S44. The behavioral energy consumption acquisition unit 30 acquires location information of the recommended candidate RT from the candidate information server 11. The behavioral energy consumption acquisition unit 30 acquires location information of the terminal 13 from the terminal 13. The behavioral energy consumption acquisition unit 30 acquires travel behavior information including user information from the travel behavior information server 12. The behavioral energy consumption acquisition unit 30 estimates behavioral energy consumption based on the location information of the recommended candidate RT, the current location of the target user TU, and user information.

[0059] In step S46, the determination unit 40 determines whether to output recommendation information regarding the content of the activities that the target user TU can perform in the specific area SA, based on the remaining energy for action and the energy consumed for action. If the determination unit 40 determines that the remaining energy for action is greater than the threshold set by the setting unit 21, the processing in step S40 proceeds to step S49. If the determination unit 40 determines that the remaining energy for action is not greater than the threshold set by the setting unit 21, the processing in step S40 proceeds to step S47.

[0060] In step S46, the determination unit 40 determines whether or not the behavioral energy consumption of all recommendation candidates RT in the target specific location has been estimated. In step S44 and step S48 described below, the determination unit 40 determines whether or not recommendation candidates RT have been set for all recommendation candidates RT in the target specific location. If the determination unit 40 determines that the behavioral energy consumption of all recommendation candidates RT in the target specific location has been estimated, the processing in step S40 ends. At this time, no recommendation information is output. If the determination unit 40 determines that the behavioral energy consumption of all recommendation candidates RT in the target specific location has not been estimated, the processing in step S40 proceeds to step S48.

[0061] In step S48, the setting unit 21 changes the recommendation candidate RT within the target specific location from the candidate information to a recommendation candidate RT that has not been set in steps S44 and S48. After changing the recommendation candidate RT in step S48, the process in step S40 proceeds to step S45, and the subsequent processes are repeated.

[0062] In step S49, the output unit 50 outputs the recommendation information. The output unit 50 outputs the recommendation information based on the output conditions set in the setting unit 21. The terminal 13 displays the recommendation information based on the output of the output unit 50, for example. When step S49 is completed, the processing in step S40 ends.

[0063] Next, the effects of the device 10 and method according to the present embodiment will be described in comparison with the prior art. Conventional technology provides tourist information, such as recommended tourist spots and restaurants, to a smartphone via push notifications based on a user's location information, but does not take into account the user's physical and mental state. For example, if a user visits a tourist spot and is physically exhausted due to lack of exercise, providing the user with the above-described tourist information may be ineffective. On the other hand, if the above-described tourist information is not provided to a user with ample physical energy, it may result in missed opportunities. Therefore, when encouraging a user to visit additional recommended spots (such as tourist attractions) in a specific location, it is necessary to estimate the target user's remaining physical energy and appropriately determine whether to implement the recommendation.

[0064] Furthermore, while there is conventional technology that utilizes specialized devices such as smartwatches to estimate the remaining physical strength of each individual, the adoption rate of smartwatches is very low, and it is difficult to say that many users use them. Therefore, there is a need for a method that can estimate the remaining physical strength of a target user by using a device such as a smartphone, which has a high adoption rate and penetration rate, without the need to purchase specialized devices such as smartwatches.

[0065] In the device 10 and method MT of this embodiment, it is determined whether to output recommendation information regarding the content of the target user's possible activities in a specific location based on the actionable energy and the action energy consumption. Therefore, it is determined to output recommendation candidates RT to which the target user TU can move as recommendation information in accordance with the actual state of the target user TU in the specific location SA. Therefore, the recommendation information is appropriately provided to the target user TU.

[0066] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the available energy acquisition unit 20 may include a detection unit 23 that detects the energy consumption of the target user outside the specific area, and an estimation unit 24 that estimates the available energy in the specific area SA based on the energy consumption of the target user. The available energy in the specific area SA and the energy consumption in a living area UA other than the specific area SA are considered to be correlated because they are energy sources for activities, including movement, of the same target user TU. According to the above-described embodiment, the estimation unit 24 can appropriately estimate the available energy in the specific area SA based on the consumed energy. This allows the device 10 and the method MT to more appropriately provide recommendation information to the target user TU.

[0067] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the detection unit 23 may detect the energy consumption based on the location information of the terminal 13. In this case, even if the target user TU does not have a special device, the detection unit 23 can easily acquire the location information using a terminal that many users have, such as a smartphone.

[0068] In addition, in this embodiment, the device 10 further includes a reference energy acquisition unit 22 that acquires the reference energy consumption of multiple users (including at least general users GU) in a location other than the specific area SA (living area UA) and the reference activity energy of multiple users (including at least general users GU) in the specific area SA. The estimation unit 24 may estimate the activity energy reserve of the target user TU based on the reference energy consumption of the multiple users, the reference activity energy of the multiple users, and the energy consumption of the target user. In a specific area SA, such as a tourist destination, many users may be able to be more energetic than in the living area UA. Therefore, the activity energy reserve that the target user TU can expend on an activity in the specific area SA may differ from the energy consumption that the target user TU can expend on an activity in the living area UA. Therefore, by having the above-described configuration of the device 10, the estimation unit 24 can more accurately estimate the activity energy reserve of the target user TU based on the reference activity energy of multiple users in the specific area SA.

[0069] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the estimation unit 24 may estimate the available energy of the target user TU based on the deviation value of the target user TU's consumed energy from the distribution of the standard consumed energy and the distribution of the standard behavioral energy. In this case, even if the standard behavioral energy in the specific area SA has changed compared to the standard consumed energy, the deviation value of the target user TU's consumed energy from the standard consumed energy of multiple users can be used to estimate the available energy corresponding to the changed standard behavioral energy. Therefore, the estimation unit 24 can more accurately estimate the available energy of the target user TU.

[0070] In addition, in this embodiment, the device 10 may further include an output unit 50 that outputs recommendation information based on the determination of the determination unit 40. When the determination unit 40 determines that the recommendation information can be output, the recommendation information is output to the terminal 13 of the target user TU. This allows the target user TU to obtain recommendation information suitable for his or her available energy.

[0071] The available energy acquisition unit 20 of the device 10 may not include the setting unit 21. In this case, the available energy of the target user TU for a predetermined specific area SA may be estimated. The predetermined specific area SA is, for example, at least one predetermined tourist destination SA. The available energy acquisition unit 20 may acquire the standard activity energy of the general user GU in the specific area SA, the standard consumption energy of the general user GU in a living area UA other than the specific area SA, and the consumption energy of the target user TU in a living area UA other than the specific area SA.

[0072] The available energy acquisition unit 20 may not include the detection unit 23 and the estimation unit 24. In this case, for example, the travel behavior information server 12 may store the available energy of the target user TU in advance, and the available energy acquisition unit 20 may acquire the available energy of the target user TU stored in advance in the travel behavior information server 12. The travel behavior information server 12 may store the available energy input by an operation on the terminal 13 of the target user TU.

[0073] The detection unit 23 does not need to detect the consumed energy based on the location information of the terminal 13. In this case, the detection unit 23 may detect the consumed energy obtained by an operation on the terminal 13 of the target user TU.

[0074] The estimation unit 24 does not need to estimate the available energy for the target user TU based on the deviation value of the target user's consumed energy from the distribution of the reference consumed energy and the distribution of the reference behavioral energy. In this case, for example, the estimation unit 24 may calculate a multiplication factor between a feature amount (average, median, etc.) of the reference consumed energy and a feature amount (average, median, etc.) of the reference behavioral energy, and obtain the available energy for the target user TU by multiplying the consumed energy by the multiplication factor.

[0075] Furthermore, the device 10 and the terminal 13 of the target user TU may have the same configuration. That is, the terminal 13 may have each functional unit that may be included in the device 10.

[0076] [About the Present Disclosure] The apparatus 10 and method MT of the present disclosure have the following configuration.

[0077] [1] A device comprising: an actionable energy acquisition unit that acquires the actionable energy of a target user in a specific location, estimated based on the energy consumed by the target user outside the specific location; an action consumption energy acquisition unit that acquires the action consumption energy consumed by the target user to act in the specific location, based on the location of a terminal held by the target user and the location of the specific location; and a determination unit that determines whether to output recommendation information regarding the actions that the target user can take in the specific location, based on the actionable energy and the action consumption energy.

[0078] [2] The device described in [1], wherein the actionable energy acquisition unit has: a detection unit that detects the energy consumption of the target user outside the specific location; and an estimation unit that estimates the actionable energy in the specific location based on the energy consumption of the target user.

[0079] [3] The device according to [2], wherein the detection unit detects the consumed energy based on location information of the terminal.

[0080] [4] The device described in [2] or [3], further comprising a standard energy acquisition unit that acquires standard energy consumption of a plurality of users outside the specific location and standard activity energy of the plurality of users in the specific location, wherein the estimation unit estimates the activity energy available of the target user based on the standard energy consumption of the plurality of users, the standard activity energy of the plurality of users, and the consumption energy of the target user.

[0081] [5] The device according to [4], wherein the estimation unit estimates the actionable energy of the target user based on a deviation value of the consumption energy of the target user from a distribution of the reference consumption energy and a distribution of the reference action energy.

[0082] [6] The device according to any one of [1] to [5], further comprising an output unit that outputs the recommendation information based on the determination of the determination unit.

[0083] [7] A method comprising: a step of acquiring the target user's available energy in a specific location, estimated based on the target user's energy consumption outside the specific location; a step of acquiring the behavioral energy consumed by the target user to perform activities in the specific location based on the location of the device itself and the location of the specific location; and a determination unit that determines whether to output recommendation information regarding the activities that the target user can perform in the specific location based on the available energy and the behavioral energy consumed.

[0084] [Definition of Terms, etc.] The block diagrams used to explain the above embodiments show functional blocks. These functional blocks (components) are realized by any combination of hardware and / or software. Furthermore, the method for realizing each functional block is not particularly limited. That is, each functional block may be realized using a single device that is physically or logically coupled, or may be realized using two or more physically or logically separated devices that are connected directly or indirectly (e.g., via wire, wirelessly, etc.) and these multiple devices. The functional block may also be realized by combining the single device or multiple devices with software.

[0085] Functions include, but are not limited to, judgment, determination, assessment, calculation, computation, processing, derivation, investigation, search, confirmation, reception, transmission, output, access, resolution, selection, selection, establishment, comparison, assumption, expectation, consideration, broadcasting, notifying, communicating, forwarding, configuring, reconfiguring, allocating, mapping, and assignment. For example, a functional block (component) that performs transmission is called a transmitting unit or transmitter. As mentioned above, there are no particular limitations on how these functions are implemented.

[0086] For example, the device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may function as a computer that performs processing to determine whether or not there has been a change in hobbies and preferences according to the present disclosure. Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the hardware configuration of the device 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 10 described above may be physically configured as a computer device including a processor 1001, a memory 1002, a storage 1003, a communication device 1004, an input device 1005, an output device 1006, a bus 1007, and the like.

[0087] In the following description, the term "apparatus" can be interpreted as a circuit, a device, a unit, etc. The hardware configuration of apparatus 10 may be configured to include one or more of the apparatuses shown in the drawings, or may be configured to exclude some of the apparatuses.

[0088] Each function of the device 10 is realized by loading specified software (programs) onto hardware such as the processor 1001 and memory 1002, causing the processor 1001 to perform calculations, control communication via the communication device 1004, and control at least one of reading and writing data in the memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0089] The processor 1001 controls the entire computer by running, for example, an operating system. The processor 1001 may be configured by a central processing unit (CPU) including an interface with peripheral devices, a control device, an arithmetic unit, a register, etc. For example, the above-mentioned actionable energy acquisition unit 20, action consumption energy acquisition unit 30, and determination unit 40 may be realized by the processor 1001.

[0090] The processor 1001 also reads programs (program codes), software modules, data, etc. from at least one of the storage 1003 and the communication device 1004 into the memory 1002 and executes various processes in accordance with the programs. The programs used are those that cause a computer to execute at least some of the operations described in the above-described embodiments. For example, the actionable energy acquisition unit 20, the action consumption energy acquisition unit 30, and the determination unit 40 may be implemented by a control program stored in the memory 1002 and running on the processor 1001, and similarly may be implemented for other functional blocks. While the above-described various processes have been described as being executed by one processor 1001, they may also be executed simultaneously or sequentially by two or more processors 1001. The processor 1001 may be implemented by one or more chips. The programs may also be transmitted from a network via a telecommunications line.

[0091] The memory 1002 is a computer-readable recording medium and may be configured by, for example, at least one of a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a random access memory (RAM), etc. The memory 1002 may also be called a register, a cache, a main memory (primary storage device), etc. The memory 1002 can store executable programs (program codes), software modules, etc. for implementing a method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0092] Storage 1003 is a computer-readable recording medium, and may be composed of at least one of, for example, an optical disk such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc ROM), a hard disk drive, a flexible disk, a magneto-optical disk (e.g., a compact disk, a digital versatile disk, a Blu-ray (registered trademark) disk), a smart card, a flash memory (e.g., a card, a stick, a key drive), a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a magnetic strip, etc. Storage 1003 may also be referred to as an auxiliary storage device. The above-mentioned storage medium may be, for example, a database, a server, or other appropriate medium including at least one of memory 1002 and storage 1003.

[0093] The communication device 1004 is hardware (transmission / reception device) for communicating between computers via at least one of a wired network and a wireless network, and is also referred to as, for example, a network device, a network controller, a network card, or a communication module. The communication device 1004 may be configured to include a high-frequency switch, a duplexer, a filter, a frequency synthesizer, etc. to realize at least one of frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD). For example, the above-mentioned actionable energy acquisition unit 20 and action consumption energy acquisition unit 30 may be realized by the communication device 1004. The communication device 1004 may be implemented with a transmitter and a receiver that are physically or logically separated from each other.

[0094] The input device 1005 is an input device (e.g., a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, a switch, a button, a sensor, etc.) that receives input from the outside. The output device 1006 is an output device (e.g., a display, a speaker, an LED lamp, etc.) that outputs to the outside. Note that the input device 1005 and the output device 1006 may be integrated into one device (e.g., a touch panel).

[0095] Furthermore, each device, such as the processor 1001 and the memory 1002, is connected by a bus 1007 for communicating information. The bus 1007 may be configured using a single bus, or may be configured using different buses between each device.

[0096] The device 10 may also be configured to include hardware such as a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a field programmable gate array (FPGA), and some or all of the functional blocks may be realized by the hardware. For example, the processor 1001 may be implemented using at least one of these pieces of hardware.

[0097] The notification of information is not limited to the aspects / embodiments described in the present disclosure and may be performed using other methods. For example, the notification of information may be performed by physical layer signaling (e.g., Downlink Control Information (DCI) and Uplink Control Information (UCI)), higher layer signaling (e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, Medium Access Control (MAC) signaling, broadcast information (Master Information Block (MIB) and System Information Block (SIB))), other signals, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, the RRC signaling may be referred to as an RRC message, and may be, for example, an RRC Connection Setup message, an RRC Connection Reconfiguration message, or the like.

[0098] The order of the procedures, sequences, flowcharts, etc. of each aspect / embodiment described in this disclosure may be changed unless it is consistent. For example, the methods described in this disclosure present elements of various steps using an example order, and are not limited to the particular order presented.

[0099] Input and output information may be stored in a specific location (for example, memory) or may be managed using a management table. Input and output information may be overwritten, updated, or added to. Output information may be deleted. Input information may be sent to another device.

[0100] The determination may be made based on a value represented by one bit (0 or 1), a Boolean value (true or false), or a numerical comparison (e.g., comparison with a predetermined value).

[0101] The aspects / embodiments described in this disclosure may be used alone, in combination, or switched depending on the implementation. Notification of predetermined information (e.g., notification that "X is true") is not limited to explicit notification, but may be implicit (e.g., not notifying the predetermined information).

[0102] Although the present disclosure has been described in detail above, it is clear to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. The present disclosure can be implemented in modified and altered forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Therefore, the description of the present disclosure is intended to be illustrative and does not have any limiting meaning on the present disclosure.

[0103] Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable files, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

[0104] Software, instructions, information, etc. may also be transmitted or received over a transmission medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using wired technologies (such as coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)), and / or wireless technologies (such as infrared, microwave), then these wired and / or wireless technologies are included within the definition of transmission media.

[0105] The information, signals, etc. described in this disclosure may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, chips, etc. that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or photons, or any combination thereof.

[0106] Note that terms described in this disclosure and terms necessary for understanding this disclosure may be replaced with terms having the same or similar meanings. For example, at least one of a channel and a symbol may be a signal (signaling). Furthermore, a signal may be a message. Furthermore, a component carrier (CC) may be called a carrier frequency, a cell, a frequency carrier, etc.

[0107] Furthermore, the information, parameters, etc. described in the present disclosure may be expressed using absolute values, may be expressed using relative values ​​from a predetermined value, or may be expressed using other corresponding information. For example, a radio resource may be indicated by an index.

[0108] The names used for the above-described parameters are not intended to be limiting in any way. Furthermore, the mathematical expressions using these parameters may differ from those explicitly disclosed in this disclosure. The various channels (e.g., PUCCH, PDCCH, etc.) and information elements may be identified by any suitable names, and therefore the various names assigned to these various channels and information elements are not intended to be limiting in any way.

[0109] In this disclosure, the terms "Mobile Station (MS)," "user terminal," "User Equipment (UE)," "terminal," and the like may be used interchangeably.

[0110] A mobile station may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable terminology.

[0111] As used in this disclosure, the terms "determining" and "determining" may encompass a wide variety of actions. "Determining" and "determining" may include, for example, judging, calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up, searching, inquiring (e.g., searching in a table, database, or other data structure), ascertaining, and the like. "Determining" and "determining" may also include receiving (e.g., receiving information), transmitting (e.g., sending information), input, output, accessing (e.g., accessing data in memory), and the like. Furthermore, "judgment" and "decision" can include regarding resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, comparing, etc. as having been "judged" or "decided." In other words, "judgment" and "decision" can include regarding some action as having been "judged" or "decided." Furthermore, "judgment (decision)" can be interpreted as "assuming," "expecting," "considering," etc.

[0112] The terms "connected," "coupled," or any variation thereof, refer to any direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and may include the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two elements that are "connected" or "coupled" to each other. The coupling or connection between elements may be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. For example, "connected" may be read as "access." As used in this disclosure, two elements may be considered to be "connected" or "coupled" to each other using one or more wires, cables, and / or printed electrical connections, as well as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency range, microwave range, and optical (both visible and invisible) range, as some non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples.

[0113] As used in this disclosure, the phrase "based on" does not mean "based only on," unless expressly stated otherwise. In other words, the phrase "based on" means both "based only on" and "based at least on."

[0114] As used in this disclosure, any reference to an element using a designation such as "first," "second," etc. does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. These designations may be used in this disclosure as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements. Thus, a reference to a first and a second element does not imply that only two elements may be employed or that the first element must in some way precede the second element.

[0115] When the terms "include," "including," and variations thereof are used in this disclosure, these terms are intended to be inclusive, similar to the term "comprising." Furthermore, when the term "or" is used in this disclosure, it is not intended to be an exclusive or.

[0116] In this disclosure, where articles are added by translation, such as a, an, and the in English, the disclosure may include that the nouns following these articles are in the plural form.

[0117] In the present disclosure, the term "A and B are different" may mean "A and B are different from each other." The term may also mean "A and B are each different from C." Terms such as "separate" and "coupled" may also be interpreted in the same way as "different."

[0118] 10...device, 13...terminal, 20...actionable energy acquisition unit, 21...setting unit, 22...reference energy acquisition unit, 23...detection unit, 24...estimation unit, 30...action consumption energy acquisition unit, 40...determination unit, 50...output unit, 1001...processor, 1002...memory, 1003...storage, 1004...communication device, 1005...input device, 1006...output device, MT...method, SA...specific location, TU...target user, UA...living place (an example other than a specific location).

Claims

1. A device comprising: an actionable energy acquisition unit that acquires the actionable energy of a target user in a specific location estimated based on the energy consumed by the target user outside the specific location; an action consumption energy acquisition unit that acquires the action consumption energy consumed by the target user to act in the specific location based on the location of a terminal held by the target user and the location of the specific location; and a determination unit that determines whether to output recommendation information regarding the actions that the target user can take in the specific location based on the actionable energy and the action consumption energy.

2. The device described in claim 1, wherein the actionable energy acquisition unit has: a detection unit that detects the energy consumed by the target user outside the specific location; and an estimation unit that estimates the actionable energy in the specific location based on the energy consumed by the target user.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the detection unit detects the energy consumption based on location information of the terminal.

4. The device described in claim 2, further comprising a standard energy acquisition unit that acquires standard energy consumption of multiple users outside the specific location and standard activity energy of the multiple users in the specific location, and the estimation unit estimates the activityable energy of the target user based on the standard energy consumption of the multiple users, the standard activity energy of the multiple users, and the consumption energy of the target user.

5. The device described in claim 4, wherein the estimation unit estimates the available energy for the target user based on the deviation value of the target user's energy consumption from the distribution of the standard energy consumption and the distribution of the standard activity energy.

6. The device according to claim 1, further comprising an output unit that outputs the recommendation information based on the determination of the determination unit.

7. A method comprising: a step of acquiring the target user's available energy in a specific location, estimated based on the target user's energy consumption outside the specific location; a step of acquiring the activity consumption energy that the target user will consume to act in the specific location based on the location of the device itself and the location of the specific location; and a determination unit that determines whether to output recommendation information regarding the activities that the target user can act in the specific location based on the available energy and the activity consumption energy.

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